Trailer came out today!!  

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809834155/video/4367764/standardformat/

I wasn't sure what to think at first because it's really different from what I was expecting, but after a second viewing, I really like what they've done with it so far.

For those unfamiliar with the show:

Quoted from http://www.sondheim.com/shows/sweeney_todd/

this musical...tells the tale of Sweeney Todd, a murderous barber, and his partner in crime, Nellie Lovett, a baker who disposes of the bodies by baking them into her pies. Meanwhile, Anthony Hope, a sailor who saved Todd's life, falls in love with Todd's estranged daughter, Johanna, who is being brought up as the ward of the twisted Judge Turpin.

I'm looking for a better synopsis, but I'm having trouble finding one without plot spoilers.

I had two simultaneous yet opposing thoughts while watching this trailer: (1) this looks like a combination of everything Tim Burton has done before, thus it will be unoriginal and not enjoyable, and (2) this looks like a combination of everything Tim Burton has done before, thus it will be a blast reveling in the Burtonesque style I love.

I vote we watch the 1936 version before watching Burton's interpretation. Also, the BBC did a made-for-TV version last year.

Those 2 versions will be different from this one because this is a movie adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's musical version of the story.  They're all based on the same legend, but this will be more similar to this version or this one.

Burton post-Sweeney: Directing two 3D pics for Disney titled Alice in Wonderland and Frankenweenie. Read about it in Variety.

Quoted Text

Burton, who is wrapping "Sweeney Todd" at Paramount and DreamWorks, will tackle "Alice in Wonderland" early next year, with production set to wrap by May.

That's interesting that Disney is doing Alice in Wonderland again, since they already did that back in the 50s.  Usually they don't tackle the same stories twice.

What's even more interesting is that Burton's short film "Frankenweenie" from the 80s was a Disney project, & they fired him over it, as they thought it was a waste of resources since it was "too scary for family viewing"  (http://imdb.com/title/tt0087291/trivia).  Heh.

I'm sure Burton's Alice will be nothing like the one from the 50s.

The Disney version scared me quite a bit when I was little.  I don't know if I could handle a Burtonized version.

Ken Levine's mini-synopsis of Sweeney Todd:

Quoted Text

SWEENEY TODD – Tim Burton turns everything into SWEENEY TODD so this should be a natural. And it has Johnny Depp and Sondheim’s bulletproof score so how bad can it be? Also stars Helena Bonham Carter as the director’s wife who always gets a part.

Quoted from Matthew

I'm sure Burton's Alice will be nothing like the one from the 50s.

Well yeah, haha.  It's just interesting that it's Disney that's heading up this project.

Quoted Text

SWEENEY TODD -- Tim Burton turns everything into SWEENEY TODD so this should be a natural. And it has Johnny Depp and Sondheim's bulletproof score so how bad can it be? Also stars Helena Bonham Carter as the director's wife who always gets a part.

Hahaha, so true.

So I wanted to wait to hear any of the songs till I saw the movie, but my curiosity got the better of me.  Depp's "Epiphany"  Some of it sounds like it could've used some work, but overall, I'm so excited that I can barely stand it.

I saw it tonight!!  It was really really good!  The deaths were very gory, & there was a lot of blood.  Like, a whole lot.  I had to look away several times, haha.  But then again, I don't see a lot of gory movies (read: none), so that may not mean much.  And it's not a whole lot of the movie, but when it's there, it's a lot.  Omgsh so much blood.

Other than that though, it was a great adaptation of an amazing musical.  Don't let the fact that there's singing in it turn you off though--this ain't no Rodgers & Hammerstein.  It's very dark overall, though it has its comical moments.  And the plot centers largely on murder, so it's definitely not a happy musical.  

The orchestrations were amaaaaaazing.  So good.  And a lot of the actors that I was worried about did a really great job with their singing, which made me happy.  Visually (other than the stuff I didn't watch), it looked really cool.  Burton was the perfect guy to do this movie.

If you like Burton's stuff, or if you're fan of blood and gore in movies, you probably won't be disappointed.  You need a little Sondheim in your life anyways.  Seeeeee it.  (Watch out for the blood though.)


I'll post a better review later...maybe...if I get around to it...