Tim Burton Ruins My Life... Constantly

DISCLAIMER: DO NOT READ THIS BLOG IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN EDWARD SCISSORHANDS AND DON'T WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS IN IT.

So I recently went to see the new blockbuster Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
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For those of you who don't know, the movie is based off of the hit Broadway musical of the same name by Stephen Sondheim. Sondheim's musical was based off of an old legend and its many variations. The gist of the plot is a barber named Benjamin Barker with a gorgeous wife is sent to prison for life on a false charge by a corrupt and lustful judge whose only motivation to ruin the poor barbers life is so he can have his way with the wife once her husband is sent away. After over a decade away from his home in London, Barker is able to escape from his prison and returns to London only to find his newborn daughter has become the ward of the very judge that sent him to prison all those years ago. Barker changes his name to Sweeney Todd and spends all his being on plans of revenge.
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I love the story of Sweeney Todd, I truly do. I really love the musical as well; I pretty much love everything Sondheim does. So obviously, once I heard there was going to be a modern film adaptation I was very excited... that was until I heard Tim Burton was directing with Johnny Depp playing Todd.
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Don't get me wrong, I do like Johnny Depp a lot. I think he is an incredible actor, but he really doesn't look the part of the classic Sweeney Todd. A good friend of mine told me many a year ago when the rumors just started flying about a Burton version of Sweeney Todd that he thought the best possible cast for Todd would have been Alfred Molina. I have to admit... that would have been genius. Buuuuuut, since Burton refuses to work with anyone other than Depp it frustrates me because its like Molina didn't have a shot whatsoever just because of Burton's stubbornness.

STRIKE 1
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My big problem with Burton is this: the man has basically created his own genre, which in itself is very impressive, but he chooses to try and fit stories into his genre that don't really work. In general, I don't like his genre very much whatsoever, but I'm willing to set that off to the side for the time being; we'll come back to it.

A perfect example of Burton trying to make stories fit into his genre that don't belong is the first 2 Batman movies. Tim Burton's kid creepy cartoonish genre just does not work with the Batman movies, hence Christopher Nolan's new Batman movies are going to wipe the floor with Burton's. So that is a part of my problem with Tim Burton, if he is going to do a movie in his basic archetype genre then he should choose to do projects that fit well with his genre (ex. Nightmare Before Christmas).

STRIKE 2
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Now I am ready to vent about why I do not like Tim Burton's genre. I realize this part of my discussion is all a matter of taste, and if you like Tim Burton, then you like him and if you don't, then you don't, period. I'm totally cool with that. But my issue is this: he just never really commits to one approach to a movie. He juggles the kiddy creepy approach and the adult thriller too much in some of his films; this is exactly what he did with Sweeney Todd. I want some consistency in a movie, and in Sweeney Todd I wanted that dark vengeful adult thriller taste the whole way through, maybe something a little farther than Sleepy Hollow (another Burton film). But Burton couldn't do that for me, and I should have known going into the movie that I was not going to fall in love with it, but I went in with hopes far too high.

Another example of this inconsistency took place in Edward Scissorhands. At the end of the movie when they kill Anthony Michael Hall it just seems soooo morbid for the rest of the movie. It's like I'm sitting there going, "What? Okay... so i guess he does kill people after all..."

STRIKE 3 - Sit your ass down Tim Burton
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So all that having been said, I still "enjoyed" watching Sweeney Todd even though I felt like Tim Burton pushed really hard to be an adult thriller at some points and then backed off at other points which made some parts of the movie humorous... the wrong parts. Either way, if you like Tim Burton you'll love the movie and if you don't you should still go see it because its a great story and Helena Bonham Carter is amazing.
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All things considered... 7.85 out of 10.

This May Have Potential

I'm the kind of guy who thinks about things a lot. I don't feel as though I over think things, I just cannot stop thinking until I come to some sort of conclusion about whatever it is I am thinking about. Once I can articulate whatever my thoughts are, I can move on. I enjoy this process, it has been very rewarding.
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This blog is a place where I can come and ramble, and once I'm done rambling I might be able to really understand what it is I think, and why I think what I do.
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I will give you fair warning and say that I'm positive some blogs will make more sense than others, and some may not make much sense at all. I have a feeling the more I think about something or talk about it before I come to my blog, the more succinct and polished my blog will come out. Either way, I think this will help me regardless of whether the blog is coherent or it isn't.
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All that having been said, I really would enjoy it if you read whatever I write in here occasionally and respond by commenting or talking to me in person, if you feel so inclined.
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I do hope you enjoy reading whatever you read here. (And I use the word "enjoy" loosely)