Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Did you notice I didn't say his name three times in the last review? This ain't my first rodeo.

Okay then! I really don't know where to start with this honestly. When I first heard news of getting Beetlejuice 2 I wasn't fist pumping in victory or groaning in defeat, I was more curious if anything to see it and now that I finally have I am pretty happy to have watched it. It's a busy movie that almost makes the first one seem tame as we catch up with the Deetz' as Charles passes away, we get introduced to Lydia's daughter Astrid, and Mr. Juice is making moves in the world of the living to keep away from his psycho ex-wife. Shit happens. I am thrilled that it undoubtedly is a movie that just kinda does it's own thing, the nods and callbacks are there but there is way more new stuff to where it's not nostalgia shipping, it's very much a take it or leave it film and is unapologetic in how it tells the story. I respect such films. It was a lot of fun to see Michael, Winona, and Catherine back prominently and they haven't lost their edge. First bloody words out of Lydia and I was like damn she's still got it, and to see her very much having a midlife crisis with so much that has happened before and during this movie is understandable and it makes sense having her as the protagonist. Catherine O'Hara I feel is even funnier than the first, still a drama queen but a queen nonetheless! And well I'm a fucking mark for Michael Keaton and I sure as hell ain't gonna bash him here, they go more out there with Beetlejuice than even I thought possible but he pulls it off with a lot of humor and personality. All the new additions are equally welcome in my opinion, Jenna Ortega is a good balance playing a straightforward no bullshit teenager thrown in the mix of all this paranormal nonsense and I liked her avenue through the story. Justin Theroux is an oddball in this movie but may kinda sorta possibly be the funniest character in the movie, I dare say it's campy but not at all in a negative light. I honestly forgot Willem Dafoe was in this and though it's a bit part undoubtedly, the amount of character and this offshoot in the world of the dead was a nice surprise. I do however give just a teeny bit of good grief to this movie, Monica Belluci babe you need a better agent. I'm always so thrilled to see her in movies and then she's there for like 10 minutes and I'm just adoring the design of her character Delores and just wanted more. I'm not saying...cause that would be weird, but I'm just saying even stapled together the woman is a work of art. Moving swiftly on! The production design hasn't lost it's touch and is able to do much more with modern filmmaking, just to see more of the town in that exquisite fall atmosphere needless to say made me a happy camper! The humor hit more often than not from chuckles to wheezing guffaws even if it got weird at times. Though side note, maaaan this movie is gruesome when it wants to be like you wouldn't think this movie would have a fair share of blood and gnarly ass effects but you see blood spurts, exposed brains a plenty, and inventive background deceased characters that kinda wowed me. It's an odd sequel to an odd movie but entertaining regardless and I think even if you're a hardcore fan or just a casual moviegoer you can dig it. I give it 3 stars, 8/10, and with a title like that it's no mystery we are getting a third. Never thought this would be a trilogy but life can surprise you more often than you think.

And this is gonna be the start of a brief detour for me for the next few weeks, but I shall return before the end of September as always. It really is the deadest month for films, until then keep it real.

Beetlejuice

What the hell have I been doing for the past 9 years?? It worked out in the end but Christ!

I would have bet any amount of money I already reviewed Beetlejuice in the past, shit I've watched the movie several times since this shindig has started but never wrote a review. So how on earth do I sum up the plot of Beetlejuice? It's rather involved and has variety if nothing else. Centered around an everyday normal couple Barbara and Adam whose lives are cut short soon find themselves having to acclimate to the world of the afterlife, taking up haunting their house as new residents arrive but with no avail as a young girl takes a liking to their strange and unusual company. Enter our eponymous character as a proclaimed bio-exorcist who aids or more rather terrorizes both parties, leading to them trying to get the metaphorical genie back in the bottle. I haven't the foggiest idea how or why I got this tape before I even hit maybe even double digits so I've been a fan of this movie for quite some time, it was easy enough to roll with and it made me laugh. No friggin' clue either how Tim Burton got anyone to sign off on this or even sell it but it was a pretty big hit in 1988 and clearly has left an impact on pop culture in the 36 years since. The imagination of the world and the creativity to make that world real truly must be applauded, I wish I was that creative to come up with some of the imagery seen here. From waiting rooms of various deceased people, to sand worms on Saturn, to a spontaneous calypso dance performance it's kind of a marvel how unforgettable this movie is. But I think I can narrow it down to why, there just isn't anything else like it. I really love the cast here, with a script this broad the actors are that tether to grounding it so it isn't utter madness from start to finish. Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin are a really cute couple who navigate through the comedy and scares seamlessly, and you do want the best outcome for them. Winona Ryder as Lydia has become a cornerstone of goth culture and weird girls globally but she actually plays it pretty straight and humble, she's got some teenage attitude but is very likeable and is a breath of fresh air to see a more positive interaction with ghosts. And of course now comes the part where we get to talk about Michael Keaton and holy cow do I wish him and Tim made a lot more movies together! He really is one hell of a versatile actor and can somehow take this wise ass, slobbish, and pretty perverted character yet still make him enjoyable to watch! By all accounts we should despise this guy but iconic, quotable, and hilarious are the words that spring to mind when I see him. Shoutout also of course to Catherine, Jeffrey, and Glenn who fit just right in this movie and help make it better than it already was. The production design and special effects are half the fun of the film in my opinion mixing the mundane with the marvellously macabre, it just covers all the bases. Visually striking sets, prosthetics, creature effects with costumes and stop motion, it's a home run in that department. The score by Danny Elfman strikes that mischievous and eerie quality, not my favorite soundtrack of his filmography but a very good one nevertheless. It's just an entertaining and very funny movie, not in an overtly comedic way where they set stuff up for a joke a minute it's more natural in the dialogue, but hey it certainly works for me. I wish I could say it works for everyone, I won't divulge the name of the hapless dipshit who made the equation of weird=bad in their final thoughts on this film but I burned the bridge with them on it and never looked back. This is a great, odd, funny movie that hasn't lost a smidge of it's luster in the 20 years I have viewed it. 4 stars, 8/10, and boy howdy let me tell you I never thought the day would come where a sequel would be made so stay tuned for that!

