{"id":23932,"date":"2007-03-23T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2007-03-23T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lookingcloser.wordpress.com\/2007\/03\/23\/let-me-clear-something-up-regarding-300\/"},"modified":"2013-02-10T20:57:10","modified_gmt":"2013-02-11T03:57:10","slug":"let-me-clear-something-up-regarding-300","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lookingcloser\/2007\/03\/let-me-clear-something-up-regarding-300\/","title":{"rendered":"About “300”… A Clarification"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

I have been out of line in some of my statements in relation to 300<\/em>. I wrote things that made it sound like I was condemning the film. And I made some people who really liked the film uncomfortable.<\/p>\n

That wasn\u2019t my intention. And I apologize for getting so worked up about it.<\/p>\n

As a critic, I should not judge films I haven\u2019t seen. That\u2019s unprofessional.<\/p>\n

Now, technically, I haven\u2019t judged it. I would, in fact, be delighted if I were to discover that the film was meaningful and worthwhile.<\/p>\n

All I really wanted to do in my previous posts about the film was to point to other people\u2019s reviews<\/em> of that film, so that I could make it clear why I am not planning to see it, and so that people would stop asking me what I think of it.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think that film critics are automatically dismissed from listening to their own consciences about what they should and shouldn\u2019t see. I know how I feel when I walk out of a movie that is intensely violent but ultimately rather shallow. I feel battered, weary, and like I\u2019ve wasted my time. Since the reviews incline me to believe that 300<\/em> might make me feel that way, I\u2019m going to steer clear of it for now.<\/p>\n

But I don\u2019t judge others who see it, and I have not judged the film. I can\u2019t. I haven\u2019t seen it.<\/p>\n

Was I wrong to say it is full of sex and violence? Well, no\u2026 the film\u2019s marketers practically flaunt that fact. And my friends who have seen it almost unanimously confirm that.<\/p>\n

Still, they might be wrong, and the marketers might be misleading me. I\u2019m sorry for sounding presumptuous. 300<\/em> might be a beautiful, meaningful work. Go see it if you wish. All I ask is that we all proceed with caution and discernment.<\/p>\n

If you want to respond to this, email me.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have been out of line in some of my statements in relation to 300. I wrote things that made it sound like I was condemning the film. And I made some people who really liked the film uncomfortable. That wasn\u2019t my intention. And I apologize for getting so worked up about it. As a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1051,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[2090,1202,405],"class_list":["post-23932","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","tag-2090","tag-discernment","tag-violence"],"yoast_head":"\nAbout "300"... A Clarification<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I have been out of line in some of my statements in relation to 300. I wrote things that made it sound like I was condemning the film. 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