Mr March

The same logic could be applied to call any of the official Macross sequels an alternate universe. It doesn't get one anywhere. I see no reason to suspect an alternate universe for the next Macross project. I'm not sure where all this "AU! AU!" speculation is suddenly coming from. Nothing so far says anything one way or the other. ANd like I said, given the franchise history (and the absence of the creative team going out on a limb), it's likely going to be within the Macross established history. If I were a betting man, I'd say established history. But as I say, anything is possible, even Macross time travel! (perish the thought)

Don't worry, after Macross 7 and Macross Zero, there's no place to go but up

Yup, Good SMile version for me too. I want the best bang for the buck and this looks like the one to wait for.

Given the history of the franchise, it's pretty damn safe to say the next series is going to be within the primary fictional franchise. Every Macross production, with the exception of the aberration known as MacII, was in the same storyline. There's always the chance that they creative team may diverge into a new storyline outside of established Macross history, but I doubt it.

As always, it's great to see official confirmation coming through the wire. Now, all we have to do is wait...damnit

300 (2006) Genre: Live Action Film - Action Adventure Heavily marketed with digitally glowing trailers in dramatic slow motion, "300" is the latest of writer Frank Miller's graphic novels to become a film. Like Robert Rodriguez did with his adaptation of Miller's graphic novel "Sin City", so does director Zack Snyder turn to virtual stages and generous digital effects to transfer the drawn page of the comic into live action. For the most part, the setting and characters of Miller's work transfer well and while the film does suffer from more than a touch of self-indulgence, the method of delivery works well for the stylized, hyper-reality of this historical retelling. Based upon the actual historical Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C., "300" tells the story from the perspective of Greek King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) who leads his three hundred Spartans against the Persian army numbering in the millions. Commanding the Persian army is Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), decked out in jewellery and piercings, digitally giant-sized and given a suitably imposing voice. In the city of Sparta, Lenonidas' wife Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey) attempts to rally the city's loyalists (personified by Stephen McHattie) to aid her husband's brave Spartans, but must contend with the machinations of the underhanded Theron (Dominic West). Narrated throughout with the voice of Dilios (David Wenham), the script wastes no time in setting the characters of "300." The Spartans are shown as the fiercest warriors that ever lived and Leonidas' upbringing is told with a montage of battles and solitary survival until he grows into a man. The story then begins with Persian emissaries demanding the surrender of Sparta and the Greeks. Naturally, King Leonidas refuses to surrender his city and the war begins. The film adaptation of "300" resembles more than a little "Lord of the Rings" and "Gladiator", using plentiful digital grading like the former and a score like that of the latter. However, "300"is clearly an action epic and spends more time in battle than on any other element of the story. Featuring numerous bloody brawls and countless vicious deaths, "300" is a strong action film and stays well within the genre. Some very well choreographed and exciting battles give a good account of "300," leaving not a fan unsatisfied. Zack Snyder directs his actors well in one brutal conflict after another as the Spartans fight with spear and shield, sword and fist against hordes of enemies. Blood flows freely and limbs fly aplenty, much of which is shown in either slow motion or speed ramped to give a sense of gravity and inertia. The technique can feel excessive at times, but with so much excitement put into each scene, it's hard to ignore the visceral thrills to be had. Upping the ante for every battle, "300" takes a step even beyond the mythical and into the magical when the Spartans oppose increasingly non-human enemies more properly categorized as monsters than even the most bestial human. Aside from the action, "300" includes some minor stories linked to the battle of Thermopylae. King Leonidis rejects a disfigured wannabe warrior named Ephialtes (Andrew Tiernan in heavy costume and makeup) who, upon feeling shunned, turns to the seductive court of Xerxes which offers the poor soul women and riches to betray the Spartans. Back in Sparta, Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey) tries her best to convince the Greeks to send aid to her husband. Neither story is all that compelling, but they do allow Snyder and Miller the chance to breakup the battles of the film and feature a bit of fan service typical of the action genre. There can be no mistake that "300" is very over-the-top with both the use of dialogue and the attempts at drama. Sometimes these elements can make the film feel forced while at other times it's hard to go wrong with a little yelling in the face of a thousand bloodthirsty soldiers. The film functions best as an epic action piece with numerous exciting examples of ancient combat, a formula that works given the large portion of the script devoted to these scenes. The acting ranges from moving to somewhat flat, but most of the actors never break character and even deliver some truly entertaining dialogue at key moments. If there can be a major fault leveled at the film, it's taking itself ever so seriously and falling just short of the ambitiousness of the production. Rating: 4 out of 5. Those not looking for a history lesson will find "300" a thoroughly engaging action film with plenty of thrills that will carry the viewer through some of the lesser scenes.

Ah, very interesting.

Thinking the same thing May Kubrick turn over in his grave

Can't speak for anyone else, but I know what I'm getting into (probably better than most at the risk of sounding a little arrogant). It's going to be a lot of over-the-top violence and highly stylized, using the tale of an ancient battle for little more than window dressing and a bit of historical gravitas. And it's gonna be great...I hope

Very nice. I like the subdued lighting. Btw, Dante I just have to say that avatar of yours is great. It's mesmerizing

Going to see it this weekend. Good to hear it's worth watching.

The art reminds me a lot of Timothy Truman, especially the angles, composition and heavy use of shadow. He's probably best known to most comic book fans for his time on Conan and his work on the classic late 80's reboot Hawkworld.

Never liked the character. Regardless, I'm not concerned. Comic book character death is about as permament as Hollywood marriages

I just don't see it working, especially when the big attraction is Valkyries and fighter combat. You take out the sky, you take out Macross IMO. If a destroid side story was going to work, the mecha would have to be re-imagined. Something along the lines of the Cheyenne from Macross Zero; much faster, more capable and dymanic so they could be properly utilized in mecha action sequences typical of all anime mecha shows.

I'd go for front line duty all the way. Tomahawk or Defender. I'm not courageous or pyscho, I just wouldn't want to play the waiting game. Its a war and if I'm going to fight and die in it, I'd prefer to die quick and in the thick of things. Like the first time you do something that feels really dangerous to you. Just dive in and do it...it keeps your mind off the other bad stuff

Those Revoltech figures looks great too. For the price, you can't go wrong. ANd they do quite a few other franchises as well. This is the first time I've seen em. BUt my heart is set on this CMC Ingram

Checking it out, you're right there isn't a lot of info. Regardless, it does give the scale of the ships. It seems most are as you say .5-to-1 kilometer long. That's pretty much my perception of the scale from what is shown in the anime. Thanks.

Hehehe, that'd be great, but the lack of english information on this series makes Macross look like a domestic franchise in comparison

I'd tend to agree. It's just so different from anything I expected...and that's great! The use of actual tactics in battle is amazing for an anime. They even expand it, going so far as to work the major battle over two episodes, with gains and drawbacks, engagement and withdrawal. It's amazing to see this level of detail in a combat. The animation is great too, it has a very early 90's feel.

The gap has always been there. We just never see the ship from directly top or bottom in the series.

Amazing. Just finished watching the vid. Very impressive.

That's all I needed to hear

Just finished watching the first two episodes. Okay, this is GOOD. Wow, this series has some potential. VERY different from your average anime. Subtle character designs, muted colors, somber tones and is that an orchestral theme I hear? This is the kind of anime I love. I'm definitely checking out more. I'd like to learn more about the ships. Is there any website online that has some details about the spacecraft, particularly the names and sizes of the capital warships?

I MUST have this. Damn, nice articulation!

Not surprised. He almost seemed to have a vendetta the way he was carrying on here.