Okay, I realize I'm posting a lot, from a rapid decline to rapid posting, but this one is a bit different. I still feel like writing so I am, but I kind of ran out of scary movies I recently seen, or at least new ones (would do Krampus if we had actually gone and seen it...). So, I asked my fiancée what she thought I should type up and she said Harry Potter (because we watched The Prisoner of Azkaban and I fell asleep to Goblet of Fire last night). The problem? I haven't watched them all and I'm honestly not a huge fan, I prefer my wizard main characters few and far between or animated (because that's how I grew up with them and have been most exposed to them). But, we watched those in honor of the passing of Alan Rickman, so I thought, I'm a pretty big fan of another movie Alan Rickman performed in, so let's start there.
TITLE: Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
DETAILS:
DIRECTOR: Tim Burton
LEAD ACTOR: Johnny Depp
ANTAGONIST LEAD: Alan Rickman
Yes! Just yes! Can we stop real quick? Tim Burton, probably one of my favorite directors, I mean, I really like his work. Johnny Depp, probably my favorite actor, seriously? He's Johnny friggin' Depp. Alan Rickman is just a stunning antagonist, even when he's not pure evil (but uh, here he is, so yeah.)
SUMMARY:
The infamous story of Benjamin Barker, AKA Sweeney Todd, who sets up a barber shop down in London which is the basis for a sinister partnership with his fellow tenant, Mrs. Lovett. Based on the hit Broadway musical.
PERSONAL CRITIQUE:
First of all, every movie I posted before this one, I have watched only once, so pardon Sweeney for getting a bit of love from the 3,000 plus times I've watched it. Secondly, every movie I've posted before this was directed by people I'm unfamiliar with, or generally dislike, (The exception being Guillermo, but I didn't even know what he did, except for movies I hadn't watched before hand like Pan's Labyrinth and the Orphanage.) so forgive Burton his high position on my list. And number C: those other movies I featured actors I was mostly unfamiliar with, but the honorable Judge Turpin is Alan Rickman, so get over it.
This is a movie I actually want to post more of the cast for, mainly just Helena Bonham Carter, but how about that Jamie Bower- WHAT?! You don't know Jamie Bower? Cool, I didn't either until I looked him up and found out he later starred as Jace in the Mortal Instruments, and Caius in Twilight. (I did not care for Twilight, I am biased against vampires that aren't vampires.)
Stop fanboying and get to the point! Okay, so the point is I like musicals, and I like this cast, so naturally I like this movie. It has some terrific musical numbers which I have listened to probably more than I ought, even the worst of them earning a spot somewhere in my playlists, and the plot is dark enough to almost quantify this movie as a horror movie.
SPOILERS!!! Do I even need that here?
Y'know, a dark plot, something like, killing people for the sadistic pleasure of it and then baking them into pies and serving those pies to people who will probably later also be turned into pies. Sweeney is a barber, properly named Benjamin Barker (BBB), who was separated from his wife by the honorable Judge Turpin in an attempt to win the lady's heart. Turpin eventually raped Todd's wife (as is heavily implied) and adopted his daughter, as part of an evil plan to marry her once she comes of age. Step forward several years (like a lot, sixteen I guess?) and BBB has escaped from prison into the sea and is rescued by Anthony. Boom, the song that sets the setting, the characters are at "a hole in the world like a great black pit that is filled with people who are filled with-" whoa Sweeney, let's keep it PG.
Also we get the backstory I just described, but in song, with slightly less details, which will be provided a little later by Mrs. Lovett, who makes meat pies. But, they're the worst pies in London. Umm...wait, I'm not supposed to summarize the plot am I...sorry, I really like this movie.
Anyway, everyone in this movie is an alcoholic, and all the actors do an amazing job. It's really not fair that Burton and Todd are in such big letters and Rickman goes basically unnoticed (at least as far as box art is concerned) because he does a terrific job as the vile and corrupt judge. Seriously, he was born to play the part, or maybe just raised to, whatever.
RATING:
Nine out of Ten gin drinking orphans would rate this one Five bloody razors, out of Five.
I can't say that this isn't biased, I love this movie, and although I'm sure there are flaws in the movie, there are none that I feel worth pointing out, or even noticing. There is one mistake though, no sequel featuring Anthony and Johanna escaping London, only to be hunted by Toby who wishes to end Barker's family line since he killed the only mother figure the orphan had.
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