For those of you who feel lately as though you're suffering from Tim Burton's recent sojourn in Depp-and-Bonham-Carter limbo, fear not: Fresh off his Oscar win for best supporting actor, Christoph Waltz of "Django Unchained" will star as Walter Keane, with Amy Adams joining him as Margaret in Burton's next film, "Wide Eyes." The modern master of macabre quirk has set his sights on a new project, centered around the real-life story of husband-and-wife painters Margaret and Walter Keane, whose collaboration on work of saucer-eyed children in the '50s and '60s ultimately ended in a wacky divorce trial over artistic credibility. The judge ordered two easels and had the couple paint on trial; Margaret proved herself a true talent – while Walter claimed to be suffering from an arm cramp.
The film is a huge change of pace for Burton, a director known for his visual verve and special effects-heavy pieces. A small, intimate character piece was brought to his attention by screenwriters Larry Karaszewski and Scott Alexander, who previously worked with Burton on 1994's "Ed Wood." While IMDB and Wikipedia both have Burton lined up to helm numerous projects, like an adaptation of Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children, a version of "Pinocchio," and a stop-motion version of "The Addams Family," "Big Eyes" is the only film so far to be set in stone beneath the foundation of the wild rumor mill of Hollywood.
In honor of Burton's long-standing vivacity, I've decided to open the vault on my own personal favorite films of his.
"Ed Wood" (1994)
Tim Burton's most critically applauded film was actually a box office bomb and remains his lowest-grossing picture to this day. The too-wacky-to-be-true (but actually true!) story of endlessly optimistic writer-director Edward D. Wood Jr. is a hilarious, heartfelt, and personal project. Brought to life by Johnny Depp, the film focuses on the famed B-movie director's struggle for financial backing on his numerous films and his blossoming friendship with actor Bela Lugosi. Burton related the project to his own friendship with his childhood icon, Vincent Price, with whom he worked on two films with. The quirky biopic gained a cultlike fanbase – considered a success for both Burton's career, as well as Wood's.
"Beetlejuice" (1988)
"Beetlejuice" is home to so many of Burton's distinct visual flourishes and themes, from black and white stripes and dark eye circles to teenage outsiders and expressionistic sets. When a nice, ho-hum couple, Adam and Barbara Maitland (Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis), dies in a car wreck, their hilltop Victorian goes on the market and is bought by New York art yuppies. But there's one problem: The Maitlands' spirits are still very present in the house and they don't want the new tenants there. Bringing in a bio-exorcist named Beetlejuice, the couple gets more than they paid for when the feisty ghost wants freedom into the other realm and to marry the tenant's teenage daughter (Winona Ryder). Aside from being a great launching point for Burton, "Beetlejuice" also launched the career of Ryder, and even created a marriage between star Catherine O'Hara and production designer Bo Welch!
"Edward Scissorhands" (1990)
The first film to unite the now famous actor/director duo of Burton and Johnny Depp, "Edward Scissorhands" is a beautiful suburban fairytale. Equal parts Frankenstein and Beauty and the Beast, the tale of Edward's integration into a small suburban community leads first to accolades from the townsfolk (topiary landscaping and hairstyling) and quickly spirals into chaos (robbery, framing and a crazed mob). "Edward Scissorhands" was not only one of Burton's most successful films, it was also his most personal project: He'd based the film off of a drawing he did as a teenager, and has said that it was heavily influenced by his feelings of isolation in his hometown.
"Big Fish" (2003)
Adapted from Daniel Wallace's 1998 novel of the same name, "Big Fish" was originally intended as a project for Steven Spielberg. After Spielberg opted to take on "Catch Me If You Can," the script made its way into Burton's hands. The Southern gothic fantasy fable shares the story of a dying father's (Albert Finney) tall tales of werewolves, giants, witches, mermaids, and, of course, a rather big fish. Throughout the film, his son, played by Billy Crudup, attempts to understand his father through these stories. The film was the first collaboration between Burton and screenwriter John August, upon whom he'd later call for "Corpse Bride," "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," and "Frankenweenie." "Big Fish" was also Burton's last film before his Johnny Depp binge.
"Dark Shadows" (2012)
The film version of the beloved cult soap "Dark Shadows" is played for dark laughs in this 1970s-set piece. Depp stars as Barnabas Collins, an aristocrat cursed into the life of a vampire by his jilted ex. Buried alive by an angry mob, Barnabas is accidentally dug up during construction of a new McDonald's and makes his way back to the family home, where he meets his next of kin. While "Dark Shadows" received mixed reviews from critics and audiences alike, I found it enthralling. It was the first of Burton's movies that I'd enjoyed in almost ten years, since "Big Fish" – and while his vision is a little wonky here and there, it's a hilarious fish-out-of-water movie that doesn't take itself too seriously.
No comments:
Post a Comment