herbiehancock

No 66 - Edward Scissorhands Director - Tim Burton Recently, I have been to the cinema to see Alice in Wonderland in both spectacular 3D and in more traditional 2D (Which, oddly, I enjoyed more). It got me thinking about the work of Tim Burton, a director who I really admire and am quick to defend. So, in order for me to shameless crowbar in my thoughts on Alice, I decided to watch a Tim Burton film. It seems to me that Burton's films have always been about outsiders which don't fit into their world. However, even then, the films can be split into two types. Films in which a Burtonesque main character struggles to fit into the real world, or films in which a character from the real world finds themselves in a strange Burtonesque world. The only exceptions I can think of are his 2 period pieces. Although both Sleepy Hollow and Sweeney Todd have nightmare figures which stalk and terrorise an otherwise regular (if not normal) English surrounding. Oh and Big Fish, in which it sort...

No 327 – Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas Director – Henry Selick It has always been difficult to know when exactly one should watch the Nightmare before Christmas. The Halloween setting means you can realistically play it anytime round late October. But the Christmas theme makes it seem strange. There are, after all certain Christmas films that only work at Christmas. I could watch Die Hard in August and still get the same adrenaline rush, but the Muppet’s Christmas Carol is too steeped in tradition that I’d be unable to enjoy the film without th e other trappings of the season. Nightmare is certainly seasonal, but which season? This is why I’ ve opted for watching it now. We’re almost exactly half way between Halloween and Christmas which fits the film’s timeline perfectly. We’re neither here nor there when it comes to the events. We just sit nicely in the middle. I’m a big fan of this film. I saw it at the cinema as a youth and have loved it ever since. It still looks m...

No 490 - Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Director - Tim Burton Tim Burton has created a nice little niche for himself. I love the man , I love his films, I love his style and I love his directorial vision but he does have a very distinctive style. Gothic fairytale with aspects of horror. Which is usually delivered in a style which isn't too horrific . Burton's full on Gothic nightmares are few and far between. The only other one I can really think of is Sleepy Hollow. This is the first one which revels in the gore and pain and torture. This is Burton at his darkest and most intense. This is also a far more complex musical than Corpse Bride. I am a massive fan of Danny Elfman (another very distinctive artist with a very recognisable theme ), however he cannot compete with the richness and complicated styles of Sondheim. The songs in this are a beast to play and an utter nightmare to sing. Yet, despite these challenges the film is a quintessential Burton film, a...

No 458 - Batman Director - Tim Burton All has been rectified. I have watched the last of the four Batman films to be in the list, and indeed the earliest. However, don't let the title fool you. Despite everything, this is not a film about Batman. This is a film about Joker. The film begins in the deep, Gothic and fantastically murky architecture of Gotham City. The criminals and hoodlums are nervous there is talk of a vampire bat stalking the streets and picking off the muggers. We are introduced to Gotham after the establishment of Batman and we will not get anything like an origin story, besides a flashback of Bruce Wayne's parents getting shot at. That is all the motivation Batman seems to need. But considering how dull (once again) the character of Batman is in Burton's world, it doesn't really matter. This film follows one man. Jack Napier aka The Joker . Jack Nicholson's Joker is an odd character. It seems that his insanity is only there for show as when he i...

Shane Acker's first feature, '9', set expectations high. The trailer teased a dark and adult animated world. The cast was laudable and intriguing. And Tim Burton's name was plastered all over it... As you may have realized by now, I'm not a fan of producer credits being displayed so prominently in movie marketing. Not that it's a new practice. But Tim Burton must be the most egregiously over-credited filmmaker in Hollywood. And I'm sick of it. That's a whole other column though . So does '9' live up to its premise? Unfortunately, no. For one, the voice talent is wasted. The film is light on dialogue, and it comes across as expository rather than illuminating. The actors don't have a chance to establish personalities for their characters and don't stand out, aside from Christopher Plummer as 1. (That was Martin Landau? Whaaa?!) We're thrust into the story, awakening with the title character, 9, and the film sets out to unravel the mys...