Commentary (my Johnny Depp Rocks! Sweeney Todd review):

 I consider Johnny Depp Rocks! to be more an informational site than a weblog, and I don't generally give my own viewpoints.  I'm also not much of a movie reviewer!  However, I had the wonderful opportunity to see an advance screening of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street here in the DC area on Thursday, December 6, and I just couldn't resist giving my own thumbs-up to this film!!  Johnny and director Tim Burton have really outdone themselves in this, their sixth collaboration, and the first in which Johnny (and the rest of the cast) sing!  The film is said to be about 80% singing, but it is done so naturalistically that the singing becomes fitting and natural as well; it simply becomes accepted as a means for the characters to communicate and express their feelings.  Johnny, who received no formal vocal training and claims never to have sung a complete song before now, reveals an amazing gift.  Not only can he sing very well, but through his singing, he is able to convey all of the heartbreak, despair, anger, and ultimately, the insanity of the title character.  Oh, and yes, there's a healthy dose of dry wit and sarcasm thrown in, as well!  As for Helena Bonham Carter, I felt her singing voice was satisfactory, if not remarkable.  But she offers a completely fresh and dazzling take on Mrs. Lovett, bringing out the character's yearning, sensuality, and amoral practicality, and in the context of the film, her voice works extremely well.  Alan Rickman is sinister and menacing as Judge Turpin, Timothy Spall is deliciously sleazy as Beadle Bamford, and Sacha Baron Cohen is hilarious as the flamboyant Pirelli; all have wonderful singing voices, as well.  Laura Michelle Kelly, the only professional singer in the cast, is mysterious and intriguing in a small role.  Among the younger cast members, Jamie Campbell Bower perfectly conveys the youthful exuberance of the young sailor, Anthony Hope, and Jayne Wisener gives probably the best vocal performance of the cast as Johanna, Sweeney's confined daughter.  Finally, Ed Sanders is sweet and endearing as Toby, a young boy forced to grow up before his time.  Fair warning: this film is fairly bloody and is certainly not for the squeamish.  There's a reason for the R rating!  For fans of the musical, it must also be noted that some songs were cut or shortened.  In particular, much of the dialogue that would occur during several of the songs has been cut out, and all choruses have been removed.  I missed a few small details that I had seen in the stage versions, but I understand that most of these changes were made because they would not translate well to film.  Hopefully, fans of the stage version will accept these changes, and agree that this film has done justice to the music and the spirit of the piece. Overall, the film is visually and aurally stunning.  My only complaint was that it went by far too quickly!