Summer, Sweeney Todd opens in the US this coming Friday, Dec. 21st. Here's a link to Anthony Lane's review at The New Yorker.

http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/ci...

Susan

Thank you Susan for the link. I had seen the trailers and as the review said they did not boast of the music. It is good to know that the musical was basically kept that way. I have always loved musicals.

I still think I will enjoy this film simply as entertaining. There is a certain way to take Tim Burton films and not everyone seems to well... dig into them and find the amusment of them. I have always enjoyed his films. I thought Charlie and the Chocolate Factory a wonderful new version, where I did not feel like someone was just trying to sell me candy! I still love the original Willy Wonka and always will. They are to seperate films basically and not just some flip remake.

Summer

I saw the Golden Compass movie yesterday and loved every minute of it. I can hardly wait to see the second movie The Subtle Knife and I hope they make that one soon. This is the one where Lyra goes through the window into different worlds.

I saw TGC yesterday and I loved it, as well. I raced through the trilogy about 1 1/2 years ago, so cannot speak to the faithfulness to the book except in broad terms. I wanted to reread it, as is my policy before I see the movie, but it was an impromptu date with my son, so I relaxed my rigidity. It was actually refreshing to watch a movie without obsessively comparing it to the book. Contrary to other opinions here, I thought Nicole Kidman did an outstanding job with Mrs. Coulter. She is able to convey strong messages with her facial features in subtle ways, and I thought she was well-cast. I loved Lyra. Dottie, I'm with you on the ending song. I'd forgotten you wrote that when I was in the movie last night, but when I reread all the posts this morning I resonated with that comment. It was pretty bad. Lyyyyyraaaa....

one last comment on CG. I'm sure this makes me old-fashioned, but I'm not entirely a fan of CG. I appreciate that it makes certain scenes and characters possible in a more 'realistic' manner, but I also see it being used in so many instances which could easily have been filmed using 'real live stuff.' There is a scene in which Lyra is leaning on the rail of Fa's ship and the stormy sky behind her could easily have been filmed 'in real life.' I can't always see the difference, but usually I can, and it's annoying.

I haven't seen THE GOLDEN COMPASS, but my husband saw it and didn't like it. He is a mathematician and is not big on fantasy.

A couple of weeks ago, I saw ATONEMENT and loved it. I thought that the filmmaker did a great job of capturing the book.

Yesterday, we saw MARGOT AT THE WEDDING, starring Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Jack Black. I hated it. The characters were all miserable people. When I was in the bathroom after the movie, I heard two ladies discussing the film. One said, "I think we should ask for our money back." The other replied, "Yeah, that was false advertising!" The previews make the film look light-hearted and upbeat. It is not.

Jane

Jane, did you like THE SQUID AND THE WHALE? That was an earlier movie by Noah Baumbach that we liked, though parts of it were so depressing.

Susan

Susan,

No, I didn't really like THE SQUID AND THE WHALE, but I liked this one even less.

Jane

I forgot to mention a movie that I loved: JUNO. It is the story of a 16-year-old girl who gets pregnant with a nerdy boy from her school. She decides to give the baby to a young couple who want to adopt a baby. It is very funny, but it seems realistic in many ways. I highly recommend it.

Jane

The Savages, Sweeney Todd and Juno. All very good, but I liked Juno the best because of its heart and the affirming feeling with which I was left. (Pardon the awkward grammatical correctness.)

Robt

Robt,

We also saw THE SAVAGES. Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney were wonderful, but the subject of the movie hit a little too close to home. Still, I would recommend it just to see those two.

Jane

Jane,

My response to The Savages was similar. Great acting. My elderly folks' health is failing so I found the journey challenging.

Robt

Just saw Sweeny Todd and I loved every garish, gory minute of it!!

Sweeny Todd was incredible. I had no idea Johnny Depp could sing that well. And I LOVED Juno. At first, I was worried that the dialogue was going to be snarky (the scene where Juno tells her friend Leah she is pregnant practically made me groan), but it was great. I highly recommend it.

The Great Debaters is worth seeing. Denzel Washington is terrific, as usual. Forest Whitaker is superb.

