Right Cinema

Tuesday is New DVDs Day, but there’s only a couple fresh titles hitting the shelves this week on April 1. Although, since Tuesday is April Fool’s Day, these titles somehow seem appropriate to have that holiday as their first day on the small screen.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Johnny Depp’s latest movie is a film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s musical of the same name. The interesting thing about this movie, though, is that it’s pretty gruesome as far as musicals go. You’ll see no Von Trapp family here.

Depp plays Benjamin Barker, and expert London barber whose wife and baby daughter are taken by Judge Turpin. After returning from exile, Depp plots his revenge against Turpin: murder. But he has to practice first, and he unleashes on unsuspecting customers. Helena Bonham Carter plays the meat pie shop owner downstairs who comes into a fresh supply of meat every time Depp finds a new victim.

The DVD is packed with special features that should help those viewers who were left wanting more. One of the features explores the real-life legend of Sweeney Todd.

Alvin and the Chipmunks

Jason Lee has some great comedic talent on-screen, and he’s been a staple of Kevin Smith films for years. But lately he’s taken roles in family-friendly films, like “The Incredibles”, “Underdog”, and now “Alvin and the Chipmunks”. Lee plays David Seville, the father figure to the three ornery, musical chipmunks, Alvin, Simon and Theodore. Reviews of the film have been mixed, but kids are sure to enjoy the antics of the furry chipmunks.

The Good Night

The third new DVD release this week is a film I hadn’t heard of until now. Starring Penelope Cruz, Gwyneth Paltrow, Danny DeVito, and Simon Pegg, the movie is Jake Paltrow’s writing and directing debut. In the movie, we find a depressed Gary with dead-end job and bitchy girlfriend. Eventually, Gary seeks solace in his dreams, which star Penelope Cruz as Anna, and because the dreams are so much better than real life, he tries to sleep more and more, with the help of Tylenol PM, nightshades and a dream coach. It looks interesting enough, but it sounds like Jake Paltrow leaves the audience wanting and never really takes the movie anywhere.

See the trailers for “Sweeney Todd”, “Alvin and the Chipmunks”, and “The Good Night” below.