The Greatest Of His Works: Tim Burton

[Spidey Revivey]

I have this idea for a thread for the Movies and Television Section. I was thinking of every now and then tossing in a well known director, and seeing which of his/her movies is more favored to the general audience. My first run will be with Tim Burton.

Anyone familiar with Burton's works knows he usually uses a creepy albeit whimsical connotation in his films. He is pretty much an artist in every right; whether it revolves around claymation or the strange live characters set in his medium of movies. He can be accredited to being one of the guys that keep stores like Hot Topic in business even; he is that renown.

So here is a poll for you guys to tell me which of Burton's movies do you consider his best work?

For me, I must choose Sweeney Todd. I've never been a fan of operas/musicals, but this one caught my eye. Maybe it was the grim aspects warranted to a twisted Count Of Monte Cristo story. Maybe it was the style or hell Johnny Depp. Whatever the case is out of all his work, I think this one was his best.

Honorable mentions from me include:

Beetlejuice
Batman '89
Edward Scissorhands

EDIT: I do realize I have not submitted all movies he has worked on. Feel free to throw a name or two around if you want.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Ed Wood.

This film might not be as popular as Beetlejuice, Batman, and Batman Returns, but Ed Wood is a marvelous film, and I think this one is very underrated. Johnny Depp was great here, and the rest of the cast did a superb job. Ed Wood is one of the most unique biopics I've ever seen. There was this eerie feel throughout the film, and shooting this film in black and white was a nice touch. When I first saw this film years ago, I didn't even know who Ed Wood was, but this movie made me want to find out more about him. Burton really did a great job paying tribute to Wood.

Batman Returns would probably be a close second for me. This film ranks high on my list of Batman films. Like most of Burton's films, this one was dark and creepy. Michelle Pfeiffer was OUTSTANDING as Selena Kyle/Catwoman. I love the relationship storyline she had with Bruce Wayne/Batman. You could never really tell if these two were going to get together or not, and the ending to this film was kind of bittersweet. Christopher Walken's character was also creepy and evil. He was the mouth piece for The Penguin, and the way he "killed" Selena Kyle was so messed up. My jaw still hangs open when I watch that scene. Also, Danny DeVito did an awesome job with the Penguin character. I usually laugh at the Birdman, but DeVito showed us an evil Penguin. His portrayal of this character made you take Penguin more seriously. The Dark Knight has received soooo much praise over the past couple of years, and Batman Begins gets a fair share of thumbs up also, but Batman Returns is an excellent film. It's too bad that it gets overshadowed by these two films now a days.

 

[red ass skull muhfukkah]

IMO his best movie is Big Fish.

This movie showed off how creative and out there he can be, yet had such a good story and great characters. It tells the story of a son who's father tells magnificent stories that so made so many people love him, yet those same stories are what makes his son hate him. His son feels he doesn't know the true story of his father's life and he wants to hear it before his father passes. The father, William Bloom played by Albert Finnet and Ewan McGregor, begins to tell his amazing stories to his son's fiance. These stories are so creative and are filmed in such a fantastical way. From saving the town from a friendly (but hungry giant) to instantly falling in love at the circus. That is where this movie excels, showing the true romance between Bloom and the girl of his dreams. I won't give the whole story away but it is truly a one of a kind movie, that doesn't get talked about enough. One critic described it as a celebration of the art of storytelling, I couldn't agree more with that.

It is one of his few movies that doesn't really have a Burton feel to it as there is very little dark elements and settings. I usually find Burton a tad overrated as I feel he gets way too much credit for recycling the same style over and over. But this movie shows he can be creative and is a great storyteller.

 

[jmt225]

Ed Wood, easily.

Not only is Ed Wood one of my all time favorite films, but I believe it's one of the greatest biopics ever made. Tim Burton was genius to make the film black-and-white, and he deserves a LOT of credit for capturing that era of filmmaking to a T. Watching that film, it feels like you're truly watching Ed Wood and the people around him. That's how realistic it felt, and Burton has and will never be able to capture that kind of feeling again. Moreover, he'll never direct a movie with as good of performances as Martin Landau gave as Bela Lugosi and Johnny Depp gave as Ed Wood.

So, yeah... really easy choice. In fact, outside of his adaptation of Sweeney Todd, Ed Wood is actually the only movie I really like from Burton. I enjoyed Edward Scissorhands, the Batman films, and Beetlejuice as a child, but as an adult they really don't hold up. And everything else the man has done that I've seen is just blah. Regardless though, Ed Wood is and forever will be a masterpiece, so Burton deserves at least some credit for that.

 

[Aeon Mathix]

I had to give this one to The Nightmare Before Christmas. I loved that movie since I was a kid. I am not saying that its his best work, but it is my personal favorite that he has done. I always enjoy it when Burton and Depp get together. they have that chemistry you don't really see often with director and actor. I know they didnt do "Nightmare" together, just something I wanted to point out as Depp has been in almost all of Burton's movies. "Nightmare' will always have a special place in me. Its probably the only christmas movie i can watch any day of the given year. Its hard to beat jack skellington as well. Plus the level in Kingdom Hearts 2 was fucking awesome

 

[Loveless]

Edward Scissorhands is by far his best work and a film that only Burton could make. A beautiful and original gothic fairytale stretched around a modern twisted suburbia. The kind of film he should be making now, instead of crap like Alice In Wonderland.
I also have a lot of love for Corpse Bride, which unfortunately didn't turn out to be the beginning of the renaissance I was hoping for

 

[willywonka8822]

I was about to choose edward scissorhands but i ended up choosing Batman. The reason for this is.

I am a huge johnny depp fan but i am also a huge Batman fan and Burton's movies were the best out of the whole Batman film franchise.
Batman was amazing Nicholson playing the joker was one of my favorites (behind only Mark Hamill) and Keaton didn't do so good as Bruce Wayne but he made up for it by being the best batman of all time. I also love Batman Returns just as mutch. Danny DeVito recieved the part that was perfect for him and i absolutely love Michelle Pfeifer as Catwoman(sexy). So basically what im trying to say is that he did some great casting.

A close second for Edward Scissorhands.
An even closer third for Ed Wood
(Johnny Depp as a transvestite)