Sweeney Todd: It’s only surprising it took Tim Burton this long to make a version of the demon barber of Fleet Street. Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter are both great, but no ST will ever live up to the Broadway show I saw a few years ago, with Patti LuPone and Michael Cerveris, in which the cast played the scores while also singing and acting. Recommended.
Atonement: I’m a fan of the novel, and the movie is a pretty dead-on interpretation. Predictably bleak, gorgeously shot. Recommended.
The Hurt Locker: Worthy of the Oscar? Yes. Live up to the hype? Yes. Dovetails nicely with a book I’m currently reading, An Intimate History of Violence, about which more later. Highly recommended.
Up: A chubby, adenoidal Asian boyscout is the unlikely child hero of this film, which is a refreshing change from the young spry Caucasian boys and girls that normally bounce around in Pixar films. Also, the movie is cute. Talking dogs, cantankerous old people, etc. Highly recommended.
The Fall: Shot on 26 locations in 18 different countries, this movie is worth watching for the cinematography alone. Tarsem Singh, the director, had difficulty getting this film made, so he shot parts of it in various locations, while he was on set for other, financed films. The narrative, however, is solid, and the Catinca Untaru and Lee Pace are terrific. Highly recommended.
