Julie and Tal have been kind enough to allow me to be the default reviewer of any movie musical trailers, which is both a good and a bad idea. On the one hand, I am a musical theater freak (geek, nerd, loser, etc.) so I definitely have a passion for any movie musical coming out. On the other hand, I’m liable to give every one a SEE IT review without even caring how good the trailer actually looks.

Luckily, the trailer for Sweeney Todd looks absolutely fantastic, so my SEE IT review is completely justified. My only complaint about it is the very thing I’m looking forward to the most…the fact that it’s a musical. There isn’t a whole lot of singing going on in the trailer, so I have to wonder if someone who knew nothing about this show would even be aware of all the singing they’re in store for. A big concern for many of the fans of the stage production has been the casting. Sure, Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter are amazing, but can they sing? I’m still not sure. But I’m sure as hell going to be at the movie theater opening weekend to find out.

For the uninitiated, Sweeney Todd is indeed a musical, composed by Stephen Sondheim, and it was originally staged on Broadway in 1979. It tells the tale of Benjamin Barker, a well-liked London-based barber whose life is destroyed by the corrupt magistrate, Judge Turpin, who lusts after Barker’s wife. Barker is arrested under false pretenses and exiled for 15 years. Upon his return, he learns that his wife is dead and Turpin has named himself the adoptive father of Barker’s daughter (and would prefer to be more than a father to her, if you know what I mean). Hell-bent on getting the revenge he deserves, Barker adopts a dark and sinister alternate persona; Sweeney Todd, the demon barber of Fleet Street. He opens up a barber shop above the pie shop of the questionable baker, Mrs. Lovett, where he offers “the closest shave in town”. So close, in fact, that you may wind up with your throat slit and your body disposed of in a most unusual way. Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett become partners in crime and eagerly await the day when Judge Turpin will cross their murderous path.

Clearly, this is not your typical musical. There are no gangs dancing in the streets and the hills are definitely not alive with the sound of music. Sweeney Todd is probably one of the blackest and goriest musicals ever created. Which is why I think Tim Burton was a perfect choice to direct the film version. Johnny Depp was an interesting choice for Sweeney, but his collaborations with Burton have never let me down before. I think Helena Bonham Carter looks a bit too young to be Mrs. Lovett (whose supposed to be middle-aged, and not a pretty middle-aged), but again, her work with Burton has yet to disappoint. Alan Rickman is Judge Turpin, and has he ever been a wrong choice in anything he’s done? No, he hasn’t. Don’t even try to argue with me, I’ll just stick my fingers in my ears and pretend I can’t hear you.

I said it before, but here it is again. SEE IT. Even if you’re a musicals-hater, give it a chance. This is definitely not your grandmother’s kind of musical (it got an ‘R’ rating, after all).

Oh, and for the record, there’s a movie version of Mamma Mia! being filmed now for release next summer, and I’m going to tell you now to go see that one, too.

Sweeney Todd is rated R and opens December 21 (Official site)

I went to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix last night at a sold-out, opening night screening. While this isn’t the best Potter film yet (that honor belongs to the fourth, The Goblet of Fire), the Order of the Phoenix will satisfy die-hard fans like me and entertain casual fans. Although the movie is very fast-paced, there are still two more movies left in the saga, and at times story lines feel incomplete.

New cast additions Imelda Staunton, Helena Bonham Carter, and Evanna Lynch turn in excellent performances as Dolores Umbridge, Bellatrix Lestrange, and Luna Lovegood, respectively. The three young leads have all matured into talented actors, though Emma Watson constantly looks and sounds breathless.

Rated PG-13, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix isn’t a kids movie, but an action-filled drama starring teenagers. SEE IT!

Everybody has one summer blockbuster they can not wait to see. For some, it is The Simpsons. For others, it is Pirates of the Caribbean. For me, there is only one must-SEE IT movie this summer: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I just finished re-reading all the books in time for the July 21 release of the final book, and in the meantime I can’t wait to see the next movie. I am a total dweeb, and that’s ok.

This is the second trailer released by Warner Brothers. (For the first trailer, click here.) I continue to be amazed at how this franchise just continues to get better and better. The story is becoming more layered and the younger actors have become so skilled that they can go toe to toe against their Oscar-winning co-stars. Judging by both trailers, Order of the Phoenix looks like a suspense-filled movie that can stand on its own and entertain even non-Potter fans (such people exist?) who find themselves in the cinema. (How scary is that shot of Voldemort in a three-piece suit?)

And now, a casting question. The sixth Potter film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, is in pre-production and there is one small but juicy role to be cast. Narcissa Malfoy, mother of Draco and wife of evil Lucius, makes her first appearance in a pivotal scene at the start of the story. Narcissa is described as having blonde hair, blue eyes, and “a look on her face as if there were something smelly under her nose.” She has a sixteen-year-old son, so she would be at least 36 years old. Like the rest of the cast, the actress that plays her must be British. Naomi Watts’ name has been bandied about (she grew up in the UK), but she looks a little young and is identified as Australian. So who should play icy Narcissa Malfoy?

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is rated PG-13 and opens on July 13. I can’t wait! (Official site)

If you’re looking for me on July 13, look no further than the largest auditorium at the Loews Kips Bay cinema, where I’ll happily be watching the newest installment of the Harry Potter movies.

There’s no suspense here–obviously I can’t wait to SEE IT. The Order of the Phoenix actually looks like it may be an improvement upon the book, which is saying alot. The kids have gotten better and better with each film. And the franchise continues to attract Britain’s top acting talent. This time around, Helena Bonham Carter and Imelda Staunton join the cast that already includes Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Gary Oldman, Maggie Smith, and Jason Isaacs. Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort was so evil, so scary, in the last ten minutes of the last installment that I can’t wait to see Voldemort with more screen time. But whatever, man, I’m just there for the Quidditch.

So now, without further ado, here is the teaser for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is not yet rated and opens July 13. (Official site)