Quick take: The Host

Any of those people who said only America really knows how to make special-effects action blockbusters need to see the South Korean monster flick The Host. Uh, OK, I just did. And I'm amending my superpatriotic spiel by saying America's still the king of incredibly large-scale special-effects action blockbusters. Because The Host is not only thrilling, suspenseful, and pretty darn realistic-looking, but also extremely well-written and funny from top to bottom and all around. Not like, they had to put in some jokes and they were actually funny and nicely distributed throughout the movie, but like, top-notch slapstick and character comedy. Add in a quest to keep a family together, some touching observations about the human condition, and some pointed political satire, and you have far more than a monster movie. Update: And, as Tony points out, there's an American element to The Host, too. The visual effects were outsourced to the U.S., done by a company in San Francisco. So it brings together the best from both sides.