206 replies to this topic

[Johnny Henning]

Ah - yes, Sweeney Todd was enjoyable. For me, the main thing was that I had seen several very good productions on stage and it seemed less powerful on screen.

Edward Scissorhands is still pretty romantic, but I have to say, it isn't very funny anymore. The comedy feels so out of date - or overdone, maybe - today.

[Chris D]

edward scissorhands is one of the best movies i've ever seen, and i'm not even kidding.

I loved that movie growing up, but it's been many years since I watched it. Mainly because, like Rory, I rewatched several of Burton's films that I liked as a kid and found them to have aged horribly. I'd hate for that to happen with Edward Scissorhands because it was a personal favorite of mine. I've actually not watched a lot of Burton's more recent movies, because his whole style got old for me around Sleepy Hollow. Though I did make the unfortunate mistake of watching Alice in Wonderland (even though I thought it looked awful).

[stephanie familiar]

Ah - yes, Sweeney Todd was enjoyable. For me, the main thing was that I had seen several very good productions on stage and it seemed less powerful on screen.

Edward Scissorhands is still pretty romantic, but I have to say, it isn't very funny anymore. The comedy feels so out of date - or overdone, maybe - today.

it wasn't comedic to begin with.

I loved that movie growing up, but it's been many years since I watched it. Mainly because, like Rory, I rewatched several of Burton's films that I liked as a kid and found them to have aged horribly. I'd hate for that to happen with Edward Scissorhands because it was a personal favorite of mine. I've actually not watched a lot of Burton's more recent movies, because his whole style got old for me around Sleepy Hollow. Though I did make the unfortunate mistake of watching Alice in Wonderland (even though I thought it looked awful).

i'm rather tired of him as well. there's very few of his movies i actually like, but as for them aging horribly, well... a movie made in the 80's is probably going to still look like it was made in the 80's thirty years on. i just so happen to be a fan of that decade though so it doesn't bother me much.

i say watch it again. you know you wanna.

Spoiler

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ps - they always play that movie on the tv at halloween, which makes no sense to me.

[Johnny Henning]

it wasn't comedic to begin with.

It was pretty funny when I saw it. Basically it satirized suburban life and high school romance as it was perceived at the time. That was Burton's basic innovation - to take this deep dark Gothic sensibility and insert it into a bright colorful and superficially banal middle class existence.

It's not completely hilarious, but the contrast was comedic and certainly the story didn't take itself completely seriously. It's the sort of sense of humor and self-awareness the TWILIGHT movies could use.

And I think we'll get a good amount of it in Dark Shadows.

[stephanie familiar]

It was pretty funny when I saw it. Basically it satirized suburban life and high school romance as it was perceived at the time. That was Burton's basic innovation - to take this deep dark Gothic sensibility and insert it into a bright colorful and superficially banal middle class existence.

It's not completely hilarious, but the contrast was comedic and certainly the story didn't take itself completely seriously. It's the sort of sense of humor and self-awareness the TWILIGHT movies could use.

And I think we'll get a good amount of it in Dark Shadows.

kindly do not mention twilight in the same discussion as edward scissorhands.

the setting and the characters in the movie are quirky and bizarre, but i never found them particularly humorous. there are a few amusing moments (i.e. edward trying to eat), but overall i find the movie more sad than anything.

[Chris D]

i'm rather tired of him as well. there's very few of his movies i actually like, but as for them aging horribly, well... a movie made in the 80's is probably going to still look like it was made in the 80's thirty years on. i just so happen to be a fan of that decade though so it doesn't bother me much.

I'm a big fan of the 80s too (although if I want to nit-pick like a douche, Edward Scissorhands was in the early 90s), and I still enjoy a lot of movies from that decade. But something about Burton's movies just didn't hold up in a lot of cases. Like Rory, I tried watching the first Batman movie a few years back and couldn't do it. I find Batman Returns slightly more watchable, but that might just be because I really enjoy Michelle Pfiffer as Catwoman. I don't know, just a lot of his stuff seems to have aged more so than other movies from that time. I mean I can still watch movies like Labyrinth, The Neverending Story, Monster Squad, The Princess Bride (although that one is just timeless, really), and other fantasy type films from back then and still enjoy them. Edward Scissorhands might very well hold up, but I've kind of avoided finding out because I'd be pretty sad if it didn't.

[al-x]

Hello:

Ah, the Matrix sequels...

If only the Wachowski's got together with the philosophy/religion
professor Cornel West and got his input on the subject of free will
and really got into the choices that Neo had and his role as The One.

They could also have cut out those confusing characters and subplots
like that little girl was supposed to be a program (huh, wtf?), limbo, etc.

The stunts and special effects are a given, so what needs to be tightened
up is the storyline, plot, etc. and that is what they did not do.

Shame.


Al...

[Johnny Henning]

Clash of the Titans, Immortals and Wrath of the Titans would all have been better if they had (a) gone a more Whedonesque route with the stories and kept the sense of humor and ridiculousness of the 70's sword and sandal and Harryhausen movies or (b) had gone a bit farther toward grounding the stories in a more comprehensive and complete world. Immortals suggested an interesting take on the Ancient Greek gods and myths, but in the end it was even less interesting than Wrath of the Titans, which shared the same premise.

