It was a beauteous film. Lovely special effects, cool art direction etc.
But... yuck!
Too many problems to list.
Part One will live on as the shining example of a good film, the other two are garbage. I have low hopes for the upcoming Pirates films...
:(

I produced the website and had only seen a few clips. Was really looking forward to it. Saw it with my brother on Sunday and thought it was even better than I was expecting. True, not a laugh-a-minute, but agreed: "plenty funny." The cast was great.

It helped wash the terrible memory of Sweeny Todd away, too.

I liked Sweeny Todd ... and I have so little desire to see Walk Hard, I doubt I will expend the effort to pop it into my DVD player.

* * * * *

Charlie Wilson's War was excellent. Great performances by Tom Hanks, Philip Seymour Hoffman (d'uh) and even Julia Roberts (surprise!). Fine and witty script. Interesting throughout. Amazing combination of entertaining and educational. Wow. I loved it.

Fast random responses to several of the above:

Ah yes, I just watched Scrooge on my new 16:9 video projector, and it looked incredible. I've loved this movie since I saw it as a lad (on its initial theatrical release, yikes!)

I remember singing the song Velvet Goldmine when I was way too young to understand it. I slooshied lots of glam rock in my pre-tween to early teen years. I didn't know anything about the fashions surrounding it, I just knew I liked the music.

I agree that there was only one good movie in the Pirates threesome - though even that one was significantly overrated. Now that it has been followed by two overblown, plotless and mind numbing sequels, I doubt I will ever want to revisit even the relatively decent first movie again.

I'm off to see Sweeney Todd tonight, so I'll toss my two coppers about it when I get back.

There were three scenes I liked very much, and I thought the young boy and SBC were very, very good. Mostly I thought it was very poorly directed and Johnny Depp's performance lamentable. Ah, well. It just seemed mostly bleh and boring, and I don't know how a musical about barbershop murder and baker shop cannibalism could be that. Heh.

I was disappointed with Depp, too. But LOVED HBC, and the fact that I could love both her and Lansbury without having to "choose sides" really made me happy.

I think the film looked great, was gruesome and comic, liked the songs and didn't at all notice what wasn't there by their abridgement, was coherently directed by Tim Burton for the first time in a long time, and was entertaining throughout.

My only complaint was that the third act seemed needlessly rushed.

I actually enjoyed HBC acting, but loathed (LOATHED) her singing. She hurt my ears. I had a headache for half of the film.

I can't wait to see Sweeny Todd for a second time. I may end up going with a work friend after the new year. I may like it less the second time, or perhaps more - but that will be the real test for me. It appealed to me on so many different levels (with the exceptions I wrote about in the "outing" thread). It probably made a big difference that I had very little familiarity with any previous production and, therefore, no expectations. I also have become less of a fan of the Broadway Musical as of late. While I still like a few for nostalgic reasons, I don't find most of them to be very compelling.

Oh! Off topic of current releases and onto ones way in the future...

A Pixar movie about a little robot! I had no idea!
http://www.apple.com/trailers/disney/walle/hd/

My heart doth swell big right now.

I think of Batteries Not Included when I see the trailer for Wall E.