Charlie And The Chocolate Factory

I think there's a reason I haven't watched this since 2005.

I mean, it's not bad. It really isn't, it just didn't do anything for me. Now I watched it a fair bit when I was like 10, though I speak from experience when I say not to watch it when you're sick and you got a fever and your brain feels all mixed and scrambled, but it's good to compare notes on with the Gene Wilder film. Same basic story with a few alterations, imaginings, and some delvings in Wonka's past to make it indeed a film of it's own and not a straight up remake. I feel Tim Burton is a rock solid choice for the film because you know he's a visual director with a distinct style and can give such a wild and weird look once you're in the factory and I feel he somewhat delivers but I also feel it's one of his more "normal" looking films like Edward Scissorhands. Johnny Depp I love you man, you are a very talented performer, and I ain't got a clue why you're here. Not that it's bad writing or a poor performance, I think I fully understand the angle they were working, it's a reclusive guy who's headspace is still very much childlike and immature with a dose of parental trauma I understand that part, but it ain't fully realized. He's just kinda out there, spacey, awkward, very much in his little world, and for lack of a better term alien. There was one moment where I feel he got it, captured a spark of Gene Wilder, when he was trying to unlock the gate so Veruca could be saved, that was rich! Charlie ain't much better, unbelievably categorized in that nice kid mold with barely a lick of personality though I'm happy Freddie kept acting and has gotten good stuff since. The kids are a bit meaner which I rather like cause that's incredibly believable for children, and they still are as one dimensional as the characters in the 70s version so that's a small improvement. Major props to Deep Roy who had to play every single Oompa Loompa on camera, that is commitment and he got paid accordingly as well for all his work. I'm rather split on the musical cues because it's not a musical per se as the previous film, we only get the what I like to call the comeuppnace songs after each kid gets bumped off, it's a neat touch that each song focuses on a decade of music from the 50s to the 80s (not in that particular order) but the songs are kinda ehhh. I rather enjoy Danny Elfman's music, both in cinema and in his band Oingo Boingo, but this is his lowest for me on the ranking of his film scores. It's not all negatives of course, but hey man people have their preferences. The movie did a decent job getting a few really good laughs out of me, the set design goes from mundane to beautifully realized, any screen time with Christopher Lee is a win, the kid actors were good with the material they had, to hear Geoffrey Holden as the narrator was a real treat for me, and I even appreciated the House Of Wax nod that Tim slipped in there. It's okay, I can take it or leave it, but who says it can't work for someone? As for the upcoming Wonka...oh my God I am so perplexed as to how this will go. It seems to be appropriately out there just in the overall movie landscape of 2023. Full blown musical dance numbers and all, the tone feels light and leaning towards über cutesy to where you could get the diabeetus from watching it, it is unashamedly different in it's style and tone, all I'm hoping for is a good movie but I have a sneaking suspicion it'll be the bridgehead of quality between Charlie and Willy Wonka. Final scores, 2.5 stars, 5.5/10, and here's hoping for Friday.

Wednesday

Can you believe I was gonna originally post this on Monday? My senile ass is losing it.




