Sunday, January 6, 2008

Movie: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

If the sign of a good musical is the fact you want to sing everything you say after you see it, then Sweeney Todd is a good musical.

I can't really say that I am a fan of musicals. But I am a fan of disturbing and dark stories. And it doesn't get any darker than a barber who slits his customer's throats and then has his downstairs neighbor bake them into pies.

If you are not a fan of the musical, then this movie probably isn't for you. Only about 15 minutes of it was not sung. All the plot points are put to music, so you'll be getting all your information in song.

As singers, Johnny Depp and Helena Bohnam Carter are adequate. Depp comes off better when he loses his character's British accent when singing. Bonham Carter keeps her accent (which is different from her normal speaking voice) and some clarity is lost.

The acting is good. Especially Alan Rickman, who can play a bad guy in his sleep. And the story is interesting and harrowing.

The film is majorly bloody. If you don't like blood, stay away.

The Trailers:

  • Vantage Point: Again, Roshomon spiraling out into a conspiracy. Could be good, but it depends how goofy the twists and turns are.
  • 27 Dresses: Katherine Heigl tries to translate her Knocked Up success into chick flick stardom. But has anyone actually been to 27 weddings, let alone be in 27? I know I haven't.
  • Step Up 2:The Streets: Let's count how many movies this rips of. 1. Step Up 1, 2. Flashdance, 3. Fame, 4. You've Been Served, 5. every other dance movie of the last 10 years. I know I'm not the target audience, but still.
  • Mamma Mia: Quite a different movie musical from Sweeney Todd. Great cast though.
  • Stop/Loss: I've noticed how this trailer seems to go to show every possible opinion about the topic at hand. Like its bending over backwards to be fair and balanced.
  • The Ruins: Horror movie. I'm not a fan of the genre, but this movie lost me when the trailer showed the shot of the snakes wriggling underneath the skin on the girl's hip. It really lost me later when they showed them wriggling under her forehead. Yeah, that was enough to keep me away from this flick.


No comments:

Post a Comment