Beetlejuly: Batman Returns

One of the reasons Warner Bros. decided not to distribute Edward Scissorhands was because they wanted Burton to make a sequel to the highly successful Batman. After Burton finished Edward Scissorhands, he then decided to make a sequel to Batman for Warner Bros, only if Warner Bros. granted him entire creative control. The result was the only sequel Burton ever made to any of his movies and in my opinion, it's one of those sequels that is either on par with the first or even better. It's of course 1992's Batman Returns which sees Michael Keaton don the Batsuit once more as he takes on a penguin, a cat and a.....corrupted businessman? It took just about everything that made the first Batman film great and in many areas, it amplified these elements. It also gave us a more superior, more sympathetic villain than Jack Nicholson's Joker. Don't get me wrong, Nicholson was great as the clown prince of crime, but when it comes to the Penguin, perhaps my favorite Bat baddie, Danny Devito hit a home run and gave us an antagonist like none we had ever seen on screen before. Batman Returns was the first Batman film I saw all the way through and every time I watch it, I like it more and more. Some say it doesn't hold up as well today, especially since Nolan's trilogy is set in the concrete, but I think it's up there with the original Batman as well as The Dark Knight and surely beats out Batman Forever and the dreadful Batman and Robin (I'm just kidding, it's admittedly a guilty pleasure for me). It's style, it's camera angles, it's all around Tim Burtoness (is that even a word?), it really hits the spot for me and gives me that dark, twisted Batman fix whenever I need it.

This is Burton's second film to have a Christmas themed setting, but like Edward Scissorhands and even this summer's Iron Man 3, you obviously don't need to watch this film around the holiday season to enjoy it. Heck, it wasn't even released during the holiday season, it was released in June 1992. The holiday atmosphere just gives the film a signature style and glimmer and Gotham City and snow are like a match made in heaven. The already dark Gotham City looks fantastic with a coat of snow over it and this time around, we see a lot more buildings, lit up signs and giant sculptures that make Gotham the abstract place that it is. We also see the more corporate side of Gotham and the monsters that will do anything for big green benjamins. One of the film's antagonists is Max Shreck, portrayed by Christopher Walken. He's a Batman character exclusive to this movie and he was named after the actor who portrayed Count Orlok in the 1922 silent horror film, Nosferatu. Walken portrays Shreck as a lean, calm and collective businessman, but deep down, he's a selfish, malicious, cold hearted person who does anything to glorify his image. He even killed his own business partner in secret and filled Gotham's sewers with toxic sludge, something the Penguin brings up when he meets Shreck for the first time. Walken is by far the film's most unlikeable character and every time I see him on screen, I just want to give him a knuckle sandwich. Out of all the villains Walken has played throughout his career, this is one of his best. He comes off as a dirtbag who manipulates, tricks and even kills to get his way, to get his precious money. One of his victims is his assistant, Selina Kyle, played by Michelle Pfeiffer. She is driven so insane by Max's betrayal that she goes on a rampage throughout her own apartment and becomes the sinister Catwoman. Pfeiffer portrays Catwoman in an over the top fashion, but she's still a likable and relatable anti-hero. I love the relationship she has with Batman and that the two are fighting one minute and trying to smooch with one another the next. Catwoman seduces Batman many times throughout the film and at the end of the day, she just wants to tickle his bat ears and get on his bad side, all in one evening.

Michael Keaton returns as Bruce Wayne/Batman and although nothing has really changed with his performance, he does try to reason with the villains and try to make them see what is right in life. The way he talks to Selina and tells her that she and him are the same, split right down the centre is a scene that tugs at your heartstrings. Batman even takes off his mask and reveals himself to Selina. How he can tear that thick rubber mask off so frivolously is still unknown, but it's still awesome and for a brief couple of seconds, we can see Batman without the black eye makeup. I also like how calm and relaxed Batman is, even when he's in great danger. A scene in the film depicts Penguin taking control of the Batmobile and Batman realizes that he's in trouble, but instead of having an anxiety attack or breaking out in a fit of rage, he keeps his cool, uses his noggin and eventually overpowers the Penguin's control. It just goes to show that you can be a kick ass Batman without having a dark raspy voice or need to beat the crap out of your enemies every chance you get. Keaton still portrays Batman in that mysterious, laid back, yet intimidating style and that's the reason why I like him so much. Every time I see that image of him looming in the shadows, I get scared and thrilled at the same time. He was just born to play Batman and bring something new to the role. Keaton's Batman will always been known for his stillness, his passiveness, his sarcasm, his quick thinking and his hypnotic stare. I think he and Bela Lugosi' Dracula should get together and have a staring contest!

