Films
Last night I had the opportunity to see both the Tim Burton film of Sweeney Todd and the new remake of Sleuth. Both are childhood favorites of mine.
I really enjoyed Sweeney Todd. I can see how some purists would be a little disappointed but from a film-making perspective I respect the choices that were made. If I had a complaint it’s that the cast, while amazing, were not professional singers and Sweeney Todd is perhaps one of the most musically complex scores ever composed. The result is that the songs felt a bit flat and blended together a bit. I’m also glad that they didn’t so super-go-nuts with the special effects and make everything uber-gory. It’s graphic but not gratuitous. Good on Burton on showing some restraint.
Wonderful Sweeney Todd, decent Phantom of the Opera… now all they have to do is fix the ending of Little Shop of Horrors, and film Jekyl and Hyde and my musical movie collection will be complete.
Sleuth on the other hand was a bit of a WTF? Here’s the deal I was okay with it through Act I and Act II of the story. Sure, it’s leaner and meaner and definitely ruder and cruder but I was kind of digging on that since everything else was basically the same. Then we hit Act III… WTF… Here’s what I have to say about Act III of the new version of Sleuth: It’s basically original Sleuth slash fan-fiction. ‘Cause, you know, two driven men engaged in an intense and intimate battle of wits MUST be sexually attracted to one another. MUST. BE.
I really enjoyed Sweeney Todd. I can see how some purists would be a little disappointed but from a film-making perspective I respect the choices that were made. If I had a complaint it’s that the cast, while amazing, were not professional singers and Sweeney Todd is perhaps one of the most musically complex scores ever composed. The result is that the songs felt a bit flat and blended together a bit. I’m also glad that they didn’t so super-go-nuts with the special effects and make everything uber-gory. It’s graphic but not gratuitous. Good on Burton on showing some restraint.
Wonderful Sweeney Todd, decent Phantom of the Opera… now all they have to do is fix the ending of Little Shop of Horrors, and film Jekyl and Hyde and my musical movie collection will be complete.
Sleuth on the other hand was a bit of a WTF? Here’s the deal I was okay with it through Act I and Act II of the story. Sure, it’s leaner and meaner and definitely ruder and cruder but I was kind of digging on that since everything else was basically the same. Then we hit Act III… WTF… Here’s what I have to say about Act III of the new version of Sleuth: It’s basically original Sleuth slash fan-fiction. ‘Cause, you know, two driven men engaged in an intense and intimate battle of wits MUST be sexually attracted to one another. MUST. BE.