I am looking forward to seeing the new Johnny Depp Movie, Sweeney Todd. This movie is about a man who seeks revenge. Sweeney Todd was unjustly accused of a crime. He is sent to prison who where he suffers emotional and physical trauma. His family also suffers because of his situation. The scenario is one that cries for justice. Sweeney Todd vows that revenge will be his. He is a barber and uses his trade to give some great “haircuts.” You can visit the official Sweeney Todd movie site and watch the trailer as Depp portrays the Demon Barber of Fleet Street who “shaved the heads of gentlemen who never thereafter were heard from again.”

You know, revenge is sweet. I prefer quiet revenge. My favorite movie where the main character got revenge was Shawshank Redemption.

In Shawshank Redemption, Andy is sentenced to prison for a murder he did not commit. He quietly does his time. He is an accountant and the warden uses him for his accounting work. The movie takes you on a journey that shows how he copes with his imprisonment. He finds that he is trusted and as a viewer, we never realize how he uses that trust until the end. At the end, it is an Oh My Gosh moment when we see how he gets his revenge. Sweet!

I am anxious to see how Sweeney Todd gets his revenge. I have a feeling that this is going to be Johnny Depp’s best role yet. You can visit Sweeney Todd on MySpace and see what others are saying in anticipation of this movie.

Well, I did it. I saw it. Rob Zombie’s Halloween was exactly what I thought it would be. An average scary movie. It was average in the sense that the acting was terrible, but you just couldn’t pull your butt out of your seat to leave the theatre because you just couldn’t help but wonder what was going to happen to the stupid girl who kept running upstairs when she should have been running out the front door. Isn’t it obvious? It’s a scary movie. Everyone dies except for the villain and the main character. As far as whether or not that’s true about this particular film, you’ll have to see for yourself.

For me, the only worthwhile aspect of the film was the backstory that was left out of the other installments of the Halloween series. The film also had some great music, which makes sense because of Rob Zombie being in charge. Also, the little boy who played Michael was definitely creepy. I think he was the only actor that had a true grasp on his character. That is frightening, since he was playing pure evil. I don’t want to ever be considered someone who has a true grasp on pure evil.

Overall, I was entertained, but this was certainly not any form of high art, nor was it a cinematic breakthrough. I give it a two/D/one star.

Okay, I mentioned that I saw Stardust on Saturday. It was an extremely good movie.

If you’ve never heard of it, that’s okay. I don’t think it was well publicized. I find that surprising because the cast includes Robert DeNiro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Claire Danes, and Peter O’Toole. It is the story of a boy named Tristan (Charlie Cox) who leaves his village in pursuit of a fallen star to give to the girl with whom he believes he has fallen in love. He soon discovers that the fallen star is not a metallic piece of rock, but is actually a woman, Yvaine (Danes). The rest of the story tells about their journey through a distant land while being chased by a prince who is vying to be king, as well as a witch who wishes to have Yvaine’s heart so that she may become immortal.

Sounds like a lot of fantasy stuff, right? I would be lying if I said it wasn’t a fantasy movie, but it’s extremely easy to get past that. I generally don’t like fantasy movies. (Please don’t yell at me, but I didn’t really even care for Lord of the Rings.) However, this movie was incredibly entertaining. Cox gave an amazing performance as Tristan, playing the character as someone to whom most people can relate. If anyone has ever had trouble getting the girl (or boy) or has been made fun of, you’ll be able to relate to Tristan. All the while, a great message is being sent about being happy with who we are, allowing us to truly grow into amazing individuals.

One of my favorite performances was by DeNiro. It was refreshing to see him branch out of his typical role as a scary, interrogative manly man. This movie allowed me to see the greater depth of his acting abilities. Some people may not like the character, but they must admit that DeNiro showed that his capabilities as an actor are wider than many people would have guessed.

Overall, I give the movie an 8 out of 10 and would highly recommend seeing it.

Why are you still reading this? GO SEE IT!