But the star of the show is undoubtedly Danny Devito as Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin. He did to the Penguin what Heath Ledger did to the Joker 16 years later. Devito's Penguin is a villainous, resourceful, and calculating mastermind but he's also a sympathetic, confused and misunderstood misfit that we can't help but feel sorry for. He was abandoned by his parents when he was just a baby and was raised in the slimy Gotham sewers by a bunch of freakshow performers and penguins. He has a heated grudge for the aristocrats and rich citizens of Gotham and desires to become the city's mayor, bringing a new reign of order the city had never seen before. He also desires to be excepted and admired, even if he was born with flipper like hands and a oval shaped body. It's a very different take on the character, straying far from the comic book version as well as the version Burgess Meredith brought to life in the 60s television series. Burton drew inspiration from the mad scientist in the 1920 German expressionist film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and reimagined the Penguin as not only a dignified, ruthless gentleman of crime, but a deranged, tortured soul, constantly haunted by his past. It's a shame to see him emerge from the sewers and try to adjust to the public life, cameras and paparazzi flashing all around him. He then vows to find his parents and after an endless, sleepless night of searching, he comes to realize that they are dead. He then tells the citizens that he is not an animal, he is a human being and that he should be treated as such, despite the fact that he has obvious abnormalities. It is then that the Penguin gets a lot of the recognition and admiration he longed for as Shreck helps him run for city mayor. During these scenes, you can really feel his determination, his perseverance and his motivation to get to the finish line. At times, I kind of wanted to see him win the election and become mayor, but we all know he was running for mayor with the promise that he would help Shreck complete his power plant project. Oswald gives eloquent speeches, hits on the ladies, comes up with ideas off the top of his head and at times, gives into his animal like impulses. In one of the film's most disturbing scenes, he randomly bites a guy's nose after the guy makes a slight joke. It goes to show that no matter how respected Oswald is and how much he is excepted in society, he will always have the inner demon that causes him to do animalistic things.

Then, as Bruce Wayne ruins a campaign speech, dubbing over his speech with harsh comments he made earlier, the citizens of Gotham turn on the Penguin and it's then that he ultimately turns against them, vowing to get back at the "retched pinhead puppets". He then returns to the sewers and comes up with the plan to abduct all the firstborn sons of Gotham and drown them in the polluted sewer water. He also says the complete opposite of what he said earlier. He is not Oswald Cobblepot, he's the Penguin. He is not a human, he's a cold blooded animal and once again, he gives into his animalistic impulses. As one of his clown henchmen protests his idea of killing all of Gotham's firstborns, the Penguin mercilessly shoots him with one of his umbrella guns and kicks him into the green water. You can really tell at this moment that he's going to do some major crap. He's through with Gotham City and is ready to make them pay. But as all heroes do, Batman foils his plans and rescues the children, much to the Penguin's disgust and fury. He then decides to dispose of Gotham all together and destroy it by putting missiles on the back of his penguins, sending them above to launch the missiles and spread chaos. Of course, Batman foils that scheme as well and he and the Penguin have an impressive one on one in which the Penguin uses his umbrella like a sword and uses it to choke Batman. Eventually, Batman unleashes a swarm of bats on the deformed fellow and sends him falling into the green Kool Aid water below.

After a scene in which Catwoman electrocutes Shreck (leaving her fate unknown), the Penguin emerges from the water, black ink like liquid spewing from his nose and mouth. As he goes to retrieve an umbrella, he grabs the wrong one, but he is still determined to "murder" Batman despite his declining health. He squawks one more time and then slums to the floor, dead as a doorknob. He is then giving a burial by the only friends he ever had, the penguins, who drag his body and place it into the depths of Gotham's sewer. It's surely a tragic end to a tragic villain, one of the most tragic superhero movie villains ever. All the Penguin wanted was acceptance and throughout the movie, we saw what lengths he was willing to go to to get that acceptance. We can also feel the pain he feels and the anger he feels for being abandoned and left to suffer in a contaminated sewer when he was very young. Although his parents did such a nasty thing to him and it caused him great agony, the Penguin eventually came to accept it and even forgive his parents. That makes him a very human character and not so much a villain after all. He may have been driven to do bad things, but he had a precise reason for doing these things and wanted to show the world just how brilliant minded and intelligent he was.  As I said before, the Penguin was misunderstood and longed to be just like everybody else. He also longed for love, something people very seldom gave him. Danny Devito portrayed the Penguin powerfully and still to this day, it's my favorite interpretation of the character.

He also drives a duck mobile. What more can be said. Duck mobiles are awesome!

Yeh, I know, most of this Batman Returns review has been devoted to the Penguin, but I do think he is the star of the show and Batman is just there to do what good guys always do. Think of it as Wreck It Ralph with Fix-It Felix Jr. as Batman and Wreck-It Ralph as the Penguin. But what other greatness does this film have in it's possession. Well, once more, the score by Danny Elfman is defiant and grandiose. The score that plays during the Penguin's death is one of the most emotional tunes I have ever heard and every time I hear it, I get a feeling of deep sorrow. The music that plays during the fight scenes also gets the adrenaline flowing and as always, Elfman's Batman theme fits with the character and makes the film feel epic and exhilarating. The ending scene of the film gives us a bittersweet feeling, but I think it's a perfect ending to Burton's duology and lets your imagination fill in the voids. As Bruce Wayne and Alfred drive off into the snow filled night, we get one more look at the deranged Gotham City and out of the misty skies comes the Batsignal. Before you can blink, Catwoman, who was thought to be dead from an earlier scene emerges and the end credits roll. That....this just spectacular. Although it set up a sequel brilliantly, it also tied the knot and forever sealed Burton's Batman universe shut with nails and hammers. In many ways, we don't need to know what Keaton's Batman embarks on next. We don't need to see what malevolence Catwoman causes after the events of Returns (although a Catwoman spinoff was in the works for some time). We don't need to see Billy Dee William's Harvey Dent return and become Two- Face or Robin finally join Batman's side. The ending to Batman Returns lets us fill in the empty space ourselves and make our own assumptions. Maybe it was after Batman Returns that Bruce decided to give up Batman, at least for a while. Perhaps Gotham finally stopped being the crime filled "hell" it was notoriously known as. The ending makes us ask questions, but it also sums up things on a high note.

