A Reel Review: CRAZY RICH ASIANS

Based on the novel of the same name, director Jon M. Chu’s CRAZY RICH ASIANS has so far been the surprise hit of 2018. Special guest writer Jessica Petro, this Blogger’s girlfriend, returns with this review. 

As humans, we are always curious about how our fellow humans live life and how they become the way they are. One’s family always tends to be high on that list of what makes a person who they are (or aren’t.) Movies revolving around family are always ones that peak out interest and Crazy Rich Asians is no different in that department. Wrap a Rom-Com love story and a family that is not only crazy rich but crazy and rich, and you’re bound to get some curious movie-goers. 

Set in the present day, Crazy Rich Asians is about Rachel (Constance Wu) and Nick (Henry Golding) who attend a Chinese Wedding in Singapore. It’s a modern day love story of a Chinese-American girl and a Chinese man and how that small little difference is made VERY clear by his Chinese family. 

Nick, a business man born in Singapore, and Rachel, a Chinese-American economics professor, have been dating in NYC for over a year. He brings up his best friend Colin’s (Chris Pang) wedding shortly taking place in Singapore in which he is the Best Man. In the short time it takes Nick to explain this, word has gotten to his mother that he is bringing his girlfriend (thanks to RadioAsia.) We first see how quickly news travels in this digital age of ours and only start to see juuuuust how rich and eligible of a bachelor Nick is in Singapore. Rachel is completely in the dark about Nick’s extravagant life in Singapore. 

Rachel is warned by her mother before leaving just how different she is from her boyfriend’s Chinese family. Worlds collide upon the meeting. The younger members of Nick’s family understand that she is different and find it fascinating, while his mother Eleanor (Michelle Yeoh) and Ah Ma (Lisa Lu) make it clear that Rachel will never be one of them. While Rachel feels isolated in an unfamiliar country, her former college roommate, Peik Lin (Awkwafina) and her family lives in Singapore and assists her in managing Nick’s rich and crazy family. Peik Lin’s mother (Chieng Mun Koh), father (Ken Jeong) and the rest of her family are completely accepting and embracing of western culture. They are the complete contrast of Nick’s family.

As the story progresses and we see that Nick is quite literally the most eligible bachelor in Singapore, things get serious for Rachel at the bride’s bachelorette weekend, but takes refuge in Astrid. Rachel stays strong and still makes it to “the wedding of the century” for quite possibly one of the most beautiful wedding scenes that has ever been put to film. 

Henry Golding as Nick and Constance Wu as Rachel and cute and quirky together and works very well. Gemma Chan as Astrid is excellent as Nick’s cousin who is like his sister is super sophisticated and soft hearted, while Ronny Chieng and Remy Hii as his other cousins Eddie and Alistair respectively are perfectly executed slime balls. Michelle Yeoh as Nick’s mother is downright terrifying. The one who absolutely steals the movie is Awkwafina as Peik Lin, Rachel’s former roommate and good friend. Every line from her is perfectly delivered and absolutely knee-slapping hilarious. 

Issues come to a head during Colin’s wedding reception which strays from the storyline a la MEET THE PARENTS (there was no lie detector test but there are private investigators involved.)

Crazy Rich Asians has everything you could want in a Rom-Com: travel, culture food and fashion (oh those make over scenes that we all love!) There are some turns that you do not see coming that only add to its charm and appeal.  This movie is a terrific insight into the Asian culture that desperately needs representation in today’s world, where we should be accepting of all cultures. 

BOTTOM LINE: See it

A Reel Review: THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS

In the last decade or so, the art and skill of puppetry has fallen by the wayside; replaced by the pixels and mouse-clicks of CGI characters. The old talking sock has fallen into the realm of nostalgia; bringing back memories of kids’ TV shows and ensemble musical films. The new film by Brian Henson (son of Jim), THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS, looks to capitalize on those old, fuzzy feelings while bringing the art into new territory.

