You've Got to Cut Him Up, Boy

Sweeney Todd
Regal Westview 16
Frederick, MD
35mm
12/22/07

I first heard about Sweeney Todd when I was a kid, but only the basics of the story. Todd was a barber on Fleet Street in London who murdered his customers, who were then baked into meat pies by Mrs. Lovett, the baker downstairs. That's all I ever remember hearing of it. I never saw the musical and I never read any of the penny dreadfuls. For all I know they're out of print. I did look forward to Neil Gaiman and Michael Zulli's version, but it never came out, so I never read it.

And now Tim Burton's gone and made a film out of it. I used to be a huge Tim Burton fan. Was right up until Ed Wood. I love Ed Wood. It's one of my favorite movies. But then there was Mars Attacks! (which I have a soft spot for because it came out on the day I met Jamee.) But then there was Planet of the Apes. And Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. And then I rewatched Batman and hated it. So I'm no longer the biggest Tim Burton fan anymore.

But Sweeney Todd is a solid film. Though it probably wasn't the best idea to see a morning show. This is more of a night movie. It's dark and obsessively misanthropic and once it was over and I had to navigate last-minute holiday shopping traffic on the way home I really wanted to do violence to everyone around me. So I think I liked it.

The problem I have with it is the music. Now, I'm not against musicals, but I think the fact that it's basically an opera and ninety percent of the dialogue is sung sets up a bit of detachment for me and I never really felt any real connection to the film. Although it is about horrible people doing horrible things, so maybe that was a good thing. So while I liked it, I didn't love it.

But I do love that Comic-Con teaser poster and that's staying up in the dining room.