We all know there wasn't a sequel, at least a sequel directed by Tim Burton. As Batman Returns didn't earn the amount of money Warner Bros. was expecting, they made the series more mainstream and more family oriented with 1995's Batman Forever. Although Burton was producer of that film, it didn't seem to capture the same kind of magic and essence Batman and Batman Returns delivered, not to mention that Joel Schumacher's direction just wasn't of the same caliber as Burton's. But Batman Forever, as well as Batman and Robin do have their following and although they were met with negative reception upon their release, they have built quite a substantial audience as the years progressed and some people even consider them superior to Burton's two films. And even if Christopher Nolan's trilogy has come along to forever mold the shape of Batman films and what they stand for, Tim Burton's films will always have that style that grows on me every time I watch them. They have their cheesy moments, but what movies don't have cheesy moments? They have flaws, but what movies don't have flaws? They are dark and gritty and full of ghastly, grotesque imagery, but what Tim Burton film isn't equipped with that? Burton did a great job interpreting the Batman lore and understanding what makes it so great, giving it his own touch and wizardry in the process. When asked what film I like better (Batman or Batman Returns), I tend to place them both on the exact same level, both in quality and all around entertainment. These films might be over the top and outdated in some people's books, but in my book, they will always be my favorite Batman movies.

The only major flaw Batman Returns has to offer is that since Burton was directing it in the 91-92 timeframe, he wasn't able to direct the film based on a poem he wrote during his Disney days. Tune in next time and we'll talk all about a certain....Nightmare.

Beetlejuly: Edward Scissorhands

Whenever asked what my favorite Tim Burton film is, Edward Scissorhands is the first thing to come to mind. In fact, Burton and Danny Elfman have gone on record saying that this is their most cherished work and after watching this film dozens of times throughout the years, I'm quite certain it's my personal favorite Burton film as well. In my mind, no Burton film captures the very essence and nature of his macabre and quirky imagination better than Edward Scissorhands and out of all his movies, Edward Scissorhands is the most humorous, the most tearjerking, the most jarring and the most climatic  Burton experience for one to embark on. It was based upon a drawing Burton did in his youth while living in Burbank and as the years went by, Burton debated whether or not to bring this whimsical, outlandish creation to the big screen. During the production of Beetlejuice, Burton hired Caroline Thompson to adapt his brainchild into a screenplay and since Warner Bros. decided not to distribute the film, Burton and company packed their things and took the motion picture to Twentieth Century Fox. The role of Edward was considered for many top stars of the time, everyone from Tom Cruise to Robert Downey Jr. to William Hurt. Finally, the role went to a not so well known television actor by the name of Johnny Depp and a grand friendship between Depp and Burton was born that lasts to this very day. Edward Scissorhands was also the swan song for one of the greatest American actors to ever grace the cinema, the great Vincent Leonard Price, who had previously worked with Burton on his short film Vincent. The role of the inventor was written specifically for Price and even if he has a few brief scenes in the film, he plays them out beautifully, like a child in Candyland, like a good hearted scientist who not only loves to build things, but marvel and indulge himself in the things he builds. Edward Scissorhands didn't have any scenes that would have scared the skins off me as a child nor did it have any scenes I was completely bored over. It had that perfect balance of creative atmospheres, character tension, sweet romance and above all, imagination at the heart. That's what makes a good movie for me, the marriage of all these exotic, yet interesting elements.

I love the way Johnny Depp portrays Edward, as a kind, yet oblivious and curious fellow who has a hard time fitting into the real world and the flesh and blood humans that inhabit it. I mean, come on, if you were a guy with scissors for hands, you would have a hard time fitting in as well. What's interesting to note about Depp's performance is that he based Edward's movements and mannerisms off of that of the great silent film star, Charlie Chaplin. When watching the film, I couldn't help but see a lot of the Tramp in good old Edward, for he waddles and roams about just like Chaplin did in a lot of his films. Not to mention that Robert Downey Jr., who was originally considered for the role of Edward, went onto play Charlie Chaplin in the 1992 biopic Chaplin and get nominated for an Academy Award.  I think what I like most about Edward is what he stands for. I think his character shows that entities of all sorts can be frightening and demonic on the outside, yet be good hearted, gentle souls on the inside. Even if Edward was considered a menace at times and made to look like so, he still retained a kindness and gentle spirit which at times was very heartwarming. Heck, one of the film's covers shows Edward reaching out for a butterfly. You can just tell that he wants to explore the world around him, yet be careful and thoughtful as he does it. He's not a artificial man that likes to rush into things and purposely cause panic, he likes to observe things first and then, when it is needed he helps out and even saves lives, even if he injures or maims in the process. He's got a mechanical heart of love and I think it's quite touching that the first emotion he shows is love, when he sees the picture of Winona Ryder's character, Kim. Edward's face and Elfman's score really make the scene as exemplary as it is and we can just feel the butterflies flapping their wings inside Edward. It's that emotional. And even if he was an outcast and weirdo to her at first, Kim comes to love and appreciate Edward for who he is by the film's conclusion. Many people like to compare this film to Beauty and the Beast and this is one of the reasons why.