In a world where humans and living puppets co-exist, puppet private investigator Phil Philips (Bill Baretta), reunites with his old partner, detective Edwards (Melissa McCarthy), to find a serial murderer who is knocking off former cast members of The Happytime Gang TV show.

It’s always an odd experience to see humans interacting with puppets. To keep things grounded, Henson and screenwriter Todd Berger hang the film’s hat on the peg of nostalgia. HAPPYTIME at its core is a classic, Los Angeles-based noir film, using all of the classic tropes on its way to find a killer. Familiar items such as narration, a down-on-his-luck P.I., an angry ex-partner, an angrier police lieutenant, a sexy and mysterious client, a string of murders, and the seedy underbelly of the city. In fact, HAPPYTIME sticks to these old tropes too close. The plot is paper-thin, and even the attempted twists and surprises can be seen from a mile away. Even if we put aside the fact that we’ve seen this old story old before, the story is laid out so plainly that it’s horribly predictable. Predictable leads to boring.

Seemingly aware that the story is so much like a waif, Henson goes for the shock factor to balance things out. His puppets swear all the time, have violent sex, film pornos with dogs, cows, and octopus, ejaculate with endless streams of silly string, and use insults and one-liners that only a 13 year-old boy would find funny. It’s crude for the sake of being crude, and isn’t very funny in the least. Most of the gags just come off as stupid.

The script starts to lay down decent foundations for the characters and their world, but fails to develop them any further than the first page. In this world, puppets are treated like minorities; a fine idea that is forgotten about too quickly. Edwards and Phil have a past that is an odd one; Edwards hates Philips despite owing her life to him. HAPPYTIME also plays it loose with the rules; the puppets don’t get hurt when they’re punched (according to Phil, it’s like fluffing a pillow), but a bullet to the head can kill them. It’s inconsistent and weird. The designs range from classic humanoid to large animals to a few that make no sense.

If it’s good puppet-work that audiences want, then HAPPYTIME does deliver. Using a combo of classic puppetry and digital trickery, the puppets walk freely (bizarre to see, but effective), soak in hot tubs, and smoke cigarettes convincingly (Henson seems to be proud of the smoking effect, Phil lights up for what seems like 900 times). The puppet-deaths are a bit of a hoot as they have their heads blown off with shotguns and torn apart by dogs which sends stuffing flying everywhere; one of few moments of earned laughter.

Convincing us that a puppet is real requires good acting from the humans, and HAPPYTIME doesn’t meet that bar. Melissa McCarthy is bland as ever, and her endless F-bombs are meaningless. Elizabeth Banks and Joel McHale pop in but it always looks like they are not enjoying their time with the talking socks; we half-expect them to not keep a straight face. Maya Rudolph shows up as Phil’s secretary, and is probably the only one that understands that she’s in a ridiculous movie; she acts like the film is a running joke and it works.

After a finale that (again), can be seen from a mile away, HAPPYTIME ends with a shrug, and it’s staggering that a film full of puppets can be so blah. It’s not funny, very stupid, and can’t even get juvenile crudeness to earn a laugh. If puppets are ever to make a comeback, this is the movie to act as the example of what not to do. There’s no happy time here.

BOTTOM LINE: Fuck it

A Reel Opinion: The Top 10 Cinematic Deaths

Why does a character need to die? Without tragedy there can be no change, and without change, there can be no story, and no story equals no movie. As tough as it may be to see a favorite character bite the dust, departures are a necessity for a film to move forward. Earlier this year, Marvel Studios sent audiences staggering out of the theatre after a hefty amount of character deaths in their grand AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR. Now that the film has arrived in home streaming and glorious Blu-ray, discussions have progressed from superhero (and villain) deaths to the most memorable exits the silver screen has ever seen…which brings us to the birth of Reel Speak’s first Top 10 Cinematic Deaths. This list is comprised of the deaths that are the most memorable, the most impactful to its film and pop culture, and most importantly…the ones that shocked us or made us cry. Disqualifiers include meaningless body-count deaths, and the standard death of a villain at the end of a film.  

