A review by Brooks Rich
We close out Tim Burton month with a film I imagine a lot of people grew up watching. For a long time this was my favorite film by Burton … one of those “comfort” movies for me. After a completely shit day, I put this or Airplane or Ghostbusters on. Just a movie I adore with every fiber of my being that makes me laugh no matter how many times I see it – kinda takes away whatever was ailing me.
I am going to break the mold a little in how I cover this film for Burton month. I will discuss aspects of Beetlejuice, but I also want to discuss Burton's career as a whole, and why I see him now as a fallen icon. Exploring his work one right after another, especially his work in the eighties and nineties reminded me of why his fall from grace has been so hard.
If you've never seen Beetlejuice, for the love of God, go rent it immediately! It's Burton's funniest movie and in a way his most imaginative. If you asked me to imagine Tim Burton's visual style, Beetlejuice is the first film I think of, whether it's the sandworms or the use of stop motion or Deliah redesigning the house. While I think Sleepy Hollow is the most impressive art direction of Burton's career, this to me is his most iconic art direction.
Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis lead this all star cast and are perfectly likable as the poor recenlyt depart Maitlands. Winona Ryder became the crush of teenage boys everywhere with her performance as Lydia and troubled actor Jeffrey Jones, yeah a creep in real life, is as likable as he can be as her father. Of course the standout human character is Catherine 'o' Hara as Deliah Deetz. This is Catherine 'o' Hara's best performance in my opinion.
The MVP though is Michael Keaton, who is having a ton of fun here and chewing up scenery left and right. Keaton finds the perfect balance between funny and sinister in the role of Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice might be the antagonist, but we can't help but love him. I know Johnny Depp is considered Tim Burton's main acting collaborator, but to me Burton's best acting collaboration is with Keaton because of Beetlejuice and Batman.
So as Tim Burton month comes to a close, I am left with a bittersweet feeling. While I am a Burton fan when it comes to his early work, I think he is not the same director he was when he made films like Beetlejuice and Ed Wood. Big Eyes and Big Fish are exceptions to that, but everything else after Sleepy Hollow range from mediocre to bad, whether it be the underwhelming Dumbo or the downright inexcusable garbage of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
I get the criticism towards Burton and I agree with it to an extent. But I still admire the man’s work. I think he is a wildly imaginative creator who sometimes has a hard time sifting through his own ideas. Too much of his over-the-top stylistic art direction and the film gets ruined, becoming a parody of itself. But he's still the guy who made Beetlejuice, Ed Wood, Batman and Big Fish. Ed Wood and Beetlejuice are masterpieces. Simply said, not just masterpieces in Burton's filmography, I think they are two of the best films ever made.
I always root for Burton when he has a new movie coming out and he has consistently been letting me down. He's lost his way and that's heartbreaking to me. But no matter what his films have become, I will always respect and look up to the man. And now to close out the month, some examples of his artwork below.
We close out Tim Burton month with a film I imagine a lot of people grew up watching. For a long time this was my favorite film by Burton … one of those “comfort” movies for me. After a completely shit day, I put this or Airplane or Ghostbusters on. Just a movie I adore with every fiber of my being that makes me laugh no matter how many times I see it – kinda takes away whatever was ailing me.
I am going to break the mold a little in how I cover this film for Burton month. I will discuss aspects of Beetlejuice, but I also want to discuss Burton's career as a whole, and why I see him now as a fallen icon. Exploring his work one right after another, especially his work in the eighties and nineties reminded me of why his fall from grace has been so hard.
If you've never seen Beetlejuice, for the love of God, go rent it immediately! It's Burton's funniest movie and in a way his most imaginative. If you asked me to imagine Tim Burton's visual style, Beetlejuice is the first film I think of, whether it's the sandworms or the use of stop motion or Deliah redesigning the house. While I think Sleepy Hollow is the most impressive art direction of Burton's career, this to me is his most iconic art direction.
Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis lead this all star cast and are perfectly likable as the poor recenlyt depart Maitlands. Winona Ryder became the crush of teenage boys everywhere with her performance as Lydia and troubled actor Jeffrey Jones, yeah a creep in real life, is as likable as he can be as her father. Of course the standout human character is Catherine 'o' Hara as Deliah Deetz. This is Catherine 'o' Hara's best performance in my opinion.
The MVP though is Michael Keaton, who is having a ton of fun here and chewing up scenery left and right. Keaton finds the perfect balance between funny and sinister in the role of Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice might be the antagonist, but we can't help but love him. I know Johnny Depp is considered Tim Burton's main acting collaborator, but to me Burton's best acting collaboration is with Keaton because of Beetlejuice and Batman.
So as Tim Burton month comes to a close, I am left with a bittersweet feeling. While I am a Burton fan when it comes to his early work, I think he is not the same director he was when he made films like Beetlejuice and Ed Wood. Big Eyes and Big Fish are exceptions to that, but everything else after Sleepy Hollow range from mediocre to bad, whether it be the underwhelming Dumbo or the downright inexcusable garbage of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
I get the criticism towards Burton and I agree with it to an extent. But I still admire the man’s work. I think he is a wildly imaginative creator who sometimes has a hard time sifting through his own ideas. Too much of his over-the-top stylistic art direction and the film gets ruined, becoming a parody of itself. But he's still the guy who made Beetlejuice, Ed Wood, Batman and Big Fish. Ed Wood and Beetlejuice are masterpieces. Simply said, not just masterpieces in Burton's filmography, I think they are two of the best films ever made.
I always root for Burton when he has a new movie coming out and he has consistently been letting me down. He's lost his way and that's heartbreaking to me. But no matter what his films have become, I will always respect and look up to the man. And now to close out the month, some examples of his artwork below.
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