Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - 7.5

I am not at all a fan of musicals but Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd is easily the best I've seen in recent years (overcoming some oh so stiff competition I know). First of all, the music is good, obviously a key factor. I wasn't bored during the songs and actually enjoyed them for the most part. Second of all, the singing more or less served the plot. A big pet peeve of mine is the 10 minute song or dance sequence that is just for show and doesn't advance the story at all (or have anything to do with it - my (least) favorite example is Gene Kelly's 30 minute dance scene in An American in Paris - I mean I could tell he was a good dancer after the first 30 seconds, now get on with the fucking 'story'). Third, it was very impressive visually. There was a lot of blood but it was very stylized, which seemed to fit the story. Overall, Tim Burton established a consistent and effective tone, which the sets and visual effects had a lot to do with. And lastly, Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter both turned in fantastic performances. They both sounded good singing but also did a great job of effectively expressing their character's feelings in the non-song parts, often with a lack of dialogue. Very impressive. My only complaint was a relatively slow beginning which actually had me dozing off at points (though I had gotten up at 7:30 that morning for Arsenal's raping of Tottenham so I was tired to begin with). But once this movie got going, it was really quite good. Oscar Outlook Sweeney Todd certainly has a legitimate shot in almost all of the major categories. Depp is a lock for at least a Best Actor nomination and I think he'll be the only realistic challenger to Daniel Day-Lewis. As an extremely well-respected actor who has never won before, he is definitely a contender. Helena Bonham Carter also gave a performance worthy of a Supporting Actress nomination, though there's strong competition out there, so she is certainly no lock. Best Picture and Director nominations also look like a good bet. Finally, nominations (and possibly wins) for visual effects, costume design, art direction, and makeup should be forthcoming. And Sweeney Todd will also no doubt dominate the Best Song category. Predictions Best Actor nomination - Depp can't overcome DDL Best Supporting Actress nomination - Bonham Carter sneaks in Best Director nomination - Burton gets his first nom Best Picture nomination - I think this movie will end up with several nominations but no wins in the major categories, though it should be more successful in some of the smaller categories.