My husband and I met as debaters at Pitt. We were good, not great, but we had fun. You don't have to have been a college debater to appreciate this film.

(thought I'd share my blog entry of yesterday with you guys...and those who are TS Eliot fans might smile)

SWEENEY TODD & SWEENEY AGONISTES give me the hoo ha's.


Yes, yes, I had to see the Tim Burton film of the Sondheim musical "Sweeney Todd"--and glad that I did, in spite of having that mild disappointment that less-than-great movie fare always leaves in my belly. Still, I enjoyed it. The tale of the demon barber of Fleet Street who murdered folks then baked into pies by his neighbor, Mrs. Lovitt. There are plenty of reviews on the internet, so I don't need to give you my impressions -- it was as gory as they say -- Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter can't sing well, but managed to hold forth well enough -- and the sets of olde England's London Towne were absolutely fabulous. You could practically smell the sewage in the streets.

Why is this story at all appealing? is the more interesting question. There is something downright archetypical about cannibalism--we are fascinated by its taboo, and its possibility--like the sports team that crashed and ate their dead in the Andes ("Alive") as well as fictional Hannibal Lector and the all too real Jeffrey Dahmer. It got me thinking about Sondheim and how he decided to do this musical.

I began to read about the background of Sweeney Todd. There are several articles and blogs about the 'source' of this material -- many simply crediting Sondheim. That is nowhere near the whole story. Here is a link to a little <font color=black>history</font> of Sweeney Todd. Apparently the pulp fiction booklets of London, the "penny dreadfuls" are credited with the earliest version in 1885 under a different title.

But my own memory goes back to the early 60's when I was married to a man with many books I had not yet read--among them James Joyce and T.S. Eliot, Beckett and cummings. SOMEWHERE in those books, I dimly remembered a Sweeney character, in play form, which jumped out at me. But I couldn't remember which book. For years I've thought it was Joyce...but that was wrong. I was young and didn't understand what I was reading...that memory also stuck with me. I hate not knowing. But I was enchanted with the sing song zaniness of it. A sing song play...sounds like a musical!

Once I wrapped my mind around Sweeney, I became tenacious....my memory (though faulty) did not fail me. I happened to have a copy of T.S.Eliot's complete poems and plays (of my own) on the shelf ...and I started there. Voila! I hit pay dirt immediately. (if you can't trust your memory, trust your instincts).

I found Sweeney Agonistes, an incomplete play/poem -- and I shall only copy here the things that reminded me of Sweeney Todd, that made me link the two in my mind. Later, after I had done so, I found a website that said they were sure Sondheim had read this poem. (Ah, validation for the laywoman.)

I can only give you snippets of excerpts -- it is worth reading on your own:

the scene is set with Doris reading Tarot cards with Dusty, just before a party. The two of spades (the coffin card) comes up. There is, eventually, a chorus of friends and protagonist Sweeney.

Sweeney: I'll carry you off
To a cannibal isle.
Doris: You'll be the cannibal!
Sweeney: You'll be the missionary!
You'll be my little seven stone missionary!
I'll gobble you up. I'll be cannibal.
Doris: You'll carry me off? To a cannibal isle?
Sweeney: I'll be the cannibal.
Doris: I'll be the missinary,
I'll convert you!
Sweeney: I'll convert you!
Into a stew.
A nice little, white little, missionary stew.
Doris: You wouldn't eat me!
Sweeney: Yes, I'd eat you!
In a nice little, white little, soft little, tender little,
Juicy little, right little, missionary stew.
You see this egg
You see this egg
Well, that's life on a crocodile isle.
There's no telephones
There's no gramophones
There no motor cars
No two seaters, no six seaters,
No Citroen, no Rolls Royce.
Nothing to eat but the fruit as it grows.
Nothing to see but the palmtrees one way
And the sea the other way
Nothing to hear but the sound of the surf.
Nothing at all but three things
Doris: What things?
Sweeney: Birth, and copulation and death.
That's all, that's all, that's all, that's all,
Birth, and copulation, and death.
Doris: I'd be bored.
Sweeney: You'd be bored.
Birth, and copulation and death.
Doris: I'd be bored.
Sweeney: You'd be bored.
Birth, and copulation and death.
That's all the facts when you come to brass tacks:
Birth, and copulation, and death.
I've been born, and once is enough,
You don't remember, but I remember,
Once is enough.</font>

(This is followed by the song sung by their party friends:)

Under the bamboo
Bamboo bamboo
Under the bamboo tree
Two live as one
one live as two
Under the bam
Under the boo
Under the bamboo tree.

Where the breadfruit fall
And the penguin call
And the sound is the sound of the sea
Under the bam
Under the boo
Under the bamboo tree

Where the Gaugain maids
In the banyan shades
Wear palmleaf drapery
Under the bam
Under the boo
Under the bamboo tree.

Tell me in what part of the wood
Do you want to flirt with me?
Under the breadfruit, banyan, palmleaf
Or under the bamboo tree?
Any old tree will do for me
Any old wood is just as good
Any old isle is just my style
Any fresh egg
Any fresh egg
And the sound of the coral sea.

Doris: I don't like eggs; I never liked eggs;
And I don't like life on your crocodile isle.

(The full chorus at the end:)

When you're alone in the middle of the night and you wake
in a sweat and a hell of a fright
When you're alone in the middle of the bed and you wake
like someone hit you on the head
You've had a cream of a nightmare dream and you've got the
hoo-ha's coming to you.
Hoo hoo hoo
You dreamt you waked up at seven o'clock and it's foggy an
it's damp and it's dawn and it's dark
And you wait for a knock and the turning of a lock for you
know the hangman's waiting for you.
And perhaps you're alive
And perhaps you're dead
Hoo ha ha
Hoo ha ha
Hoo
Hoo
Hoo
Knock Knock Knock
Knock Knock Knock
Knock
Knock
Knock


Hoo Ha. It's no sillier than Sweeney Todd.

##

Thank you, MAP. I am DYING to see The Great Debaters as well. I was a debater in college, but mostly, I am so in the mood for a little change the world, inspirational fun!

Thanks, Bev. Fascinating.

Wow, Bev, thank you. You make me want to read T.S. Eliot. For some reason, it made me remember how much I loved to read The Scroobious Pip by Edward Lear to my boys:

The Scroobious Pip went out one day
When the grass was green and the sky was gray
Then all the beasts in the world came round
When the Scroobious Pip sat down on the ground

I just took it down off my bookshelf and am wallowing in the illustrations.

Barb, I'm also a big Lear fan, but I've never even heard of The Scroobious Pip! I was so enchanted with The Hunting of the Snark that I named my Scotty and Westie dogs, Snark and Boojum.
I'll look for the Pip next time I'm at the bookstore! Thanks!

THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY

This is a French film about a young man who has a stroke and is locked inside his own body. The doctors in the film use the English term "locked in syndrome" to describe his condition. We see the world as he sees it. People ask him questions and he answers in his head, but cannot speak. The only thing that "works" on his body is one eye. He can blink and see with that one eye. It is an amazing story.

THE KITE RUNNER

I don't know why this film hasn't gotten better reviews. I thought that the film captured the essence of the book. It is sad, but it tells the story of what life was like in Afghanistan.

My husband and I recommend both movies.

Jane

Interestingly, Diving Bell is directed by the artist, Julian Schnabel. Glad to have your recommendation, Jane. It's gotten terrific reviews, and I have the book on hand, waiting to be read.

R

Bev, I wanted to continue a bit of our discussion about Lear so I started a topic on The Scroobious Pip under the Constant Reader folder.

Okay. I'll go see Sweeney Tood too!

We saw The Great Debaters the other day and enjoyed it very much. All the actors did well. I also liked the frequent use of southern field songs and baxk country blues.

I'm from Australia and The Kite Runner isn't out here for a few more weeks but I can't wait to see it!! I really loved the book and hopefully the movie will be good as well. I have heard mixed reviews and I think because a lot of the actors aren't predominant Hollywood actors it may go by the wayside but I hope people appreciate the story being told.

I saw Atonement yesterday, and really liked it. I felt it was well-acted, and captured the book quite well. My only quibble was the young Briony. Not the actress, mind you. But the director made her walk through the house at a clipped pace, over and over, making precise right and left turns. It seemed strange, and took away from a good performance, IMO. But otherwise, I rated this movie very high.

I saw Atonement today, but did not care for it. I found it slow and depressing. Did not read the book and am glad I did not.
Jean K.

Now now, you can't judge a book by its movie. Atonement is very good, although not his best. He is very much a writer worth reading, however.

Just want to share The complete list of winners of the 65th annual Golden Globes announced Sunday at a news conference held by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in Beverly Hills, Calif.:


MOTION PICTURES:

_Picture, Drama: "Atonement."

_Actress, Drama: Julie Christie, "Away From Her."

_Actor, Drama: Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood."

_Picture, Musical or Comedy: "Sweeney Todd."

_Actress, Musical or Comedy: Marion Cotillard, "La Vie En Rose."

_Actor, Musical or Comedy: Johnny Depp, "Sweeney Todd."

_Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett, "I'm Not There."

_Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men."

_Director: Julian Schnabel, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly."

_Screenplay: Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, "No Country for Old Men."

_Foreign Language: "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," France and U.S.

_Animated Film: "Ratatouille."

_Original Score: Dario Marianelli, "Atonement."

_Original Song: "Guaranteed" from "Into the Wild."


TELEVISION:

_Series, Drama: "Mad Men," AMC.

_Actress, Drama: Glenn Close, "Damages."

_Actor, Drama: Jon Hamm, "Mad Men."

_Series, Musical or Comedy: "Extras," HBO.

_Actress, Musical or Comedy: Tina Fey, "30 Rock"

_Actor, Musical or Comedy: David Duchovny, "Californication."

_Miniseries or Movie: "Longford," HBO.

_Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Queen Latifah, "Life Support."

_Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Jim Broadbent, "Longford."

_Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Samantha Morton, "Longford."

_Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Jeremy Piven, "Entourage."


~e

I'm glad to see Julie Christie on this list; AWAY FROM HER will get more attention now. I thought the director really gave the audience a cinematic feel for a layered Alice Munro short story. (I did think Christie's hair stayed too beautiful for an Alzheimer character who should not be able to tend it. As I remember, this is the way Munro wrote Fiona, however, in "The Bear Went Over the Mountain.")

My criticism of AWAY was that the Christie character remained way too aware of her own condition, as if it were a broken limb that she was required to make intelligent decisions about. That's not the general case with Alzheimer's. It not only takes away the person, the person it leaves behind is mostly unaware of how damaged she is. The Christie's character was way too logical.

Yes, true, unaware, almost by definition, and I wondered about that. (I remember wondering about that memoir? published a few years back, supposedly written by a woman in decline--Flowers for Algernon-like, which didn't make sense at all, thought some publisher knew this would sell...)

But what you say reminds me why I thought AWAY was so complicated: there was a vague question left for me (and some other people I saw it with) that this was possibly a passive act of anger on Fiona's part toward her husband stemming from something else happening to her. That it was more allegorical and not realism. Or I'm reading way too much into it?

Cynthia,
Away From Her was one of the most interesting films I saw this year. Julie Christie's performance was amazing, and I hope she wins more awards.

However, like Ruth that it was really difficult for me to accept that she had Alzheimer's. My mother had this disease and she was not able to articulate any understanding of what was happening to her. I don't think she possessed any such understanding, although she did show signs of tremendous anxiety.

On the other hand, I recently heard an interview with two victims of Alzheimer's on NPR. These men where so cognizant of the source of their problems and the course of their disease that they actually gave workshops about it. I think they must be the exception.

At any rate, I was willing to suspend disbelief. The husband's philandering, coupled with his apparently genuine love for his wife, was an interesting plot development.

My mother had this disease and she was not able to articulate any understanding of what was happening to her. I don't think she possessed any such understanding, although she did show signs of tremendous anxiety

That's the perefect description of my mother, too, Ann.
The men that gave the workshop must have been in the early phases of Alzheimer's. That's the only time when they could have had it together enough to do this. Altho my mother didn't even understand during the early phases.

R

I haven't seen the film yet, but when I read the story, I had a few moments of wondering if the wife really had Alzheimer's, if it was her form of escape. Does that seem too far fetched?

For all of you commenting on Away from Here.... I have not seen the film yet, but my mother currently has Alzheimer's, is in assisted living, and knows full well what is happening to her. She alternates between being sad and confused and angry and knowing she is safe where she is and wishing she could get out. She is having a romance with a fellow at the assisted living place; she still gets up every morning and puts on her make up and dresses and "functions" but she can't keep up with conversations,calls me five times in a row, loses things, takes to her bed, and has great periods of anxiety when taken out of her routine. It's complicated.....

3:10 To Yuma I recently reread the original Elmore Leonard story -- just a few pages, and saw the Glenn Ford/Van Heflin movie version, which I recommend. I'll try the new release.

I saw The Kite Runner the other day and enjoyed it. I think I cried about five times. I think the change from book to movie went well and the actors were really good, the subtitles added to the feel of the movie. There were a few little things left out of the movie but I didn't think that took anything away from the story, the only thing is I don't think you got a true sense of how well off the father was.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. I just got around to seeing it now. My husband and I were amazed at Julian Schnabel's direction! An honest portrayal of Bauby's book narrative. As much as I love the Coen brothers, I think Schnabel should win the Oscar for directing.

THERE WILL BE BLOOD

I keep waiting for someone else to post about this movie. I liked it and found it interesting, but I was not blown away by it, like I expected to be. It is worth seeing to see the performances by Daniel Day Lewis and Paul Dano. Lewis is getting all of the publicity, but Dano is just as good as a young evangelist. You may remember Dano as the teenager in LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE.

Jane

Other recent films:

The last couple of weeks have been yawners as far as new releases go. No, I do not want to see RAMBO or MEET THE SPARTANS. Instead we saw a Spanish film called THE ORPHANAGE. I don't usually go in for horror films, but this one is interesting. After you see the whole movie, you don't know if the horror scenes are intended to be supernatural or not. Maybe someone imagined the whole thing. Nothing new opened yesterday either, so we saw PERSEPOLIS. It is the true story of an Iranian girl who leaves her homeland to get an education in Europe. It is about her trials and tribulations and the woes of her country. It was OK, maybe good for your Netflix list.

Jane

have not seen any theater movies but have recently seen Saw 4,Hatchet,and Death Sentence from the video store.Saw for was good as usual.I just love those movies.Hatchet was an oveer the top cheesy horror movie.Death Sentence was really good although the ending sucked and it was a very depressing storyline.

I am so behind on this -- here's what I've seen lately:

There Will Be Blood

I'm with Jane on this one -- after all the hype, I was pretty underwhelmed. It's mostly two and a half hours of Daniel Day Lewis being a bastard. Admittedly, he does an amazing job of being a bastard, but there really isn't any story to it -- why he's the way he is -- and his character doesn't grow or change. And since it's pretty much a one-man-show, we don't see enough of the other characters to get involved with them. I was expecting more of a struggle between Lewis' character and Paul Dano's. Jane, you might be interested to know that the role of Eli was originally played by another actor, but after several weeks of shooting, had to be replaced because he was wilting under Lewis' constant "method acting-style" hatred. I can't think of the actor's name, but it wasn't anyone I've heard of. The article went on to say that Dano thrived on Lewis' particular brand of crazy.

Sweeney Todd
twice

Disclaimer: as I am completely immune to any flaws in a Depp/Burton collaboration, this review should not be taken seriously. Big surprise - I thought it was awesome the first time, and even more awesome the second time. I bought the soundtrack from Itunes, and think that is awesome as well. I've been walking around singing "A Little Priest" for two weeks now. I tried to explain my fascination with Burton to one of my coworkers the other day -- I think I love him, because he swings for the fences every time. It's not always perfect, or tidy, but it's not rehash, and it's not a movie you've seen before. The same goes for Johnny Depp, plus, you know, look at him!

Atonement

I saw this right after There Will Be Blood (talk about a double feature of happiness), and while I liked it, I didn't exactly love it. Preconceptions again - plus it took SO FREAKIN' LONG for this movie to be released in this area that I was already frustated with it. It is a gorgeous, gorgeous movie, and managed to surprise me a few times. The acting is excellent - I was especially impressed with James McAvoy.

Juno

Cute and clever, but I spent most of the movie wondering why a girl as hip and smart as Juno didn't use birth control. The thing I liked best is that they didn't always go for the obvious stereotypes: quirky Juno's best friend was a cheerleader, the type-A mom isn't the bad guy, etc. And the music's good.

Into the Wild

I was expecting to hate this movie (oooh, poor little rich kid), but walked out a fan. It's hard to believe that something could be so tragic and so life-affirming at the same time. If Chris/Alex had just an ounce or two more of common sense, he could have had an amazing life.

Cloverfield

At least this year I'll have something solid to head up my "Worst Of..." list.

Peggy,

Thanks for the reviews. You and I often agree. I found SWEENEY to be interesting, but the darkness of the film got to me. And you are so right about Johnny Depp.

I didn't know that about Eli.

*************SPOILER******************
My husband and I discussed whether there were really twins. We thought that maybe the character was making up the twin so they he could blame things on him.

Jane

IN BRUGES

This film stars Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, and Ralph Fiennes. CF and BG arrive in Bruges after killing some people in England. They are to take a couple of weeks off until things cool down back in the UK. CF has a secret that makes him weep occasionally and you will find out what it is when you see the movie. We liked the movie because it was a dark comedy and completely politically incorrect. The film makes fun of Americans in general, fat Americans, dwarfs, black people, Belgium...you name it. It wasn't a great film, but it was funny.

Jane

On my Netflix queue it goes. Thanks, Jane.

HONEYDRIPPER

Raise your hand if you are a fan of films by John Sayles. He has directed and written some fine films, such as MATEWAN, EIGHT MEN OUT, PASSION FISH, LONE STAR, SUNSHINE STATE, and CASA DE LOS BABYS to name a few. They are all different, but they are all interesting. This one stars Danny Glover as a piano player who owns a bar in Alabama in 1950. It is about the beginning of the transition from blues to rock 'n roll. At the beginning of the film, Glover's establishment has hired a singer to sing old fashioned blues while Glover plays the piano. There are three clients in the bar, but across the road the neighboring bar is packed because the place has a jukebox. Keb'mo plays a blind guitar player that only certain people can see. Vondi Curtis Hall plays a "kept" man. Stacy Keach plays a red-neck sheriff. And there is a handsome young man named Gary Clark, Jr. who makes a difference at the Honeydripper.

Two thumbs up!

Jane

Stacy Keach! I haven't seen him in anything in a long time. He was in productions at Yale when Tom was there. I remember him in several Shakespeare plays. And if Keb'mo is in this, I've got to see it. I love his music. Thanks, Jane. I've never heard of this movie.

NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN

I'm new to this group and just starting to get a feel for the folders and discussion. I look forward to joining in on more discussions and getting to know you all.

I was surprised to see no comments on No Country for Old Men. Did I miss it? I saw it last week and am haunted by it because it was just THAT good, and because it's one of the more disturbing movie's I've seen in a while. I was still thinking on it days after I saw it, which is my metric of a good movie. Every person I know took away something different from it: American identity, revenge, sociopathic tendencies, geography's influence on culture, the list goes on and on. I've been consumed with studying the villain, who is just flat out crazy, but he has this simple philosophy about life and death. He's cold and calculating and suffering from a sever God-complex to the point where I had nightmares about him. But he's also complex and at one point in the movie his simple philosophy is challenged, which I saw as the climax.

The photography is stunning, as well, and takes your breath away. Thankfully the Coen brothers allow for long pauses of surveying the landscape so you don't feel rushed, and the story perfectly balances the setting. I strongly recommend it, but with the caveat that you go into it knowing that it's violent.

Agreed, Heather. Viewed through a post-9/11 lens, it's even more interesting. I find the arguments for it as a metaphor for the Iraq war and terrorism really interesting. I also appreciate that, though very, very violent, none of the violence is sensationalized (like it is in the horrible American Gangster or in the conclusion of There Will Be Blood).

Did anyone see the Romanian movie 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days?

Old Men will get to me eventually via Netflix. I did read the book tho.

As for the Romanian movie, it's on my Netflix list, too.

R