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.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

Based on the Broadway musical with a book by Hugh Wheeler, and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, this film tells a dark story of revenge, and certainly does not glamourise the concept.

Sweeney Todd (Johnny Depp) returns to London after some time away. The last time he was in London, he worked as a barber, one of the best in the city. He was married and had a young daughter named Johanna.

But before he went away, his wife died, and his young daughter - still just a baby - was taken by Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) and raised as his ward.

Todd has returned to London with only one thing on his mind: revenge.

Sweeney Todd (Johnny Depp) and Judge Turpin
(Alan Rickman).

Returning to his old place of business, he finds the downstairs shop is now a pie shop, run by the eccentric Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), who is finding business difficult given the shortage of good quality meat for her pies.

With Todd's thirst for revenge, and Lovett's desperate need for pie filling, the two hatch the most evil of plans. Any and all of Todd's customers who come to him for a shave have their throats slit by his razor, and their bodies are sent down to the floor below, where they are turned into meat for Lovett's pies. Yes, you read that right, I warned you the story was dark.

Their first victim is the charlatan Pirelli (Sacha Baron Cohen), a rival barber who sells a concoction called "Pirelli's Miracle Elixir", which he claims can regrow hair on a bald head. Pirelli recognises Todd from his previous life, and threatens to expose him. Furious, Todd kills him, and their sinister plan is underway.

Todd takes on Pirelli's former apprentice, a young boy named Toby (Edward Sanders), as his own apprentice, and little by little, begins to do away with customer after customer, all the while trying to get back his daughter Johanna (Jayne Wisener), who is in turn being pursued by potential wooer Anthony (Jamie Campbell Bower).

Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter) and Toby (Edward Sanders).

Meanwhile, Lovett's pie business is flourishing, with customers queueing around the block for her latest pies, completely unaware what - or who - they are consuming.

The screenplay, by John Logan, follows the plot of the original musical quite closely, with only a few minor changes. A few of the songs from the musical have been omitted (I assume for time considerations), but overall, the plot and flow has been maintained. It is good to see that all of the best songs from the musical are still there, including my personal favourite "A Little Priest".

Sondheim's songs - apart from those few omissions - are still intact, and as magnificent as ever. The cast - at least the ones who sing - do a great job in their performances. Baron Cohen in particular does an incredible job as Pirelli, but the chemistry between Depp and Bonham Carter - admittedly established over many previous projects together, in collaboration with director Tim Burton - is fantastic, and the two of them can both sing well.

Pirelli (Sacha Baron Cohen).

The cinematography, by Dariusz Wolski, is very good, with the majority of the film in near-total darkness. There are plenty of shadows, and plenty of darkness, as one would assume given the themes of the film. Combined with Dante Ferretti's production design, this works to convey the seedier side of Victorian London in a truly immersive way.

The performances of the entire cast are fabulous, and the cast's ability to sing - admittedly some very difficult songs in terms of vocal range - is brilliant. The majority of the 'dialogue' is sung, so an ability to sing was clearly a prerequisite in terms of casting, but everyone seems quite comfortable in their roles.

Director Tim Burton - quite possibly the best choice to bring such a macabre story to the screen - has done an incredible job, and made one of Sondheim's more obscure musicals much more accessible to a wider audience. It may be an incredibly uncomfortable film to watch, but it is nonetheless brilliant.

9 out of 10.

Big Eyes (2014)

The true story of artist Margaret Keane, who for most of her career, got no credit for any of her work.

Margaret (Amy Adams) leaves her first husband and moves to California with her young daughter Jane (Delaney Raye). She is an artist, who paints all her subjects - almost exclusively young girls - with oversized eyes, as she says the eyes are the windows to the soul, and she can put much more expression in the eyes when they are much bigger.

She meets Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz) at a street market one day, and the two of them hit it off. He is known for painting French street scenes, and he sees real talent in her work.

Before long, the two have become very close, and when Margaret’s ex-husband threatens to fight for sole custody of Jane - calling Margaret an unfit mother - Walter proposes to her in order to give her a stable home and family environment.

The two marry in Hawaii, and it isn’t long before Margaret’s paintings start to attract attention. Desperate to be respected for his art, Walter claims it was him who is the artist behind the ‘big eyes’.

Margaret goes along with this lie for most of their married life, as she feels threatened by Walter.

Fast forward a few years: Jane (Madeleine Arthur) is older now, and Margaret continues to paint her big-eyed children, with Walter continuing to take the credit for every portrait.

Things start to slowly unravel, though, with Margaret’s longtime friend Dee-Ann (Krysten Ritter) convinced that Margaret is the true artist, and art critic John Canaday (Terence Stamp) not so sure about Walter’s credentials either.

Eventually, Margaret has had enough, and takes Walter to court, suing him in order to be recognised as the true artist.

The screenplay - by Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski - is very good, with well developed characters, and plenty of tension throughout. There are occasional humorous moments, but this film is not strictly a comedy.

Danny Elfman has composed a brilliant score for the film, a largely traditional orchestral score, mind you. It is never overpowering or poorly placed, but is always perfectly suited to the action and/or emotion on screen at the time.

The cast performances are where this film really shines, though, in particular Waltz and Adams as the married couple. The two young actors who play Jane at the different ages are also superb, but I don’t think I’ve seen either of them in anything else before or since.

Danny Huston as a journalist who follows the Keane’s career very closely is another standout performance.

Director Tim Burton brings his unique perspective and keen eye (no pun intended) to this story, and delivers a film that will delight audiences for many years to come. Check it out if you haven’t already; I might even watch it again soon myself.

8 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.