It was a friggin' treat watching this series. I mean obviously from the offset it had my attention, a Wednesday Addams show by Tim Burton, very much in my wheelhouse. And what I got was thankfully far and away from my reservations and fears, cause when that trailer hit I was like, okay guys...you're on the knife's edge of being a CW show please be careful. It played it's cards just right. So our story involves young Wednesday Addams having to transfer to a new school where fairly immediately a mystery pops up that she's hell bent on solving, taking us over the course of eight 45 minute episodes of humor, twists, intrigue, and more than plenty morbid dialogue. And I truly must admit, during that first episode I was teetering on the fence, I saw a lot that won me over but some stuff was holding me back, but then I took a good few paces back and looked at it. The Addams Family just simply has not had a show like this, it's digging into new grounds and therefore has the right to make it's own adaptation. It's own world, characters, dilemmas, and choices. Once I remembered that, at the 20 minute mark I was all in. I am saying it. I am not taking it back. Jenna Ortega, best Wednesday. Because she takes the core baseline of Christina Ricci's Wednesday and expounds upon it immensely, hilariously grim, highly inquisitive, more blunt than a dull knife, and endlessly entertaining. I cannot express this enough, she is flawless. I thought her bubbly roomate Enid was gonna grind my gears, nope! Cute as a button, bless her heart, she's great fun and that lovely cheery balance to a child filled with woe. Pretty great to see Gwendoline Christie again, Christ she is difficult in this show though but I understand that's the point, this hardheaded principal who holds much annoyance with Wednesday and is a hurdle for her to get across. The semi-love triangle thing I could have lived without, but Hunter Doohan and Percy Hynes White did do very well and were nice characters for Wednesday to bounce off of. When I heard Catherine Zeta Jones was Morticia I could picture that incredibly well and I will admit there is one scene with her and like duuude, her acting sent a blade of ice straight through my heart. Like a chill ran through me for just the briefest of instances so color me impressed. I very foolishly held reservations with Luis Guzman as Gomez and it took exactly 3 seconds of him serenading Morticia with a Buddy Holly song and I was sold. Needed more Lurch though. Bastards. And of course, we actually get Christina Ricci in this show, and she is sooo not a cute little cameo, and then bye we never see her again. She is in every episode! Thank you for that showrunners I loved seeing her. Obviously no spoilers of even a miniscule kind, but it will be super interesting to rewatch this season I mean that's how great mysteries stand the test of time, on repeat viewings do you still get something out of it? I felt it was a very competent and interestingly woven mystery of murders and monsters, I had some theories which were wrong but I pulled a Hail Mary theory throw and it by God stuck and it was the big secret reveal. Totally didn't have any back up evidence, I just got lucky as shit. Major props to the writers though for this dialogue, it really was everything I expected and more, completely what I loved, I was laughing consistently and strongly throughout. Also brownie points for totally just pulling the rug out at certain tropes, good ol' subverting expectations! Ooh there's this secret society in the school, found out about it early on and quickly moved on. Oh there's this rivalry between Wednesday and a more popular girl Bianca, they sort it out halfway through the show and work together. But there's this weird guy who was trying to off Wednesday and fortells of her doom, he gets sliced stone dead nowhere near the end of the show. I friggin' love that man! Anything but predictable. This is the way. Teeny tiny little note, the music choices though incredibly rare throughout, there is some good stuff right there buddy boy. Seeing Wednesday craned over her cello, belting out Paint It Black by The Rolling Stones, I genuinely believe I saw musical genius for the first time in my life. Hearing this downbeat, orchestral, almost dirge like rendition of Nothing Else Matters by Metallica is easily the best damn song in the show. Holy batshit that was fuggin' goooood! Even just the regular score music is mighty good, enriching and contributing to the gothic architecture, the bleak atmosphere, the cool dark colors, yet is still photographed exceptionally well. It never is too dark, or murky, or flat they knew what the hell they were doing. I'm serious man, I didn't hold high expectations by a country mile but I was incredibly entertained and fully recommend this series to anyone with even the most passing of interests in The Addams Family. Rightfully different from other adaptations, so damn funny, engaging to watch, and gold stars for our main cast. I was kinda hoping this would be a mini-series but it appears season two is at least alluded to, but hey I like this environment and Jenna in this role so screw it, I'm there. 4 stars, 8/10, and now comes the part where we shift from mysterious and spooky, to merry and bright. The cold touch of death beckons, sweet oblivion open your arms!!

Dumbo

I don't get the hate.

