# Oh, Tim Burton...



## ilyti (Oct 10, 2012)

So I saw Frankenweenie. I expected it to be pretty good, based on what reviews I'd read. But it was basically a kid's movie, and way, way Disneyfied. I figured it would be a kiddie goth version of Old Yeller or something, trying to teach kids about coming to terms with the death of a pet. In case anyone is interested in seeing it, I'm putting spoilers in grey text: The dog get's reanimated, it does some heroic things, he dies while trying to save his owner, and you expect that THIS time they'll allow the animal to die. But no, they resurrect it with several car batteries. And the kid's parents were actually angry before when they found out about his experiment. 

(Edit, well that grey text thing didn't work...)

So I kinda liked it while I was watching it, but the ending ruined the whole thing. Basically there was no moral of this story, and none of the characters are different at the end because of anything that happened. I feel like a chump for having paid to see this, even on cheap Tuesday at the theatre. Also, those 3D glasses are a pain in the ass, because they don't fit comfortably on top of my actual glasses.

tl;dr - Tim Burton is making "just OK" movies now. This one had SO much more potential, but since he sold out to Disney none of his movies have any meaning.


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## MaxOfMetal (Oct 10, 2012)

I can't say I enjoyed anything Burton has done in almost the last decade. Just downhill from Big Fish on. I think he needs to take a hiatus, or try to do something way outside his creepy comfort zone.

I wonder how close the movies is to the short from 1984 of the same name from Burton.


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## ilyti (Oct 10, 2012)

^ I wonder that too. 

Big Fish was pretty good, but the last one he did that I liked was Sweeney Todd. After that it just got really lame. I think it's because he had kids, and wants to make movies that are more appropriate for them. I acutally had high hopes for the Alice in Wonderland remake, but was waaaay disappointed in that too. Similarly too Disneyfied.


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## MaxOfMetal (Oct 10, 2012)

I wanted to like Sweeny Todd and Corpse Bride, but just couldn't. Neither really held my attention, but they weren't totally bad. Now 9, that was a turd. While I wasn't a huge fan of the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory remake, I didn't think it was as bad as some made it out to be. 

I still think Burton is a great producer and director, it's his writing that seems to have lost its juice.


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## MFB (Oct 11, 2012)

Really? I loved his version of Sweeney Todd and find Corpse Bride more entertaining than Nightmare Before Christmas but that's been tainted in my mind since the fucking Hot Topic kids made it their "hip" thing to appreciate so I might be bias in that assumption. I remember seeing 9 and actually found it pretty moving at the time. Haven't seen it since but I did like it at least once 

Never saw the Charlie and The Chocolate Factory since I couldn't deal with the re-imagining. I'm sure it's great and all but Depp looks fucking creepy as Wonka and I've seen the Wilder one so many times that it's hard to picture it as anyone else.


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## petereanima (Oct 11, 2012)

Dude, we have a spoiler-tag...that grey thing is still readable at first sight, and even more catches the eye when one enters the thread. :-/


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## SenorDingDong (Oct 11, 2012)

I've enjoyed almost all of Burton's work. That being said, many of the things he comes out with seem like rehashes of things he's been doing for the past 10+ years. 

I've yet to see _Frankenweenie_ but it _is_ a Disney movie, hence the Disney feel. 

But I agree; his movies are a long shot from the _Edward Scissorhands_ days when he actually made you feel, on top of creating a creepy atmosphere.


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## Randy (Oct 11, 2012)

Tim Burton needs to try something new, like cast Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter as pale outsiders in a quirky dark comedy.


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## vampiregenocide (Oct 11, 2012)

Randy said:


> Tim Burton needs to try something new, like cast Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter as pale outsiders in a quirky dark comedy.



Oh Randy I love you.


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## SenorDingDong (Oct 11, 2012)

Randy said:


> Tim Burton needs to try something new, like cast Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter as pale outsiders in a quirky dark comedy.






EDIT: On topic, this was actually my status on FB earlier this year, and it apparently got turned in to a meme and posted by 234324 people on Twitter:


Tim Burton should just make a movie called "Johnny Depp." Plot twist; Johnny Depp is played by Helena Bonham Carter


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## DrakkarTyrannis (Oct 11, 2012)

You ARE aware this is a remake of a Disney short film that was around in the 80s right? 

For those who remember and want to reminisce it's on youtube


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## CannibalKiller (Oct 11, 2012)

I love the original, I don't expect this to be very good, more of a fun thing you watch once.


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## MaxOfMetal (Oct 11, 2012)

DrakkarTyrannis said:


> You ARE aware this is a remake of a Disney short film that was around in the 80s right?
> 
> For those who remember and want to reminisce it's on youtube



The original was still both written and directed by Burton. 

Worth mention as well is that Disney fired Burton over this back in the 80's.


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## Xaios (Oct 11, 2012)

Randy said:


> Tim Burton needs to try something new, like cast Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter as pale outsiders in a quirky dark comedy.


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## ilyti (Oct 12, 2012)

petereanima said:


> Dude, we have a spoiler-tag...that grey thing is still readable at first sight, and even more catches the eye when one enters the thread. :-/



Yeah, sorry, I've never used the spoiler tags before so I didn't know how to do it. Still don't.

