Sweeney Todd: Movie Review

A Macabre movie of academy award proportions

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
rated R for graphic bloody violence
directed by: Tim Burton
Starring: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Alan Rickman

Moviemaking: 5 out of 5 stars
Moral Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

Sweeney Todd was such a shockingly good movie, I don't even know what to say. This came as a complete surprise to me, so I don't want to reveal too much about this morbid tale from the dark Tim Burton.

Adapted from the musical by Stephen Sondheim, Burton's Todd is at once dismal and beautiful. The tale is about barber Benjamin Barker (Depp) wanting to get his revenge for the loss of his wife and his deportation several years earlier. Now going by the name Sweeney Todd, Barker proceeds to slit throats to satisfy his need for the death of the Judge Turpin (Rickman). Not to be outdone, Mrs. Lovett (Carter), Todd's landlady, decides to take the bodies and make meat pies from them to help boost her lousy business. In the end, Todd finds out through a tragic set of circumstances that revenge isn't everything- and learns his lesson.....sort of. (chuckle).
In addition to this crazy performance is a delightful role played by Borat himself- Sacha Baron Cohen.

The music in Sweeney Todd is most definitely the highlight. Sondheim's music is catchy and entertaining...from the organ strains of the opening credits to the duet in the final scene. All of the actors are fabulous vocalists, and who knew Johnny Depp could sing? Unfortunately, some of the movies' only curse words are used in the music as Depp sings about people "full of s***". This only occurred about three times however.

The major downfall of this movie was the bloodshed and the way in which Burton glorified it in his creepy stylistic way. The blood gushes, and splatters all over everything- including Sweeney Todd, the floor, the window, and often the camera lens. A grand total around 12 deaths are seen in much detail, including the death of a woman and the shockingly horrific neck stabbing final scene. At the same time, this was made by Tim Burton, so the blood looks fake and seems to be made to almost look comical- which turns out to be a bad thing.

Why do we want to glorify murder? That is exactly what Burton does, even though things are resolved at the end. There is no excuse though for making throat slitting look fun. Depp disturbingly appears to really enjoy the murders, as he doesn't hide the crimson stains all over his stark white skin. Because of this, the moral rating of Sweeney Todd is relatively low.

My verdict, if you are old enough, check out this brilliant musical. Even though the violence is disturbing, it is infrequent enough so that you can avoid watching them if you have a weak stomach. Sweeney Todd is by far one of the best films I have seen in a long time.

Signing out, The Buckland Fiddler

LOST season 4

Earlier this month I saw a preview at the movie I Am Legend for Lost season 4 and boy does it look good! The preview made it appear that the help that seems to be arriving might not in fact be help. Hmmmm.....Others? Dharma? A new faction? I don't know, but it is like running into an old friend to see new footage from the phenomenal tv show.
Apparently, we only have to wait until January 31st for the new season. I saw a commercial on ABC this morning and we have a two hour (TWO HOUR) premiere to look forward to on Thursday, the 31st! Only one more month! Yay!

Bioshock: Video Game Review

Bioshock

reviewed for Xbox 360

rated M for Blood and Gore, Drug References, Strong Language, Intense Violence and Sexual Themes

Game Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Moral Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Bioshock was one weird game. It has received numerous awards for Game of the Year for 2007 and is one of the best selling games of the year. However, there is more than what meets the eye with Bioshock.

Bioshock is a creepy horror survival game in which you are trapped in the creepy failed Utopia city called Rapture. Apparently, the founder's philosophy was that every person could do whatever made them happy. However, this soon ended up destroying the city as people began to deteriorate due to overusing drugs that gave them powers such as telekinesis, lightning and fire. The only way you are going to escape is by utilizing these powers and fighting off rather graphically the creepy, zombie like people lurking in the shadows and blinking lights of the blood spattered walls of Rapture.

Yep. That is a perfect picture of the game. Horror, blood, gore, violence. The creepy "splicers" will pop up out of no where and sometimes the only way to kill them is to bludgeon them to death with a crowbar. In addition to this disturbing aspect of the game, and even creepier one is the "little sisters" who roam the city, looting the dead and drinking their blood. These little girls are hosts to parasites and are creepy! killing at will and followed around by the even creepier "Big daddies" (picture above). If you mess with one of the sisters, you have to reckon with the Big Daddy. These hulking monsters would sooner drill you graphically into a wall than talk, so run the other way.

