...I've seen a lot of movies lately

So, I lied. I'm going to talk about movies without going in-depth about thematic elements or issues that got under my skin. I'll do this in the order in which I've seen them this last month:

Sweeney Todd:
Went with a bunch of friends to see this when we intended to see Juno (none of them had seen it, and it's definitely worth a second viewing, in my opinion). The show was sold out, so we made the same decision as probably 80% of the people in our theater and went to see Sweeney Todd half an hour later.

I'll start by saying, my friends by and large loved Sweeney Todd. It certainly cracks my top five Burton flicks, but I'd be loathe to put it in my top three. From a technical standpoint, the movie is excellent; Burton is at the top of his game visually here, as well. The performances were quite good, as well. Ultimately, I had two issues with it:

I expect more out of the vocal performances in musicals. Johnny Depp snings a lot like a 16-year-old boy with a couple of years of high school choir under his belt. Mostly talking to a tune, with a very boy-band, kind of nasaly falsetto coming in for the high notes. Helena Bonham Carter comes out a bit better, but not always by much. Some might say that this is part of the charm of the film...but when I'm watching a film adaptation of a Broadway musical less than a week after seeing Avenue Q live...I'm not so forgiving.

Other than this, I've decided that I just don't like quite so many cheesy blood effects in my slasher musicals. I understand that the first rounds of killings are meant to be over the top in a very Evil Dead way...but at the end, when the movie goes into morality play mode, it's distracting and the mood change suddenly makes it hard to watch.

In any case, it was certainly a well constructed film; especially if you're more forgiving of vocal performers than I am. 8/10

There Will Be Blood:
This movie most certainly deserves all of the award season buzz it's been getting. Not my personal favorite out of the Best Picture Oscar nominees that I've seen (all but Michael Clayton, which I should see before award time), but quite possibly the most deserving of the award. Be warned, though, it can be a strangely difficult film to watch at times...this is probably due to a combination of things, but, in my opinion, owes chiefly to the brilliant performance of Daniel Day-Lewis, who consistently brings you to the brink of adoring Daniel Plainfield before reminding you of just what a terrible human being he is. 9.5/10

Atonement
Another best picture nom here, and for good reason. Atonement was a brilliant film with an ending that actually surprises. The beginning act is probably the best theater experience of the year, and the ending is sobering in a very Of Mice and Men style. The second half of the film loses a bit compared to the beginning, but is essential and operates in exactly the way it needed to. Also, I loved the soundtrack. Anybody who has listened to a practiced typist working on an old, mechanical typewriter can tell you there's almost a melodic quality to the sound, and I loved the use of that sound in a couple of the recurring themes really tickled me. 10/10

The Host
I'd just like to remind people that I tend to really like weird movies, and The Host is a weird movie. A Korean monster movie comedy about a dysfunctional adult and his equally dysfunctional siblings and father trying to rescue his daughter from some crazy mutant free in the Han river is certainly a unique premise for a film, and the premise delivers. Laughs are consistent, and I found myself worrying about the fate of each member as things got bleak. Not the best comedy of the year, but certainly something different, and a fun way to take a constantly stagnating genre and make it thoroughly watchable. If you're bored and looking for something to watch with your friends, I definitely recommend it. 8.5/10