I saw 300 a few hours ago. I have to say, wow. That movie is gorgeous. Gritty, gory, really dirty and totally unbelievable, but gorgeous.

And good God, the abs. I am in awe of the abdominal muscles of the Spartans. Most likely computer-enhanced, but anyway. Almost enough to get me out there working out

It was rousing in a blood-soaked way. As long as I didn't think about the masses of blood being shed, it was beautiful. It was a dance, almost, to watch the battle, to see the parry and recovery of an artist of war.

I saw it for purely research purposes, of course. I can't quite figure out how to plan a war for my novel, so I need all the help I can get.

Two people I did not expect in this movie: David Wenham and Rodrigo Santoro. I like both of these actors, but I couldn't get over seeing David aka Faramir bare-chested and blond in a sea of dark-haired Spartans, even if he did a great job as the storyteller. Considering the other roles I've seen him in (Moulin Rouge and Van Helsing) he's not my first thought when someone says, hey! I need a Spartan! And as for Rodrigo, I've only seen him in Love Actually and those Chanel ads, but he is hardly recognizable.

Gerard Butler is very much recognizable, and does well. Though apparently Spartans were part Scottish...

I'm glad I saw it. It was visually stunning. See it if you can stand the gore.