Sweeney Todd

[afronaut]

Every now and again there comes a movie by a once respected filmmaker which says to us that this filmmaker no longer has anything to say. Sweeney Todd is not such a movie. Sweeney Todd tells us that Tim Burton never had anything to say. This movie is far removed from the one thing that made so many people love Burton in the past: a sense of novelty. We're used to it. We've seen this exact same movie time and time again. This movie doesn't come at us from left field. It comes to us as a mainstream product of Hollywood style artistic capitalism. As formulaic, flaccid, and as devoid of any real imagination as your typical Vin Diesel movie. Ever notice how dialog, story, and character development are are never talked about when discussing a Tim Burton movie? He relies almost solely on visuals to win us over. The exact same visuals in every movie. It's about time you stopped hiding behind garishly whimsical set design.

I don't have anything against musicals that aren't High School Musical. And at first I thought the music was promising. It quickly went from "promising" to "bland" to "pretty fucking awful" pretty fucking fast.

The story was clumsy, poorly written, anticlimatic, and completely uninteresting. The subplot with the daughter and the sailor guy (did the movie even give this character a name?) was completely worthless and boring. Not only that, but the filmmakers didn't even bother to properly resolve that storyline. The one thing that subplot did to advance the main story could have been done countless other ways, and much better. Also, characters who are supposed to be 15 years old aren't supposed to give you boners.

Not even Johnny Depp could add anything to this movie; his character was just as faceless and bland as the story. Helena Bonham Carter is the exact same character she plays in every Burton movie. Same hair, same accent, same clothes.

Also, what is with the horrible CGI opening credits? Same with Charlie and the Chocolate factory. So cheesy and completely shit looking. Someone keep this man away from computers.

Tim Burton is going to have to stop attempting to do adult movies, because the only people who will still fall for Burton's played out charms are children.


Fucking horrible.

[YoungRemy]

you do know there is a Broadway musical called Sweeney Todd and that this film is an adaptation of said musical, right?

Burton didnt write the characters, the screenplay, or the music...

[TOY]

I've yet to see the movie, and plan NOT to see it. My sister did. She bought the soundtrack, it's gay, and I get embarrassed driving around in the car with her while she plays it. One of those "eugh" kind of feelings.

That's all.

[afronaut]

you do know there is a Broadway musical called Sweeney Todd and that this film is an adaptation of said musical, right?

Burton didnt write the characters, the screenplay, or the music...

Yes, I know this. Either this is a note for note adaptation of the musical and Burton simply has bad taste, or he's not a good enough director to have turned it into anything interesting. Something being an adaptation doesn't get anyone off the hook. It's still a Burton film, he's responsible for the entire movie.

A good majority of Kubrick's films were adaptations. Does he owe his greatness to a number of authors?

[YoungRemy]

my comment is aimed at the critique of the music. it IS note for note accurate, taken directly from Sondheim's original score, adapted on the screen by Burton. most of the dialogue stays the same from the play as well...

minor plot tweaks and changes were made, but overall, the characters and songs already existed...

did Kubrick ever adapt a Broadway Musical?

[afronaut]

No, but he was a smart enough director to know when to pick good source material, and when to make proper changes to the source material in order to make the best movie he possibly could.


This only illustrates Burton's lack of creativity even more. The simple fact that the story was macabre and worked well with his crutch/"visual sense" was enough for Burton. And this seems to be the case with almost all of his films. I'll give him Beetlejuice, the first Batman film(not the second,) Scissorhands, Nightmare Before Christmas, and Ed Wood. And honestly, in the cases of Beetlejuice, Scissorhands and Nightmare, much of their greatness lies in the fact that at the time of their release, they were still something new and novel to look at. Remove the films from their novelty, they would never stand the test of time. He hasn't been able to grow one bit since Beetlejuice.


If Burton were a painter, he would be a gothic Thomas Kinkade. Only an "artist" because his work looks pretty and people buy it. Mass marketed, all versions of basically the same painting, full of sound and fury signifying absolutely nothing.

[YoungRemy]

fair enough. I just happen to disagree is all...

and how could you leave Pee-Wee off the list?

[afronaut]

Oh yeah, Pee Wee. Also, Frankenweenie.

[TAL]

This is like the Sweeney Todd thread that ET started, except that he liked it.

[abcdefz]

If Burton were a painter, he would be a gothic Thomas Kinkade.




Ouchie.

To a degree, I agree, except for Ed Wood. Ed Wood is a fantastic movie.

Pee Wee's Big Adventure is pretty terrific, too.

[Yeti]

Don't forget Beetlejuice.......my wife wants to see Sweeney Todd so I am sure we will see it this weekend. I want to see There Will Be Blood but it is taking forever to hit the theater.

[abcdefz]

Beetlejuice is okay. Edward Scissorhands definitely has its moments. Mars Attacks is a pretty interesting failure.