a story in progress

Watched Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street the other day. For those out there who are blur about it, here's a bit background information on the movie.

Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a musical adaptation of the highly acclaimed musical Broadway by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Weeler brought to you by the none other brilliant collaboration of the wondrous duo, dear old Tim Burton and Johnny Depp himself. For those who have watched the classic such as Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory will not be disappointed by this macabre musical.

For those who are yet to see Sweeny Todd, think of this movie as another grim, bitter tale under the helm of Tim Burton - think of Edward Scissorshands with loads of blood wrenching, throat slitting and gruesome murder in it. You will be treated with 2 hours of sordid tale, Gothic ambiance and a monochromatic colour scheme. (loads of blue, white, grey and black in it) And did I mention the singing? Yes, embrace yourself for loads of singing in it. Depp did a real good job in it, despite the fact that Sweeny Todd is his first musical role throughout his acting career.

Johnny Depp stars as Benjamin Barker aka Sweeney Todd, a barber falsely imprisoned by Judge Turpin who is played by the multi-talented Alan Rickman. (the same guy who stars as Servus Snape in the Harry Potter trilogy. Don't you just love this guy?) After leaving prison, he comes back to Victorian London to find his wife poisoned and his daughter held captive. As he plots his revenge, Sweeney joins forces with pie-baker Mrs. Lovett (who is convincingly played by Helena Bonham Carter). While Todd preys on his clients asking for a shave, his new partner, Mrs. Lovett turns the bodies into baked meat pies. Yes, you heard me right! Baked pies!

Fascinating, eh?

Another noteworthy thing about this musical master piece is that, it features Sacha Baron Cohen as Pierelli and Timothy Spall in it. For those who are wondering who on earth are those two; think Borat and the later as Peter Pettigrew of Harry Potter or Nathaniel of Enchanted. What a lovely cast they have going on in Sweeny Todd! And for those who are curious, yes both of them actually sing in it!

Oh come on, it's a musical for god sake!

However, what I really like about this musical film is it's ability to tell a twisted, manipulated and repulsed tale. Yet you can't have enough of it. I was like WTF throughout the movie, yet I was glued to the screen. You gotta enjoy Sweeny Todd's wicked sense of humor. It's sickening, yet you can't help but to have a good laugh over it.

And for that reason alone, you should really enlighten yourself with this gory and demented movie. (but bring a barf bag along, together with some nausea pills just for backup)