ZebraspotsMovies with Sharp Objects that are better than the original
April 26th 2010 01:30
Bloody wonderful. He could take down Edward Scissorhands without flinching.*
As some of you may know the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street with Jackie Earle Haley as the new Freddy Kreuger is slated for release on April 30, 2010 . . . only five days away! The original was, hmmm, different.
A terrific, terrifying idea but we must admit that it was made in the 80s and so a lot of the effects that were top notch then (such as the scene in which one young victum is dragged across the ceiling) are merely a passing wonder now.
In remedy to this, the directors seem to have added to the script giving Freddy a new back-story and the kids a computer to look up fun facts. Not being omnipresent I cannot give you a review of the film before its release so I will give you something even cooler: a film review of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street because I just love a man with sharp and dangerous objects at his disposal.
4 and 1/2 stars
Yet another story has been ripped from Broadway and thrown onto the screen. This one, however, was almost seamlessly transferred. The tell-tale signs of the director or the screenplay writer having difficulties with getting material set on a stage to fit on a theatre screen were not evident. Of course, the story to begin with was an excellent dark comedy and was a match made in heaven for Tim Burton.
This director has always tended to put a darker twist on the items he is presented with, but “Sweeney Todd” is a movie focused around murder and revenge. Burton's style can been seen around every corner with every dynamic from the camera movements and computer graphics to the formula for the blood that appears in the gorier scenes of the film (it is the same kind as was in Sleepy Hollow).
Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp) becomes Sweeney Todd for vengeance after Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) banished him and took his wife and daughter from him. Turpin is a cruel and merciless man who makes Rickman's portrayal of Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series seem as loving as a puppy. Rickman commands his character with authority and allows the audience to hate him freely.
Depp's performance is nothing short of breath-taking. As this was his first musical, one could be apprehensive about hearing him singing when he's not acting drunk in a Pirates movie, but his voice conveys the music beautifully. In every scene we can see Todd's madness, along with his reasoning behind it, develop in Depp's facial expressions. He creates Todd into a character one can feel sorry for, even root for, while he goes mad.
Near the beginning of the film, Todd meets Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), the owner of a meat shop and a woman who comes across as not normal, but not exactly crazy. Carter has not had a role as a normal human in quite a while. Has she been type cast? Forced to only play eccentric women who are off their rockers or close to it? One can hope not, as her skill is exceedingly brilliant.
Timothy Spall's, playing Beadle Bamford, performance is the only one ill-suited for the film. He seems to try too hard to make his character more than he is. Spall is supposed to play a servant, yet acts as the master. Along with this, Jayne Wisener's singing as Johanna should be mentioned. It is the breathy and high-pitched singing that is almost annoying and makes one fear she could break glass if she goes up another octave. She has a small role, though, and is hardly seen on screen and speaks less with each appearance. Her nearly silent acting, though, makes you fall in love with Johanna.
The movie is not for anyone. The R rating isn't for language or sex, as is with most movie of late, but for the excessive and graphic gore. These scenes are crafted to make you turn away from the screen but keep watching at the same time, so that you don't miss a thing.
I must moon over the opening sequence for one small moment before I leave you to decide whether or not to watch it. The first cords of music you hear are dramatic and give you a creepy feeling like entering a haunted mansion. It is accompanied by an excellent series of computer generated representations of the places Todd goes in the film complete with dripping blood and rats.
There is less music in it than the Broadway opera, this is merely a musical. Take that as you will. Sweeney is a dramatic film with emotion and fascinating special effects packed into it, without over doing it, and the result is a masterful film.
Note: I do not own the rights to this image. All rights remain to Dreamworks and Warner Bros. and all affiliations. Great job guys!
| 71 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog
