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October '08
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August '08
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Depp and Burton – Bloody Brilliant
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By Aaron 12/26/2007
 Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Tim Burton’s latest movie, follows Sweeney Todd (Johnny Depp) a.k.a Benjamin Barker, as he sets out to take revenge on those who wronged him. Think, a musical Count of Monte Cristo except with a razor instead of a sword. Todd returns to London after being sent away by the jealous Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) who coveted Barker’s beautiful young wife and has now taken Todd’s daughter, Johanna (Jayne Wisener), as his ward/prisoner. Todd opens a barbershop above Mrs. Lovett's (Helena Bonham Carter) Meat Pie Shop, on Fleet Street, where Todd lived with his family. With the help of Mrs. Lovett, Todd tries to kill all those who have ever done him wrong.
I didn’t really know much about this movie besides the one scene I saw in the underrated Jersey Girl (damn that annoying JLo Gigli-gate scandal). I knew of course that Burton standards – darkness, Depp, and Carter would be joining Burton, so I expected a pretty good show. And it was. I found the movie entertaining, fast paced, and fun. I also really got into the music.
The acting was solid in the movie, as most of the actors got to play pretty extreme characters. Timothy Spall’s Beadle Bamford was especially good, and underused. He was a real scene-stealer as the Judge’s henchman, delivering savage beatings to those who crossed the judge. Sacha Baron Cohen was an absolutely perfect choice as Parelli, and he did not disappoint. His pizzazz and excellent timing made his few scenes some of the most lively in the movie. The most pleasant surprise was the unknown child actor, Ed Sanders, who played Toby. Sanders’ Toby got the most likable character and he kept that going through a dark, bloody movie. Jamie Campbell Bower and Jayne Wisener were good as Anthony Hope and Johanna. Bower’s Hope, Todd’s savior was the perfect naïve young man to fall in love with an imprisoned beauty. And in that regard, Wisener pulled off the innocent, over sheltered girl with a fine touch, especially with limited scenes.
But lets talk about the big dogs. While Depp has been getting most of the Oscar buzz, I thought that Carter was simply amazing. Her scenes with Depp were better than any scenes Depp had with any other character. Her humor was especially good, and her entire attitude was right on. It also helped that she was dressed more like a hooker than a baker, but hey, Burton knows what she looks good in. As a quick aside here, Burton is clearly a tits man, and he loves cleavage. Pretty much every female character sports some serious cleavage. Maybe that’s how they dressed back then (unlikely).
Now everyone expects Depp to win an Oscar for Sweeney, “it’s time” they say. First, that’s a load of shit – you need to be the best THAT YEAR (can you tell I want someone else to win?) Anyway, I thought Depp was pretty good, going back to some of his earlier Depp work to draw on a deeply depressed man, pushed to the psychotic. At the same time, I have to say; I thought Depp was a little muted. He seemed to lack that ‘oomph’ that would have made his role good. Frankly, if the audience is going to sign onto a two-hour revenge flick where the protagonist slits the throats of innocents, you have to build up some more compassion for the guy.
Overall though, I enjoyed the movie. The music was good, easy to follow and worked well with the rest of the movie. Burton used faker blood than QT did in Kill Bill and I’m still struggling on whether I think that there was too much blood (there was a hell of a lot). While I think it over, I’m gonna slap an 8.5/10 saltystix on this sucker.
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Bob’s October Movie Preview
By Bob 10/2/2008
 Now that we have gotten through the sludge of September movies, it’s time for some Oscar contenders, and movies that think they’re good but not. Halloween is also this month so there is bound to be a lot of random horror movies going on and of course a Saw film to soak in. Whatever happens though, I’m gonna guess that at least one of the following gets some nods come Oscar time. With that, my October Movie Preview:
Cops, Robbers, and Blah
10) Pride and Glory: October 24th
From the director of Miracle comes one of the most clichéd trailers of ALL TIME. Edward Norton as A COP. Colin Farrell as HIMSELF. What more could we want from a movie? I don’t know, and I will likely never find out because this is not one flick I will be seeing.
9) Max Payne: October 17th 
As I feverishly go through my mind trying to think of a video game adaptation that has actually been a good movie, I’m also reminded of all of the bad movies Marky Mark has made over the past ever (excluding The Departed and Boogie Nights of course). I would be shocked if there is anybody who is actually excited for this, as anybody who actually played the game has probably outgrown the genre.
8) Body of Lies: October 10th
Leonardo Dicaprio. Russell Crowe. Ridley Scott. Something about spies. The trailers really tell us nothing about this film except, “How am I supposed to run an operation when you’re running a side operation.” I don’t really know what that means, but Leo says it in the trailer. This film looks like another lame attempt by Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe to win Oscars. I’m not buying it.
7) Flash of Genius: October 3rd
Greg Kinnear stars as an man who invents the intermittent windshield wiper, and then has it stolen from him buy the major auto manufacturers. This just looks like a boring film that will get a lukewarm response. For some reason, however, it has been getting a huge level of marketing with television and even radio advertisements. I doubt people will buy it.
6) RocknRolla: October 10th
Guy Ritchie is back in the genre he knows best, and this appears to be an English gangster film much in the mold of Lock Stock and Snatch. We’ll see if he still has his stuff, but for now, I’ll just pop in my DVDs of the older films that I can trust, and look to be almost identical in plot to this one.
Movies that Intrigue Me
5) Changeling: October 24th 
Angelina Jolie stars in this Clint Eastwood film about a woman whose son goes missing and is returned with something different. Any film that Eastwood directs (that’s not Flags of our Fathers of course) is worth checking out, and this looks to be no different. It got solid reviews with it premiered at Cannes, and Angelina Jolie is ready for a solid role.
4) W.: October 17th
 A film that is certain to be the years most controversial, Oliver Stone directs this biopic about our current president. While I am sure Stone will exaggerate many of the details, there is no denying that he has put together an awesome cast including Josh Broling (as Bush), Elizibeth Banks (as First Lady Laura), James Cromwell (as his father H. W.), Richard Dreyfuss (as Cheney), Thadie Newton (as Condoleezza Rice) and others as the rest of his cabinet. Whatever happens in this film, it will certainly be interesting.
3) Synecdoche, New York: October 24th
A film that I have been awaiting since last year, this is Charlie Kauffman’s directorial debut. I have loved the films he has written (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Being John Malkovich, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, and Adaptation. ) and this should prove to be equally compelling. It stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as a playwright who attempts to put on a production in a warehouse that includes a scale model of New York. It will probably boggle our minds, but that is Kauffman, isn’t it?
2) Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist: October 3rd
Michael Cera and Kat Dennings star as the eponymous Nick and Norah who meet each other one night in New York and have adventures. Something about the trailer really brought this movie to my attention, probably the indie style that I love. Cera is always great, and Dennings was really cool in Charlie Bartlett, so I might make my way to a cinema this week to check it out.
1) Zach and Miri Make a Porno: October 31st 
Seth Rogen and Elizibeth Banks star as two best friends who decide to make a porno together. This is Kevin Smith’s first film since Clerks 2, and I can only hope that it matches that film in hilarity. The only thing I don’t understand, is why are they releasing this film on Halloween? I guess there is probably a Saw film being released anyways.
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