So let’s get out the shovels…

10. Mufasa from THE LION KING (1995)

Disney has always had a knack for bringing on the tears, and a pair of their best enter this list. There is no better drama than family drama, and Mufasa’s passing, (at the hands of his own brother, very Shakespearean), when relations with his son Simba were at their worst…sent the son on his journey to not only discover himself, but his father. Bringing this one home is James Earl Jones’ resonating voice-work which hits us in the heart and stays there.

9. Elle from UP (2009)

We only see Elle for a few short minutes in the opening sequence of Pixar’s UP, but we get to know her very well and how much she means to the film’s protagonist, Carl Fredricksen. She may be absent for most of the film’s events, but her spirit, and Carl’s love for her, keeps him and his journey going. Pixar entered real-world, adult territory with UP, and the opening sequence of Elle’s life with Carl and her eventual passing is one of the best tearjerkers ever put to film.

8. Tommy from GOODFELLAS (1990)

When wise-guy mobster Tommy DeVito, as played by Joe Pesci, whacked someone that he wasn’t allowed to whack, we knew what was coming for the loud-talking, brash Italian who was good for shooting first and not even bothering to ask later. But director Martin Scorsese also gave us a character who loved his mother and his friends, and his demise came as a shock…and the impact that his murder has on tough guys Jimmy (Robert DeNiro) and Henry (Ray Liotta) shows the bond of their friendships.

7. Kane from ALIEN (1979)

When poor Kane, as played by the late great John Hurt, became the first space-traveler to have an alien burst out of his chest, audiences were shocked out of their minds. When filming, not even the cast knew what was coming to generate a genuine reaction, and it worked. Hurt’s acting during Kane’s agonizing pain is some of his best, and even after almost 40 years of seeing aliens burst out of chests in endless sequels and spinoffs, this one still ranks as the hardest one to watch…as Kane was presented to us as an eager and enthusiastic space-explorer; just like all us kids once dreamed of.

6. Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi from STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE (1977)

American professor Joseph Campbell wrote extensively about the steps that every hero must take on his journey, and the passing of a mentor, or father figure is one of the most important. Much like Simba and Mr. Fredrickson, Luke Skywalker needed his first mentor, the former Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness), to pass on so he may grow into his destiny. Obi-Wan sacrificed himself to save his friends (much like Luke would eventually do years later), and his death at the hands of Darth Vader surprised young audiences in 1977 who looked at him as a grandfatherly figure. And even today, Luke’s scream of “no!” still stings.

5. Sonny Corleone from THE GODFATHER (1972)

Francis Ford Coppola’s epic drama of organized crime may have had a lot of bloodshed and deaths, but his central theme of family-first made us care about the Corleone’s. Sonny Corleone (James Caan), the oldest son of Don Vito, was shown as a hot-tempered fighter, but he was also a family man who would do anything for his father, mother, and siblings. He died on his way to protect his little sister, and his bloody end at a toll booth ambush stands today as one of the most memorable in all of cinema. And in the end, Sonny’s departure opened the door for his little brother Michael to rise to power.

4. Spock from STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN (1982)

Played by the late great Leonard Nimoy, the character of Mr. Spock, the half-human, half-Vulcan serving aboard the famed starship Enterprise, rarely smiled, hugged, or cracked jokes. But Nimoy gave the green-blooded character with pointed ears a warmness that no one else could pull off, and that made his death in the first STAR TREK sequel so hard to take. Spock died saving the ship and crew, and his closing scene with Kirk (William Shatner) is beautifully written, directed, and acted. It was an event in TREK that would send ripples across the franchise and have lasting effects beyond.

3. Sgt. Elias from PLATOON (1986)

Oliver Stone’s Best Picture-winning Vietnam War drama had three American soldiers at each other’s throats, and in the third act, Sgt. Elias (Willem Dafoe), was shot by an American M16 in an effort to cover up a war-crime. Left for dead, Elias got up and desperately ran for the choppers while being chased by the enemy, and his final moments not only became the poster, but one of the most iconic images ever in film; arms outstretched, pleading for his life. Pleading for all life. It resonates because Elias was the most righteous of the platoon and that’s what got him killed.