You would have thought Dumbo personally butchered people's inner child with how much bad word of mouth this movie got. Now I will freely admit, I never watched Dumbo as a kid. I owned the VHS tape but I never watched it. So is that why I'm not shrieking betrayal from the highest mountain into the lowest valley?? I saw a decent cute kids movie. I only had two major problems with the movie which we will get to, so the movie follows a travelling circus who just got an elephant and before long she has a kid, a cute little pachyderm named Dumbo with adult sized ears. Two kids form a connection with Dumbo while their dad has returned from World War 1 and readjusting to circus life. Some stuff happens and sadly Dumbo is seperated from his mother and forced into the circus as a flying elephant. The press attracts an amusement park owner played by Michael Keaton who takes on the whole circus as his employees and wants Dumbo as the main attraction. More stuff happens which lets us meet more new characters including a trapeze artist named Colette played by the practically perfect in every way Eva Green before they find Dumbo's momma and plan to free both of them. It's a decent movie, it's not insulting to your intelligence or panders to the really young kids out there, it just shows a story about a flying elephant. I feel bad I can't compare notes on new and old, but it's worth a rental in the future. Colin Farrell is a decent lead, Eva Green is wonderful as always, Michael Keaton hits an almost Christopher Walken level of acting where you're not too sure what he's doing but he's so damn entertaining you don't mind and he is the best part of the movie, the kids are okay. I take that back, one of the kids is okay, the young boy does okay but the girl....I don't want to bash on her but she does not act. She's supposed to be a scientific orientated character but that doesn't mean you're a Vulcan! She has one face and it never changes even when she sees an elephant fly before her little eyes! It's like watching a doll act, black eyes, lifeless eyes. I mean I'm not trying to be an asshole but we have movies and entire critically acclaimed series with all kid leads and they do pretty dang good. I just don't understand. I am severely disappointed at the handling of the Pink Elephants, I was expecting a real experimental, crazy, Tim Burton style musical number but they don't do anything with it. I saw this movie for two reasons, Michael Keaton and the Pink Elephants. You delivered on one but failed on the other. But beyond that it's fine. Dumbo's cute and seeing him fly is really cool to see, and I didn't walk out of the theater in a ball of hate and betrayal. Somehow I knew this would happen. Fair warning though if you aren't a clown fan, I am because clowns are very entertaining and fun, they have a presence. It's not overwhelming but you know if they scare you, steer clear. I give it a thumbs up. Worse than Beauty & The Beast my foot, did you see that movie? Ugh, I'm disgusted just thinking about it. Give it a try when it hits video and I will see you Friday for the next DC superhero movie!

Pee-Wee's Big Adventure

And so comes the end of another week of movies, with arguably the best one of them all. Needless to say this is the most colorful and funny of all Tim Burton's movies...

I love this movie. I've seen it countless times and my enjoyment has never diminished over the years. And it does kinda break my heart that while the movie was succesful, it's still not a household name like the others we talked about. That's an incredible shame cause this is not only one of Tim Burton's finest movies, it would be top 5 in his filmography for me easily but it's a great movie that is hilarious, has memorable characters, a fun story, and one hell of a climax. If memory serves, this was the first Pee-Wee Herman movie before even the tv series hit the airwaves which just shows that this is the movie that started it all. So what causes the eponymous big adventure to this movie? Well Pee-Wee is living his normal life, or as normal as you can get when you are Pee-Wee when he loses his beloved bike and becomes obsessed with hunting it down leading him to meet a whole slew of fun characters all the way to San Antonio, where honestly I feel the filmmakers got this city right. You come for The Alamo and then leave. Before a grand chase through the Warner Bros. backlot where he finally retrieves his bike. Where to begin with a movie as crazy, and fun, and memorable as this? Well the characters are great, Paul Reubens is of course on top form in this movie, easily being the best part but the supporting cast is excellent too. That's Elizabeth Daily as Dottie, better known as the voice of Tommy from Rugrats and Buttercup from The Powepuff Girls among many, many other credits and I never saw this when I was young but she is awesome in this movie! I never fully appreciated her character, and now she's the greatest gal ever and yes I am crushing on her hard. She's a total cutie pie and I will fight you on this. If I had to pick my favorite side scene, which are essentially all just Big Lipped Alligator Moments because I mean come on this is a roadtrip movie, there is going to be lots of those moments.....I wanna say the biker club. Two reasons for that, one obvious and one not so obvious. The song is, unforgettable. And if you know who that woman is that grabs him in the bar, I'm proud of you. This is only the tip of the iceberg as to why this movie is so great, every minute is enjoyable, the humor and the sometimes creepy scenes are all outstanding, I just love this movie and strongly urge you to go see it if you haven't. It's great for kids, it's even more enjoyable for adults in my opinion cause you can appreciate the technicals and little bits of character scattered about, I give this movie the easiest 4 stars in history. Also, I got some weird but awesomely amazing trivia for you. During the big chase through the backlot we encounter a Godzilla set done in true tokusatsu fashion, I mean they got everything right though I do wish Godzilla movies if they were made in America did have full Japanese crew but I digress. This movie came out August 9th, 1985. Guess what came out two weeks later? Godzilla 1985. What the french toast? How did they know?? Granted the scene was not done with the effects found in the Heisei series, but more a Showa production with King Ghidorah flying around and done justice in every aspect of the filming of those movies and their effects, but what a coincidence! That blew my mind when I looked that up! I love being a nerd.

