Beetlejuice (1988)

It may be over thirty years old, but this comedy still packs a punch. And with a musical adaptation taking Broadway by storm at the moment, the original story is back in the public consciousness again.

Adam (Alec Baldwin) and Barbara Maitland (Geneva Davis) are a young married couple living in an enormous house in Connecticut. With no children yet, they are under constant pressure from a local realtor to sell the property, but they have no interest in doing so.

While driving back from town one day, their car comes off the road and falls into the river. They find themselves back in their house some time later, and it isn’t long before they realise what has happened: they died in the accident and are now confined to their home, unable to leave.

Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton).

Now that the house is presumed unoccupied, it is quickly sold to New Yorkers Charles (Jeffrey Jones) and Delia Deetz (Catherine O’Hara). The newly married couple, along with Charles’s teenage daughter Lydia (Winona Ryder), begin making the house their own, or more specifically, Delia makes it her own, with the help of her assistant, decorator Otho (Glenn Shadix).

Adam and Barbara, furious with this invasion of their privacy, and still a little new and naive to the afterlife, enlist the help of a bio-exorcist named Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton). Betelgeuse is a demon of the worst possible kind, however, a perverted narcissist at best, and at worst, well, something much worse.

Together, the three of them set about trying to scare the Deetzes out of the house, to varying degrees of success as the film goes on.

Adam (Alec Baldwin) and Barbara (Geena Davis).

The screenplay, by Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren, is clever enough, at least for the time in which the film was made. There are plenty of gags relating to life and the afterlife, and a healthy amount of jump scares and sight gags as well. The characters are relatively well-defined, again at least enough considering the era of the film and the comedic nature of the story. There aren’t a lot of twists and turns to the plot, though; it is instead a little cliched if anything, and certainly more predictable than one would have hoped.

Danny Elfman’s score is - by now - iconic, and certainly filled with themes and leitmotifs (as the majority of his work has been). At times, the film does feel a little overscored, but somehow, the brilliance of the music seems to cover over this heavy-handed ness well.

The cinematography is quirky and unique, thanks to Thomas E. Ackerman. Of course, as this film has the distinctive stamp of director Tim Burton all over it, quirky, unique camera angles and lens lengths should not really come as a surprise.

Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder).

Another result of Burton’s unique viewpoint, the production design - by Bo Welch - is definitely a large part of this film. In fact, the design and look of the film seems to be the main driver of the story in many ways, perhaps more than the performances of the cast, or of the plot itself.

Speaking of performances, there are some great performances in this film. The clear standouts are definitely Keaton and Ryder in their respective roles, while the rest of the cast give adequate - though not brilliant - performances.

Director Tim Burton has made a decent-enough film here, one that has certainly stood the test of time. The fact it has been adapted for the Broadway stage seems proof enough that the story - and the film - continue to resonate with audiences, and will do so for years to come. If you haven’t seen it yet, I would certainly suggest you check it out, or better yet, have a listen to the Broadway cast recording of the musical.

6 out of 10.

The Simpsons Movie (2007)

TV’s longest-running animated series gets a big-screen adaptation in this film, which is a few years old now, but still packs a pretty good comedic punch.

After Homer makes a massive error in judgment (no surprise to anyone who has seen even just a single episode of The Simpsons), the town of Springfield is declared the most polluted city in the history of the world by head of the EPA, Russ Cargill (Albert Brooks). As a safeguard, the town is enclosed under a massive impenetrable dome, and erased from all maps and satellite imagery.

When word gets out among the townspeople that Homer is to blame for their isolation, the entire town turns on the family, forcing them to go on the run (after they miraculously escape from the dome, of course).

Homer (Dan Castellaneta) and Marge (Julie Kavner).

The entire family moves to Alaska of all places, where they try to make a new life for themselves.

But when things become even worse back in Springfield, forcing Cargill to step up his plan to the next level - destroying Springfield altogether - the family must put aside their differences and return to Springfield to save both their home and the people they love.