2. Gandalf from THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (2001)

Even if long-time fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s masterpiece of a fantasy novel knew that Gandalf was to fall before a big demon of the ancient world, his death was still hard to watch. Warmly played by Ian McKellen, his wandering wizard was the character who danced with hobbits, set off fireworks for children, and proved to be human by bumping his head on a low door-frame; steps taken to make us love him. He died saving the Fellowship, but Peter Jackson took it one step further by showing us the reactions of that Fellowship; the images of crying hobbits and a shell-shocked Aragorn…backed by Howard Shore’s tearjerking score, makes the fall of Gandalf a heartbreaking experience.

1. Quint from JAWS (1975)

One of the greatest films ever made has the best demise of a character ever put to film. The shark-hunting fisherman Quint, as played by the late great Robert Shaw, was a tough man with a love for canned beer and letting his shipmates know who was captain of the ship. Despite being tough on the outside, Quint was also given to us as a man who had been through hell, and was still able to generate a smile as he sang songs of the sea. He was shown to us as a man who had a deep hatred for sharks, which made him the perfect man for the job of hunting and killing a great white who was terrorizing a beach community.  Quint was inspired by Captain Ahab of Moby Dick, and just like that famed captain of literature, Quint went to the depths battling his nemesis mano-a-mano. Of all the fallen characters on this list, Quint is the only one who goes out exactly the way he wanted to. 

REEL SPEAK’S TOP 10 CINEMATIC DEATHS

1. Quint from JAWS

2. Gandalf from THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING

3. Sgt. Elias from PLATOON

4. Spock from STAR TREK II

5. Sonny from THE GODFATHER

6. Obi-Wan from STAR WARS

7. Kane from ALIEN

8. Tommy from GOODFELLAS

9. Elle from UP

10. Mufasa from THE LION KING

A Reel 25: THE FUGITIVE

“I didn’t kill my wife!”

This month marks the 25^th anniversary of Andrew Davis’ THE FUGITIVE.

Loosely based on the 1960’s TV series of the same name, THE FUGITIVE was a surprise hit in 1993; earning seven Oscar nominations including Best Picture, and was the third-highest grossing film (domestically) of the year, behind MRS. DOUBTFIRE and Steven Spielberg’s JURASSIC PARK. It told the story of a Dr. Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford), who is unjustly imprisoned for killing his wife, and through a series of fortunate accidents, manages to escape and goes on the run in an effort to clear his name. He is hunted by U.S. Marshal Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones) and his team in a chase that goes through woods, rivers, waterfalls, cities, towns, farmhouses and henhouses.

Despite being an action film, THE FUGITIVE became a character piece thanks to its powerful cast. After years of playing whip-flinging archeologists and space smugglers, Harrison Ford was cast in the role as Dr. Kimble, after Alec Baldwin, Nick Nolte, Kevin Costner, and Michael Douglas were considered. Tommy Lee Jones took the role of the Top Cop in pursuit, besting contenders Gene Hackman and Jon Voight. Despite only sharing a few scenes together, the combo of Jones and Ford drove the film, with each character playing on the side of righteousness but in their own, different ways.

Filming took place in locations in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Chicago. The pulse-pounding scene in which Kimble’s prison-transport bus is struck by a freight train (shot in one take), was filmed along the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in North Carolina. James Newton Howard, who was coming off an Oscar nomination for his score for THE PRINCE OF TIDES, composed the score.

Striking a balance of action and mystery-solving drama, THE FUGITIVE was a box office hit and critical darling. It’s seven Oscar nominations would include a Best Supporting Actor win for Tommy Lee Jones, and he would also win a Globe. Harrison Ford would earn a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor.

