[Lucien21]

In the Valley of Elah

Tommy Lee Jones is on roll at the moment. In this he plays a retired MP who recieves a phone call to say his son back from Iraq has gone AWOL and sets out to find him.

When he turns up dead he teams up with a reluctant cop (Charlize Theron) to solve the murder.

From the Oscar winning writer/director or Crash this is part murder investigation and part social commentary on the Iraq war and it's effect on the young men sent to fight.

Tommy Lee Jones is his usual brilliant self, but there is good performances all around.

A decent look at personal tradgedy and the dehumanising effects of war, but not the social commentary it aims to be.

3.5/5


Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

A musical by Tim Burton. (never though i'd ever type that) He once again teams up with Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter to bring the Sondheim play to the big screen.

Sweeney Todd returns to London after 15 years after wrongly imprisoned by a Judge with eyes on his wife and young daughter.

Setting up as a Barber above Bohnam Carter's pie shop (worst pies in London) he seeks revenge on the Judge and anyone else. using his friends (razors) he cuts the throats of customers and dumps them in the basement for Bohnam Carter to rekindle her Pie business in gruesome fashion.

A dark bloody play that is a perfect match for Burtons dark take on London. Virtually the only bright colour in the film is the gushing blood and there is a river of it in this film.

Brilliantly acted by Depp and Carter and surprisingly enough they both can sing. Depp in particular sounded like David Bowie at times.

Great to look at, some great songs (The song about who to bake into a pie was brilliant), surprisingly funny at time (Sasha Cohen was hilarious) and good singing.

I had a whale of a time.

There's a hole in the world like a great black pit
and it's filled with people who are filled with shit


4.5/5