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  Columbia Sportswear Men's Charger Parka By: Columbia Sportswear Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 10 More Information What a great deal!  On: 2008-04-10What a great deal! I got this for only $50. The quality is pretty good. Nice!! Excellent choice on short notice  On: 2008-03-16Living in Florida, you can guess that a jacket like this isnt necessary. Well, Im an avid skier and go on a trip at least once a year. In my last move, my old jacket was lost and I was on my way to Utah. This jacket seemed pretty good at the last minute and on the budget I was on. Anyway, the jacket was great! On the last couple of days I was there we were skiing in 10 degree weather and the jacket kept me nice and warm even though I only had a T-Shirt on underneath! At times I was even sweating. Overall a very nice jacket for the price. My only downside is that I wish there was a pocket on the inside of the fleece. Other than that, I couldnt find a flaw! "This...is...Sparta...Bey*tch!!!!" {Profanity MINE!}  On: 2008-03-15Historically, 300 is all about the last stand of Spartan King Leonidas and his personal bodyguard of 300 soldiers as they protect the strategic pass of Thermopylae--the only mainland entry into Greece from the viewpoint of the Persian Empire--from an invading force of Persians under Xerxes I. Visually and artistically, 300 is second-to-none and beautifies the art of killing and of war, at least to the extent that it looks like eye-candy. Ideologically and culturally, however, 300 can be construed as both a metaphor of todays War on Terror and a celebration or at least study of conservative, traditional values of nationalism, discipline and principled idealism. Despite all this potential, a great deal of 300 is actually factually inaccurate, campy, absurd and melodramatic. 300s a film that has many pros for its many cons. To prioritize, Ill start with the most clear-cut: its aesthetic value as it relates to what you see. The main selling point of attraction is not the story, the gore, the actors, the graphic novel-based material, the killing, etc.. Above all else, its the visual treat that 300 is from start to finish. This movie redefines the concept of aesthetics by being psychologically enjoyable to take in. Unless youre blind, it will keep your eyeballs glued to the TV screen with each increasing shot of bedazzlement. Whether its the slow-motion scenes of slaughter or combat (beheadings, hailstorms of incoming arrows, spear thrusts); the rendering of the stark, coastal terrain near which the battle takes place; or the costume design of the Greeks and Persians--300 is the epitome of visual beauty on film. Some scenes that are simply breathtaking on the right HDTV-and-DVD-combo are: -The young, Spartan boy shown battling a 3-D rendered wolf -The first clash between the 300 and the oncoming Persians -The hailstorm of arrows fired by the Persians with the 300 ducking beneath their shields -Leonidas fighting and then killing the Giant -A young, Spartan warrior successfully launching a spear which cripples and kills a charging, rhino-like monster from the Persian side -The Persian elephants pushed off a cliff by the Greeks The point I was making is its a very pretty film; did you get that? Good, because that smoothly segues into my next, complimentary argument: 300 is a film that has to be viewed on an HDTV of some, considerable size (42 inches and up) and power (true HD like 1080p). With this single-minded emphasis on style, youre hurting yourself if you dont watch it on a TV which has the specs to exploit the visual *rgy that 300 is. To that end, I tell anyone wholl listen that 300 couldve excluded ALL the pithy and corny dialogue and just focused on showing scene after scene after scene of slaughter and fighting...and been a better film because of it. The fighting scenes are all that matter in 300 due to their graphical wizardry, and the sometimes dumb-as-a-doorknob dialogue really lowers the pleasure of 300 in some parts!!!! For instance, the "writing" (if you can call it that!) of the dialogue is so awkward that its unintentionally hilarious. The dilemma with the dialogue is its questionably broken up into boisterous monologues after each battle sequence or plot development, like a Shakespearean play. I.e., after the Spartans build a "Wall of the Persian Dead" during a lull in the fight, Xerxes I and Leonidas "exchange" dialogue, but it comes across more like the stilted and swollen delivery of self-righteous actors, who cannot act, in some crappy, off-Broadway theater-show. Similarly, after Leonidas and his men have been vanquished, the movie ends with the one-eyed Aristodemus leading the charge of a crack-squad of newly allied Greeks; the "speech" he gives to motivate his men is absurdly contrived like the BS one would expect in WWE wrasslin!!!! The flaws worsen as the exorbitant quantity of historical violations becomes UNFORGIVABLE!!!! These idiot, revisionist films from lib Hollywood are always mismanaged if they draw from historical material; its become a fun game for me to watch these films just so I can count and then expose each, historical inaccuracy in their films. I dont have the 700 or so pages I require to list the historical flaws in 300, so Ill just give a small sampling of what I discovered: 1. The number of Greeks defending Thermopylae was actually 2300: the 300 Spartans but also 700 Thespian volunteers, 400 Thebans and 900 Helots!!!! 