If you're like me, and I know I am, (1) you probably don't care for musicals.

You may also believe that (2) the Tim Burton/Johnny Depp pairing is the best bang for your moviegoing buck since De Niro became too busy directing his own movies to appear in Scorsese's The Departed.

If (1) has kept you from going to see Sweeney Todd, then let me assure you, (2) carries FAR more weight in this film.

This is Burton's best work ever, and even though he's got his usual actor and his girlfriend in it, they're absolutely wonderful. The songs are very clever, moving the story and illuminating character so they don't bring things to a dead stop like in some other musicals. It's breathlessly paced, wonderfully atmospheric, and lovingly shot.

And of course, it's bloody as all get-out. It's ridiculously over-the-top violence, clearly not meant to be taken seriously, but I'm sure there are those who will. If you're one of them, why are you reading my blog in the first place? Didn't you know it's rated NC-17? (Go ahead, go check.) And it has the kind of ending I love, really Shakespearean. I wonder how I got this far in my life not knowing this story - kind of like seeing Titus, only with a much better movie.

You may notice that I haven't reviewed any movies on this blog to date. This one deserves it - I should have written about Pan's Labyrinth, but that was the last time I felt this strongly about a movie. It's easily the best film I've seen this year.

It's glorious! Get out there and see it already!