Movies with Singing and Shooting
Dec. 22nd, 2007 11:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariOther Kenjari and I saw Sweeney Todd and No Country for Old Men this weekend. Both very good, but very different.
Sweeney Todd
I think you probably have to like the musical to really enjoy this film. Luckily for me, Sweeney Todd is my favorite musical and I am a fan of Sondheim, so I was thoroughly delighted. The movie definitely does it justice. I was kind of disappointed that all the chorus numbers were cut, but I understand the choice. Johnny Depp is quite good - his voice and singing style are a bit lighter than is usual for Sweeney, but he's a great enough actor to make it truly work. He gives the role the right balance of heartbreak and vengeful rage. Helena Bonham-Carter is not quite as successful. Her singing is good, but her voice just doesn't have the kind of weight and bite Mrs. Lovett needs. Alan Rickman is nicely understated as Judge Turpin. I also really liked Jamie Campbell Bower, who plays Anthony - great voice.
So what's better than a movie with both Johnny Depp and Alan Rickman? A movie where they sing together. Their duet "Pretty Women" was my favorite scene. The contrast between the two characters and staging that emphasized just how vulnerable Turpin is to Sweeney at that moment was excellent. My other favorite bit is the visual image of the final scene - it's lovely and striking. And what other movie with that much blood and murder is going to have you walking out of the theater humming?
No Country for Old Men
This film clearly belongs to the Miller's Crossing and Blood Simple category of Coen Brothers movies. It's excellent, and I think the Oscar buzz it's been getting is completely justified. It's stark, gritty, and often rather chilling movie (it's also quite violent and not for the faint of heart). Javier Bardem is quite amazing - every moment he appeared on screen was both riveting and unsettling. I couldn't stop thinking about his character after the movie was over.
No Country for Old Men is not a simple tale of violence and suspense, however. The narrative style requires that the viewer stay focused and think about what is going on, which is something I genuinely appreciate. Not everything is shown or completely revealed. There's a lot of complicated yet subtle stuff going on under the surface, too: things to do with fate, inevitability, and violence as a kind of force.
Sweeney Todd
I think you probably have to like the musical to really enjoy this film. Luckily for me, Sweeney Todd is my favorite musical and I am a fan of Sondheim, so I was thoroughly delighted. The movie definitely does it justice. I was kind of disappointed that all the chorus numbers were cut, but I understand the choice. Johnny Depp is quite good - his voice and singing style are a bit lighter than is usual for Sweeney, but he's a great enough actor to make it truly work. He gives the role the right balance of heartbreak and vengeful rage. Helena Bonham-Carter is not quite as successful. Her singing is good, but her voice just doesn't have the kind of weight and bite Mrs. Lovett needs. Alan Rickman is nicely understated as Judge Turpin. I also really liked Jamie Campbell Bower, who plays Anthony - great voice.
So what's better than a movie with both Johnny Depp and Alan Rickman? A movie where they sing together. Their duet "Pretty Women" was my favorite scene. The contrast between the two characters and staging that emphasized just how vulnerable Turpin is to Sweeney at that moment was excellent. My other favorite bit is the visual image of the final scene - it's lovely and striking. And what other movie with that much blood and murder is going to have you walking out of the theater humming?
No Country for Old Men
This film clearly belongs to the Miller's Crossing and Blood Simple category of Coen Brothers movies. It's excellent, and I think the Oscar buzz it's been getting is completely justified. It's stark, gritty, and often rather chilling movie (it's also quite violent and not for the faint of heart). Javier Bardem is quite amazing - every moment he appeared on screen was both riveting and unsettling. I couldn't stop thinking about his character after the movie was over.
No Country for Old Men is not a simple tale of violence and suspense, however. The narrative style requires that the viewer stay focused and think about what is going on, which is something I genuinely appreciate. Not everything is shown or completely revealed. There's a lot of complicated yet subtle stuff going on under the surface, too: things to do with fate, inevitability, and violence as a kind of force.
