Wednesday, December 22, 2004

Shadow of Rome finally scheduled for release Jan 29

PlayStation 2: Shadow of Rome: "In the year 44 B.C., during the reign of Julius Caesar, a terrible plot comprised of murder and corruption was secretly brewing. A plot to prevent Caesar's plans for a reformed Rome was executed, resulting in the infamous 'Et tu, Brute' slaying of the beloved leader. The inevitable fallout of such a tragic blow to the Roman Empire results in Uesnius being accused of the crime. In Shadow of Rome you assume the role of an upcoming gladiator, Agrippa, the son of Uesnius. The only way you will be able to save your innocent father's life is to rise through the ranks of the brutal gladiators until you have achieved a level of infamy worthy of recognition by the Roman elite. Only the most unforgiving, triumphant gladiator is given the honor of executing the branded traitor, Uesnius. If you can reach that level of notoriety, maybe, just maybe you'll be able to free your father at the last minute. The fate of your family name rests in your hands!

Luckily, Agrippa is not alone in his quest for justice. While his portions of Shadow of Rome focus on the visceral, blood-soaked acts of pure animal violence that occur in the gladiatorial arenas of the city, your close friend and ally, Octavius, has a very different task. Octavius must infiltrate the halls of power that control the political and subversive aspects of Roman life in order to uncover the man (or men) who commissioned the incarceration of Uesnius. "

New King Arthur DVD worth a look

I watched the new "King Arthur' DVD last night and found that the Extended Edition Director's cut was much less choppy than the version that was shown in theaters. The DVD also includes a version with director commentary and an alternate ending that I hope to have time to view this weekend. Hopefully it will dispense with the cheesy "wedding" finale.

When I viewed the film last night I was able to listen more intently to the dialogue as well. Clive Owen was forced to speak such formal stilted passages that it was as if he was given expansive Shakespearean lines that contrasted too starkly with the more pedantic dialogue of the other characters.

The extended edition also emphasized Arthur's admiration for Pelagius as a basis for his world view. I was unfamiliar with the teachings of Pelagius so I did a little research and found some interesting articles at:

http://www.clive.bates.btinternet.co.uk/palagius.htm

http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/onsite/Augustine.html

http://tinyurl.com/4trs9