Likes:
Pretty much the entire cast, acting and singing. I thought Sasha Baron Cohen was delightful....and oddly very sexy and Daniel Connor...and you, know Pierelli.
I'm not a Burton fan, his movies to be are often beautiful but ultimately vapid. Luckily he had such strong source material. This is indeed a beautiful movie...though I wished he let his actors go at it just a little more.
At first I was upset that Sweeney didn't seem to have any significant emotional reaction to finding out about Lucy and Lovett. He seemed so still. I wished there was a bit more of a release until *SPOILERS*
Toby slits Sweeney's throat, and the blood drips almost as though it's the tears Sweeney cannot bring himself to cry...the blood is his catharsis, his tears...and it poors out of him until there is no more. It was really beautiful. I do wish Depp had been just a little more vulnerable at parts...though at the same time, given what Sweeney's been through I understand his motivation.
Some of the line changes that allowed Lovett to show her maternal instincts even more than in the stage musical. I actually think Lovett is very maternal...in a sick and twisted way. I always wondered why she and Albert never had kids. She needs to care for someone...for Sweeney...for Toby...I kind of thought Sweeney was like her husband and Toby like her beloved dog that Sweeney bit Sweeney...no matter how much she loves the dog, Sweeney is her first dedication and thus he needs to be put to sleep....that sounded weird, but I loved how much she was allowed to care for Toby.
Dislikes:
While I thought HBC was BRILLIANT during Not While I'm Around, I was let down by her in most other scenes. There were certain choices such as nudging into Sweeney's neck/hair that I loved. Sure, I wish her voice was stronger too, but that was a minor quibble for me in comparison to the acting. I felt it lacking a certain energy and, sometimes, nuance. Now granted, I'm not a huge fan of the Angela Lansbury music hall style Lovett. I like a more layed Lovett but I still would have liked a little humor and pizazz. Half the time I forgot Mrs. Lovett was there. Most frustrating to me of all is that I cannot understand HBC's motivation for her Lovett, why she played the character the way she did. I hope it'll click upon repeated viewing. Most of her choices didn't work for me aside from the aformentioned (and Stunning) turn of vulnerability shown during Not While I'm Around.
I was bored during A Little Priest...for the first time...ever. There is downplaying and then there is this. I mean, the revival was certainly downplayed from how it is usually performed and it still found the humor...there was just little joy in the number. While I enjoyed the window shopping idea...it's matter of factness didn't work...it somehow needed to be MORE deadpan if they were going for that...they either need to take it TOO seriously or not take it serious at all and have a laugh riot. I know I'm not making sense, but it just didn't work for me.
I wish there were more of the Beggar woman. The more we see of her, especially interacting with Sweeney, the more tragic the ending...the more we wish "if only he'd seen..." I know it's more difficult on film...but I wish there were just some more.
While I didn't miss the Ballads, I do wish the chorus would have chimed in during Pirelli's Miracle Elixer and God That's Good.
The random Toby coming out of the gutter and slitting Sweeney's throat. I'm not saying that he needed to be OBC grey-haired crazy...but I fell like there should have been something for him to say.
Though I loved how the split up Johanna and gave Anthony motivation for the second part, I felt like there wasn't enough interaction between the lovers. I missed Kiss Me even though I didn't think I would.
This is a minor thing, but I think even locked away in a madhouse Turpin would have assured Johanna a private cell. Wouldn't want her dirty icky mad probably disease ridden people.
Sweeney letting Johanna go didn't ring true for me. It is so easy to slash their throats...it didn't make sense he would just let her be.
The blood, while didn't distub be as much as I though it wouldn't wasn't really needed.
Toby in the beginning of Miracle Elixer and the middle of Not While I'm Around. He looked blank as though he didn't know what he was singing about. They were only part of the songs, but they bothered me.
I'd give it a B+, an A- comparing it to the usual fare I've seen this year. While some people claim it's the best screen adaptation that could have been made from Sweeney, I would say it's ALMOST the best. If only there was just a little more emotion and energy, I may have been completely satisfied.
"This ocean runs more dark and deep than you may think you know...I'll be the fear of the fire at sea."
-Marie Christine
Updated On: 12/22/07 at 03:52 AM