Another story the film brings to mind is Frankenstein. Of course Burton made his own version of Frankenstein with Frankenweenie, but with this film, he really nails it and helps us better understand the hard life of an artificially built man. We see that Edward struggles to understand the human ways, much like the Frankenstein monster. We see that he longs to understand why he was made, what he was meant to do and what destiny has in store for him, things that the Frankenstein monster no doubt dealt with and even questioned his creator of in different adaptations. We also see how the townspeople act around Edward, just like the townspeople acted around the Frankenstein monster in the many variations of Shelley's classic tale and most importantly, the 1931 film. One of the neighbors of the Boggs' family even calls Edward a product of the devil. Intense stuff, yes, but the reason the scene is so saddening is because Edward can't understand what the nasty neighbor is accusing him of.

Esmeralda: It's not heaven he's from! It's straight from the stinking flames of hell! The power of Satan is in him; I can feel it. Can't you? Have you poor sheep strayed so far from the path?

Edward: We're not sheep.

Esmeralda: Don't come near me!

That's another reason why I like Edward so much. In some instances and situations, he doesn't know how to act and what to do. In one scene of the film, he is forced to rob a house and as the cops come to arrest him, they tell him to put his hands in the air. As the frail and nervous Edward comes out with his hands up, the police think he has knives in his hands and they tell him to put them down or they will open fire. Since the scissors are obviously his hands, he obviously can put them down, so the police prepare to shoot, that is until the neighbors rush to the scene and tell the police what he is and who he is. Another scene that shows how Edward's mind works is when Mr. Boggs, played by Alan Arkin asks Edward what he would do if he found a suitcase full of money. Do you A. Keep the money B. Use it to buy gifts for your friends and your loved ones C. You give it to the poor or D. You turn it into the police. Edward, having the love filled heart that he has says that he would give it to his loved ones, only to be ridiculed by Mr. Boggs and his son. It's not that he doesn't think, it's just that he has an entirely different way of thinking and hasn't really been taught anything essential except for the inventor's teachings.

In fact, it's almost like Edward's entire purpose of being built in the first place was to love and ONLY love. Think about it. A scene in the movie shows the inventor (played by Vincent Price), watching his cooking making machine make dozens of multi shaped cookies. He then takes one of the cookies, which is shaped like a heart and holds it up to the chest of one of his lettuce slicing robots, intending to make a man out of the automaton. It's the film's most touching sequence in my opinion. Another scene shows the pages of a book depicting Edward's building process and one of the pages shows a completed Edward without the scissorhands, with shorter hair and a suit that looks like something a teenager would wear to prom. He looks like an ideal "prince" or man women would drool over. Perhaps Edward was made to charm a young woman in the inventor's life or charm any woman in general. Perhaps he was built to be the son the inventor never had and he would meet a woman, marry her and keep the inventor's family going. Many questions are raised when you REALLY watch the movie and ponder on what it has to offer, but I think in times like this, we can let our imaginations fill in the empty spaces.

But my favorite scene out of the entire movie is when the neighbor, Joyce opens a beauty salon in which Edward will work at and cut hair. She leads Edward into the back room and tries to sexually seduce him, that is until the chair Edward is sitting in falls over, prompting Edward to get up and leave the salon. Later on, Edward meets up with the Boggs family at a diner and as Mr. Boggs asks Edward how his day went, Edward tells him of the marvels in the beauty salon, just before saying this....

And then she showed the back room where she took all of her clothes off. 

The first time I saw this scene, I thought it was (Literally) the funniest thing I had ever seen. Just the fact that Edward just comes out and says it, the way he says, the way the family reacts and the unexpectedness really adds to the scene's overall charm and hilarity. I still wet my pants every time I see it and it's undeniably the film's funniest scene, along with the scene where Edward gets drunk off of "lemonade" and falls to the floor. Peg Boggs, played by Dianne Wiest comes off as a sweet motherly figure to Edward and even when things get rough and rocky, she still tries to look on the bright side of things and see the goodness that lies within Edward. She knows and understands why Edward is the way he is and tries to help him understand right from wrong. She's the true person Edward needed in his life and the relationship between the two is probably the film's most touching relationship. The relationship between Edward and Kim's boyfriend (played by Anthony Michael Hall) is also fun to watch. Right from the beginning, the guy has an immediate dislike for Edward and tries to humiliate him and force him into trouble every chance he gets. He is also disgusted at Edward for liking Kim and when Edward accidentally cuts Kim's hand, Hall's character believes him to have done it on purpose and tells him to go away and never return. Hall's character is that guy we love to hate and in the end, he gets what all the baddies get, an over the top demise. In a moment that will leave you gasping, Edward impales Hall and sends him flying out the window of the abandoned castle. It's another one of those jarring moments in the film, but since Hall was such an unlikeable character, many were probably glad to see him go. Go back to the Breakfast Club, you dirtbag! 

Then there's Vincent Price, who gives a heartwarming performance as the old inventor who dies before he gets to finish Edward, living him with the scissorhands for the rest of time. I just love how he observes the contraptions he builds, he's like a kid in a Toys R Us. I wonder if he's the one that taught Pee Wee Herman how to build his breakfast machine. The scene in which he teaches etiquette to an unfinished Edward will have you chuckling and tearing up, all at the same time! Seeing Edward try to smile for the first time, it kind of reminds me of when the Terminator tried to smile in a deleted scene from Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The scene where the old inventor dies is one of the most heartwrenching scenes in a movie, and what makes it so sad is that this really was Vincent Price's last major performance in a motion picture. He gives it all he's got and for his last performance, he goes out with a powerful, yet sorrowful bang. What makes my heart break is that he died right when he was going to give real hands to Edward and as he falls to the floor, Edward's scissorhands go right through the hands, breaking them to bits. Then Edward looks down at the dead body of his mentor and because he doesn't fully understand death, he cuts the inventor's cheek, observing his blood and realizing that he will be stuck with the scissorhands for all eternity. That's a powerful moment and gets me choked up each time. I think a lot of us feel the same way, for Vincent Price was truly a remarkable man and a true inspiration, not only to Tim Burton, but to countless others as well. He is certainly an inspiration for me. His voice, his charm, his sense of humor and his love for the arts are certainly the things that made him special. He was one of the world's greatest actors and this film was a great swan song for his entire career.