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children

Hooray, I'm back and with a really good movie!

This is easily the best work of Tim Burton I've seen in a good while. Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children is a charming, very well done, and slightly nightmarish film following a young boy named Jake who after years of hearing tales of monsters and a group of peculiar people, actually discovers that shock and surprise, they actually exist. But not all is well, the monsters are on the move again and to protect the children Jake must take up arms just like his grandfather before him. First thing I got to say is, I really enjoyed the tone of this movie. It's very difficult to describe but by God it has an excellent stride in it's story, characters, setting, and dialogue. The casting is so out there it becomes genius, we have Eva Green, Dame Judi Dench, Terence Stamp, and friggin' Samuel L. Jackson! What?? Brilliant! So obviously the major players are great, but how about the kids? I love them. I wish I could adopt them all. They are kind, considerate, some gushing with adorableness, but the movie never lets their peculiarities become the character. They have moments of doubt, sadness, anger, jealousy, and love. You really believe they do exist. I love the setting in this movie from a straight up Edward Scissorhands style suburbia, to the cold and dark shores of Wales, to the eponymous home which is very beautiful and is filled with much character. The soundtrack is beautiful to listen to, combining very creepy yet lovely music which does indeed make me want to track the soundtrack down. I got to say it didn't take much for me to want to see this movie, it wasn't Eva Green, it wasn't a new Tim Burton film, it wasn't even this strange and great looking new film, it took exactly two seconds of a tv spot showing skeletons with weapons, a la Jason And The Argonauts to make me say, yep I'm going to go see this movie and I am so glad I did. It's a very good movie with a quite frankly awesome mythology, characters who I cared about, and although it got nightmarish near the end, I would recommend it to families and children, I think they'll enjoy the world and characters very much like I did and might even enjoy watching it quite often. But we all know it's great just because of Grandpa Zod. Just kidding. Have a great night everybody, see you (hopefully) next week!

Alice Through The Looking Glass

I quite enjoyed this movie. But I must admit I have not read the books in so long, I know it's an adaptation so it differs from the book but for the life of me I can't remember much about Through The Looking Glass, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland I remember much of but the sequel which already most people are not aware of I can't remember hardly a thing. Well now after the longest opening I have ever written, let's continue.

You should see how many notes I've written down, like seriously I have much to discuss in this movie. First thing, the movie takes place a few years after the first with Alice now currently being a ship captain. I am really not kidding about that. She captains a ship, uniform and all, she looks like she just raided Commodore Norrington's uniform from Pirates Of The Carribean and commandered a ship. Ridiculous yes, but pretty awesome. After she returns home she is invited to a party, not unlike that other party in the first one, as she is called to a mirror and is compelled to walk on the other side. Wonderland is here, Ms. Alice. She soon reunites with all her old friends from the first movie and it is a joy to see them again, same actors and all. But all is not well, Hatter is seriously disturbed after reliving the memory of losing his family and asks Alice for help. Side note, Johnny is much more better in this movie. You think he's just going to be weird Johnny Depp in this movie but far from it, there is a lot of sadness in his character and this movie gives great depth to the character through that, accentuated even further by his undying friendship with Alice, it is just so lovely. Alice then pays a visit to Time, played by Sacha Baron Cohen and I know, I know, you think he would be really annoying and miscast in this role but really, he does a very good job. Time himself is not a villain by any means, he's just a man performing his task of keeping time in line, if anything you could argue Alice is the villain in this movie. She steals a device called the chronosphere which keeps all time in balance in Wonderland to try and save Hatter's family. That's the basic plot, but there is much more to discuss. The chronosphere is a time machine but is modeled very much like H.G. Wells' Time Machine and travels across the Sea of Time, which I actually do remember is a part of the book and the Sea is amazing in design. Actually speaking of design, the film is gorgous with warm colors and lovely set design in Wonderland mixed beautifully with Time's palace which is shrouded in darkness with a gothic design, mechanical and cold like a clock itself. Surprisingly the film is not directed by Tim Burton, but produced by him, is it for better or for worse? I leave that up to you, but I really enjoyed the movie as is. Another excellent aspect is it builds upon the world seen in the first movie, you see many more locations and people that you never saw in the first movie, and that is awesome to me! Since the film deals with time travel, it's a bit difficult to not have Doctor Who elements pop into my brain, just how it all plays out works, and the quite frankly lovely message about time near the end is just the cherry on top. Oh my God, and it has the greatest cameo...ever!! I flipped my lid when I saw that friggin' Jim Moriarty from the BBC Sherlock series is the head of a mental institute. I mean is that not perfect casting or what? If you've seen Sherlock you are laughing your ass off right now, and rightfully so. Compared to the first movie, I'd say I enjoy the first more but without a doubt I will buy this movie. I'd love to add it to my collection, and hopefully you enjoy it as much as I did.

