On Sunday after I got back from Northfield we watched Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, a Johnny Depp/Tim Burton movie which is a film adaption of a Broadway musical. Before watching it I hadn’t heard a single thing about the movie and based on the 8/10 marks on IMDB and the 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, I figured it had to be at least somewhat decent. The movie was described as “Dark Humor Done Right” by a user on IMDB and, “a macabre musical perfectly helmed and highly entertaining.” But, unfortunately, Kim and I thought it was crap. I mean, I love Johnny Depp and think he’s a fantastic actor (well, minus Pirates II and III) but this, this was like a blood thirsty version of Edward Scissorhands. For me, this is a definite pass and even though I’ve been reading John Sandford’s Certain Prey, the gore was way over the top for me last night.
Tonight we popped in Charlie Wilson’s War (only a 7.5/10 rating on IMDB but an 83% and, “Simultaneously entertains and informs,” on Rotten Tomatoes. Perhaps it was the fact that they weren’t fucking singing all the time even though it starred Amy Adams who we recently saw singing her brains out in Enchanted or perhaps it was the fact that I’m a history geek, but Charlie Wilson’s War kicked the living shit out of Sweeney Todd in every single way. My simple one line review of Charlie Wilson’s War is, “Tits in a hot tub, alcohol, guns, and blow…what more could I ask for?”
So, if you’re down to the last two movies at the video store or you can’t decide which to rank higher in your Netflix queue, now you know. Blood and singing or breasts and shooting, YMMV.
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May 13th, 2008 at 8:13 am
I saw the play at the State Theatre earlier this year. I enjoyed it but I heard others complaining the choruses and accompaniment were weak. This probably had something to do with the actors also playing the instruments so there never were more than 5 people singing or playing at any given time. Regardless, I enjoyed it.
I have not seen the movie yet. Do you think you might have liked it better had you not seen Edward Scissorhands?
May 13th, 2008 at 8:19 am
Scott,
I’m sure the play was great as singing and theatrics are both something I come to expect attending a play — they’re just not so much when I see a movie, especially one with Johnny Depp.
I doubt that Scissorhands had anything to do with me not liking it, it was more that it was dark, dreary, and bloody with not as much black comedy as I had been expecting based on the online reviews.
May 13th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Off on a tangent from the main topic, I’ve read all of the Sandford Prey novels, as well as the three Kidd novels. I’ve been impressed with all of them, moreso with the Prey books as they are mostly centered around the Twin Cities area. I’m sure some of the areas he has described in the books where crimes happened and bodies were found, have been places you have cached over the last few years!
All of the books read a little differently, and varying degrees of detail with the crimes and gore aspect, but I would suggest reading the series from start to finish, if you haven’t, as the characters develop, come and go with the series.
I don’t read too often, mostly on plane trips, but I am sure to grab the latest Sandford book when it hits the shelf, even if it needs to be hardcover to meet my schedule. - If you want to check out other books in the series, I’d be happy to loan them to you!
May 13th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
These breasts you speak of, were they buoyant?
May 13th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Sornie, no. They tried to keep them submerged under the water but there was plenty of side-boob. If you paid attention, and believe me I did, you could clearly see them under the water.
I’m sure on a widescreen TV it’s awesome ;)