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Aside from awards and nominations, THE FUGITIVE has a legacy that has sneaked into our everyday lives. Dialogue from the film such as “I didn’t kill my wife” and “I don’t care” are quoted often and turned into internet memes, and blaming a “one-armed man” for problems is also commonplace. The site of the famed train wreck in North Carolina still has wreckage lying about, and the site has become a popular, although unofficial tourist stop for movie fans and the curious. As a film, THE FUGITIVE was a reminder for just how good Tommy Lee Jones could be, and that Harrison Ford had more to offer than the shallow characters he was known for. The film itself is a cat-and-mouse action flick mixed with a healthy dose of whodunit, and Dr. Kimble’s never-give-up attitude, driven by love, is something we can all relate to. Smart, relentless, and endlessly entertaining, THE FUGITIVE is a thinker’s action film that makes us all care.

“Your fugitive’s name is Doctor Richard Kimble. Go get him.”

Reel Facts & Opinions: Oscar and the Popular Film

One of the most surprising, if not the most bizarre bits of film news this summer came from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), which announced a new Oscar category last week. The Academy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Film will have its debut at the upcoming 91^st Oscars. This is the first new category created since Best Animated Feature in 2001.

The announcement was one of several changes the Academy is making to the annual broadcast, aimed at increasing ratings which hit an all-time low this past year. Anytime a new category is created, there is a guaranteed blowback and analysis, and this new category overshadowed all the other changes. The announcement has been met with mostly negativity from journalists, fans, and even Academy members. Many view it as an attempt to pander to mainstream audiences, in the hope of boosting ratings. The Academy it seems, is damaging the integrity of the awards in place of ratings. The category has also been criticized for diminishing the chances that a blockbuster film might have at scoring a Best Picture nomination, even though the Academy has confirmed that films nominated for Best Popular will still be eligible for Best Picture. AMPAS wants those popular blockbuster films, which rarely seem to win Oscars, to have a place in the broadcast and bring new viewers in…and therein lies the rub.

The line between popular blockbuster films and Oscar winners has never been thicker. At one point in history, big money-makers such as TITANIC (1997), GLADIATOR (2000), and THE RETURN OF THE KING (2003) were winning Best Picture. But in recent years, relatively small-budgeted (and small earners) such as MOONLIGHT (2016), SPOTLIGHT (2015), and last year’s THE SHAPE OF WATER have been the big winners…while big money films such as GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (2014), and THE FORCE AWAKENS (2015) were banished to the technical categories. If all things are fair and equal, there is no reason why a big-budget, big-earner of a film can’t be considered for Best Picture, and there’s also no reason why a smaller film can’t be considered either. There shouldn’t be a line, but this new category seems to draw it even thicker.

It should be noted that this isn’t the first time the Academy has changed things to include popular films. The decision in 2009 to expand the Best Picture category from five to a maximum of 10 nominees seemed to work, as the wider field allowed “popular” films such as AVATAR (2009), INCEPTION (2010), and FURY ROAD (2015) to earn Best Picture nods. But times seem to have changed again, and last year’s batch of nominees were the lowest-grossing since 2011. In the past 14 years, no box office top 10 movie has won Best Picture.

Time has yet to put the test to this new category, so at present day we can only assume that box office earnings and the contenders/winners of Best Popular will be closely tied together; after all, a film that earns a billion dollars worldwide can certainly be considered popular…if not, where does all that money come from? If this category was in existence in the last five years, the winners would have likely looked like this:

2017:  STAR WARS – THE LAST JEDI

2016: ROGUE ONE

2015: STAR WARS – THE FORCE AWAKENS

2014: AMERICAN SNIPER

2013: THE HUNGER GAMES – CATCHING FIRE

Of those five films, it’s debatable which ones were the “best” at being popular, because being popular and being the best at something are two different things. And box office earners do not always equal quality; if this category had been around since 2007, the critically panned TRANSFORMERS movies would have won four Oscars by now. Here in 2018, the top-earner (so far) is Marvel’s BLACK PANTHER, which is probably a shoo-in for a nomination in Best Popular, and already fans are steaming because such a nod could possibly eliminate it from Best Picture contention (fair enough, but it’s a long shot anyway).