And tomorrow to cap off the week, we will time travel ourselves back to 1966 where we will visit two crusaders against crime....

Vincent

This might be my favorite short film of all time.

Vincent Malloy is seven years old, he is a nice boy but he dreams of becoming like Vincent Price. In a mere less than 7 minutes it goes from a charming yet demented tribute to one of Tim Burton's friends and idols to a bizzare and nightmarish short that only Tim could do. It is set entirely in rhyme, which Vincent always does so well, the visuals are freaky and very dark, the music is haunting, it's a magnificent short that you can watch entirely for free, if you merely type 'Vincent short film' into YouTube, watch it with the lights off and tell me what you dream of that night....

Corpse Bride

Think of this as a preview to when I come back....

Corpse Bride is a lovely movie, one of Tim Burton's finest in the field of his animated works. The story follows a young man named Victor who is set to marry a girl named Victoria, but through a serious misunderstanding and pure accident he marries a corpse. Yes, a children's movie with serious necrophilic undertones that is still charming and quite lovely. Go figure. The first thing I gotta say is the animation is excellent, with gothic and german expressionist buildings, great use of color, and wonderful cinematography. It does have a few songs, and they are all good but my favorite song in the movie has no singing in it, it's a simple piano duet but it's just awesome. A clever aspect of the film you will notice very quickly is the use of color. In the land of the living it's almost monochrome in color with shades of blue, while the land of the dead is colorful with vibrant greens, and pinks, and violets. It's mixed very well and states that the land of the living well...sucks. It's drab, it's boring, and colorless but the underworld rocks it's like a party everyday down there, with lots of fun and interesting characters! Character wise it does good, it's not perfect but you can tell they tried, with almost everybody's favorite character being the titular corpse bride, Emily. She's just a sweet, caring, lovely girl, and has a good sense of humor. Obviously she has the most character development and personality in the entire movie, you really latch onto her quick and care about her situation all throughout the movie. And...she deserves to be with Victor! I don't hate Victoria, I really don't! She's a nice, normal girl, I have nothing against her but Emily and Victor just make a better couple. They're a good couple together! You wouldn't think so but you enjoy their relationship and want them to go the distance. Now for the other characters there's not much to say, but there are three in there that are my favorites, we got Michael Gough as an all wise skeleton and how could you go wrong with that? Michael Gough is awesome. Then we have Christopher Lee as a priest, it's a short role but he still commands such a presence. And last but not least is a maggot who sounds like Peter Lorre. I'm not on drugs or anything, that exists in the movie. This has always been an enjoyable movie for me because of how much charm and lovely things are in there, plus it has some great dark humor I mean I laugh my ass off at parts, it's kind of hard not to. All together, it's a lovely little movie well worth a look if you have the time.

Well that's it for today. Tune in tomorrow for a different and unexpected damn good movie.

Batman Returns

This is a...bad movie? All throughout my years of living, people say it's not a good film. At best it's a guilty pleasure, and I love this movie!

