My Movie Review - a short list

So - its been a while since I have written a movie review... actually, it's been a while since I've seen new movies! Well, kind of.

I am writing about three movies I have seen recently. One is REALLY NEW - the others are out on DVD.

1. 300 - (The official description: In the ancient Battle of Thermopylae, King Leonidas and 300 Spartans fought to the death against Xerxes and his massive Persian army) This is a very new movie. It came out last weekend, and we went to see it Saturday night. I have to admit at the outset that we left in the middle - well, about 40 minutes before the end - just because the violence got to be too much and really, really overdone. All told, I really liked the movie - it was a very interesting piece of art in terms of cinematography, the story is interesting and inspiring (can anyone say "Chanukkah Story"?) and the visual effects were pretty cool. HOWEVER - I highly doubt the king of Sparta (in Greece) had an accent that hailed from the bonny hills of Scotland, but he was pretty hot. As a rule, I don't mind violence and a bit of gore (hello - I'm a CSI freak!) so a random decapitation doesnt really bother me in theory - but to watch it in slow motion, and see blood spatter across the screen for a full 2 1/2 minutes is kind of stomach-turning. I also had an issue with the gratuitous and unneccesary sex scene which was like, "come ON, people, get a room". Once the animals started getting killed, I was kind of over it. Like similar-themed "Troy", an ok movie, not worth the big screen, but somewhat entertaining... Not one I'd see again though.

2. The Prestige - (The official description: Robert and Alfred are rival magicians. When Alfred performs the ultimate magic trick, Robert tries desperately to find out the secret to the trick)I've always liked Hugh Jackman. He is the hottest Wolverine I have ever seen. And I thought this movie was pretty cool in concept - rival magicians, vying for that ultimate trick. Not a bad premise, and I was hoping to see some cool magic tricks, David Blaine style. But it was a HUGE disappointing, boring waste of time movie. It is about revenge. The whole thing. And it's more than a little disturbing how that plays out. I would NOT recommend this at all. I did not enjoy this movie.

3. The Illusionist - (The official description: In turn-of-the-century Vienna, a magician (Ed Norton - who looks terriffic in this movie) uses his abilities to secure the love of a woman far above his social standing) Ok, to start off, that description does NOT do justice to the depth and intricacy of this movie's plot. The storytelling is masterful, well-woven and complex. The lighting and cinematography are brooding, add mystery and texture to the story, and make it more 3 dimensional. I LOVED this movie. It was a great story, nothing gory, gross or offensive. It's about love, wits and magic, with a twist you'd never see coming. I was totally engrossed in this movie, straight up to the end, though I was able to figure the story out. And that didn't at all take away from it, as it was so totally well-done. I recommend this movie Very Highly - to see, to own, and to see again.

There you have it - these are my opinions. If you have seen any of these, please share yours:)