Sunday, arghhh

[cleolinda]

Oh my God, I'm so stiff. I hardly drank anything at all last night--a tiny glass of Riesling, a Bacardi mixer in the same glass (hey, it's recycling!), a plastic cup of champagne, and then two or three cups of Coke, and a frozen Coke at the theater--over ten hours. I didn't have enough water to drink the whole day ("I know! I'll drink a Mountain Dew!"), I don't think, and my evening started at 4 pm with Sweeney Todd and didn't end until 2 am when I got home. And then I didn't get to sleep until 4:30 am, because of all the caffeine I'd had, damn. Valkyrie ended up with my swap present, Dirty Minds (what's a four-letter word for a woman that ends in U-N-T? Aunt), and gave me Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her (YAY!) for my birthday, while I ended up with David and Karen's Dirty Hippie Soaps (soap, salts, balm, lip balm) in Rosemary's Stretch myself.

Sweeney Todd was awesome, by the way, but I don't know that I have the strength to really get into a proper discussion of it--I've been sleeping most of the day, with intermittent trips downstairs for food and water. Mmm, lazy decadent. I'll just say that I thought that the singing and acting were fantastic--well, let me qualify that the singing served the acting; Helena Bonham might not have the strongest voice in the world, but it served the way she characterized Mrs. Lovett really, really well. My two favorite parts were "A Little Priest" and "By the Sea," the latter of which got the biggest laughs of the entire movie in my theater. (Regarding the former--if you're trying to explain the movie to someone who didn't even know--and is perhaps appalled to hear--that it's a musical, tell them that there's a song where Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter watch people on the street to pick out who they'd most like to turn into a pie.) And the end, the final shot, is just... amazing. The whole movie is very grounded in tragedy and sorrow and grief, rather than the kind of brassy, flamboyant crazy you might have gotten on stage, but then, on stage you're playing to the balconies. On screen, every little twitch is forty feet high, so film acting tends to be, by necessity, keyed a little lower than stage acting, so I think this was a good choice. And it makes the black humor stand out in even greater relief--and it also ratchets up the tension. When Sweeney finally gets Turpin into his clutches for the second time, the suspense is almost unbearable because you know it's time now, but you also know what it means to Sweeney, how long he's been waiting to do this, and how bad it's going to be when he finally gets to it. And the end--I still can't quite get over how beautiful and horrible it is. Well done, bravo.

Huh. I guess I discussed the movie anyway. I have to go wrap presents now, so any linkspam will have to be for later.

Comments

[theonlykow.livejournal.com]

I left you a Crimbo gift on KoL. The Crimborg told me to.

[raynala.livejournal.com]

"A Little Priest" was my favorite of hers, hands down. "By the Sea" got the biggest laughs in my theatre, too. Johnny's just... fantastic. :D

Beautiful and horrible are the two best words to describe the film. Overall, I loved it, too. :)

[theatre-angel.livejournal.com]

You know, I was a little put out at first, because the stage show had this darkly comic element that Burton completely eradicated, but I felt it worked just as well when it was grounded in tragedy and as a horror film, and that's just a testament to the strength of the story, really. Oh man, that ending shot, and alskjfa how cool were the opening credits? V., v. cool.

[polly-moopers.livejournal.com]

I understood why the cut the chorus ballads (and was glad, too-- I had to pee so bad by the time 'Not While I'm Around' started) but 'God That's Good' just sounded so awkward. Did you feel the same way, no being familiar with the stage show? (It's the song where everyone eats pies gleefully)

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I don't think I had a problem with that one--I don't remember anything being particularly awkward off hand. This is why I want to go see it again, now that I'm at least a teensy bit familiar with the songs. At the time I was listening for plot, if that makes any sense--trying to hear the lyrics as they were going by so quickly.

[laura-croft.livejournal.com]

RE: God That's Good

SO AWKWARD. One of my favourite songs in the show, but the whole point of that song is the chorus participation, in my opinion. The movie probably could've done without it.

[cbrownjc]

Cutting the chorus out cuts all the humor of the song out - the punchline of the joke of the song is gone. It's one of my favorites songs in the show too, but I think it actually would have worked better if they'd just cut the song all together in the film.

'Cause, yeah. SO awkward.