If there are two other aspects that must be praised, it's the design and the film's soundtrack. The way the inventor's castle looks is very reminiscent of the castles from Roger Corman's Poe films which Vincent Price starred in in the 60s. I also like the look of suburbia and the hedge trimming Edward does to the neighborhood's plants. He makes people, dinosaurs, and even demons! The exotic haircuts Edward gives the ladies of the neighborhood are also interesting to look at and look like something the Whos would don in How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  The way Edward looks is very iconic and nice to look at as well and looks like a mashup between Marilyn Manson and Freddy Krueger. The man who designed Edward and his scissorhands was Stan Winston, the special effects and makeup artist whose work includes the Terminator series, the Jurassic Park series, Aliens, Avatar and Iron Man. You could just tell that Winston had a passion and heart for his work and he did a fantastic job making Edward actually look like an artificial gentle man. The score by Danny Elfman is simply his best work, at least in my opinion. His score for Edward Scissorhands is melancholy and sweet when it needs to be and it's dark and menacing when it needs to be and I have never heard a score as beautiful as the Ice Dance score. One time, when I was younger, I saw snow falling outside on a cold winter's night. It was dark, but not to the point that stopped me from seeing each individual snowflake fall to the white ground. I immediately thought of the Ice Dance theme. It's the very epitome of a beautiful tune. The theme that plays during the opening montage of the inventor's exotic lab equipment is also delightful to the ears and sets the mood for an odd, yet incredible flick.

I could sit and talk and talk and talk about every single aspect of this movie, but I won't. I'll let you see this one for yourself if you haven't already and perhaps you will be blown away just as I was when I first saw it. If you have seen it already, then why not give it another watch. It may be depressing and dramatic at times, but I doubt you will walk away feeling that you wasted two hours of your time. It's got the perfect mix of what makes Tim Burton's films so great and the ending to the movie sums up the entire picture perfectly, giving us one more heartwarming scene before the screen turns black. Edward Scissorhands makes us think about a lot of things. What makes a man? What can one do to impact the lives of others? What does one do when he's got obvious deformities? What does it take to be loved? Only you can interpret these things for yourself and make them last a lifetime. 

Beetlejuly: Batman

Tim Burton was immediately hired to direct Batman after the success of Pee Wee's Big Adventure and although the project wasn't greenlit until after Beetlejuice hit theaters, the juices were cooking for the first live action Batman film in several years. When the 1980s rolled in, gone were the days of Batman being a campy, POW punching chum with a sidekick that said HOLY something every time they were in peril. Batman was becoming a much more serious, more adult character and this couldn't be more evident than in Frank Miller's groundbreaking comic series The Dark Knight Returns and Alan Moore's graphic novel The Killing Joke. When the time came for Batman to be adapted into a motion picture, Burton and his crew would no doubt follow in the same dark footsteps and make Batman as dark and contemporary as possibly, the way Bob Kane originally wanted the character to be. Admittedly though, Burton was not much of a comic book reader, but he liked the image of Batman and the Joker and was ready to mold them in his own unique fashion. The result was one of the greatest hero and villain relationships ever put to film in one of the greatest superhero films ever constructed. Batman was not only one of the greatest hits of all time, it was the very film that sparked a resurgence in superhero related films and one of the very reasons why the genre is still up and running today with Christopher Nolan's most recent Batman trilogy as well as this summer's smash hit, Man of Steel. Batman was Burton's biggest success and launched him as a highly profitable director. So, it could very well be that without Batman, there wouldn't have been Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood or even The Nightmare Before Christmas. 

And I'm just going to come out and say it, I like it better than Christopher Nolan's trilogy. Don't get me wrong, I still love those films to death and Heath Ledger's Joker is one of the greatest movie villains in history, but one thing I never really liked about them is that they were too grounded in reality. Nolan aimed for a more realistic fashion with his trilogy and made Batman and his foes as if they could exist in the real world. Not that there is anything wrong with that, being grounded in realism can be interesting and at times very cinematic, but the Nolanverse doesn't really look like a place you can really escape to when you wish to leave the real world and enter a world of make believe. It looks too much like the world we live in at this very moment. The world of Tim Burton's Batman REALLY looks like a place you could retreat to and indulge yourself in when the going gets tough. It's a fantasy world at it's finest. Just look at Gotham City. To quote Anton Furst, We imagined what New York City might have become without a planning commission. A city run by crime, with a riot of architectural styles. An essay of ugliness. As if hell erupted through the pavement and kept on going. 

