Mr. Tim Burton has been pissing me off for years now.
It’s not the hair. Or the sad fact that he left the (assumingly) lovely Helena.
My anger jumped up to seeth level at the mention of his stupid, dumb name because here you had a movie maker that had one of the most unique, ORIGINAL, visions of any American filmmaker in the late 80s/early 90s.
[Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Batman {which was a big help in spawning the modern Superhero Movie}, Nightmare Before Christmas….]
The man made his own fairytales. Then he became a Reteller of Tales. A Great Regurgitator, taking his Burton Filters and hard-shoving pre-existing movies and television shows right through them.
[Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Alice in Wonderland, Dark Shadows, Planet of the Apes {which was a big help in spawning the modern Remake/Reboot Movie}, Frankenweenie….??????]
Yes Ladies and Gentlemen; that last one was a remake of his own short film… Terrible news.
But. . . . . . .
BUT…
Mr. Tim Burton’s latest is somewhat a return to form. With Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Burton has found a perfect fit for his aesthetic. Based on a popular Young Adult novel of the same name, the film is filled with fantastical, wonderful imagery. Nice, bizarre story that utilizes time travel in a very satisfying way.
Working again with Bruno Delbonnel (Amélie, Inside Llewyn Davis, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince) as Director of Photography and teaming for the first time with screenwriter/producer Jane Goldman (Stardust, Kick-Ass, Kingman: The Secret Service), Burton has found perfect collaborators. Put all of this together and there is a sense of wonder here that has been missing for years from Burton’s work.
Regarding cast: Samuel L. Jackson seems to be having a good time but is miscast as the evil Barron. He plays the character very broad and is laughable at times. Asa Butterfield is serviceable as our hero, Jake. It is Eva Green that carries the film though as Miss Alma LeFay Perigrine. She is both caring and sinister. And absolutely sexy as hell.
Burton fans should be very happy with this peculiar tale. I know I will be putting away my Burton labeled soapbox for the time being. That is until Beetlejuice 2 comes out .