[dramedy.livejournal.com]

It was a little glassy for me. I wanted to like it, but I didn't like it being ground in tragedy. The whole point of ST for me is to get lost in the delightful evil macabre, so that you almost forget what he's doing is wrong or even has a reason. It's madness in hilarious twisted form, and I felt like it was trying to hard to be a true tragedy with a bit of humor. And the scenes wer almost comic book like in the 'gore' and blood is not that red, it should have been darker. It dries RUST not BRIGHT RED.

/my reaction, a bit teal deer.

[phantasm-huzzah.livejournal.com]

Your icon is made of win.

[unexpectedgift.livejournal.com]

I concur. Of course, yours isn't so bad either :D

[randomslasher.livejournal.com]

Oh God, AMEN.

This was EXACTLY my problem with the story. (I wrote out a review, actually, and it all hit around this topic). I was told I'd end up cheering for the main characters, completely forgetting that they were killing people and feeding them to others, but I never could, because Burton wouldn't let me. He kept reminding me by giving me showers of blood and horrified looks on the victim's faces and the horrific scenes of them smashing to the floor of the cellar.

[flamingtoilet.livejournal.com]

I didn't see it that way at all. I thought it was funny, Sweeney is singing this sweet song while committing these horrific acts the whole time. It's a little gorier than the stage play, but not really by much.

And the *thumps* of people hitting and bouncing made the wife and I giggle every time.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I can see that. Again, I've never seen the show or heard the music prior to this, so I didn't have a different version in my head to compare it to. And Burton has always had a thing for gothic melancholy, so his version seemed very in keeping with that style. It's got a lot more black humor than a Tim Burton movie usually does, but probably a lot less than the actual stage show, since he focuses on grief and yearning and all that.

ETA: Well, actually, I take that back, about there being more compared to his other movies--the autopsy scenes in Sleepy Hollow come to mind.

[flamingtoilet.livejournal.com]

It's got a lot more black humor than a Tim Burton movie usually does, but probably a lot less than the actual stage show, since he focuses on grief and yearning and all that.

Not really. The stage show is just as dark humoured, with the ending being a bit darker, actually.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Well, that's what I'm saying--the movie is *less* dark than the show, even though it might be darker than Tim Burton's usual work (and then I qualified the second half of that statement anyway).

[artemis-archer.livejournal.com]

Dirty Minds (what's a four-letter word for a woman that ends in U-N-T? Aunt)

Oh man I was just at Barnes and Noble and almost picked this up for my family Yankee Swap since it's mostly older cousins and aunts and uncles who would get a kick out of it but with my luck my grandma would pick it up and have a heart attack. The Utterly Outrageous Drinking Games Compendium will hopefully work out =]

Glad to hear good things about Sweeney Todd, I really want to see it!

[flamingtoilet.livejournal.com]

I was really impressed- they cut what could be easily cut and shortened some other songs to keep the non-singers from embarrassing themselves too much. My one complaint would probably be that Tobias was *so* young- usually he's at least an older teenager, which made "Not While I'm Around" take on a totally different meaning, I think. I also kept expecting My Chemical Romance to follow emo!Anthony around. But all in all a tremenous production, definitely a "must buy" when it comes out on DVD.

P.S.: Am I the only one who kept expecting Judge Turpin to start singing "Snape, Snape, Sev-erus Snape"?

[kismeteve.livejournal.com]

Am I the only one who kept expecting Judge Turpin to start singing "Snape, Snape, Sev-erus Snape"?

Not at all. I was silently cracking p at all the Judge Turpin scenes, waiting for that to happen.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

When he started talking about "catamites of India," I kept thinking he would throw something about "schoolboys with magical powers" in there too. I was impressed that he managed to be creepy in a completely different way from Snape. But that probably has a lot to do with Snape having such a resentful inferiority complex and Turpin, by contrast, being so overmighty.

[flamingtoilet.livejournal.com]

Alan Rickman does creepy SO well. It's part of what makes him so HAWT, even at his age.

[cpip.livejournal.com]

Your birthday gift has inspired me and that is what I shall get my girlfriend for Christmas.

THANKS!

[brainchild129.livejournal.com]

Admit it - you want all of Mrs. Lovett's dresses. Lord knows I did. Especially the chantilly lace-esque one from "Not While I'm Around."