And yeah, I knew this was a Disney film, and of course it would "feel" like a Disney film. It was disappointing, and I just felt like venting. I guess I shouldn't have expected it to be different.


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## MFB (Oct 12, 2012)

Uh, spoiler tags are pretty self-explanatory and work much like other tags on the site? It's


Spoiler



and the close tag has a /spoiler in brackets following the sentence you want in spoilers.


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## ilyti (Oct 16, 2012)

Thanks, I'll know that in the future. I can't edit that post now though, unfortunately.

It's still not that self explanitory, if there isn't a button I can click to do it automatically.


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## SenorDingDong (Oct 17, 2012)

ilyti said:


> Thanks, I'll know that in the future. I can't edit that post now though, unfortunately.
> 
> It's still not that self explanitory, if there isn't a button I can click to do it automatically.



To be fair, it took me a bit of time to figure out how to use them as well


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## CannibalKiller (Oct 17, 2012)

Spoiler



Is this how you use spoiler tags?


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## wankerness (Oct 21, 2012)

I grew up with the original (there was some VHS of it that I was given when I was about 6) and have heard mostly good things about this, I think I would like it. Especially cause there's supposedly a Gamera reference. The original was really fun, I think. I haven't seen it in about 10 years. It starred that kid from The Neverending Story and his parents were Daniel Stern and Shelly Duvall iirc. The best was the old fat lady neighbor screaming HE TRIED TO EAT MY RAYMOND!!!!

I think Tim Burton has been alternating doing things he likes with doing commercial stuff for a long time now, I'd say since the Batman movies. I hated his Batman movies, by the way, I don't get why they have some reputation as being dark or well-made, they're barely less clowny and incoherent than the Joel Schumacher ones. 

His movies were always hit and miss. My favorite movies of his are Pee Wee's Big Adventure (#1 by a mile), Ed Wood (I think this is his best movie by far quality-wise), Edward Scissorhands, and Sweeney Todd. I think the Sweeney Todd movie was really great, mainly just cause the music was so good. I liked the style of it too though and thought the leads did a pretty darn good job considering they aren't real singers.

His main filmography:

Pee Wee's Big Adventure - Hilarious, I love it, I'm a pee wee fan though.
Beetlejuice - I never really liked this one, I know everyone else seems to love it.
Batman - Terrible, dunno why it has a good rep, I think solely because of Jack Nicholson chewing the scenery.
Edward Scissorhands - I love it but that's probably cause it really resonated with me when I was an emo 15 year old and I'm blinded by nostalgia.
Batman Returns - Even worse than Batman.
Ed Wood - Brilliant movie, probably the best movie about the creative process this side of Amadeus. Even better if you've seen Glen or Glenda, Plan 9 and Bride of the Monster.
Mars Attacks - I never liked this either even though it seemed right up my alley. I haven't seen it in a long time though, I might like it now.
Sleepy Hollow - I barely even remember this, just that I was surprised by how gory it was. I doubt it was very good if that's all I remember.
Planet of the Apes - Not good, not even better than most of the original sequels.
Big Fish - I liked it.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - I saw it in the theater and remember being amused by some things and liking the adherence to the book but still not thinking it was nearly as good as the original movie. The songs were completely unmemorable.
Corpse Bride - I like this a lot, much more than Nightmare Before Christmas. It's a very good kid's movie imo.
Sweeney Todd - Already been over this, I think it's great.
Alice in Wonderland - Not very good, but some of the character designs are amusingly disturbing. Crispin Glover and the queen in particular.
Dark Shadows - This was clearly the personal movie after Alice being the commercial one, and it shows. It's a total mess but the first 2/3 of it is actually pretty funny imo. It just devolves into a straightforward special effects movie in the last act. It's certainly not a good movie but I sorta liked it.

Then Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach seem to get labelled Tim Burton movies a lot, even though he didn't direct them, I think the former is pretty good (that song about sandy claws is classic) and the latter is also pretty good but I don't remember it very well.


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## MFB (Oct 22, 2012)

^ No love for Beetlejuice?! 

I only really "like" 4 of his movies: Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd. The rest I stay away from, specifically C&tCF


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## Dan_Vacant (Oct 22, 2012)

Spoiler



test.


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## Dan_Vacant (Oct 22, 2012)

Spoiler



I want to make all my post like this now.


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## wankerness (Oct 22, 2012)

MFB said:


> ^ No love for Beetlejuice?!



I don't know if I've ever seen it from beginning to end. I've seen bits and pieces of it on TV tons of times and am always just annoyed by Michael Keaton in general and Winona Ryder's dance routine specifically. I haven't really given it a fair chance but I think I've seen so many parts of it so many times that it's pretty well ruined for me by now.


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## engage757 (Oct 22, 2012)

Dark Shadows was entertaining.


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## iRaiseTheDead (Oct 23, 2012)

engage757 said:


> Dark Shadows was entertaining.



Still have yet to see it


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## highlordmugfug (Oct 23, 2012)

Dan_Vacant said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> I want to make all my post like this now.





Spoiler



That's just asking for an ass kicking.





I haven't seen frankenweenie or dark shadows yet. Not sure if I'm really all that interested in either of them really...


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