Film Review: Big Eyes (12A) (U.S.A. 2014) (Director: Tim Burton), Filmhouse, Screen One, Edinburgh, Monday 29.12.2014, 20:35

I was intrigued by this film due to how unburtony the promotional coverage was. Tim Burton is a director I have a lot of time for, though he can be hit 'n' miss. The film tells the true story of Margaret & Walter Keane. At the point of meeting for the first time, Margaret understands Walter to be a fellow artist. After they were married Walter begins to take credit for Margaret's very distinctive work using the rationale that people don't buy female art. By this being a true story, it is predictable from the off that this lands up in court.

The film was a good presentation of how socially in the 1950's and 1960's it was very normal for wives to be dominated by their husbands in the U.S. of A., to the extent of their self identity becoming vastly compromised. 

Amy Adams was very good as someone trying to do the best they can in difficult circumstances. Regrettably Christoph Waltz's character was like a great big slab of ham. I understand that it is possible that this may be a fairly accurate portrayal, though it still felt too heavily acted. 

The film distracts itself for a period, to put over questions about what is art. I feel this unnecessarily complicates the film as is not relevant to the central strong thread to the film, that of someone being denied ownership of their work, work that is also very popular with others despite what art critics may think.  

The film is a good watch, a reasonably well told though flawed yarn, though to me it is not up there with the best of Mr. Burton's work.   

Rating: 07/10. 

Film Review: Frankenweenie (2D) (P.G.) (U.S.A. 2012) (Director: Tim Burton), Wednesday 17.10.2012, 20:30, The Cameo Cinema, Screen One, Edinburgh

I was looking forward to this film due to liking the aesthetic quality of Tim Burton's previous stop-motion animation 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' (1993) and 'The Corpse Bride' (2005), and this did not disappoint. It is the tale of a boy called Victor reanimating his pet dog Sparky with electricity and love. Visually the look of the film and the animation was striking and quite beautiful in a Gothic sort-of-way that you would expect with it being a Burton production. There are elements of homage to Burton's previous films, his childhood and classic horror films, all of which I feel fit well into the film. The imposing physics teacher who inspires Victor's ventures is like a classic horror character in his facial detail and some of Victor's classmates have eyes that make them look like junkies, though details like this fit fine in this distorted world.

The Heath Robinson contraption used to reanimate 'Sparky' is reassuringly quirky and inventive. Victor's fellow classmates get wind of what Victor has managed to do and find their own ways of reanimating creatures, though due to their ventures not being fueled with love, like Victors, they go horribly wrong. Then the town is under attack prompting the necessary panic and rescue. Towards the end it looked as though Sparky may not make it after his efforts to rescue Victor. I had wanted Sparky to die, as don't think endings need to be overly happy. Though Victor had already learned that things don't last forever. Victor had proclaimed that he was okay with Sparky passing as he was alive in his heart, this is what then made me okay with Sparky living. The film is charming, I had a grin on my face for most of it. In terms of animated film, I cannot find fault.

Rating: 10/10.
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2012: Eight Flawless Films To Date In Order Of Release:
Magic Trip (Documentary)
Once Upon A Time In Anatolia (Turkish) 
Goodbye First Love (French)
The Dark Knight Rises
Searching For Sugar Man (Documentary) 
Anna Karenina
Tabu (Portuguese)
Frankenweenie 

Film Review: Beetlejuice (15) (U.S.A. 1988) (Director: Tim Burton), Thursday 13.09.2012, 21:00, The Cameo Cinema, Screen One, Edinburgh

It had been quite a number of years since I had seen this film and there are parts I had not remembered that well. I had always remembered this  film as having been my first proper introduction to the music of Harry Belafonte (Day-O, Jump In The Line), and had always had a soft spot for him from then. What I had not realised is that there are several other Harry Belafonte songs playing quietly in the background throughout the film.

I had also remembered this film being as being the starting point of my adolescent crush on Winona Ryder, though I had remembered her part as being less substantial than it turns out to have been. I am now also sure that it was seeing Winona Ryder vertically levitating while being possessed to have Harry Belafonte's 'Jump In Line' come out of her mouth, while doing dance moves with the ghosts of American Footballers, that sealed my crush. Even now, over twenty years after first seeing it, I find the sight of this very appealing.

The film is very over-the-top, without any sight of restraint. Gina Davis and Alec Baldwin are decent as the newly deceased, and Michael Keaton is the essence of redneck hustler as the exorciser of the living. The film has several laugh out load moments, including when a dog steps off a piece of wood to cause a car to plummet into into the water causing the couple of Gina and Alec to die, though overall the film is more weird than laugh-out-loud funny.  

I had gone to see this as had never seen at the cinema and it is a film that I feel very fond off, due to how it affected me when I was younger and first seeing it. I realise it is difficult for me to have distance from the film to try to be critical of it, due to the connections I am aware of between the film and my recollections of childhood. So I will leave the notes there...

Rating: 08/10.