Tim Burton Best Film.

[Smokey]

Tim Burton is an unusual director in the sense that his films are visually stylized and movie subjects out of ordinary. Beetle Juice is good example of his stylized work.

He got several block buster motion pictures under his belt such as Batman and Batman Returns, but IMO his best work might be 1994 movie Ed Wood. Excellent story, cast and direction.

http://www.the-reel-mccoy.com/movies/classics/images/EdWood1.jpg

[PeruvianSkies]

I am a mixed Tim Burton fan. I think he has some really great moments and other times it's just a bit too much for me. Examples would be some of his more recent work like CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY and BIG FISH. Neither one really appealed to me much, although I still cannot forgive Burton for doing PLANET OF THE APES...that is a cinematic crime in my book!

I thought that his gothic-side really came together well in BATMAN BEGINS and the studio went nuts over just how dark that film was, but I thought it worked really well. The downside of that film was too many villains and not enough screen time to really help the film carry much. ED WOOD is a good one, but even still, I am not sure this is Burton at his absolute best or defining best. Perhaps the film that really embodies the Burtonesque more than anything else is EDWARD SCISSORHANDS. What makes that film work so well is the combination of Johnny Depp in one of his finest roles, also Winona makes the film, and finally the combination of Danny Elfman's score, which is so memorable. Probably what tops this film off though more than anything is Vincent Price, who Burton is/was a huge fan of and his film VINCENT (1982) is a great short animated film that can be found on the NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS DVD. It's superb! Also a fan of Edgar Allan Poe and it's just a great little film.

I'm gonna vote for EDWARD SCISSORHANDS at this point.

[kexodusc]

This is tough for me too - Loved Beetle Juice, Batman, and Mars Attacks - hate just about everything since then (though I really liked "The Corpse Bride" for some reason) - Planet of the Apes and Sleepy Hollow rank on my top 10 most boring pieces of crap of all time list.

This is just one of those - artsy/weird for the sake of weird directors that against all odds has become sadly predictable and tiring- in the sense that you can look at a scene or listen to some dialogue and tell in seconds " oh this is a Tim Burton movie". I guess there's nothing wrong with that - you can probably say that for every director.
Burton's films just don't seem to have enough action, or story intrigue to carry the film when the Burton-esque fails. He's very hit or miss with me, but when he's good, he's really good.

Mars Attacks gets my vote - too damn funny, and the performances were great.

[Troy]

I'm a big fan of a lot of his earlier movies. Pee Wee and Beetlejuice really threw Burton's style in our face and I was captivated by it very early on. Batman was OK, but I'm not one to get excited about big superhero movies. Scissorhands might be the culmination of the wackyspooky playful Burton style. Colorful, surreal and goth, but sweet natured.

And then came Ed Wood and a new maturity. Wood seems restrained and controlled and not at all like a Tim Burton movie. That's why I picked it as best. Best role of Landau's storied career and Depp was perfect in it.

I liked Mars Attacks a LOT also. I think many people missed it's tongue in cheek personality. Sleepy Hollow was a visual feast and I liked it more than I thought I would, but I have disliked every movie he's done in the 21st century.

[PeruvianSkies]

When I first saw EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, somewhere around 1990, it took everyone by surprise and the name alone got people talking about the film. What I find unique about this film is that it goes against many conventions such as time and place. For example...what year is the film set in? If you look at the houses you might think 1960's, then you have the clothes, which also seem dated as well. The town they live in has a 1950's mindset though and yet most of the music and some styles seem more 1980's. Then we have the inventor and Edward, who appear more from the 1800's and early 1900's. There have been very few films like this one since or before, even though it's a common theme about love and the classic monster-type of story as well. We have seen variations of, but this film is truly memorable and has Burton stamped all over it. He has not since been able to capture the magic of this film.