The Oscars have always reflected the industry, and times have certainly changed in Hollywood in the last decade…with studios taking less risks and facing stiff competition from home streaming services. With all these changes, audiences have changed. Gone are the days where deep dramas such as THE GODFATHER (1972) are the big earners; replaced by Jedi and capes and CGI spectacle. Audiences changed what they flock to, the Oscars did not change with that…until now. In the past decade the Academy has veered away from those spectacles in favor of smaller drama…and that’s fine as indie and arthouse films deserve love too. If Best Popular allows what the people love to sneak into the Best Picture race, then this could work.

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The Oscars for 2018 will be awarded February 24^th, 2019.

A Reel Review: BLACKKKLANSMAN

In 1972, Ron Stallworth, the first African American undercover detective in the Colorado Springs Police Department, infiltrated the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan with a phone call. As a new member, he sent a fellow white (and Jewish) detective to take his place in the face-to-face meetings. It’s a tale that is stranger than fiction, and one that could easily be a barrel of laughs and a comedy of dominos. But to treat the material that way would be a travesty, as director Spike Lee finds a way to make this unbelievable true story one of the most profound cinematic statements America has ever seen.

Stallworth (John David Washington, son of Denzel), overcomes racial prejudice at his own police precinct to become an undercover officer, and manages to become a card-carrying member of the local KKK. To gather more intelligence, Stallworth enlists the help of fellow detective Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver), who attends the face-to-face meetings. The two draw closer to what this local chapter is up to while hiding their identities, and eventually wind up meeting clan leader David Duke (Topher Grace).

BLACKKKLANSMAN is a film that is a web of undercover work, with Stallworth pulling the strings from behind the scenes, and Flip pretending he’s Stallworth as he meets, greets, and plots with the group of racist yahoos who meet in living rooms…who come across as clowns but still with the potential for causing some serious damage. On the surface it’s a police procedural, and Lee checks off the boxes of good cops doing their jobs nicely.

Beefing things up in the meantime is Stallworth’s budding relationship with Patrice (Laura Harrier), who is the president of a black student union who happens to despise the police, and Flip avoiding the suspicions of a clan member (Felix Kendrickson) who is also the loose cannon of the group. There’s a lot of dodging and cat-and-mousing going on, and Lee plays the film like an intricate chess match.

Lee keeps his two main characters of Stallworth and Flip at arm’s reach in the early goings. Their backgrounds and motivations are never explored, and time is instead spent on how this undercover work is affecting the unlikely duo. Stallworth questions if this is just another job or a personal crusade, while Flip, who was never proud of his Jewish heritage, questions his own faith when he is forced to praise the Holocaust in front of his KKK colleagues. The characters come off as cold to us, but what they go through is the connecting thread for the audience.

Lee, never one to hold back, drops us right in the middle of the clan meetings and lets the ugliness of racism speak for itself. From the smugness of David Duke to the casual hate spewed by the chapter president’s housewife (Ashlie Atkinson). There’s some serious material to work with here, and it keeps the film from going into comedic territory. But what really makes BLACKKKLANSMAN soar is the direct line Lee draws from the film’s events in 1972 to today, and also reaches back as far as the Civil War while taking Hollywood to task as well. Throughout the film there are reminders of just how far America has not come in the area of civil rights, and by film’s end no one will see things the same again. It’s not preaching as much as it is revealing.

Acting is superb. John David Washington and Adam Driver make a tremendous team, and one wishes to see more of them together. Laura Harrier is a delight, and Topher Grace shows the ability to play a great villain. Corey Hawkins drops in as a civil rights leader and lights up the screen, and Alec Baldwin provides some real chills as a white racial superiority. The show is stolen by Harry Belafonte, who is at the center of an outstandingly edited sequence which recounts the story of a murdered black boy.