2. 300 shows the Greek soldiers (called Hoplites, by the way [sidenote: theres a sophisticated and all-around awesome reviewer haunting Amazon by the name of The Hoplite Phalanx Fighting Formation; youre EXTREMELY lucky if you get a shot at reading his reviews]) fighting OUT OF their Phalanx Formation! This is sacrilege as they wouldve lost the battle had this occurred! Educated viewers know that the only reason Leonidas had so much success against Persia was precisely due to this Phalanx Formation which slaughtered Persians in this narrow space!!!! 3. Leonidas Spartans wouldve fought using the Macedonian Sarissa, the long pike 300 clumsily shows the Greeks using. However, many fr*udulent scenes show the Greeks impotently fighting using poles that are MUCH shorter than the average, 17 foot length of such a weapon!!!! 4. There were absolutely ZERO elephants used at Thermopylae; the dumba*s makers of 300 egregiously confused Thermopylae with the Carthaginian trait of using elephants in some of their battles. 5. Xerxes I DID NOT, historical records will validate me, under any circumstances look like a San Francisco-styled, cross-dressing, transgendered S&M practitioner, who looked like he would be marching in a g*y pride parade!!!! Records show that Xerxes I wouldve actually sported a beard, braids and robes. Another wrongdoing thats so faulty is how 300 panders to an immature, testosterone-infested, teen-male audience; it does this in part by exploiting unknown actress Lena Headey. Let me tell you, my social-conservative sensitivities were totally ransacked here. At about the 20-minute mark or so, Headey is shown topless, simulating sex with Gerard Butler. Shes either such a shallow woman or depravedly finds it an "honor" to flash her bre*sts that one shot flagrantly just shows her bre*sts kind of flapping in slow-motion!!!! This was so blatantly pandering to the teen audience of males, who probably popped collective chubbies while watching this the first time!!!! I say that Headey couldve used major bre*st-implant surgery as she failed to be attractive enough on the merits of her chest alone. In fact, I award her Nero Demerits and rate her a 3 for her SAGGING efforts!!!! I sprung for the two-disc version, which got me the "bonus" disc with behind-the-scenes features--because I like to be taken for a ride by the studios cheap misconception of what constitutes worthwhile, "bonus" items. One of the features has the censurable Frank Miller impudently defending his historical revisionism and corruption of the Battle of Thermopylae!!!! For instance, throughout his little feature, Miller relentlessly admits to not accurately representing the facts surrounding Thermopylae or even Spartan culture, yet he downplays it as his right to do because hes allegedly just an "artist" "re-imagining" something historical...BS! I castigate Miller and all those whod defend his corruption of history because if he was using source material for his 300 graphic novel, then he had a duty to reliably reproduce historical facts, or else come across as an intellectually lazy and sloppy revisionist...which he is. 300s biggest, redeeming quality is in its ideology, where there are parallels for our western way of life in the present. The Battle of Thermopylae symbolizes todays War on Terror. Back then, Greek conservatives (Spartans) stood up for the principle of freedom and the preservation of the western way of life in the face of the eastern expansionism and aggressive instigation by the Persians. Today, American conservatives (GOP) are mostly leading the charge to defend the principle of freedom and the American way of life in the face of the radical Muslim expansionism that also is the instigator!!!! And this despite the stubbornly perverse, Democrat effort to thwart tough, anti-terror measures...kind of like the films Ephors and the Spartan governing council, both of whom resist Leonidas insistence on self-defense. Whoa--the parallels are just breathtaking! Does the job On: 2008-02-27Wore jacket skiing 4 days (without fleece liner) in mid-20 degree weather. I was not cold at all, and I imagine it would be comfortable down to zero with the liner in. Completely waterproof, and the hidden hood is nice too. Its a functional ski jacket, and Id buy it again. Love this jacket!!! On: 2008-02-25I got this for my fiance who is very hot-natured. He LOVES that you can take out the interior fleece shell and wear the 2 pieces so many different ways! It is also really good for climates that change quite rapidly, each day! Now I want one for me!!! great coat On: 2008-02-09This jacket has been excellent. I was a little woried about how warm it would be once I saw how light it was. The jacket and liner together turned out to be very warm. I walked 15-20 mins. in 15-20 degree weather and was comfortable. As I said before the jacket is light and not too bulky. The removeable liner\\ waterproof shell are also very handy to have on warmer days. I would recomend this jacket to anyone Not good for temperatures below 25F  by: Anonymous On: 2008-01-15 I returned it because it left me cold in weather 20 and below. Did an ok job of stopping the wind but not appropriate for winter. Would work for fall. Some problems.  