The screenplay - written by several members of the writing team for the TV series: James L. Brooks & Matt Groening & Al Jean & Ian Maxtone-Graham & George Meyer & David Mirkin & Mike Reiss & Mike Scully & Matt Selman & John Swartzwelder & Jon Vitti - is clever enough, at least in the way it remains true to the spirit of the show. However, as a film, it falls a little short. The film is essentially three Simpsons episodes back-to-back, and the structure seems quite disjointed, particularly at the thirty- and sixty-minute points.

Bart Simpson (Nancy Cartwright) and Ned Flanders (Harry Shearer).

The quality of the animation, however, far exceeds that of the TV show. Rather than being drawn purely by hand - as the show was and is - the film has been animated on computers, allowing for shots and scenes that could not have been possible with hand-drawn animation. Also, the lip-synching is greatly improved with the use of computers, making this film feel just a little more realistic than the show has been or could ever be.

The voice cast are the same as on the TV series, again giving the film continuity to the series. And in this film, they are all truly in their element. There is a real camaraderie between the cast, which is clear in how the performances come across. Unlike most animated films, where actors record their own lines in isolation from their co-stars, these voices were almost certainly recorded together in one studio, as is the case with the TV series, giving extra realism to every moment, allowing cast members to play off each other’s performances.

Russ Cargill (Albert Brooks).

Hans Zimmer’s score is fantastic, which shouldn’t surprise anyone familiar with his work. There is even a leitmotif used for any scenes with Lisa in them, and each time it is heard, it is ever so slightly different, be it in instrumentation, tempo, rhythm, etc. Of course, the original theme is by Danny Elfman, but Zimmer has clearly made this score his own.

Director David Silverman has made a relatively enjoyable film here, one that is certainly required viewing for fans of the television series. If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out. You will certainly find something you can enjoy in its ninety-minute running time.

7 out of 10.

Men in Black: International (2019)

It turns out the Men in Black is not only an American organisation, with this latest instalment showing the truly worldwide nature of the organisation charged with keeping the worst of the universe at bay.

Young Molly (Tessa Thompson), who witnessed her parents being neuralised by Men in Black agents when she was a young girl, has been on the search for the top-secret organisation ever since.

She finally tracks them down, and walks straight into Men in Black Headquarters, demanding that they hire her, so that she can discover the truths of the universe.

Agent O (Emma Thompson) accepts her reluctantly, sending her to the London branch, to work under Agent High T (Liam Neeson).

Agent O (Emma Thompson).

There, she meets her new partner, Agent H (Chris Hemsworth), whose latest mission has him guarding the leader of an alien race. H seems to be the favourite agent of High T, the two of them having saved the world together some twenty years earlier.

I really can't say any more about the plot here, but there are plenty of things I can say.

The screenplay, by Matt Holloway & Art Marcum, fits quite well into the existing series of films, with the same quality of humour, action and adventure in a decent mix. The characters are all clearly defined, and there are plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing (though some of these were a little too predictable).

The performances of the cast are also good, with Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson being beautifully matched as partners. Of course, they have had experience together in the Marvel universe before this, and so, their on-screen chemistry is fantastic. Both of them also handle that delicate balance between comedy and action thriller very well.

Agent H (Chris Hemsworth) and Agent M (Tessa Thompson).

Keep your eyes (or rather, ears) peeled for an appearance by Kumail Nanjiani, who voices a small alien creature named Pawny. Though he provides little more than comic relief, he is perfectly cast for the role.

It pains me to say that where this film really falls down is in the score. Despite being written by film-scoring royalty Danny Elfman (with Chris Bacon), this is perhaps the worst example of film scoring I have come across in recent years.

My reasoning is simple: the music goes for the entire two-hour duration of the film. Yes, you read that right: there is not a single second of this entire movie that does not have music underscoring it. And the majority of the music is very poorly suited to the moment in which it features.

In actual fact, my rating of this film is based purely on this sadly deplorable fact. This use of wall-to-wall music completely ruins what is otherwise a half-decent film, distracting the viewer from the action, or emotion of the scene, with ill-suited music.