Maybe I'm one sick, dark, freaky bastard but I love this movie! It's a friggin' awesome Batman movie and it was the third Batman film I ever saw and I was, I'd say about 4 years old when I saw it. And it didn't scare me except for one part near the end, and the very sexual potrayal of Catwoman didn't phase me at all. I wouldn't say it is a superior succesor to the first Batman film, but still a really good sequel. Major props to the casting department in this movie! Obviously we got Michael Keaton (Yay!) and Michael Gough back, but sheer genius casting when it comes to Michelle Pfeiffer and Danny DeVito. Could not pick anyone better to play Catwoman and the Penguin, I don't know why it just seems like they were born to play these roles. Oh, and how could I forget? We got Christopher Walken in this movie too! Just as awesome as ever, and he's in the movie quite a bit too. You could tell Tim Burton had absolute free reign and could do whatever he wanted with this movie, it has his signature brand of bizzare and darkness with a backdrop of Christmas in Gotham that surprisingly fits well with it all. I just love the thought of Gotham during winter, this gothic city covered in snow and it seems lovely to me. The music done once again by Danny Elfman is great, and has that creepy Christmas thing going on very much like in Nightmare Before Christmas but still it's own original score. Now I have no doubts that this is indeed a very dark, very adult film even though I viewed it at such a young age. The plot really shows that in it's scenarios, and it goes like this, it's Christmas time in Gotham and the Dark Knight has his hands full this season. A crime gang in the style of a circus troupe is raiding the city with the Penguin as the leader, but yet he is much more than a one note villain. I greatly admire the sense of humanity they put into his character with him being abandoned by his parents because he was deformed, wants to know where he came from and what his real name is, and be incorporated back into normal society. That's amazing how much character development he has! Meanwhile a corrupt buisness man by the name of Max Shreck tries to help Penguin become part of human society and even get him in office to help further his career. Unfortuantely, he kinda...kills his assistant and she is brought back to life by cats and becomes Catwoman. It happens. So now the Batman has two villains to combat to save the city he loves, while also having a relationship albeit a love-hate relationship with Catwoman. Fantastic, took more source material from the comics, put their own spin on it, and made it genuinely entertaining! Bravo Tim Burton. Seriously how can people hate this movie? It's strange and vastly different from any other comic book movie you have ever seen in your life but it's still good! We get many more badass scenes of the Batmobile and Batman laying some serious beatings on dudes, oh and I didn't bring this up but Keaton's Batman straight up kills people. Not like every single time, but it happens. More so in this movie than the last one, it is scary although amazingly awesome. Like there's this scene where this clown goes kamikaze on Batman and he cuts the bomb off of him and knocks him out, and he sees this big bad mamajama and he tries to punch him, and it doesn't work then he pins a live bomb on him, punches him down a hole, and walks away as the bomb explodes. Sweet Jesus. That was fraking great! Hell yeah! See I told you I was a sick, twisted bastard. But tommorow, we get to THE movie that introduced me to the Batman and made me a fan ever since. Yeah, that movie was my first Batman movie and made me the die hard fan I am today.

Batman (1989)

I'm Batman.

And with those two words, Michael Keaton proved everyone wrong. This was actually not the first Batman movie I ever saw. It was my fourth actually believe it or not, but it is my favorite. Yeah, more so than The Dark Knight! It just screams Batman to me in the comic book sense, I enjoy the fact that comic book films are being realistic but it comes from a medium that is FAR from being realistic. Now obviously this movie was made in 1989 when the Batman comics were very dark and serious, moving away from the Adam West potrayal of the Batman. This is a time period when you know, The Dark Knight Returns and The Killing Joke were examples of the Dark Knight. And it shows in this film. Dark and gothic setting, terrific character acting, an amazing score by Danny Elfman, and the best Batman and Joker in my opinion. I mean, my dear sweet God how do you pick better casting as the Joker than Jack Nicholson? He's been practically playing the role his whole damn life! He is creepy, he is funny, he really does steal the whole show even from Michael Keaton. And he is the best Batman...live action wise. Kevin Conroy has been Batman for over 20 years, and for good reason. But Keaton is THE Batman to me. If I had to guess what Batman would be like, it would be Keaton's potrayal. And most people don't realize he is a comedic actor first and Batman second and his humor shows in the film. He's quirky but he just does a funny and real potrayal of Bruce Wayne. And people petitioned against him! Because they saw him as a comedy actor and nothing else so it made his performance that much greater. Danny Elfman's score is the best Batman soundtrack I have ever heard and I own it, and the Prince songs while very product of the times are fun, and how strange is this? Prince just passed away and I just so happened to have a film with his music in it to review and I planned this long before his unfortunate passing. They're good songs and they work really well with this Joker potrayal. Now plot wise, it's pretty basic but it has a lot of commendable points. The Batman is pretty much an urban myth cracking down on the criminal underworld of Gotham City while avoiding arrest by the Gotham City Police. During one of his nightly patrols, he knocks a gangster into a vat of chemicals giving birth to the Joker who soon declares war on the Dark Knight and starts to terrorize Gotham. And, as the director Tim Burton put it, it's a battle of the freaks. The film has almost too many excellent choices in acting, directing, etc. so I will just give you the absolute best one. And it's why Batman is Batman, and while I praise the discussions in The Dark Knight this sums it up so well in such a short time. Not even 2 minutes. And the reason it works so well is in how Keaton potrays Bruce Wayne, it fits so well to the character. I could talk a good long while about this movie and all the inner workings of what makes it so good but I will merely task you with watching both the 1989 Batman movie and The Dark Knight from 2008. And I will let you criticize both and come to your own conclusions. I'm of a mind to make some mookie, and I'll see you tomorrow.

Alice In Wonderland (2010)

Not a bad way to start February.

