Sweeney Todd

Johnny Depp's performance as Sweeny Todd was electrifying. He was both mesmerizing and menacing in Tim Burton’s gruesome and gory adaptation of Sondheim’s musical. Depp’s singing was also superb. If he based his character Jack Sparrow from “Pirates of the Caribbean” on Keith Richards, then he must have pitched his singing voice to reflect David Bowie’s skills.

The whole movie was incredible. As usual, Burton skillfully mixed the macabre with the wonderfully weird. The whole cinematic atmosphere was like “Sin City” meets “Oliver!” and it worked beautifully. Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett was the perfect partner to Depp’s Todd. She oozed malice in a gorgeous way. The seaside scene from the musical, in the midst of all the blood and gore, was a hilarious relief. Both Depp and Carter were like Frankenstein creations. Their make up made them look like menacing mannequins, brought to life by the evil of the times.

Alan Rickman and Timothy Spall were so ugly in the movie that the audience cheered when their throats were splayed open and a fountain of blood gushed forth. Tim Burton definitely did not hold back on the special effects. The slitting of throats was so severe that I had to look away from the screen several times.

In the end the movie leaves you with that “wow” experience. You know that you’ve been to a great theatrical and cinematic experience. If Sweeney misses out on snapping up most of the Oscars, then Hollywood needs to have its own critical throat cut. “Sweeney Todd” is more than just a movie: it’s destined to become a cultural classic.

Although I wouldn’t heartily recommend this movie to every Christian, I think that it has practical applications that could be discussed by mature Christians. Evil does not triumph and the sickness of vengeful souls is never healed. Murder is not glorified and violence is not excused or justified. Love and loneliness are shown to be powerful feelings that can corrupt the human soul. If ever there was a movie made about the empty road to perdition, this is it.

Movie Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_hgrfZVlJA

Official website: http://www.sweeneytoddmovie.com/

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

I watched one of my favorite movies recently that I haven’t seen in decades. It’s called “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter” and stars Alan Arkin as a deaf mute, and Sondra Locke as a teenager. It’s a precious movie which deals with loneliness, mental illness, injustice, racism, love and life all at the same time. I would heartily recommend that it be viewed by parents of High Schoolers, as well as teenagers themselves.

It’s a beautiful story that has a sad ending. It evokes a lot of emotions, but what captivated me when I watched it this time, was the Americana throughout the movie. It was filmed in 1968 in Selma, Alabama, and watching it was like going back in time. The buildings, the stores and the streets were attractively small town America; the people, their hairstyles and clothes were all Southern mid-sixties styles - the likes of which we shall probably never see again.

Sondra Locke’s character, Mick, is a young girl who wants to learn to play music. Sadly, her dreams are shattered when her father cannot work due to disability. In a poignant moment, she pleads with her mother to let her stay at High school: “I feel as though I’m going to be somebody, momma. I want to do something with my life.” Stoically, her mother responds, “Well, you’ll soon grow out of that.”

It’s at that moment that Mick realizes she will have to give up her dreams and work for the sake of her family.

Verse of the Day

2 Corinthians 12:14 Now I am ready to visit you for the third time, and I will not be a burden to you, because what I want is not your possessions but you. After all, children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.

Most of the time, parents try to work hard for the sake of their children. They make sacrifices and save up, so that their kids can start off on the right foot when it comes to establishing themselves, their careers, their hopes and dreams. Paul mentions this when he is writing his second letter to the church at Corinth. He feels like a parent to them, and is willing to expend his resources of time, talents, and money so that the church will grow. He sees it as his gift to them. He wants them to grow strong in faith, in numbers, and influence. Happily, his work and devotion, sacrifice and blessings enabled the church to fulfill its potential.

So, how do we apply this lesson today? Firstly, if we are parents, we should remember that we brought our children into the world, therefore we need to support them when they seek to find and fulfill their dreams. Secondly, we should be thinking about the future of the churches to which we belong. Instead of looking for what we can get from church, we should be investing in its future. That way, we allow future generations to benefit through the blessings and gifts we bestow today.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we pray for our children. We ask that You will enable and empower us to love and support them, to honor and encourage them. We pray that they will find and fulfill their dreams. We also pray that they will find faith in You and seek to serve You through Your Church. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Valkyrie

Tom Cruise’s new movie, “Valkyrie,” deeply troubled me. It left me with a question that has concerned Christians for over sixty years: why didn’t God allow the bunker assassination to work? It would have saved millions of lives, and the Korean War, Cold War, Vietnam War, as well as the Gulf wars, might never have happened. Why did God permit such a monster as Adolf Hitler to survive the bomb? Why didn’t He allow the assassination attempt to be successful?

I guess I’ll have to go back and read some of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s writings from prison.

The movie was excellent and the intensity of the conspiracy was totally captivating. The plot to kill Hitler was carefully laid out and the actors who portrayed their historical characters were tremendous. If ever an Oscar was created for Best Cast in a movie, it would be this one. The Press have focused upon Tom Cruise and his eye patch, but the supporting cast make the movie suspenseful and utterly believable.

You know how it is all going to end, but it doesn’t stop you from rooting for the conspirators. There are even a couple of scenes that portray what would have happened if the plot had been successful. However, history is not about what if, but about what occurred.

Tom Cruise plays his usual intense role, but I don’t think it’s an Oscar winning performance. He is more than ably assisted by a blockbuster cast – Kenneth Branagh, Terence Stamp, Bill Nighy, and Tom Wilkinson.

Nazi Germany is depicted in a ‘comfortable’ way, which makes the atrocities that Hitler and his henchmen committed so horrendous. Instead of the usual tyrannical dictator, Hitler comes across as a benign grandfather, who is looking after his people. The one chilling moment for me in the movie occurs when Hitler calmly broadcasts over the radio that he is alive and still in control. It comes across as a friendly fireside chat and reminded me that evil is at its most wicked when it appears to be most comforting.

Documentaries about the movie have the cast talking about the execution scenes as being highly charged and very emotional for the actors. If so, this never transpired on the big screen. It all felt very stoic and routinely Prussian. I think I would have liked to have seen more about the trials, rather than concentrating on a firing squad.

Over all, I’d give the movie four stars out of five. Now where did I put my copy of Bonhoeffer’s ‘Letters and Papers from Prison’?

Official Movie Site: http://valkyrie.unitedartists.com/

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSy96KB7Dh4