Agent H (Chris Hemsworth) and Agent M (Tessa Thompson) battling aliens.

Despite the fact that I absolutely loved the first three Men in Black films (all directed by Barry Sonnenfeld), I do not expect I will be watching this film - directed by F. Gary Gray - again.

6 1/2 out of 10.

Dumbo (2019)

Disney’s latest instalment in their long list of live-action remakes of their classic animated movies, this film tells the story of a little elephant who discovers his oversized ears allow him to fly.

Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) has just returned from the war to rejoin the circus that he was a part of with his wife, who has recently passed away. They were acrobats on horseback, but since losing an arm in the war, it seems his career is all but over.

His two children, daughter Milly (Nico Parker) and son Joe (Finley Hobbins) are glad to have him home, but things just aren’t the same now.

Circus owner Max Medici (Danny DeVito) gives Holt the task of looking after and training the elephants. He has just recently purchased a large, pregnant female from a dealer, and when she gives birth, everyone is initially very excited.

But when they see that the baby’s ears are exceptionally large, there seems to be little hope for it to ever be a part of the performance. Every time the audience see the young elephant, all they can do is laugh.

The two children don’t give up on the baby elephant so easily, whom they name Dumbo. While spending time with it, trying to bond with it, they realise its enormous ears allow it to fly into the air.

Suddenly, the circus is overwhelmed by sellout crowds, all desperate to catch a glimpse of the flying elephant. But it isn’t just the crowds that are interested.

Entrepreneur V. A. Vandevere (Michael Keaton) has also caught wind of this latest addition to the circus, and he convinces Medici and his troupe to join his circus, a much more professional show at a huge themed attraction called Dreamland. Vandevere and his partner/star performer Colette Marchant (Eva Green) want to make Dumbo a part of their nightly show and, as it turns out, do away with the rest of the troupe.

This script by Ehren Kruger bears very little resemblance to the Disney animated film, other than the fact that it centres around a flying elephant named Dumbo. Fans of the original will not find much in this film that they recognise, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Sadly, a lot of the dialogue in this version comes across incredibly stilted and unnatural. Also, the plot is incredibly predictable, and I don’t just mean because it’s a Disney film and you know that the bad guys will get their comeuppance in the end, and everyone else lives happily ever after. Even though the story is different enough from the original, there are not a lot of surprises or unexpected moments.

Colleen Atwood’s costumes are quite something, I must say. Of course, if you’ve seen other films she’s worked on, that shouldn’t come as a surprise; she has won a few Academy Awards for her efforts. But her hard work and dedication is much more visible in a film like this, where colourful, vibrant, unique outfits are all over the screen all the time.

The production design, by Rich Heinrichs, is similarly fantastic, with some amazing locations and gorgeously dressed sets. Again, given that the majority of the film is set in a circus, this shouldn’t come as a shock, but there is still a lot of creativity and originality on display even in these environments that audiences tend to have a rather stereotyped view of what they may look like.

Director Tim Burton brings his trademark look and feel to parts of the film, but not the whole thing. In fact, it is only in the final huge-scale sequence towards the end of the film that it is even noticeable at all, that Burton thumbprint.

Have a guess who composed the score. If you guessed anyone other than Danny Elfman, you obviously haven’t seen many Tim Burton movies, haha. The score is actually quite traditional, and not particularly Elfman-like. Perhaps some executive at Disney wasn’t willing to let Burton and Elfman be their usual slightly-twisted selves, I don’t know.

But the most unfortunate part of this movie has got to be the performances of the cast. With the exception of Eva Green, none of the cast seem to be giving their best here. We know from other films that DeVito, Keaton and Farrell can act, and can act extremely well as it happens. But here, they just seem to be going through the motions, saying the necessary lines at the right time (but not even giving them nuanced intonations, or anything like that). The two children also fail to give particularly memorable performances, and don’t seem to exhibit any talent for screen acting.

I don’t think I can in good conscience recommend this film, even to die-hard fans of the original.

5 out of 10.