If I haven't repulsed you already by my descriptions of the savage, intense and bloody violence, surely the language will. There is a LOT of language for a video game. I have heard every possible word in the first two levels including derogatory slang for female body parts. At one point, a creepy old man tells me "You're f***ed", before slamming a door and forcing me to go and murder these screaming zombies.

I rest my case. Bioshock is a big shock. It is offensive, morally questionable and very bloody. Don't waste your time or money on this one.

Signing out, the Buckland Fiddler.

National Treasure Book of Secrets: Movie Review

National Treasure: Book of Secrets
rated PG for sequences of action and violence

Filmmaking: 3 out of 5 stars

Moral Rating: 31/2 out of 5 stars

Overall: 3 out of 5 stars

The previews for the new National Treasure movie looked awesome! I had been waiting eagerly for Book of Secrets ever since I heard that there was going to be a sequel to the first National Treasure. Unfortunately, lightning doesn't strike twice, and that is definitely the case with Disney's latest.

The story to Book of Secrets could have been cool. It had all the cool sequences of hidden rooms and trapdoors, it had the puzzle solving, it had the outrageous- couldn't happen- American conspiracies, BUT it used them far too often. What made the first National Treasure so much fun to watch was Riley (Justin Bartha) and Ben (Nicolas Cage) plot and execute an elaborate operation to retrieve something national security. In Book of Secrets they still perform elaborate hijincks, but somewhere along the way, director Jon Turtletaub must have forgotten that we liked them because of how complicated they were- not because they were breaking into a federal building.

This is the general feel of the movie. Whether it is the White House, Buckingham Palace, Mount Rushmore or Mount Vernon, it felt as if the heists were after thoughts. Sure we want to see the treasure, but that doesn't excuse making breaking into the Queen's study look like tea and cookies! The plot was also a bit weird, even for National Treasure, making some rather absurd suggestions. Yes this is a movie, but we still want it to be somewhat believable.

The acting in Book of Secrets was very good. The returning cast is awesome ( Jon Voight, Justin Bartha, Nicolas Cage..) as are the newcomers. Ed Harris is awesome as the new baddie, as is Academy Award winner Helen Mirren, who played Ben Gates' mother Emily Appleton.

Morally, this film backslid from National Treasure 1. While both had no language, Book of Secrets actually had quite a bit of controversial adult content that really disappointed me. In the beginning, it is established that Ben was kicked out of the house by his girlfriend Abigail. This fact is random and matter of fact, and nothing is presented as being wrong about them living together outside of marriage. In the end, instead of getting the girl like in National Treasure, Ben is asked to move back in, and the audience is supposed to applaud this? Similarly, it is implied that Ben was born out of wedlock, and his parents might never have been married. "Bad tequila" is blamed for this in a few offhanded remarks.

Overall, this film was quite a letdown because of the low quality of the story and the moral problems, HOWEVER, this is Disney, so there is little else objectionable about Book of Secrets. The characters are a lot of fun, the humor is good, and it still is cool to watch Riley and Ben do their thing. Disney just needs to understand that we don't want to watch movies that fuzz over the moral line ESPECIALLY with children.

My verdict...see it. It makes a good movie to tide you over until Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull lands in May 08.

I Am Legend: Movie Review

I Am Legend
rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action violence

Filmmaking: 4 out of 5 stars
Moral: 4 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

I Am Legend is one of the most difficult films I have ever had to review. It took me a good 3 hours after I had seen it to decide if I actually liked it or despised it. This film has so many good aspects- the acting, the story, the set pieces- and so many bad aspects- the special effects, the script, the way the second act flowed.....You get the picture.

THE GOOD
Will Smith was remarkable. I was completely blown away by his sincere and amazing acting job. It seemed reminiscent of Cast Away, as Smith was alone for the first hour of the film with his dog. The emotion that Smith is able to convey ultimately won me over....it was superb.

The story was also really good. The idea is that viruses that have been genetically altered to fight cancer has now backfired and is killing 90% of mankind, infecting 9% percent and leaving a very small remnant of unaltered man. This creates a creepy, otherworldly setting for the story.

The set effects were amazing. Somehow, the filmmakers were able to recreate New York City as it would appear if everyone had died a few years previously. From the vegetation growing over classic monuments to a completely silent Times Square, these effects created the feel of the movie.