Michael Keaton is probably my favorite Batman, along with Kevin Conroy of course. In fact, Batman: The Animated Series was heavily inspired by this film as well as the Fleischer Superman cartoons of the 1940s. When people heard he would be playing Bruce Wayne/Batman, they protested and couldn't see him in the Caped Crusader's boots. That's exactly the reason why I like him so much, it's because you just can't see him in the role. That's what makes Bruce Wayne/Batman so mysterious, that this guy in a rubber bat suit could be anybody, even a shy, humble, down to Earth billionaire. When Vicki Vale finds out that Bruce is Batman, she questions him and when she asks him to explain the whole Batman ordeal, he says that he can't and that he has to be Batman because nobody else will. That is brilliant layering to Bruce's character and makes him all the more interesting to watch. Not that Christian Bale's Batman wasn't like that at times, but you could really tell that deep down, he had some problems he couldn't sort out. With Keaton, you couldn't see a single trace that he was dealing with something much bigger than himself. He was casual, polite, well mannered and an all out gentleman. He also didn't have that ridiculous raspy voice Bale's Batman had, instead having a more casual, yet still very intimidating voice that scared the bejesus out of all of Gotham's criminal thugs.

Batman: I want you to tell all of your friends about me. 

Thug (terrified): WHAT ARE YOU?! 

Batman: I'M BATMAN!

Now let's talk about the Joker, played by Jack Nicholson. Many have said in the past that Nicholson easily steals the show and that the movie focuses more on him than it does Batman. And the more I think about that, the more I realize that it is somewhat true. The Joker is actually more out in the public than Batman is, but here is the way I see it. The whole point of Batman is to be this mysterious, shadowy entity that comes out at night to put a stop to crime. The whole point of the Joker is to make himself known throughout all Gotham City, gaining the people's trust and manipulating them before he eventually tricks them. The Joker, in his own strange way, has to take center stage for it makes you feel just how big an impact his character has on the story. He's supposed to be the big guy, the dark twisted menace with a grand plan, unlike Ledger's Joker that just wanted to watch the world burn. Jack Nicholson is spot on as Jack Napier/Joker and even though he is the antagonist, he is still likable and funny as heck. He's like Beetlejuice, just an out of control goofball with tricks and treats at every head turn. He makes the movie fun to watch and his methods of taking lives are really ingenious. Sometimes, he electrocutes people with a hand zapper, other times, he makes them laugh themselves to death with laughing gas. In one scene, he kills a crime lord by stabbing him with a feather quill.

The pen is truly mightier than the sword!

Nicholson is truly a marvel as the Joker and proves that the villain can not only be menacing, but also a likable schmuck who just wants to have fun.

The overall look, feel and design of the movie comes next. As I said before, the universe of Burton's Batman really looks like a place of pure fantasy and if you would take one look at Gotham City, you would immediately be sucked into it. Inspired by silent films like Metropolis and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Burton and company really made Gotham look like a place you wouldn't want to be around at nightfall. It's dark, prudent and powerful with it's blazing skyscrapers and buildings and with the night sky looming in the background, it makes for an atmosphere straight out of a dark fantasy. The look of the Batsuit, the Batcave and the Batmobile are also nice to gaze at with their sleek, stylized patterns and smooth surfaces. The scene where the Batwing is silhouetted against the moon sticks out in my memory as the film's most iconic moment. And who could forget the look of the Joker's parade balloons. Believe it or not, Tim Burton actually designed a balloon for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. It's only fitting that he would have some neat looking balloons in this movie! Danny Elfman once again scores a Burton film and his theme for Batman fits with the character beautifully. It's an overpowering composition and it gives me gas in the stomach every time I listen to it. It's just as legendary as John Williams' Superman theme and sets the tone for a dark, brooding, more compelling superhero ready to get down to business. Every time I watch this movie, I get Elfman's score caught in my head for hours on end. It surely is a riveting, arresting composition that makes Batman feel epic.

A lot of people don't like that Jack Napier/Joker killed Bruce Wayne/Batman's parents. I think it's brilliant. Because of this plot point, we are able to feel the tension between the protagonist and antagonist and understand their motivations a whole lot better. It's also brilliant that the Joker created Batman and Batman created the Joker and that they are trying to get back at one another for making each other what they are. As Burton put it, it's a duel of the freaks and in the end, only one will come out on top. It's been argued on countless occasions that Batman doesn't kill. I think that Batman goes out realizing that just killing someone right away won't really solve anything and that killing should come as a last resort when the battle gets too intense, either as a means to save himself or save someone he cares about. And in the earlier comics, Batman killed criminals all the time, so this part of his character harkens back to the days when the character was just getting introduced to the world. In the end, it really doesn't trouble me. I like to think of this movie as the ultimate superhero flick, a flick that shows that heroes can not only be handled on the big screen, but handled well and the audience can relate to them and compare them to themselves. And Burton and his party have handled Batman and everything associated with him quite well, giving us what is often argued as the best Batman movie. It deals with personal struggles, spiritual struggles and struggles at the heart. It also shows how a hero can fall in mud, get back out, clean himself up and eventually overpower the enemies that try to push him back into the mud, avoiding the deep dark thoughts that dwell in his brain, the thoughts that taunt him. Bruce Wayne/Batman finds it in himself to end the wrath of the Joker and save Gotham City from a ghastly fate of laughing gas and fake money. But his duties as Batman are far from over. He would return to fight a cat and a penguin in the only sequel Burton ever made.

But that's an article for another time. Tune in next time and we'll talk about my favorite Tim Burton film, the first Burton film to star the Depp man.

