Tim Burton: The '00s
Planet of the Apes (November 30/01)
Rumors of a Planet of the Apes remake had been swirling around since the early '90s. At one point, James Cameron was to direct with Arnold Schwarzenegger starring. Then Oliver Stone was to take the helm. The film looked like it might never get made, until Tim Burton stepped up to the plate. And as he and other various folks associated with the movie have mentioned countless times, this is less a remake of the 1969 classic and more a "re-imagining" of the same world.
Mark Wahlberg stars as Leo Davidson, a cocky pilot who - through a series of bizarre incidences - finds himself thrust into a world where intelligent simians rule. The humans have been relegated to slavery, used as bartering chips among the apes. Being the headstrong soldier that he is, Davidson is not content to just sit around and do the bidding of a bunch of monkeys, so he sets out to escape his captors and make it back to his ship - where he'll hopefully be able to fly away from this planet of the apes. Along the way, he befriends two women - one an ape and one a human - and incurs the wrath of a vengeful chimp named General Thade (played with over-the-top malicious glee by Tim Roth). Planet of the Apes bears little resemblance to the Charlton Heston flick that inspired it, as the film generally plays out as more of an action movie than a drama. And oddly enough, some of the more compelling characters in the movie are under a few coats of ape make-up. As one of the few humans, Mark Wahlberg has an unenviable job - he has to try and make an impression while standing next to remarkably lifelike apes, monkeys and orangutans. And he's good, though in a bland sort of way. It's the many actors trapped inside ape costumes that steal the show, particularly Paul Giamatti as Limbo. Best known for his role as Howard Stern's arch-nemesis "Pig Vomit" in Private Parts, Giamatti has been stealing scenes for years. It's remarkable, then, that he still manages to do so even while under pounds and pounds of make-up.
If there's a fault to this otherwise consistently entertaining flick, it's a truly bizarre ending that leaves a horrible aftertaste. Twist endings are good, provided they make sense. Twist endings simply for the sake of twist endings are bad, and that's what we've got here. Burton should have just left well enough alone and either ended the flick after that last battle, or copied that oft-imitated conclusion from the original. Anything but this nonsensical ending that we're stuck with. Planet of the Apes is summer entertainment done right. With a top-notch director and some amazing visual effects, it's certainly one of the most entertaining check-your-brain-at-the-door flicks in recent years.
out of
Big Fish (December 6/03)
Though it's not quite his best work (that remains Pee-Wee's Big Adventure), Big Fish does mark Tim Burton's most accomplished and (for lack of a better word) adult movie to date. And after the unapologetically mainstream Planet of the Apes, Big Fish returns Burton to his quirky and more character driven roots. Told largely in flashback, the film stars Billy Crudup as a successful young man named Will Bloom. Will's never had a very good relationship with this father, Edward (Albert Finney), a gregarious Southerner with a penchant for tall tales. But given that Edward is on his deathbed, Will finds that he has to try and connect with his dad before he passes away. Meanwhile, the various stories that Edward's been telling his whole life unfold before our eyes, with Ewan McGregor appearing as the younger Edward. Big Fish is expansive yet intimate, with detailed portraits of various characters occurring over some of the most visually interesting sets to come around in a while. From the bizarre town of Spectre (in which the roads are covered in grass) to the circus that employs Edward, the film is a continual delight on a visceral level. There's absolutely no mistaking the unique touch of Burton, who fills the screen with his expected offbeat sensibilities (it's the kind of movie that would be easy enough to identify as Burton's, even if you had no idea who directed it). And as one would expect from a Burton flick, he's included a roster of actors that's just about perfect. Though most of McGregor's scenes take place in the fantasy land of Edward's imagination, the actor imbues the character with a definite sense of realism; he never goes over the top, which must have been a temptation (especially when you're consorting with a literal giant). Not surprisingly, Edward's been surrounded by a variety of eccentric characters - including the aforementioned giant, who actually turns out to be a fairly compelling figure (as played by Matthew McGrory, the man never becomes a cliché). Familiar faces like Danny DeVito and Steve Buscemi pop up in supporting roles, which just adds to the atmosphere of fun. But the film also spends a good deal of time in the present, as Will attempts to get to know the real Edward. Crudup, in one of his rare "normal guy" roles, does a superb job of playing this man that clearly loves his father but has grown tired of his neverending stories. It's Will's relationship with Edward that provides the film with its emotional core, which proves to be downright touching by the time everything is said and done. And that's what makes Big Fish as special as it is. The fantastical elements in the film ensure that it remains entertaining throughout, but it's the reality of the characters that makes the movie more than just a visual treat. By the time the end credits roll around, there's a distinct possibility that male audience members will find themselves shedding a tear or two. Big Fish is one of those films that deals with the relationship between a father and his son, and (like Frequency and Field of Dreams before it) packs an emotional wallop that any guy should be able to relate to. Big Fish is a real achievement from one of Hollywood's most underrated directors. Don't miss it.
out of
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (July 12/05)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory marks Tim Burton's second remake (following Planet of the Apes), and to call this an improvement is quite an understatement. Burton's only goal this time around is to entertain, and on that level, he undoubtedly succeeds. The film is set in some bizarre amalgam of various time periods, where women dress like it's the '40s, kids play modern video games, and blue collar workers have begun losing jobs to machines. Our hero is Charlie Bucket (Freddie Highmore), one of five children that wins a chance to visit Willy Wonka's (Johnny Depp) legendary candy factory. Leading the tour is, of course, Willy Wonka himself - who takes the kids all around his larger-then-life plant, and introduces them to the fabled Oompa Loompas (all of whom are portrayed by one man, Deep Roy). It's impossible to talk about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory without mentioning Depp's odd performance (odd even by his standards), which will undoubtedly divide audiences. There's absolutely nothing warm and fuzzy about this guy; he seems to actively dislike these kids and their parents, to the extent that it's difficult to imagine why Wonka would invite all these people into his factory (we learn the necessity behind the invitation as the film progresses). In that respect, the film offers up an explanation behind Wonka's anti-social tendencies in the form of flashbacks revolving around his relationship with his cruel father (played by Christopher Lee). But there's absolutely no denying the fact that - along with Burton's expectedly loopy sense of style and Danny Elfman's quirky score - it's Depp who keeps things interesting throughout, if only to see what he'll say or do next.
out of
Corpse Bride
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (December 20/07)
Based on Stephen Sondheim's 1979 musical, Sweeney Todd casts Johnny Depp as Benjamin Barker - a barber whose efforts at exacting revenge against those who wronged him are sidetracked by his participation in a profitable (and grisly) meat-pie business with neighbor Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter). While there's certainly no shortage of positive attributes within Sweeney Todd - including Tim Burton's expectedly grandiose directorial choices and Depp's wonderfully entertaining performance - the film suffers from a relentless emphasis on bland, thoroughly forgettable musical numbers whose sameness inevitably lends the proceedings a distinctly oppressive quality. And although there are a few admittedly memorable songs sprinkled here and there - ie "My Friends," Barker's bizarre ode to his knives, and a touching ballad entitled "Johanna" - the movie primarily comes off as a strangely interior piece of work that seems to transpire primarily within the confines of one tiny room. That the running time has been padded out with a whole host of superfluous subplots and supporting characters certainly doesn't help matters, with the would-be romance between Barker's daughter and a scrappy young sailor clearly the most obvious example of this. The end result is a film that's sporadically intriguing but mostly dull, which is undoubtedly the last thing one would expect from a filmmaker with as flawless a track record as Burton.
