THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE IFFY (8)
THE GOOD: "SWEENY TODD" Brilliantly directed by Tim Burton and lauded by Stephen Sondheim as the only filmed musical of his work that he truly liked, this is a poem, a lyrical ode to blood and murder. Don't let that turn you off. It is bloody and it had to be. The tale of a murderous barber who kills his deserving victims and enables his friend Mrs. Lovett to make meat pies from their remains, it is a bit squeamish at times. But, oh, that Sondheim music. Rapturous and while the blood splatters the score soars creating a mood unlike anything you have ever witnessed. Johnny Depp stars as Sweeny with Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett in two of the cinema's great performances. I have watched this film perhaps a half-dozen times and it is always enthralling and in my eyes, a masterpiece!
THE BAD: "STRIPTEASE" Winner of the Golden Raspberry Award for the Worst Picture of 1996, the film starred Demi Moore (at a 14.5 million salary) and Burt Reynolds with Ving Rhames and Armand Asante in supporting roles. The plot involves an FBI secretary who loses her job and turns to stripping to raise money to fight for custody of her daughter (played by Moore's real-life off-spring, Rumer Willis). It's all about politics with a murder or two thrown in and a colossal waste of time. Reviled by the critics, the guys with the raincoats in the back row, must have loved it.
THE IFFY: "THE BLACK CAULDRON" A Disney animated film that didn't quite live up to it's expectations. In sneak previews, children were frightened to death, many leaving the theater because of the intensity of some scenes. It was reviled by critics and almost forced the Disney animation department into bankruptcy. But in the music department where the score by Elmer Bernstein has been hailed as one of the best ever for an animated film, there is a glimmer of art. It is a unique piece in the Disney pantheon but decidedly not for children. However, it's worth a look should you run across it. Rather fascinating, in fact.
THE BAD: "STRIPTEASE" Winner of the Golden Raspberry Award for the Worst Picture of 1996, the film starred Demi Moore (at a 14.5 million salary) and Burt Reynolds with Ving Rhames and Armand Asante in supporting roles. The plot involves an FBI secretary who loses her job and turns to stripping to raise money to fight for custody of her daughter (played by Moore's real-life off-spring, Rumer Willis). It's all about politics with a murder or two thrown in and a colossal waste of time. Reviled by the critics, the guys with the raincoats in the back row, must have loved it.
THE IFFY: "THE BLACK CAULDRON" A Disney animated film that didn't quite live up to it's expectations. In sneak previews, children were frightened to death, many leaving the theater because of the intensity of some scenes. It was reviled by critics and almost forced the Disney animation department into bankruptcy. But in the music department where the score by Elmer Bernstein has been hailed as one of the best ever for an animated film, there is a glimmer of art. It is a unique piece in the Disney pantheon but decidedly not for children. However, it's worth a look should you run across it. Rather fascinating, in fact.
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