The finale is a thriller which includes a race to keep their identities a secret while trying to prevent a bombing, and while the outcome isn’t quite clear (the result of the final chase is a little muddy), Lee puts a massive exclamation point in the closing minutes to make BLACKKKLANSMAN a powerful statement on race in America. Lee has done this before in his previous films, but not ever like this…and dead silence from audience’s as the credits roll is guaranteed. Lee has delivered a masterpiece; one that thrills, tells the truth, and allows no one to walk away unchanged.

BOTTOM LINE: See it

A Reel Opinion: The Best & Worst Films of Tim Burton

Last month, this Blogger’s girlfriend penned an excellent review about The Beetle House; a New York City restaurant inspired by the films of strange and unusual director Tim Burton (read that review HERE). One blog can often lead to another, and that review got this Blogger’s wheels turning towards the career of Burton. The quirky, visionary, imaginative, and frustratingly inconsistent filmmaker has one of the most distinct styles in Hollywood in the last 20 years, and his contributions have altered pop culture and continue to draw people with his name alone. This Blog is a look at his best and worst films in the Reel Speak tradition of a Top Five ranking; using criteria of story, character, visual impact, cultural impact, and personal likes and objective dislikes…along with the tiebreaker of whether or not I ever want to watch it again.

Since this is intended to be a celebration of Tim Burton, this Blogger will spend more time on the good than the bad. Any film that doesn’t appear here falls somewhere between the Best and Worst.

Now, it’s showtime…

THE WORST 

5. BATMAN (1989) 

More like BATMAN: THE MUSICAL with a ridiculous song and dance routine every five minutes; led by a beer-bellied, middle-aged, receding hairline Joker with the dumbest nefarious scheme of all time involving shampoo and makeup. It’s a frustrating film because the first 20 minutes are outstanding, only to fall into cartoonish, meandering, aimless nonsense. 

4. CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (2005) 

Messy and cliché with a story that can’t latch onto any one thing for more than two minutes. Johnny Depp mistakes eccentric for bizarre in his portrayal of Willie Wonka. 

3. ALICE IN WONDERLAND (2010) 

A soulless, joyless bore with a messy narrative and CGI looking like a Looney Tunes flick…topped off with a final battle/war that feels like it belongs in another movie. 

2. MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN (2016) 

Rushed, silly, and pointless. 

1. DARK SHADOWS (2012) 

A dull slog that drags on forever. It feels like 50 episodes of the classic TV series crammed into one feature, and it is capped off by a big stupid final battle with characters pulling shotguns out of nowhere. 

THE BEST 

5. A NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1993) 

Even though the poster says otherwise, this is technically not a Tim Burton film as he did not direct it, but instead acted as a producer. Henry Sellick is the credited helmer, but the story, characters, and fantasy world are all Burton’s. It is a clever, and outright brilliant take on our holidays and where they come from, with the main character of Jack Skellington becoming one of the most significant entries in pop culture. 

4. BIG FISH (2003)

Burton’s best films are the ones that he has an emotional connection to, and BIG FISH is the one that he threw his heart into and it shows. A tale of a son searching for his father, BIG FISH combines elements of fantasy with the power of storytelling, and the charming performances from Ewan MacGregor, Albert Finney, Jessica Lange, Billy Crudup, Danny DeVito, Alison Lohman, Helena Bonmah Carter, and Marion Cotillard makes the film a joy to behold. It is one of Burton’s most critically acclaimed films with four Golden Globe nominations and one Oscar nod. 

3. EDWARD SCISSORHANDS (1990) 

Based on his own childhood, this mesmerizing story was Burton’s version of the classic FRANKENSTEIN. The first of eight (!) films Burton would make with Johnny Depp, ED was an exploration of what it is to be human, and was one of the first films where Burton would run with his love for characters who are outcast because they are different. It is a fairy tale reinvented. 

2. BEETLEJUICE (1988) 

This mashup of horror and comedy is the ultimate Tim Burton film and his biggest contribution to pop culture. It is an original twist on hauntings and poltergeists, with an electric performance by Michael Keaton and perhaps Winona Ryder’s most memorable role. When the conversation moves to Burton’s imagination, this is the first film that comes to mind. 