I have never been so unimpressed in my entire life. Taryn and I just watched the movie Borat and it was terrible. I knew what it was about, and I heard that it was offensive, but I assumed there had to have at least been some kind of plot for it to do as well as it did. It did have a plot, but it was extremely weak and failed to capture my interest. I give it a rating of 1. I would give it a zero, but there were probably around 10 seconds that I was at least entertained. The acting was poor, it took advantage of unsuspecting people and it was a giant step backward in the process of tearing down cultural walls. It’s no wonder so many members of the international community have ill feelings toward the U.S. Cohen should be ashamed of himself.

I watched the movie Georgia Rule last night. It was pretty good. I’m not going to do a review because it’s been out for a while. It wasn’t exactly high art or a cinematic breakthrough, but it was entertaining. One of the breakout actors (at least for me) was Garrett Hedlund. Evidently he has been in several popular films, but this is the first time I’ve ever noticed him. I think he did a good job of playing a conservative mormon in the face of Lindsay Lohan. The entire time I was watching the film, I couldn’t help but wonder how Jane Fonda and Felicity Huffman, two great actresses with histories filled with honor and success, felt about sharing a set with Lindsay Lohan, who isn’t exactly the epitome of professionalism.

Yesterday, Matt, Lauren, Hannah and I went to a matinee of Hairspray. I really enjoyed it. It was hard to believe this was Nikki Blonsky’s first film. While playing the part of Tracy Turnblad, Nikki shows us an emotional journey. Starting out as a naive girl with simple causes (How’s my hair? I hope my best friend isn’t in trouble. I want to watch my favorite show!), Tracy soon realizes the ricism (and size-ism) that constantly surrounds her. Although Nikki fails to show us the internal conflict in choosing between doing what’s right and doing what will immediately benefit her character, she does an excellent job of portraying a carefree girl who turns into a responsible young woman who, in spite of being wronged again and again, always tries to see the best in people, but is wise enough to know who she can and can’t trust. It was wonderful watching the breakout performance of this newcomer, and I hope to continue seeing great things from her.

Aside from Blonsky, the cast of Hairspray was consumed by big named actors, including Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Queen Latifah, and John Travolta. Michelle Pfeiffer gave a wonderful performance as the antagonist, Velma Von Tussle. You could clearly see Velma’s ignorance regarding how she was losing control of her surroundings, then desperately trying to hang on until it all came crashing down around her. Her performance was hysterical!

Christopher Walken was a pleasant surprise. I must admit that I did not know he was in the cast. I am used to seeing Walken in dark roles, which he performs with finesse (scaring the crap out of me!), so it was a nice change of pace to see him in the humorous role of Tracy’s father, Wilbur Turnblad. This was a role in which I feel he truly enjoyed himself, but not as much as John Travolta who played Edna Turnblad, Tracy’s mother. Never in my life did I think I would see John Travolta in either drag or a fat suit, and certainly not both at the same time. Travolta played his part well, although it seemed like a charicature. I suppose this was intentional, but I hated not seeing true emotion coming from such a talented actor. However, it was clear that Travolta put his heart and soul into the performance. That made Travolta a joy to watch. Great actors are at their greatest when they are enjoying their job.

Up and comer Zac Efron redeemed himself in this movie. Although High School Musical was entertaining, the characters were not well written and too easily performed. Hairspray is a different story. As he gave one of the best performances in the production, Efron showed that he is a capable actor. He showed his internal conflict in fine form, and made the viewer see that difficulties exist even in the lives of those who are envied by the less fortunate. Considering his co-stars, it is amazing that he was able to shine with a supporting role. He has great potential.

Overall, I give the movie a nine out of ten. One point was lost because Travolta’s costume did not look realistic. The shape was good, but the make-up and material did not look like real skin. It ruined the effect for me, and was distracting for the first half of the show.

I have been so busy that I haven’t had time to update!

I went home on Friday evening and played with my dogs and my parents. That was fun. Then I got my hair cut on Saturday morning before driving back to Indy for a bachelor party. My friend, Ben, is getting married tonight. I spent most of Sunday sleeping because I was very tired. On Monday, I worked and then hung out with Matt and Lauren in the evening. On Tuesday, I went shopping with Lauren after work. Then, I went to Bryan’s birthday outing, but I had to leave early to ride along with Lauren to pick her parents up at the airport. She wasn’t 100% sure that she could get there. I also helped her prepare for her interview that was on Wednesday. Then I took care of Bryan, who had a lot of fun on his birthday.