Beetlejuly: Beetlejuice

The time has come to review the namesake of this entire month, Beetlejuice. 1985's Pee Wee's Big Adventure put Tim Burton on the map, and although he was on the verge of bringing the brainchild of Bob Kane to the big screen, he still had some time to whip up a twisted, dark and humorous film of his own. He had been sent several scripts for several films and was disenchanted by most of them, until he received the script for Beetlejuice, written by Michael McDowell. McDowell had worked with Tim Burton on The Jar, an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents which Burton directed and when the two suffered creative differences, McDowell ultimately left the project and was replaced by Warren Skaaren. The water was boiling for what is often considered to be one of the funniest films ever put to celluloid, but when I first saw the film in my young years, it became a thorn in my flower bush. Michael Keaton's Beetlejuice character was a demonic, terrifying entity and the sand worms outside the Maitlands' house put chocolate in my pants! I also never liked the scene where Adam and Barbara look into the Room of Lost Souls (Death for the dead), a creepy place filled with exorcised souls with zombified faces and mouths of moaning. At about 5 or 6 years of age, you could see why I shivered at the very sight of this flick, but time would have me love this film the more and more I watched it. Today, Beetlejuice, like Pee Wee's Big Adventure is one of my all time favorite comedies and among my Top 30 Favorite Films of All Time. It's dark and demented (what Tim Burton film isn't), but when you get to the nitty gritty, it's just a highflying episode of fun and quirkiness that is highly enhanced at every viewing.

I like to think of this film as a version of Aladdin, only with zombies, gigantic multicolored sand worms, hunters with shrunken heads and people who dance to Harry Belafonte. Instead of a genie, we get the "Ghost with the Most' who loves to eat flies and hang out at zombie strip clubs. Michael Keaton is at his finest as Beetlejuice in this film and like Pee Wee before him, he's full of energy and comes off as a exotic, but likable chap with frizzy green hair and teeth as rotten as a decaying corpse. Originally, Tim Burton wanted Sammy Davis Jr. to portray Beetlejuice, but David Geffen, who gave Burton McDowell's original script suggested Michael Keaton. Like the role he would play in Burton's next film, this is by far one of Keaton's best and furthered cemented Keaton as a actor who could not only play calm and collective guys, but off the wall and exuberant fellows as well. Beetlejuice is a nut cluster who likes to cause as much trouble as possible, but we also sympathize with him and come to realize why he does the things he does. He's clunky and funny, but at the same time, he's determined and headstrong and he even swears a few times which are often censored when the film airs on television. I like him because he's just a funny and lovable character and the goof we'd like to learn a lot more about. He may not be no Charles Foster Kane, but he is a dignified man with a plan and for that, he's one of my all time favorite movie characters.

The other characters in the film are also superb. Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin are witty, clueless and at times DISGUSTING as Barbara and Adam Maitland and like Beetlejuice, we sympathize with them because they are just average, ordinary people who were unexpectedly killed and are trying to find their place in the afterlife. The Deetz family comes off as a bunch of pompous snobs at first, but we come to respect and admire them towards the end of the film and like the Maitlands and Beetlejuice, we can't help but sympathize with them as they are put through Beetlejuice's acts of torment. The ways the Maitlands try to scare the Deetz out of their home are very clever and once again DISGUSTING, falling into the category of dark humor. Charles and Delia Deetz are portrayed by Jeffrey Jones and Catherine O'Hara, two actors who would work with Burton many times in the near future and star in some of his later films. The Deetz' daughter, Lydia is portrayed by a young Winona Ryder, who plays a gothic, depressed, yet still curious and likable teenager who comes to discover the Maitlands, Beetlejuice and their true intentions as the film progresses. My favorite line of hers from the film is when she quotes the Handbook for the Recently Deceased.

Live people ignore the strange and unusual. I, myself, am, strange and unusual. 

That is brilliant scriptwriting.

Veteran actress Sylvia Sidney portrays Juno, the Maitlands' case worker who constantly scolds Barbara and Adam and warns them of the dangers of Beetlejuice. She is also associated with a group of football players who don't realize they are dead at first.

Football player: Couch, I don't think we survived that crash! 

Juno (sarcastically): How did you guess? 

It's funny quirks like that that really make the movie and there are enough to last a lifetime or two. Like I mentioned before, it's mostly dark humor but for a film involving a bunch of dead guys, it really hits home. Tim Burton has a gift for this kind of stuff and this is the prime example of how he can bring "laughability"  to the most dark and demented of things. My favorite scene out of the entire movie is when the Maitlands are sitting in a waiting room filled with wickedly grotesque abominations and creatures from the crypt. There's a charred dude as skinny as a toothpick who asks Adam if he wants a cigarette and a red faced guy who met his demise by a seafood allergy. There's also guy as flat as a flapjack and who could forget that hunter with the shrunken head?! Little did we know that Beetlejuice himself would receive a similar shrunken head by the end of the movie, but he comes to admire his instant taboo makeover (This could be a good look for me!). Anyway, the reason I like this scene is not only because of all the exotic beings involved in it, but because of the way the Maitlands act around them and try to blend in. After all, they are just plain old ghosts sitting in a waiting room full of creatures once thought to solely exist in nightmares! I lot of us wouldn't know how to act in a situation like that!

