Comments on: Review: ‘Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street’

By: Will Pfeifer

Will Pfeifer — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 16:10:37 +0000

Hunt: It isn’t so.

Jen: I haven’t seen RENT, but from the bits and pieces I’ve seen while channel surfing, it doesn’t look like something I’d enjoy. I suppose my favorite musicals are GUYS AND DOLLS (though Sinatra should’ve had the Brando part), ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW and the SOUTH PARK movie, which I’d consider a musical. Obviously, aside from GUYS, these aren’t part of the classic musical canon.

I’d heard about the NEMO musical, and though I don’t think it’s a sign a movie is bad if a musical isn’t made of it, I’ll bet NEMO: THE MUSICAL is something my daughter is going to want to see in a few years.

By: Jen Sensible

Jen Sensible — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 15:53:51 +0000

Movie - what are your favorite movie musicals? Is Rent one of them? I thought it was awesome. Did you know they made a stage version of “Finding Nemo?” They didn’t do that for the Incredibles. I rest my case.

By: Hunt is Spent

Hunt is Spent — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 13:07:57 +0000

The Movie Man makes mistakes? Tell us it isn’t so.

By: Bob Schaper - Assistant Metro Editor

Bob Schaper - Assistant Metro Editor — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 12:29:02 +0000

Lara, thank you for your post. Don’t fear, though. Between correcting the Movie Man and improving the newspaper, I have a few seconds each day to leave insightful comments.

By: Lara's Web of Lies

Lara's Web of Lies — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 11:19:00 +0000

This Schaper guy is after Movie Man’s job! His review is pretty descriptive,…I will give him that. He might deserve a shot at his own column. But I’d like to see him spend more time trying to improve the paper and less time trying to steal the Movie Man’s job.

By: Adam

Adam — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 21:10:21 +0000

I loved Sweeney Todd. I am also not very big on musicals, especially the the more recent cricically acclaimed ones like Dreamgirls, Moulin Rouge, and Chicago. It is very dark and puts you in another world. Very much like Burton’s earlier works like Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice, and Batman. Very moody and atmospheric. I have seen the Broadway version with Angela Lansbury on DVD, and I thought Burton’s take on it was much better. To me Johnny Depp really made the film with his performance of Sweeney Todd. I loved how it was pretty much a black and white film with the only real stand out color being red for the blood. Great costumes and set designs, and the music great too. Helena Bonham Carter was the perfect match for Johnny Depp playing Mrs Lovett. I wish Burton would have gotten a best director Oscar nomination, and the film for best picture. I have the 1936 version with Tod Slaughter playing the title role in my Netflix queue right now, unfortunetley it is a very long wait. A great revenge film.

By: Hunt is Spent

Hunt is Spent — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 21:01:46 +0000

Movie - I think this guy Schaper wants your job. Be careful.

By: Bob Schaper - Assistant Metro Editor

Bob Schaper - Assistant Metro Editor — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 19:03:46 +0000

It’s hard to criticize a movie that is so original, because most Hollywood pictures don’t even try to be fresh and new.

But it’s also hard to praise a movie that is so genuinely unentertaining. This is an airless, bleak little film that is not funny, sad, scary, suspenseful, mysterious, thought-provoking, controversial or anything else. There are a few comedic scenes that I enjoyed, but overall there is little to commend this movie.

And something else. As Movie Man notes, this film is bloody. I will take it one step farther and say this movie GLORIFIES murder. Both main characters are inhuman monsters, yet they are supposed to be sympathetic? This film operates under a moral code that is outside 99.9 percent of the human population.

Oh, and the singing is bad.

Save your $9.