She Likes to Watch

Our heroes in a half-shell: “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”

Meet Michelangelo, Leonardo, Donatello and Raphael — everyone’s favorite pizza-scarfing, sewer-dwelling, skateboarding terrapins.

They fight crime. They practice martial arts. They love the ’80s.

Back in 1990, the Turtles burst onto the big screen with their very own movie — introducing the world to a brotherhood of crime-fighting dudes led by a giant rat named Splinter.

In “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” the quintet teams up with cute news reporter April O’Neill and sports-crazed vigilante Casey Jones against the sinister Shredder.

Based on a comic book series by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird intended to parody more serious titles like Frank Miller’s “Ronin,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” spawned a super-popular cartoon series, truckloads of action figures, video games, three live action movies, and, in 2007, a slick, computer-animated flick that failed to really get the point of the series. (I was a bit disappointed.)

The original “TMNT,” however, perfectly captures the Turtles’ blend of goofball humor, family values and exciting fight scenes. Coupled with vintage tunes and a plot that shadows the comics series’ darker nature, it’s an awesomely nostalgic romp. Cowabunga, dudes!

Watch “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” tonight at 7 p.m. or 9:15 p.m. at The Palm Theatre, 817 Palm St. in San Luis Obispo.

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The Palm Wednesday series continues with “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” on Sept. 10, “The Warriors” on Sept. 17 and “Total Recall” on Sept. 24.

CGI: You’ve come a long way, baby

Twenty years ago, special effects were a relatively simple affair.

Build a few models and miniatures. Create elaborate matte paintings. Add stop-motion animation, makeup and prosthetics, and piece it all together with trick photography and creative camera angles.

Then came the Golden Age of CGI.

Early attempts like the stained glass knight in “Young Sherlock Holmes,” the morphing animal-woman in “Willow” and the denizens of the deep in “The Abyss” stretched the limits of computer-aided imagery. But it was “Terminator 2″ — James Cameron’s action-packed sequel — that really turned the FX industry on its head.

RottenTomatoes.com lists 20 of the most revolutionary CGI movies in the past two decades, starting with the mega-cool liquid metal T-1000 in “T2.”

Here’s the list. The films are ranked, not in order of importance, but chronologically.

1. “T2″ (1991)
2. “Jurassic Park” (1993)
3. “Toy Story” (1995)
4. “Titanic” (1997)
5. “The Matrix” (1999)
6. “Gladiator” (2000)
7. “Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within” (2001)
8. “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” (2001)
9. “Finding Nemo” (2003)
10. “Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl” (2003)
11. “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003)
12. “The Day After Tomorrow” (2004)
13. “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” (2004)
14. “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” (2005)
15. “Batman Begins” (2005)
16. “War of the Worlds” (2005)
17. “King Kong” (2005)
18. “Sunshine”(2007)
19. “Beowulf” (2007)
20. “Wall-E” (2008)

As you can tell, computer-generated images have been a huge part of summer blockbusters and holiday season sensations since the mid-1990s.

In some, computer animation actually takes center stage — such as Golem in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and the title giant ape in “King Kong.”

Without gross Grendel, there’d be no point to “Beowulf’s” 3D roller coaster ride. The same goes for General Grievous in “Revenge of the Sith,” or the alien craft in “War of the Worlds.”

But the CGI bats and bogeys in “Batman Begins”? They’re hardly more than background.

It’s also notable that many of these movies — although pretty — are not particularly good. The flop that was”The Day After Tomorrow” reveals the fallacy of relying on visual effects to carry a film, rather than pesky little things like plot or character development.

A few notable omissions do stand out from this list, such as “The Abyss,” James Cameron’s earliest foray into CGI.

What about “Cloverfield,” the monster movie that got bloggers in a tither earlier this year?

There’s also no mention of two of my favorite special effects extravaganzas of the summer, “The Incredible Hulk” and “Hellboy 2: The Golden Army.”

Could it be that CGI is finally blasé?

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Photo courtesy of MovieWeb.com.

Pixar’s “WALL-E” is downright wonderful

Too bad you can’t give an Oscar to a computer-animated robot.

WALL-E, star of Pixar’s latest success story, would be a shoo-in for the vaunted acting prize.

For starters, he’s adorable — a battered, rusty box of bolts with personality to spare. He can convey more with a well-timed beep or squeal than your average Shakespearean soliloquy. And his binocular-style eyes speak volumes.

Pixar puts the little robot through his paces in “WALL-E,” a CGI marvel that offers laughs, thrills and some of the company’s best animation in years.

Our story opens in the not-to-distant future, on an Earth ravaged by pollution and overpopulation.

WALL-E is the last remaining survivor of a huge robot horde assigned to clean up the planet. While his fellow ‘bots have broken down or run out of juice, WALL-E keeps on truckin’ — scooping up piles of rubbish and squeezing them into neat cubes.

Naturally, there’s a side effect to WALL-E’s longevity.

Over the years, the plucky ‘bot has become sentient. And very lonely.

When a sleek robot named Eve arrives to search for sustainable life, WALL-E does what any sensible, self-respecting machine would never do. He falls in love.

“WALL-E” capably mixes science fiction and screwball comedy.

There are moments of tender romance. Comedic pratfalls. High-tension thrills.

The fact that the action is virtually wordless makes it all the more poignant.

Meanwhile, audiences are treated to some of the best special effects on the market today: swirling nebulae, dust storms and gleaming spaceships.

With great visuals, a winning protagonist and a plot that appeals to both kids and adults, “WALL-E” rivals “Finding Nemo” as one of Pixar’s best.

To borrow a phrase, “S’wonderful.”

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“WALL-E” is currently playing at Downtown Centre Cinema and Sunset Drive-In in San Luis Obispo, at Park Cinemas in Paso Robles, and at Regal Cinemas in Arroyo Grande.

Photo courtesy of MovieWeb.com.