[SlumpBuster]

You're all a buch of cold hearted bastards, if you ask me! How can anyone deny Albert Finney's performance in Big Fish. I loved that movie! I guess there is no accounting for my bad taste. :D

[PeruvianSkies]

You're all a buch of cold hearted bastards, if you ask me! How can anyone deny Albert Finney's performance in Big Fish. I loved that movie! I guess there is no accounting for my bad taste. :D

True, Albert Finney's performance is awesome, then again, when isn't it? But the film, aside from Finney, didn't really work that well in my mind.

[Groundbeef]

I thought that his gothic-side really came together well in BATMAN BEGINS and the studio went nuts over just how dark that film was, but I thought it worked really well. The downside of that film was too many villains and not enough screen time to really help the film carry much.

You seem to be very well versed in your movies. And I respect most of your opinions, even if I disagree with them (some).

But I wanted you to clarify a point. "Batman Begins" was directed by Christopher Nolan in 2005. And it was a superb film. I personally felt that it really set the stage for future, and frankly better Batman films.

Tim Burton directed "Batman" in 1989. Different films no? I thought it was good from what remeber of it, but was much more taken into the story by Nolan, and the acting of Bale.

Did you make a mistake? Or just use the wrong title?

[PeruvianSkies]

You seem to be very well versed in your movies. And I respect most of your opinions, even if I disagree with them (some).

But I wanted you to clarify a point. "Batman Begins" was directed by Christopher Nolan in 2005. And it was a superb film. I personally felt that it really set the stage for future, and frankly better Batman films.

Tim Burton directed "Batman" in 1989. Different films no? I thought it was good from what remeber of it, but was much more taken into the story by Nolan, and the acting of Bale.

Did you make a mistake? Or just use the wrong title?

That should be BATMAN RETURNS....oops.

[PeruvianSkies]

BATMAN (1989) was a good film, not great though, but Burton had less creative control over this project. Because of the success of that film he was given more creative influence on BATMAN RETURNS and it shows. You can tell just how dark and gothic that film was over the first film. However, the gothic tones of the film are quite different than the dark character and film that Christopher Nolan created with BATMAN BEGINS and I am sure he will continue that look and feel with THE DARK KNIGHT (due out next summer).

I think that BATMAN RETURNS failure was more in the difficulty of having multiple villains and dedicated adequate screen time for each of them. It ended up being a contest between Catwoman, Penguin, and Max Shreck (Christopher Walken playing a great villain aptly named after the actor who played Dracula in the classic 1922 film NOSFERATU). Burton's style really helped this film despite some of these flaws and it's unfortunate that the series took a terrible turn when they got Joel Schumacher (who I typically like) to direct the next two films. BATMAN FOREVER and BATMAN & ROBIN again suffer from too many characters and not enough time to establish them or utilize them. Plus Val Kilmer (despite liking him) was not a good choice for Batman and neither was George Clooney. Those two films were unwatchable in so many ways it's not even funny. Let's not even talk about how horrible CATWOMAN with Halle Berry was.

[Smokey]

And then came Ed Wood and a new maturity. Wood seems restrained and controlled and not at all like a Tim Burton movie. That's why I picked it as best. Best role of Landau's storied career and Depp was perfect in it.

You just zerox my thoughts :D

Filming it in black and white add another layer of mysticism to this movie.


Plus Val Kilmer (despite liking him) was not a good choice for Batman and neither was George Clooney.

I agree with you and to add to that statament, IMO neither was the original Batman Micheal Keaton. Batman should also have a hidden mystery side which those actors did not portray too well. Of the recent superhero movies, Spawn come to mind as the perfect casting of a superhero.

[PeruvianSkies]

You just zerox my thoughts :D

Filming it in black and white add another layer of mysticism to this movie.



I agree with you and to add to that statament, IMO neither was the original Batman Micheal Keaton. Batman should also have a hidden mystery side which those actors did not portray too well. Of the recent superhero movies, Spawn come to mind as the perfect casting of a superhero.

Often overlooked in the superhero/comic department is BLADE, which I felt was one of the best of the Genre and Wesley Snipes is PERFECT as the title character. The 2 sequels were OK, but the first film was very stylish and cool. Then the floodgates opened for Marvel and now DC Comics.