It's a 4-day weekend and for the first time in months, I had a full 8-hour sleep. I totally squandered the days away by sleeping and doing nothing. There's a little tinge of guilt but its not enough to stop me from enjoying this rare luxury! haha!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
The days are just packed
It's a 4-day weekend and for the first time in months, I had a full 8-hour sleep. I totally squandered the days away by sleeping and doing nothing. There's a little tinge of guilt but its not enough to stop me from enjoying this rare luxury! haha!
Monday, February 4, 2008
Thank god for Gillette, huh?!
Tim Burton didn't fail me with his adaptation of the Broadway musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. The movie masterfully captured the dark tone of the film with its despairingly gloomy lighting effects and makeup. If you are familiar with Burton's work, this film have his cinematographic signatures all over the place. He capitalized on stark contrasts of colors in this movie like the bright red gushing and flowing blood amidst a rather monochromatic background. The scene where Mrs Lovett and Sweeney Todd were under the tree (By the Sea) is that part of the movie which is totally mesmerizing and its the only time where everything is so alive with color.
I am not very satisfied though with Johnny Depp's performance despite his surprisingly good singing voice. I think his portrayal of Sweeney Todd is not that psychotic. It lacks that element of madness. Maybe He wants to be the brooding killer type and not the brazenly mad psychopath which I want him to be. I expected a lot more vigor and exaggeration in each of the characters especially when they get to sing their parts like in a real musical. I guess Tim Burton wanted it to be more toned down and subtle which I think he shouldn't have done because the musical aspect is diminished in value. Its grim humor is lost in Burton's translation. I think Helena Bonham Carter is very suited for the role as Mrs Lovett and I don't understand why people are complaining why she got the part thinking that she did because she's Tim Burton's wife. Duh. I'm sure they had other considerations besides that. Sasha Cohen as Pirelli is also very amusing as always and Alan Rickman as Judge Turpin can't be any better except that when he said "Mr Todd" when he first entered that barbershop, I cant help but be reminded of Professor Snape since he said it in the exact same tone and manner the way he did in Harry Potter only "Mr Potter"! haha!
The movie is quite loyal to the original version and I really don't get it why people, in their blogs and reviews, blame Burton for how the plot turned out in the end and at the same time complain that the songs weren't any good. Maybe they don't know how to appreciate musicals. Or maybe they just can't fathom the words because of the thick British accent. Another thing I'm really quite annoyed with is the fact that people are expecting to be scared in this movie. They expect all the usual sound effects and visuals that a run-of-the-mill horror flick would offer. In the first place, this is not a horror movie. And its also definitely not a suspense thriller. It is a musical thriller and a musical thriller does not have that very ordinary purpose. Musical thrillers may horrify you but in a different way because the story is incorporated in songs and the killings are done with spontaneity. Sigh. People really ought to go deeper into stuff.
Sweeney Todd's concept is really very interesting and amusing for me. I find the story as a dark comedy. Isn't it funny (albeit sad) how Johanna had no idea at all that her father unknowingly killed her mother and even attempted to kill her. The neurotic in me identifies with Todd's and Mrs Lovett's characters. I wonder how tasty those pies really are.
I am not very satisfied though with Johnny Depp's performance despite his surprisingly good singing voice. I think his portrayal of Sweeney Todd is not that psychotic. It lacks that element of madness. Maybe He wants to be the brooding killer type and not the brazenly mad psychopath which I want him to be. I expected a lot more vigor and exaggeration in each of the characters especially when they get to sing their parts like in a real musical. I guess Tim Burton wanted it to be more toned down and subtle which I think he shouldn't have done because the musical aspect is diminished in value. Its grim humor is lost in Burton's translation. I think Helena Bonham Carter is very suited for the role as Mrs Lovett and I don't understand why people are complaining why she got the part thinking that she did because she's Tim Burton's wife. Duh. I'm sure they had other considerations besides that. Sasha Cohen as Pirelli is also very amusing as always and Alan Rickman as Judge Turpin can't be any better except that when he said "Mr Todd" when he first entered that barbershop, I cant help but be reminded of Professor Snape since he said it in the exact same tone and manner the way he did in Harry Potter only "Mr Potter"! haha!
The movie is quite loyal to the original version and I really don't get it why people, in their blogs and reviews, blame Burton for how the plot turned out in the end and at the same time complain that the songs weren't any good. Maybe they don't know how to appreciate musicals. Or maybe they just can't fathom the words because of the thick British accent. Another thing I'm really quite annoyed with is the fact that people are expecting to be scared in this movie. They expect all the usual sound effects and visuals that a run-of-the-mill horror flick would offer. In the first place, this is not a horror movie. And its also definitely not a suspense thriller. It is a musical thriller and a musical thriller does not have that very ordinary purpose. Musical thrillers may horrify you but in a different way because the story is incorporated in songs and the killings are done with spontaneity. Sigh. People really ought to go deeper into stuff.
Sweeney Todd's concept is really very interesting and amusing for me. I find the story as a dark comedy. Isn't it funny (albeit sad) how Johanna had no idea at all that her father unknowingly killed her mother and even attempted to kill her. The neurotic in me identifies with Todd's and Mrs Lovett's characters. I wonder how tasty those pies really are.
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