I personally enjoy this movie. Not many people do but I liked how they did the story. The story is more or less a sequel to the original Alice In Wonderland with Alice all grown up and rediscovering the dark, psychotic Wonderland all over again. This movie is directed by Tim Burton and I am a big fan of his work and his unique style of how things look works incredibly well in Wonderland. It's dark, it's eerie, even the bright places look mysterious and deranged. It just works perfectly. The cast does a good job too, Mia Wasikowska nailed a all grown up Alice and it shows that her role has matured since she was a young girl wandering around Wonderland, Johnny Depp is a enjoyable Mad Hatter with enough weirdness to keep you guessing and can still be very funny. Everyone else does a good job in the movie, we have Helena Bonham Carter as The Red Queen, Anne Hathaway as The White Queen, Alan Rickman as the Caterpillar, and Stephen Fry as my personal favorite character the Cheshire Cat and many more fun characters to be found in this interesting retelling of Lewis Carroll's novel. I have to say I am looking forward to the sequel Through The Looking Glass, it looks much more beautifully designed and we get all our original actors back which makes me very happy to say the least. All in all, I would only reccomend this particular film if you are a fan of Alice In Wonderland, or Tim Burton. Other than that I leave that up to you. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Most people always argue is this a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie? I say it's a blend of both but at heart it is a Christmas movie, and it may have to do with the little fact that Christmas is in the title!!

The Nightmare Before Christmas is a stellar piece of work created by Tim Burton based off of the story he wrote by the same name. It follows several ghoulish inhabitants of Halloweentown, specifically Jack Skellington who has grown tired of Halloween and is searching for something new. He soon finds several mysterious doors in the woods and stumbles across Christmastown where he is fascinated by everything and decides to make the holiday his own. This is without a doubt a Christmas movie, because Jack discovers Christmas for the first time and delves into why he enjoys it so much and why he wants to make a Halloween themed Christmas. This movie is just awesome, the characters are unforgettable, the animation is amazing, I don't even have to touch on the music by Danny Elfman since almost everybody has heard it and enjoys it. Hell I could sing the whole thing right now, I am that much of a fan of this movie. It's a wonderful movie and I always watch it around Christmas time, it resonates with you because of the characters and attempting to dissect and understand Christmas and the film succeeds incredibly so at that. If you haven't seen it I strongly suggest you do so. And ironically, this is a Christmas movie you watch when you want something different from other Christmas movies, very much like Jack who wants something new and different besides ordinary Halloween things. That is a sign of how good a movie is when it can connect with audiences without them even seeing it. Give it a watch, and have fun making Christmas.

Ed Wood

One of my favorite movies of all time is also one of the best movies, not only of all time but also about making movies.



Ed Wood is one of those movies that really sticks with you for the rest of your life. It's the story of the so-called "Worst Director Of All Time", chronicling the making of three of his most famous or infamous movies. This film was directed by Tim Burton, it's shot gorgeously in black and white with a few odes to German Expressionism and a bit of Film Noir, and it has an ensemble cast leaded by Johnny Depp. This is easily one of Johnny Depp's greatest performances, playing a humble film director who has an enormous passion for movies and storytelling and his enthusiasm bleeds through the screen so much so that you get excited and happy for him when things go good for him. This film has so many stars in it. We have Martin Landau playing Bela Lugosi so perfectly that you actually forget that he's not really Bela Lugosi and he totally deserved the Academy award for "Best Supporting Actor", and if you're a big horror movie fan and Bela Lugosi fan you will not be disappointed. We have Sarah Jessica Parker as Ed Wood's girlfriend who is a bitch in this movie, she's horrible to poor Ed! But then he meets Patricia Arquette's character who is this absolute sweetheart, that Ed gets married to. Bill Murray plays Ed's best friend and he is absolutely hilarious because that's what Bill Murray does! We have a menagerie of actors who play the faithful crew of Ed Wood who are fantastic. So the entire cast is brilliantly chosen, and the entire production of this film is quite well done and is very accurate to the films Ed Wood made and how they were made behind the scenes. The music by Howard Shore is very unique and the inclusion of the "Finale" from Swan Lake almost brings tears to my eyes every time it plays. The film is very funny, but has serious emotional moments that could really get to you, and even might have a few scenes that can make you cry. It even has a scene where possibly the worst director of all time has a conversation with possibly the greatest director of all time, Orson Welles played by Vincent D'Onofrio and yet is voiced by Maurice LaMarche who also does a Orson Welles impression in Pinky and The Brain, but that's getting off topic. And the conversation they have really has a great message and words of wisdom to filmmakers for generations to come.


Ed Wood is actually my favorite movie about making movies. Yes there are very few movies that are better than Ed Wood about telling a story about how a movie is made, for example American Movie which by some is considered the greatest movie about making movies ever made but Ed Wood is my favorite. If you are a fan of movies and really like movies like American Movie, check out Ed Wood. It is a fantastic movie and just a great story about a director who was considered to be the worst but really was one of the most passionate filmmakers in history.