It’s no secret that an actor/director collaboration that most people have probably had enough of as of late is Johnny Depp and Tim Burton. The duo clearly like working with each other, having collaborated on eight films together since the 90s. But with their last movie being Dark Shadows, fans of the two are most …
Lucius Fox: “You want to be able to turn your head.” Bruce Wayne: “Sure would make backing out of the driveway easier.” ―Lucius Fox and Bruce Wayne Tim Burton, Joel Schumacher, and Christopher Nolan have all left their mark on Batman’s cinematic incarnations with varying degrees of success. Burton’s distinctive gothic style redefined Batman for …
Disney’s continued dip into their Disney Vault got peculiar when they announced they will be doing a live action Dumbo film. A script by Ehren Kruger, the guy who wrote Transformers? And with CGI effects to recreate a flying elephant? Adapting a 64-minute movie for toddlers from 1941 into a mega-blockbuster? Well now Disney has signed Mr. …
Big Eyes Written by Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski Directed by Tim Burton USA, 2014 It’s difficult to imagine what Tim Burton was trying to accomplish with his latest effort, Big Eyes. Tonally, it’s the most confounding movie of the year, pinging wildly between drama, surrealism and farce. Even the actors seem confused, with each …
At first glance, Tim Burton’s latest, Big Eyes, appears to be a departure from the filmmaker’s general proclivities towards the grotesque and fantastical. Scissor-handed youths, murderous barbers, and obnoxious ghouls are nowhere to be found in this deceptively straightforward biopic of kitsch-master Walter Keane and his wife, Margaret. A cursory glance at the film might lead one to question just what Burton thinks he’s doing in the realm of realism.
For me, film has always been a strong source of inspiration. As long as I can remember, I have been truly captivated by the motion picture. One of my earliest memories would have to be seeing the first Batman in theaters a quarter of a century ago. In 1989, “Batmania” was sweeping the nation and I was perfectly content playing with my Toy Biz and Kenner action figures. The character of Batman had been around 50 years before I was even born and I’m sure other children before me have been amazed by The Caped Crusader’s various adventures. Tim Burton’s epic would have to be my first experience seeing The Dark Knight in action and it was monumental one at that.
I spent my Halloween attending the tale of Sweeney Todd. Though I did go out later (I’m not a total shut-in), most of my day consisted of watching four versions of the Stephen Sondheim’s razor sharp musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street back to back to back to back. (There was a …
24 years after the original film, Kate Leth and Drew Rausch continue the story of everyone’s favorite black wearing, hair dressing, tears inducing unlikely fairy tale hero. Edward Scissorhands #1 is set many years after the film, and Megs, the daughter of Kim (played by Winona Ryder) is now a teenager. Edward Scissorhands is considered to either be a murderer or a myth, and Kim’s own daughter considers her to be insane.
In this new golden age of television that we are currently living in, the television industry is poaching some of cinema’s greatest minds more than ever to create their own long form stories after being restricted to the hour and a half to maximum four hours that film allows. The gap is getting increasingly small …
For almost 50 years, Batman has graced the silver screen. Whether working solo or accompanied by sidekicks and associates, Gotham City is continually saved by his enduring presence. Even though the eight theatrical live-action films featuring the Caped Crusader have had their ups and downs, there is no denying his appeal as a lead character. …
“What are you?’ That question has been on many a criminal’s mind for numerous decades. Out of absolute fear, these evildoers stare into the face of darkness personified, a creature of the night that is a true symbol of justice. I’m talking of course about Batman, the Dark Knight, a crimefighter who strikes fear into …
It’s time that we get over the Dark Knight Trilogy. Yes The Dark Knight is a great movie. But Batman Begins is just a good movie and The Dark Knight Rises with it’s absurd plot holes and magic orphan vision is like Prometheus with a cape. The fundamental problem with Nolan’s ultra-realism is that it can’t support …
When artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger teamed up to create Batman in the late 1930’s, they faced the task of creating a character who could capitalize on the pandemonium surrounding Superman, but who would nevertheless have a look and personality all his own. Kane and Finger came up with a hero who …
Week in Review rounds up the best of the rest of film and TV news hitting the web this week. Check out the rest of the SOS Blog for more news updates. Unless your name is Edgar Wright, it’s hard to imagine a superhero movie of any caliber and pedigree not somehow getting made in …
Every year around this time, Disney puts The Nightmare Before Christmas back in movie theaters. Here in Los Angeles, it’s even playing in “4D.” Jack Skellington and the other denizens of Halloween Town have showed up in video games and merchandise both official and of the Hot Topic variety. It’s ironic that the Mouse House has so enthusiastically embraced the film.
With the eve when the veils between worlds is at its thinnest around the corner, it’s difficult not to think of the day’s most prominently featured figure: the witch. Below is an essential viewing list, ranging in genre and targeted age group, of filmic work that showcase witches (loosely defined for our purposes) and …
Following are some supplemental sections featuring notable director & actor teams that did not meet the criteria for the main body of the article. Some will argue that a number of these should have been included in the primary section but keep in mind that film writing on any level, from the casual to the …
Alice in Wonderland Directed by Tim Burton Written by Linda Woolverton Starring Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Stephen Fry, Helena Bonham Carter Alice in Wonderland is a truly inexplicable, baffling, painful film to watch. I don’t know what anyone involved in the film was thinking in making it. Did they want to honor the vision from …
Here the focus will be on the Joker and the argument will be we have yet to see a proper rendition on the big screen (I’m not counting certain interesting videogame versions). Before beginning, one has to concede the Cesar Romero interpretation, whatever its genuine brilliance, was too tame by half to truly merit the top spot yet an argument can be made this is the closest to seeing the Joker in the flesh.
Alice in Wonderland Directed by Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, and Hamilton Luske Written by Winston Hibler, Ted Sears, Bill Peet, Erdman Penner, Joe Rinaldi, Milt Banta, Bill Cottrell, Dick Kelsey, Joe Grant, Dick Huemer, Del Connell, Tom Oreb, and John Waltridge Starring Kathryn Beaumont, Ed Wynn, Verna Felton I should not pride myself in my …
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Directed by Gore Verbinski Written by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Stuart Beattie, and Jay Wolpert Starring Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Geoffrey Rush Captain Jack Sparrow is the worst thing that ever happened to Johnny Depp’s career. The prevailing wisdom is that the constantly …
Maybe Tim Burton should stick to stop-motion animation from now on. Some of his most creative films, his biggest qualitative successes, haven’t been in live-action or overdosed on computer graphics. You may think of him as the director of Batman or of Beetlejuice, but Burton’s impact is most powerfully felt in the 1993 Disney film …
Resurrection is germane not only to the story of Frankenweenie but also Tim Burton’s career as an endearing cinematic oddball. With his latest foray into stop-motion animation, Burton has revisited the story that started his career, showing more focus and care than we’ve seen from the man in years. But what’s even more special about …