[flamingtoilet.livejournal.com]

I want Sweeney's swimsuit, just for the lulz.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Dude, padawansguide and I have totally been drooling over them at her Costumer's Guide site. I want her black lace mitts, if nothing else.

[flamingtoilet.livejournal.com]

Watch, costume and "special effects" type Oscars are the only ones it'll get nominated for, while the acting performances get ignored.

[edda.livejournal.com]

1.) Now I want Dirty Minds.

2.) Sweeney Todd isn't around here yet. WHY MUST I BE THWARTED?

3.) My (tiny) Christmas present to you: go here (http://soraidh.livejournal.com/190266.html) and watch the vids. First one is longest and funny, second one shorter and serious.

[cellardoor28.livejournal.com]

It doesn't even open here till late January :(

[edda.livejournal.com]

OH NOES. Srsly, dude.

[cellardoor28.livejournal.com]

Fer rlz dude!

[eleigh.livejournal.com]

Oh, Girl Sleuth is really good and fascinating.

[sapphires13.livejournal.com]

I saw Sweeney Todd tonight and really enjoyed it. I'd never seen anything of the stage show before, and hadn't really read summaries/reviews/etc., so I wasn't entirely sure what I was getting into, but it was fantastic. The stylization of Tim Burton movies alone make them worth watching, but this one was really good. My general reaction as the movie went on was "oh my god, this is freaking insane" and it just kept getting crazier and crazier, but wonderfully so. Probably the only thing I didn't like was emo!Anthony. I can't decide which character annoys me more: Anthony in Sweeney Todd or Raoul in Phantom of the Opera. All that said, I liked the fake brightness of the blood. In most scenes it looked more like acrylic paint than blood, which took away some of the horrificness of the murders. Had the blood looked realistic, I doubt the ratings board would've been pleased. I mean, that's why Beatrix's fight against the Crazy 88 in Kill Bill vol. 1 was in black and white, to avoid an NC-17 rating.

Oh, and I should add that the people sitting in front of me left about 20 minutes into the movie. This marks the second time that I can recall when the people sitting in front of me decided they hated the movie enough to leave. The other time was Moulin Rouge. People in this town clearly have no taste.

Lastly, I'll just say that after the movie, I said to the person I was with "Don't you wish you lived in a Tim Burton movie?" to which the person responded, "Not that one!" XD

[paradise-loved.livejournal.com]

will the violence bother me if i'm on the squeamish side? i hear it's pretty fake-looking, but i'm a little concerned about the incident with the furnace towards the end of the film. burning totally grosses me out. :/

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

That part is... really pretty bad. Special effects, obviously, but really prolonged and graphic. Like, you sit there and watch... it. If burning really bothers you, that part might be a problem. And there was a montage of throat-cutting that I kind of watched between my fingers, but I don't think I'd have as big a problem with it the second time around. It's funny--the blood's really fake looking, but the arterial spurting and spraying is shown in loving detail. Heh.

[takentogether.livejournal.com]

I'm also pretty squeamish and was worried I'd have a problem with the movie violence, but it turned out not to bother me that much. Once Sweeney slits the fifth or sixth throat in a row, it starts to become almost mundane, and as others have mentioned, the blood is really fake-looking. Honestly, the part where Sweeney dumps the bodies into the basement and they just sort of *thwack* onto the floor bothered me more than the actual throat-slittings. As for the part with the furnace, I'd definitely say it was the most graphically violent thing in the film, but at the same time you can totally tell when it's about to happen and it only takes a few seconds, so it's no big deal to just look away for that part (I would have if I'd known how much they were going to show). So from one squeamish movie-goer to the next: if you want to see the movie, don't skip it just because of the violence, since it's definitely something that should not be missed.

[phoenixflame7.livejournal.com]

I'm a huge fan of the stage show and I looooved the movie.

Depp and Carter do not have big Broadway voices...but their voices work perfectly for the intimate atmosphere.

I think taking out the chorus was a good idea. It kept it from seeming like a showpiece number. The only time I found it wanting was "God That's Good," but I think the song's meaning was conveyed well enough.

Anthony was weird though. He's so much cuter in the stage version. It's because he has a duet with Johanna called "Kiss Me," that's such a sweet, silly song...from Anthony's perspective. From Johanna's, it's all about how she'd rather die than marry the Judge, and that she's throwing her fate into the first nice guy that comes along. His voice was good, but he came across as a stalker. Which makes sense in some ways...but I like sweet, silly Anthony.