On: 2008-01-10No problem with the merchanise once it was delivered but had several problems with the delivery itself.Box was damaged and when I finally tracked it down, UPS was sending it back before even attempting to deliver it. Never got any notice from the company that it was being delivered. Very good On: 2007-12-20This is a very good jacket, it is very lightweight, but has been warmer than I expected for how light it is. The reason for just 4 stars is that it states within the description(Both here on Amazon, and Columbias site) it is insulated with the Fahrenhot insulation, however the shell has no insulation as far as I can tell, just the zip in fleece. I was fairly disappointed, because I expected the shell to be insulated, and then add the fleece and you have a jacket for temperatures into the single digits. However, like I stated in the beginning it is warmer than I thought it would be, but it is not for temps below 15 degrees unless you are active(which creates heat, its amazing how little you can get by with then). Quality, value, warmth to bulk ratio, 5stars. Meeting expectations, description, 3-4stars. I have contacted Columbia Sportswear regarding the insulation and where it is actually at within this jacket, and I will update this review with that information when it becomes available. Very good On: 2007-12-19This is a very good jacket, it is very lightweight, but has been warmer than I expected for how light it is. The reason for just 4 stars is that it states within the description(Both here on Amazon, and Columbias site) it is insulated with the Fahrenhot insulation, however the shell has no insulation as far as I can tell, just the zip in fleece. I was fairly disappointed, because I expected the shell to be insulated, and then add the fleece and you have a jacket for temperatures into the single digits. However, like I stated in the beginning it is warmer than I thought it would be, but it is not for temps below 15 degrees unless you are active(which creates heat, its amazing how little you can get by with then). Quality, value, warmth to bulk ratio, 5stars. Meeting expectations, description, 3-4stars. I have contacted Columbia Sportswear regarding the insulation and where it is actually at within this jacket, and I will update this review with that information when it becomes available. Great Value On: 2007-12-07After 6 winters with my previous Columbia jacket I needed a new one and the Charger Parka has definitely ensured my future loyalty to this company. I have lived and worked in Chicago, right on Lake Michigan, for almost 7 years and this parka is even better than the last one. The removable fleece is great because it makes this so much more versatile and allows for 3 season use. The price was great compared to many other brands and I do not feel that I have sacrificed any quality to get a deal. This coat will keep me buying and reccomending Columbia for years to come. Lightweight and warm On: 2007-12-04This jacket feels very light and thin and leads you to believe that it is not good for winter. However, the inner fleece is VERY warm and there is additional insulation in the outer shell (you can hear it crackle). This combination makes the jacket great for outdoors (wind + rain/snow). I have worn it in 18 deg F weather with 20 mph wind. No problem! My guess is that this jacket is for cold weather with temps ranging from mid to upper 30s to mid to low 20s. Anything colder will require a warmer/thicker jacket (e.g., Columbia Ice Wind Parka). Another thing: this product is not really a parka (i.e., not long enough to cover your upper thighs), just a regular short length jacket. I paid $95 for this jacket from Amazon during the Black Friday sale. Not sure if I would pay upwards of $130 for this now. Try Campmor dot com if Amazon prices are higher. Lightweight and warm On: 2007-12-03This jacket feels very light and thin and leads you to believe that it is not good for winter. However, the inner fleece is VERY warm and there is additional insulation in the outer shell (you can hear it crackle). This combination makes the jacket great for outdoors (wind + rain/snow). I have worn it in 18 deg F weather with 20 mph wind. No problem! My guess is that this jacket is for cold weather with temps ranging from mid to upper 30s to mid to low 20s. Anything colder will require a warmer/thicker jacket (e.g., Columbia Ice Wind Parka). Another thing: this product is not really a parka (i.e., not long enough to cover your upper thighs), just a regular short length jacket. I paid $95 for this jacket from Amazon during the Black Friday sale. Not sure if I would pay upwards of $130 for this now. Try Campmor dot com if Amazon prices are higher. Decent On: 2007-11-25Honestly,the coat is fine.Not the best,but fine.It was pretty stiff to the touch.I honestly wont recommend it for the cold winters that we face in New York,but it was a nice fall coat here. |