I couldn’t wait to see this film in theaters- I wanted to see it the second it came out but was so busy that I didn’t get to it until a few days after Christmas. My love and anticipation for this film is a little odd- I’m a big Johnny Depp fan, and a HUGE Tim Burton fan, but really it was the Sweeney Todd part that drew me in.

Before I saw this film, everything I knew about Sweeney Todd I learned from Jersey Girl. Most people are haters on this film thanks in part to Gigli, but I personally love it, partially because it’s Kevin Smith and partially because it’s just one of those touching, predictable films. Towards the end the cast members perform a huge musical number from Sweeney Todd with the adorable Raquel Castro as Mrs. Lovett, Liv Tyler as Toby, and Ben Affleck as Mr. Todd himself. It is quite simply, fantastic. It also fueled in me a morbid fascination with the musical itself and when I heard Tim Burton was making it, I just knew I had to be there.

This beautiful musical follows the sad soul Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp), who is wrongfully jailed by a corrupt judge (Alan Rickman) and loses his wife and child. He returns to London after his lengthy sentence to seek revenge on the one who put him away. He teams up with Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter) and her sinking meat pie business to open a barbershop, assuming the moniker Sweeney Todd, in hopes of luring the judge into his deadly barber’s chair. The film is truly a return to form for director Tim Burton, who has had some misses lately and not only finds his voice again in this film, but his flops seem to have perfected and honed his tone. The film is so beautifully Burtonesque but with it’s foot planted firmly in this world, rather than his usual manner of wavering between reality and fantasy.

I was a little disappointed to see that the one number I knew going in ("God That's Good" as performed by the cast of Jersey Girl) was paired down and I didn't get to compare Depp's Sweeney Todd to that of Ben Affleck's ("I'll knock three times- knock, knock, knock!") I also found that at certain times, most specifically in the beginning of the film, I had a hard time catching up with what they were saying in their lyrics. Other than that, I absolutely loved this film. This musical is not for the faint of heart, in that it’s rather gory and rather heavy on it’s musical. There’s very little spoken dialogue, so if you’re not into musicals, this film is not for you. However, if you love when characters sing what they're thinking, beautiful and bloody montages of slashing throats against sing song music, and breathtaking scenery, run out and see this film before you have to wait for it to come on DVD.

Also, I have to take just a minute to geek out here. Count them: one, two, three deliciously evil villains from Harry Potter all in one film! I love that there are so few Brit actors that haven’t been in a Harry Potter film that when you watch other films with a dominantly British cast you get awesome team-ups like Snape and Wormtail.

Nominations:

Best Actor – Johnny Depp
I called it before it happened- I said to my boyfriend while walking out of the theater, “Johnny Depp will get the Johnny Depp nomination this year.” Every year as of late they seem to randomly honor a performance no one expected to get honored, like when Johnny Depp got nominated for the first Pirates. That’s the nomination that Johnny Depp got for Sweeney Todd this year, and though it’s great to see his talent and amazing voice (hello, where’d that come from?) recognized, he doesn’t stand a chance against the big boys like Clooney and Day-Lewis.

Best Art Direction
In honor of Tim Burton’s beautiful vision, I really hope this film takes this award home. His films always deserve, and have mostly gotten, nominations in this category. His dark, dreary London juxtaposed with sunny-bathed flashbacks to Benjamin Barker’s past and Mrs. Lovett’s eye-popping dream sequence is stunning, breathtaking, and award worthy.

Best Costume Design
One of the things I love about Tim Burton movies is how they always manage to seem old fashioned without actually feeling like a period piece. A lot of that certainly has to do with the costumes. From the gothic pieces of Mrs. Lovett and Mr. Todd to the royal pieces of Judge Turpin and Johanna, they are beautiful costumes that work well with the narrative. This is a good contender, but stacked up next to actual period pieces Atonement and Elizabeth: The Golden Age, it could easily be beat here.

Snubbed?
He’s back and he’s better than ever. He’s proven he’s an auteur and a visionary. He’s one of the best filmmakers of his generation. It is a downright shame that Tim Burton didn’t get nominated for this film.