On Wednesday, I slept in and went to lunch with Bryan and Matt. Then I went back to Matt’s apartment and read Harry Potter and the OOTP until about 9PM, when we went and saw the movie. It was really good! I didn’t follow the books, but once you get past that, the movies are extremely enjoyable. This was my least favorite book in the series, but my favorite movie so far. It was so good that I went last night to an IMAX showing of the movie in 3-D.

Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson have all really grown as actors, and it has been amazing watching them over the past few years. One of the highlights of the movie, for me at least, was seeing Neville Longbottom (played by Matthew Lewis) truly break out of his shell. Lewis has got a true grasp of the character, bringing to light Neville’s awkwardness, emotional maturity, and heartbreaking past. Lewis was a joy to watch, as was Evanna Lynch, who played Luna Lovegood. She was perfectly cast and gave a spot-on performance. I couldn’t dream of a better representation of Luna.

Also worth mentioning was the performance of Imelda Staunton, who played Dolores Umbridge. It is surely difficult to play a character whom people love to hate and hate to love, but Staunton did so with gusto. It is a pity that her backstory was left out of the film entirely. Her dislike for “half-breeds” was only briefly mentioned, but never explained. Therefore, it was odd when she was confronted in her final scene. However, as this is not Staunton’s fault, she can’t be blamed. Her performance took courage, and I’m sure it was fun for her to be in another movie with Emma Thompson, who played Sybil Trelawney. They were also in Nanny McPhee together.

The most disappointing aspects of the film were the acting of Harry Mellling, who played Dudley Dursley, and Devon Murray, who played Seamus Finnigan. Their acting gives evidence as to why their roles have previously been mostly silent. Melling doesn’t apprear to know how to move his mouth to speak, and places strange pauses in between words. Dudley is supposed to be portrayed as a big bully, but Melling’s presentation of the character is that of a young teenager with a speech impediment who would be hard pressed intimidating anyone, let alone other bullies that form his posse. I have absolutely nothing against people who have speech impediments; I recognize that they are very common. However, Melling’s voice overshadows his words, breaking the mood in the scene for the audience. Melling’s presentation was only matched by Murray’s.

Devon Murray’s performance as Seamus Finnigan was very, very weak. It seemed as though he was reading his lines for the first time off of a cue card. He showed no real emotion, even though his lines were written with heavy emotion. He is supposed to be Irish (which Murray is), but he fails to have any type of temper, especially the stereotypical Irish temper. His portrayal of Seamus Finnigan was lackluster, at best.

The aspect of the film that I found most interesting was the decision to portray Minister Cornelius Fudge in a Hitler-esque way. The manner in which his pictures were shown in the newspapers and in the halls at the Ministry of Magic were reminiscent of the giant displays of Hitler’s visage during the 1930s and early 40s. Then, when he is seen in person, he looks much older. I believe this was an excellent way to show how much the minister has aged in only a few months’ time since Lord Voldemort’s return to power.

Overall, I give the film a seven. One point was lost because of Murray and Melling’s performances, and another two were lost because of some terrible inconsistencies. Shirts are untucked at one camera angle, then tucked in for the next camera angle, then untucked again. There were a few problems like this. Also, when did Hermione give Grawp back the bell? I don’t believe she did. I expected better from the editor, Mark Day. Alas, the entire series has had this problem. This is probably why there have been five different editors for each of the five films. I hope they find someone better for film six.

I went to see [tag]Fantastic Four[/tag] the other night with Taryn. It was not very good. The acting was extremely poor, and all of the lines and scenes were very predictable. Dr. Fantastic’s hairpiece was extremely annoying. It did not look the least bit natural. I thought the first movie was entertaining, but the only entertaining part of this movie was the opportunity to make fun of it afterward. [tag]Chris Evans[/tag] gave a very predictable performance. Every movie he’s in, he seems to play a cocky and reckless young man. This was no exception. Does anyone know of a good movie I could see? I’m thinking about going to 1408 sometime soon.