THE BAD
Apparently, halfway through production, the script was re-written to put more emphasis on the special effects. This is obvious, as halfway through the story, it seems as if the director suddenly started to focus more on the fight for survival/ revenge aspect of Will's character, rather than the inner battles he fought up to that point. This really ruined the second half for me, destroying a connection that could have carried the whole movie.

The special effects were also terrible. The lions that escaped from the zoo are not proportioned right and appear to be something from Jumanji. The virus infected people look stupid and cartoonish.

THE FINAL VERDICT
What can I say? I am Legend has the good, the bad and the ugly. Overall, I would recommend it, simply because of the brilliant acting job. The redemption of Will Smith's character at the end is amazing, as is his acting job. At one point, he says "There is no God! God didn't do this, we did!". This had me worried, but at the last possible moment, Robert Neville realizes that God has set all the previous events in motion for a reason, and that is to cure mankind. Check this one out.
Signing out, The Buckland Fiddler

The Best Television of 2007

The Best Television of 2007: A Bilbo's Red Book Special Report

LOST (ABC)

Without a doubt, Lost has been one of the best TV shows to ever hit the tube. After a shaky second season, the third season returned stronger and more in line with what had been set in season 1. The solid acting and intriguing story lines still keep this show going. So far the only bad thing going for this show is how Season 4 has been postponed until "sometime in February 2008". If the show makers don't hurry up and bring Lost back, they are going to lose some of their fans!
Jericho (CBS)

One of the most successful sleeper hit shows of the year was definitely Jericho. This show follows the residents of a small town who are completely isolated when several of America's large cities are destroyed by bombs. It is unclear what is happening, if the bombs are nuclear, who attacked them, and it creates a TON of suspense in this show. This show doesn't have the best acting, but the hooking scripts keep me coming back for more. As an interesting side note, this show originally was to be canceled, but the fans protested so greatly that the producers decided to bring it back for a second season.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS)

What more can I say than it is CSI? This show has been able to consistently be really good for several seasons in a row, and it is incredibly riveting to watch the relationships between the characters developing as the mysteries get more and more inventive.

In general, 2007 was a disappointing year television-wise. Not that many shows were actually any good! Pretty much all of the new shows turned out to be flops.
Thank goodness that we have such reliable shows such as the three above to look forward to in 2008!

Signing out, The Buckland Fiddler

Movie Review: Enchanted

Enchanted
rated PG for some scary images and mild innuendo

Filmmaking: 5 stars
Moral: 5 stars
Overall: 5 stars

It is not every day that a Disney princess movie will surprise me by being really good. Enchanted did just that.
Okay guys, be honest! Were you dragged to the movie, and leave there liking it? That, again, happened with me and this movie.

I remember seeing the preview and being mildly interested, based on the comedy aspect, but the whole "people going from the animated world to the real world" aspect is old news! Fortunately, that did not spoil this apple!

Enchanted follows the story of Giselle, a girl who is set to marry her Prince the day after she meets him. At the wedding though, the evil queen has other ideas. BOOM! Giselle (played in real life by the gorgeous Amy Adams) is transported to our world, a world where happy endings arent so common!
Hilarity ensues after Prince Edward and his Squirrel sidekick Pip follow through the portal, hoping to find Giselle and bring her back. Unknown to them, Giselle has fallen into the company of an embittered divorce attorney and his young princess believing daughter. This experience teaches both him and Giselle something about true love. And of course, a Disney movie isn't complete without a happily ever after.

Overall, this film is hilarious! Sort of a Disney version of Shrek, it reinvents the fairy tale and pokes fun at princess movies past and present. Part of the humor comes from the many over the top situations that Giselle finds herself in in the real world. (Think Buddy in Elf) James Marsden is fantastic as Prince Edward, the self obsessed animated prince. "Giselle! We shall be married tomorrow!" Is what he exclaims after first meeting her.
Whether it was the spontaneous singing, or the reactions of those around them, I found myself laughing incredibly hard at the comedy in Enchanted. It was original, witty, hilarious, and not at all just for little girls.....which leads me......

This film is NOT perfect. Although there is no language, there is a lot of sexual tension. When the attorney first brings Giselle home, he walks in on her coming out of the shower- when birds just barely arrive in time with a towel. Next, they fall and she lands- still wearing only a towel- on top of him, just as his girlfriend walks in. This is the harshest, but some mild innuendos are scattered throughout.

I give this movie 5 stars and highly advise everyone to support this instead of the controversial The Golden Compass.

Signing out, the Buckland Fiddler