1. ED WOOD (1994) 

Where BETELGEUSE may be his most memorable, ED WOOD is the one film in Burton’s career that feels like genuine cinema. There are movies and there are films, and this is certainly the latter. Once again playing with his favorite themes of rejects and horror, this true-story biopic is a love letter to classic Hollywood while acting as an inspirational tale to any one of us who have been told that our creative works aren’t good enough. What is art, and who gets to say if it is or not is a battle every filmmaker, writer, painter, and sculptor faces…and ED WOOD has a lot to say about that. The cast is inspired, with Depp once again in front…but the towering, Oscar-winning performance by Martin Landau in his role as real-life horror icon Bela Lugosi is one for the ages. Those of us who have followed Tim Burton through his career have a clear love for film, and ED WOOD is an expression of just that. 

THE BEST AND WORST OF TIM BURTON

BEST

1. ED WOOD
2. BEETLEJUICE
3. EDWARD SCISSORHANDS
4. BIG FISH
5. THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS

WORST

1. DARK SHADOWS
2. MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN
3. ALICE IN WONDERLAND
4. CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
5. BATMAN

A Reel Preview: The Year in Film 2018 - Episode VIII

With a few notable exceptions, this hasn’t been the most exciting Summers for movies, so maybe it’s a good thing that we’re in the final month of the season…with faint whispers and rumblings of Oscar Season on the horizon. In the meantime, here are the notable releases for the month of August.

CHRISTOPHER ROBIN – This Disney production of live action and animation has an adult Christopher Robin, the little boy from the Winnie the Pooh stories, all grown-up and without his sense of imagination…when he is visited by his old friends. Ewan McGregor plays Christopher, and he is joined by Hayley Atwell (AGENT CARTER). Directed by Marc Forster (FINDING NEVERLAND).

MEG – A group of scientists attempt to stop a 75-foot giant shark from terrorizing a beach. Jason Statham stars. Directed by John Turteltaub (NATIONAL TREASURE).

THE DARKEST MINDS – In this new and original take on the superhero genre, a group of teens go on the run from the government after obtaining superpowers. It stars Amanda Stenberg, Mandy Moore, and Gwendoline Christie (THE FORCE AWAKENS).

THE SPY WHO DUMPED ME – Two best friends, played by actress Mila Kunis and Saturday Night Live sketch-artist Kate McKinnon, are chased through Europe after one of their exes turns out to be a CIA agent.

BLACKKKLANSMAN – Director Spike Lee (MALCOM X, INSIDE MAN), returns with this true story about an African-American detective who infiltrates and exposes the Ku Klux Klan. It stars John David Washington, Adam Driver, and Topher Grace.

SLENDER MAN – This supernatural horror film brings the creepy urban legend of the slender man to life.

ALPHA – Kodi Smit-McPhee (THE ROAD, LET ME IN), plays a young hunter who befriends an injured wolf during the ice age. Directed by Albert Hughes (FROM HELL, THE BOOK OF ELI).

MILE 22 – Director Peter Berg and actor Mark Wahlberg team up for their third film in a year (PATRIOTS DAY, DEEPWATER HORIZON). This time a CIA task force escorts an asset while being hunted by terrorists. It co-stars John Malkovich and Ronda Rousey.

THE HAPPY TIME MURDERS – Brian Henson (son of Jim), directs this puppet-action black comedy where puppets exist as living things. Here, a puppet private investigator and his old partner, played by Melissa McCarthy (the girl who falls down all the time), investigate a puppet serial murderer. It co-stars Maya Rudolph, Joel McHale, and Elizabeth Banks.

PAPILLON – In this remake of the 1973 film, Charlie Hunnam (TV’S SONS OF ANARCHY), plays a safecracker who is unjustly imprisoned. He is joined by Rami Malek and Tommy Flanagan.

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Next month, Reel Speak previews the first month of Oscar Season.