Reviews

Those were the words of a friend of mine as soon as this movie was over. But I can't completely agree with him. The film was decently entertaining, and if you're bored and have nothing else to watch, it's a good way to pass the time.

The direction is nothing special, in fact, I found the action scenes being very lackluster. The plot is nothing new. The acting is decent. But it's actually the atmosphere that is my major problem with this movie. It seems like a product of the 80's, when in fact it was made in 1996! It doesn't manage to escape the run-of-the-mill "fantasy" look. It doesn't manage to look different or special, and that was a real disappointment for me.

Kids will like it, but I doubt anybody else would want to watch it more than once if it's not part of their childhood memories.

4/10

I don't know what to say about this movie. It sets out to be cold, and it is. I'm not particularly fond of the direction or the score, but the performances are solid and the overall subtlety makes it all feel real, perhaps a bit too real.

Admittedly, when I watch a movie I generally expect something different. Something that I can't see in real life, or something that depicts real life in a way I find interesting (I thoroughly enjoyed The Sweet Hereafter). To me, this movie did not deliver. It's slow, the characters are in their majority uninteresting, and I can't care about any of them or their lives. And the so-called ice storm... it was just background. IMHO the film would've been just as cold without it.

Additionally, I didn't find anything in it that could "make me think". It's about real people with boring, troubled lives. My own life is more interesting, and I'm better off thinking about the direction of my own life and the consequences of my own actions than about the dysfunctional lives of these fictional characters, none of which I could identify with. Surely the novel by Rick Moody must be better.

I recommend this film to older people who had similar experiences during the 70's, and people in general who enjoy this kind of real-life drama. However, if you're like me and expect something fantastic, insightful, special or just plain fun in a film, go somewhere else.

7/10

I got it only because I needed to see a particular actor that's in it, and I thought I was going to have to endure it because as a rule I despise romantic comedies. But this one... by God, I liked it! In fact, I love it, and I've never regretted the 10 bucks I paid for it. It's so very charming. Even my brother liked it, and believe me, that's really saying something! This movie manages to exist in its own little world, it creates an atmosphere. That's something I find lacking in many movies. Some people complain about the silly special effects, but IMO they're part of the atmosphere and they make it all feel somewhat magical. The music is also very good at setting the mood (I really wish I could get that Al Di La song somewhere!). If you've ever been in love, go get this film.

I don't know why people hate this movie so much. It had been YEARS since I had seen a movie that had that Disneyish feel of old. I liked it better than Stuart Little, anyway. It boggles the mind, though, that someone could think a movie like this is pedophilic. It's just a cute movie, and it made me laugh a few times, too. Maybe the fact that I didn't see it from the beginning helped a bit. But I'm just back from reading the reviews for a movie from 1996 that IMHO was about a dozen times worse than this one, and people are praising it! Something's rotten in Denmark. §

I didn't remember it being this old. One of the few Mexican telenovelas I've liked. Some stuff was cheesy and the plot was cliché, but it was handled well, and the actors really made you care about the characters. The music was well picked, that theme song still brings memories to me. But the best thing about this series was definitely the wardrobe, the props and the sets. I wish I could see it again. On a scale from 1 to 10 I give it an 8.

The setting is interesting, the wardrobe perfect, the story compelling and the cast brilliant (though I think the director, while not bad, could certainly do better.) A specially great performance by the actress playing Violante(?) and the actor playing José María. I wish I knew their names, because they're very talented. This story has some characters that are quite complex. I read it is based on the actual life of a slave named Xica da Silva. I was amazed at finding this kind of complexity where I thought I would only find two-dimensional characters. The story is always surprising me with totally unexpected plot twists and realism. It's got humor and drama and soul, and I really like the theme song idea for each character. This is one of those things you really don't know how it's going to end. Right now I hope the end is still a long time away. I'm really going to miss it when it's gone. Kudos to everyone involved.

It's been a while since most of us that lived and breathed TMNT grew up. But the magic's still there, that's for sure. Just take a look at TMNT I. This movie for me represents what the TMNT should always have been. First off, Jim Henson's CS did a more than excellent job with the costumes. The script managed to successfully merge comic book/cartoon aspects. The casting was wonderful. And the *atmosphere* of this movie! It's sometimes dark, sometimes light, but never too much of either. Which is, what makes it work so well.

The incredible weirdness of four walking, talking Turtles trained in martial arts by a mutated rat is perfectly balanced by the realistic setting, one of the aspects that really sets this movie apart from others. It's dark but light, fantastic but yet oh so real... And the Turtles... man, do they get to you. They're not rich or all-powerful super heroes out to save the world from ridiculous villains. They're simply four kids doing their very best (remember their broken old TV?) to live their lives as normally as it is for them possible, being forced to hide forever in the city sewers and inheriting a violent past of death and honour and revenge that came with having Splinter as a mentor. A struggle. Which for me --now that I'm more analytic-- is a downright poignant situation, because you see these four teenagers act still rather innocent, rather naive and hopeful of the world (as all teenagers do!), and at least I for one wonder: And after that?

It's so cool to see how Splinter talks to Raphael after he comes back from the movies. The father-son theme comes up quite often, and there are a couple good lessons about family and love.

There are so many great things about this movie... so much humanity is infused to the main characters. It's got its flaws, obviously, but the good stuff outweighs the bad by a long shot, and the cheese is cut down to a healthy minimum. This movie definitely appeals to an older audience, and it's indeed a lot of fun. And if you love it and wish there was more of it, I suggest you read the Mirage comics that the story arc was picked up from. Believe me, chances are you'll become a born-again fan.

The Turtles were a big chunk of our childhood and will forever remain a big, big part of my life. Thanks, Kevin E. and Peter L.! Long live the TMNT!