28th January 2008
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (USA)
Director - Tim Burton
Cast - Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman...

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Blood Lust

When listing the characteristics of a musical; words like colourful, fun, extravagant and family friendly often spring to mind. You would not be surprised to learn, that Tim Burton’s interpretation of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is the antithesis of such descriptions. This proves to be Sweeney Todd’s major strength, and unfortunately its Achilles heel.

To begin with the positives first. Visually, as one expects with a Burton production, the film manages to astound you in its detail and transport you into another world with ease. The set pieces, from the cobbled back alleys of Fleet Street to Mrs Lovett’s insect ridden pie shop, are all immediately evocative. The sheer scope of the gothic design demands the audience’s attention. So do the performances from Burton Regulars Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, and Burton new comers Ed Sanders, Alan Rickman and Timothy Spall. Each treads a nuanced line between caricature and heartfelt emotion. More impressive however, is the singing from the entire cast. Bonham Carter deserves special praise in particular for a fantastic portrayal of Mrs Lovett. Unusually for a musical, the 18 certificate also implies that the numerous death scenes are explicit; which they are. This is not to say that the violence is ill judged or gratuitous. Rather such scenes are original, hyper-stylised and great fun. Sweeney Todd is a unique vision and unlike any musical you would have seen before.

Yet, being a musical, there is an innate desire for that big show stopping number to arrive. It doesn’t. Steven Sondheim’s 1979 Broadway musical gained rave critical reviews at the time, but never achieved a prolonged run. This is perhaps down to the songs, none are especially memorable and they are all lyrically difficult. Consequently, the singing numbers in Sweeney Todd are brooding, maybe adding consistency to the style of the film, but lacking a real knockout quality that will grab an audience and leave them humming the tune out of the theatre. This may suit those who dislike the artificial and bombastic nature of your typical musical. However, after the ninth or tenth humdrum number, Sweeney Todd’s songs do begin to grate. This ultimately restricts Sweeney Todd becoming an entirely successful film,

That being said, Burton has created enough that is of interest here, to make for an enjoyable cinematic experience.

21st January 2008
4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days (Romania)
Director – Christian Mungiu
Cast – Anamaria Marinca, Laura Vasiliu, Vlad Ivanov…

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Reality Bites

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days is a perfectly paced movie, carefully considered and executed by Christian Mungiu, and brilliantly photographed by Oleg Mutu. There is nothing flashy or obtrusive about the techniques used to tell this horrific story. This is Cinema Verite at its very best. There is a moment two thirds into the picture, when Otilia, after having aided her friend Gabriela in the start of an illegal abortion, leaves her in a hotel room alone and visits her boyfriend for a family birthday that she has previously promised to attend. It is a truly terrifying scene. A restrained and naturalistic performance by Anamaria Marinca, coupled with Mungiu's choice of the static shot, make for uncomfortable viewing. Otilia attempts to ring Gabriela twice, but gets no answer. A heady concoction of fear, helplessness and panic are emoted to the audience and Mungiu does not let us escape easily, letting the scene play out for a painfully long time. Once Otilia does manage to return to the room, she, and indeed us, are almost too afraid to even look through fear of what we might find lying on the bed.

This sums up 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days' major strength. Mungiu uses an intelligent grasp of film language to really make the audience experience one of life’s true horrors. This is not to say that the film is manipulative. Quite the contrary, it is an unbiased and unsentimental look at a very divisive issue. Mungiu simply tells it like it is, and this is ultimately hard to stomach.

Honest and gripping; 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days is an important piece of work.

14th January 2008-
Charlie Wilson’s War (USA)
Director– Mike Nichols
Cast – Tom Hanks, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Julia Roberts…

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The story of an alcoholic, skirt chasing US congressman, who instigated America’s biggest covert war operation by arming the Afghanistan’s as they fought against the Soviet army during the 1980’s, is undoubtedly a fantastic premise. The fact that it is an entirely true story makes it all the richer. And for the majority of the picture, Mike Nichols’ snappy direction and Aaron Sorkin’s tightly woven 90 minute script make for a fairly entertaining romp. It is a satirical look at a very serious issue. An issue played out particularly well by a cast that make use of their comedic talents. The accusation in certain critical circles that the film is miscast is a touch harsh.

However, it is the tone of the picture that unfortunately manages to confuse the audience. The films ideas become a little unclear, not to mention worrying. This is largely down to the fact that it leaves a lot of things unsaid (perhaps assuming the audience are already aware of what happened next) and does not paint a complete picture of events. Are we really to believe that America’s chief reason for this covert involvement was to help the poor Afghans? Perhaps more criminally, other than a 2minute aside at the end of the picture, the consequences of arming the mujahideen are simply glossed over. For many, fudging such political points will be the main detraction from an otherwise enjoyable picture.

Yet personally, this was the most interesting aspect of the movie. Highlighting the fact that however much America does try to look the other way, they still can not escape the white elephant that is sitting beside them.