Cast of Criminals!

So I've seen a few movies lately, and I figured I might do a quick write up on them before I give this whole thing away for the night and go to bed. Ready? GO!

TMNT
It was weird how quickly this one came out. We got posters for it at work only a couple of weeks ago, but here it is, ready and waiting to be seen ... which is exactly what Sarah and I did opening night. Yes, we are geeks. Or I am, and she suffers it. Whatever.

So? How was it?

FREAKIN' AWESOME.

Set in the same continuity as the three live-action films, it took the darker aspects of the first film and added the goofy fun of the other two to make a movie that fans will no doubt love, but critics aren't really going to get (as evidenced by its 32% rating on rottentomatoes.com).

There were some moments that looked really beautiful; Raphael and Leonardo's rooftop fight in the rain being the clear winner. The voice cast was great, with Sarah Michelle Gellar and Patrick Stewart being obvious stand-outs. The only drawback was the overly complicated plot. It reminded me of Dead Man's Chest, with its we-need-to-get-the-things-to-open-the-things-to-save-the-things machinations. Messy, and hard to follow. But other than that, it was a lot of nerdy fun, with the Thursday night audience clapping and cheering during the end credits. Whodathunk?

The Illusionist
Being an Edward Norton fan, I've of course been looking forward to this one, but it's unfortunate timing left it feeling like Prestige-lite. Fine performances and thoughtful cinematography couldn't save this from being predictable and somewhat uninvolving. I enjoyed it, but I doubt I'll remember it.

The Host
Li-Kim and Ben have both covered this one in their own blogs, so I won't get into it too much. A sci-fi/monster movie from South Korea, this is an incredibly entertaining genre piece that artfully blends comedy, drama and suspense. The monster itself is extremely convincing, which is the strongest argument for CG special effects I've ever seen; giving independant film-makers the ability to make films on scale with Hollywood blockbusters that allow them to maintain their unique voice.

I'd recommend you head over to The Cheers to read my other film reviews, but I'm actually doing a music column there now (*shameless plug*). Fingers crossed, though, on some DVD reviews surfacing for M/C Review soon.

Films I'm looking forward to?
Spider-Man 3. Duh.
Southland Tales. Writer/director Richard Kelly's (Donnie Darko) new effort.
Zodiac. David Fincher directs Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downie Jr in a film about the LA serial murdered the Zodiac Killer.
300. Just coz.

Well, that's it. I'm off to bed. See ya in the 'morrow.

~S