I loved what they did with Tobias. Unlike the stage play, he's not a drooling maniac at the end, but a second Sweeney.

And that final shot! Dear lord! That was one of the most horribly beautiful shots I've seen in years.

I have no problem with how dark it got. The stage play was just as dark--the original director, Prince, simply lightened it with his direction. The revival's every bit as dark as the film, though I dislike the staging. The comedy's still there though, just even more gallows. When the 10 year old kid was sentenced to hang, I admit I started laughing. It was just how "awwwww!" it was.

Hehe, just my two cents.

[trash-addict.livejournal.com]

I know so many people which Dirty Minds would be a great Christmas present for. Merry Christmas Cleo, hope it's a good one.

[elvensapphire.livejournal.com]

I still can't quite get over how beautiful and horrible it is.

That sums up the entire movie for me.

I love the show so much, and I don't know when I've ever been quite so pleased with an adaptation to film. Even with the squicky parts. It's really beautiful and I could discuss it at length...but am exhausted and it is Christmas eve.

I do have to mention - her costumes are SO GORGEOUS.

Happy Christmas, Cleo! I hope you have a truly wonderful holiday.

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

Cleo, your "Edit Tags" thingy is enabled on this LJ. Just saying.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I know, I was thinking of asking people to tag entries for me. For some reason, I'm too tired after actually writing the entries to bother tagging them, or I forget or something. The thing is, no one else can create new tags, and I think only people I've friended back can tag entries. I can still restrict it even further to a certain filter anyway.

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

Ah, I see. (Tried adding some tags.)

[katesti.livejournal.com]

We saw it on Friday night - because I'm a Sondheim geek like that - and loved it. I think my favorite line from any of the reviews I've read refers to the last shot as "appalingly gorgeous," which is right on target.

[ellaafleck.livejournal.com]

No, I'm sorry, for me HBC was awful. Yes, the voice was enough to make me not like her, but what really bothered me is how dead her characterization was. Lovett is supposed to be a darkly FUNNY character, and she let all the humorous lines die. she also had the same face the entire movie. Really bothered me a lot. But Johnny Depp was surprisingly not bad. (Yes, I worship the stage show, sorry, but it must be said)

Sweeny Todd

[joshuad369.livejournal.com]

me and my roomate went and saw it the day it came out, and we were both amazed by how well it was done :) True it was alot darker especially with "God that's Good" was taken out. But with the theme Burton was going with ( tradgedy, loss, revenge, madness and twisted humor ) it worked very well.

I don't know if anyone else noticed, but Turpin's assistant was none other than Wormtale ( well the actor really )!!! Snape and Wormtale working togehter:P. Both me and my roomate ( HP fans both ) love the irony. Oh and Giles from Buffy made a breif appearance if anyone caught that:)

What we both really enjoyed those little odd but seemingly poignant moments in the film. Such as how the boy Toby had the pale face and dark circles around his eyes at the end just like Sweeny does. And when Mrs. Lovett was talking about all the places they could go, Sweeny for one brief moment places his hand on her leg then pulls it away. Almost as if he was thinking of trying to move on but decided no, Im gonna slit some more throats.

I would love to see you give this movie the 15 minute treatment :)

PLEASE!!!

[gwynnywonk.livejournal.com]

This is the first R-rated movie I've ever seen in theatres (I usually go to more innocent movies with my younger sibs), and I have to say that it was a fantastic experience. The violence didn't bother me at all, and I was giggling through most of the movie. Depp was brilliant, especially in the "By the Sea" number, and I've had the Miracle Elixir song stuck in my head for the better part of a week. The gore didn't faze me, and the black humor in the musical montage of throat-slittery made even that part tolerable.

But then again, my mom is an ex-doctor who loves nothing more than watching graphic real-life ER programs on Discovery Health channel. I grew up more acquainted with the color of innards than was probably healthy.

I was sad to see, though, that there were only 8 people in the theatre, and on a Friday at that! Still, it was a matinee, so I can only hope that the dozens of people I saw queing up outside for a later showing of (stupid) AVPR came to their senses and saw this film instead.