I just saw Snow White and the Huntsman today. What a turkey. It's impossible to enumerate the entire flaws of that film, but it can be summed up as a neutered Ladyhawke that wants to be a live action Miyazaki movie like Princess Mononoke. The main problem was that other than the fact that no matter what Kristin Stewart's doing, her expression looks like she's trying to orgasm (or having a particularly pleasant bowel movement) - there really was no romance, eroticism or genuine emotion in any part of the film. Except maybe for Charlize Theron's evil witch queen Ravana who convincingly reiterated her disdain and hatred for men every time she appeared on screen, but, at the same time, she said pretty much the same thing every time and you got no real development of the character - which was true of all the characters.

However, I will say that it would have been better had it actually been more like a live-action Miyazaki movie rather than simply took elements and threw them in randomly and unconvincingly.

Finally, I have to say that BATTLEFIELD EARTH, surprisingly, is not beyond redemption. The fundamental concept is sound - basically, aliens take over the world and treat it the way we would if we colonized and/or invaded another planet. Only, instead of seeing the human race as the indigenous "civilization" of the Earth - they just see us as another species of animal to be exploited the way we exploit animals any way we want today.

Essentially, it could've been a modern day counterpart to the original Planet of the Apes. In fact, Jonnie, the human who is evolved and then rebels against the invading, corporate Psyklons, could've been a lot like the ape Caesar in the recent Rise of the Apes.

I mean - and I don't think I'm exaggerating too much - like Verhoeven's STARSHIP TROOPERS did with Heinlein's original and BLADE RUNNER did with Dick's source novel, if a screenwriter and filmmaker with some skill and talent had basically betrayed the essentials of the book and just run wild with the basic concept, I think Battlefield: Earth could have been one of the most original and interesting Science Fiction movies ever made rather than one of the worst movies of any kind to actually get a theatrical release.

[harrie2008]

any film with vinnie jones in would be better if he wasn't..

i hate that guy..

[HowardAshton]

I'm a rather massive fan of Tim Burton, I very much enjoyed Dark Shadows, even if nobody else did. Edward Scizzorhands is by far his best work for me, I think it's a brilliant film, I really do love it. However, it would have been a better movie if they'd got better old lady make-up for Winnona Ryder, other than that it's perfect.

[harrie2008]

im a big burton fan but havent seen dark shadows yet, friends tell me its very quirky and very 'tim burton'. so im looking forward to it

[Christian U]

I'm a rather massive fan of Tim Burton, I very much enjoyed Dark Shadows, even if nobody else did.

If I remember the stuff people said here correctly, it seems like most did enjoy Dark Shadows.

[al-x]

Hello:

The Jurassic Park movies were OK... If they had
more of a screenplay and plot to them, they would
have been more enjoyable. The first one was all
right but it was the special effects and novelty that
made up for a lot.

I think the novelty has all worn off. We get it now.

But if there must be a next one, I suggest play up
the action between the human visitors and dinosaurs
and that should have the nail biting suspense and
escape scenes.


Al...

[Dave Wallace]

You think they should play up the action between the humans and dinosaurs, and include suspenseful escape scenes? How is that any different to the first three?

[brucegray666]

Dunno about the 2nd and 3rd movies but "suspense and escape scenes" is pretty much exactly what the first JP movie was.

[Dave Wallace]

If anything, I think the second movie has even more suspense - particularly the windscreen-cracking sequence.

It's certainly not a patch on the first movie overall, though.

[steveuk]

The first movie has a lot of chat, exposition and sight seeing. It has great action/suspense sequences as well, the intro with the crate, the T-Rex in the rain and the bit in the kitchen, but there's a lot of walking and talking.

If anything the second film has even more of it! I'm not a huge fan of the film.

The third is more like a slimmed down version of the premise. It really is all about the action and suspense and never mind trying to say anything about technology or science or big business. It's just a rescue movie with dinosaurs.

I like the third one a lot.

[Rory Abel]

The first movie has a lot of chat, exposition and sight seeing. It has great action/suspense sequences as well, the intro with the crate, the T-Rex in the rain and the bit in the kitchen, but there's a lot of walking and talking.

If anything the second film has even more of it! I'm not a huge fan of the film.

The third is more like a slimmed down version of the premise. It really is all about the action and suspense and never mind trying to say anything about technology or science or big business. It's just a rescue movie with dinosaurs.

I like the third one a lot.

The third still has something to say, it's just a much smaller part of the movie. Grant's assistant is the message.

Edited by Rory Abel, 21 June 2012 - 11:19 PM.

[Sanjay]

"This Summer, Jason Statham is the Mahatma in ... Gandhi II: Hindu Avenger!"

My name is Sanjay and I endorse this post.

[al-x]

Hello:

The Back to the Future sequels...

I loved the first one, but the others fell a little flat to me.

Maybe if the Prof and Marty stayed in the future to resolve
some family problem with the kids...

Making Biff out to be more than just a 50's bully didn't quite
do it for me.

The Western movie didn't do it for me either.

I guess not every movie needs to be groundbreaking...


Al...