Is ‘Sweeney Todd’ Too Gory for Best Picture?

Is Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd too bloody to win Best Picture? That’s what Carpetbagger’s David Carr and Gold Derby’s Tom O’Neil are asking, having both seen the film over the weekend. Vulture caught a screening last night, and we can confirm that it is indeed really, really gory. Sure, the Oscars have rewarded dark, violent movies in the past, but Sweeney makes Silence of the Lambs and The Departed look like Legally Blonde and Legally Blonde 2 (respectively). No fewer than ten throats are slit in pretty much the most graphic way possible, with geysers of blood spewing in all directions. By the way, the movie’s fantastic (especially Sacha Baron Cohen).

There Will Be Blood. Did We Mention Blood? [NYT]
’Sweeney Todd’ is the best pic of 2007, but can it win best pic? [LAT]