Danny Elfman returns from Pee Wee's Big Adventure and his score for this film raises it's awesomeness to a whole new level. From the opening score to the score that plays when the Maitlands are getting exorcised, you can really tell that Elfman knew how to make his music blend in with each scene of the film and make it match up perfectly. It can be dark, it can be upbeat, it can even be uplifting at times, which leaves you with a funny, yet good feeling in your bones. The stop motion effects Burton pioneered in Vincent and Pee Wee are also present in this film, particularly in the scenes involving the sand worms and the scene where Beetlejuice turns into a snake. I also love the scene where Beetlejuice reigns havoc on the Deetz/Maitland house and tries to get Lydia to marry him. It's one of the craziest, if not the craziest scene I have ever seen in a motion picture and leaves me chuckling at every millisecond. It's a great climax to a great movie that gives you chills, thrills and a few spills, spills that will no doubt leave an impression on you. It's by far one of Burton's finest and funniest works and it even spawned a cartoon series that lasted a few seasons on ABC. I grew up watching the series and if you want to see a highly exotic animated series from the early 90s, this might be your pot of gold.

From what I've heard, a second installment is in the works, which makes me wonder quite a bit. Beetlejuice was left with a shrunken head at the end of the first movie and the Maitlands and the Deetz made peace and lived happily ever after. How in the world are they going to follow up and top that, unless they make an unexpected detour and make a prequel, exploring Beetlejuice's mysterious origins. Either way you put it, the sequel, if it even gets made will have some huge shoes to fill and will be quite an experience, probably an unexpected experience. It might be better than the first or it might fall flat on it's face, but only you can decide if it's good or bad.

Anyway, tune in next time and we'll talk about that guy who dresses up like a bat.

Beetlejuly: Pee Wee's Big Adventure

Tim Burton had left the Disney Company and although his short films garnished positive feedback, they were never given the proper releases they deserved. However, Paul Reubens aka Pee Wee Herman had grown attracted to Burton's films and thought he was the perfect guy to direct his feature length debut, Pee Wee's Big Adventure. Not only was this Burton's full length debut, but it was the start of a long and still lasting relationship with composer Danny Elfman who at the time was the lead singer of the band, Oingo Boingo. Pee Wee's Big Adventure is a grand movie but like Vincent and Frankenweenie before it, it has some pretty intense stuff that the kiddies might not be too fond of at first viewing. Nevertheless, the first word that comes to mind with this film is fun, pure, nonstop fun that lasts until the end credits start rolling. This is probably Burton's funniest flick and when you hear the name Pee Wee Herman, you know you are in for some crazy, off the wall and erratic excitement. This film is without a doubt a never-ending realm of madness.

Pee Wee Herman lives in a house with an ingenious breakfast making machine and a dog named Speck. His most favorite thing in the world is a bike and when the spoiled neighbor Francis demands that Pee Wee sell him the bike, Pee Wee obviously declines. Things change when Pee Wee's bike mysteriously vanishes and in an act of nervousness and rage, he goes after Francis and interrogates every other person he knows to see if they know anything about the missing bike. Pee Wee then visits a fortune teller who tells him that the bike is hidden in the basement of the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas. As he makes his way there, he realizes that the Alamo has no basement, but he eventually finds out that the bike is in the possession of a spoiled child actor. Disguising himself as a nun, he makes his way to Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank and after being chased throughout the studio, he rescues a bunch of animals from a burning pet shop and even gets an entire movie based around him starring James Brolin and Morgan Fairchild. Pretty complex plot, huh? I like to think of this movie as a cross country road trip kind of movie, only it involves an immature man going after his ridiculous looking bike. What makes this movie so grand is the perils and pickles Pee Wee gets himself into on his quest to find his bike and the people he meets along the way. He meets a hobo, a fugitive, a waitress who dreams of going to Paris, a bunch of bikers and Large Marge. Anyone who has seen this movie can't deny that this is the part where our jaws dropped to the floor.

The character of Pee Wee Herman is a childish, egocentric fellow, but then again, it's Pee Wee Herman, what do you expect? Paul Reubens has a lot of energy while portraying the character and this is something that would carry on in the television show, Pee Wee's Playhouse and the film's sequel Big Top Pee Wee (it has a talking pig in it!). I think what I like most about the character is that you don't know what he will do next. One minute, he's dancing to "Tequila", the next minute, he's impersonating Mr. T, the next minute, he's scaring away muggers in an alleyway in the pouring down rain. He can be cheerful one second and intimidating as heck the next which makes him all the more fascinating and fun to watch. I think my favorite scene is the scene where he is talking to his breakfast and he pours Mr T. Cereal all over it, singing Lalalalala as he does it. That scene always made me chuckle for some reason. Another favorite scene of mine is the breakfast making machine sequence. I think we all dreamt of having a machine like this and I think it's the perfect homage to the great Rube Goldberg. The Danny Elfman score that plays over it is probably the film's most well known and cherished composition and it has been heard on television commercials, television series and other movies. Every time you hear the tune, you immediately think of this scene and it made the movie even more iconic than it already was. In fact, all of Danny Elfman's compositions are marvelous, giving us that sense of wonder and suspense when it is most needed. There's a calm harmonica tune in some scenes and then there's a full force orchestrated tune in others. Danny Elfman is one of the greatest film composers of all time and his score for this film is one of his finest.

Now let's talk about some of the film's unpleasant moments. I was never too fond of the dream scene where Pee Wee sees his bike get destroyed by demented doctors and Francis dressed as a devil. It's a real frightening sequence and turned me off of this movie when I was younger. I was also never fond of the Large Marge scene or the scene where Pee Wee tackles Francis in the swimming pool. I was one of those kids that never liked to go underwater in the swimming pool, so you can see why I didn't like this scene when I was a toddler. But the scene that really dropped the ball was the scene where Pee Wee is driving with the fugitive in the dead of night and he sees all these signs on what turns to make. Holy crud, that was an intense piece of cinema and Danny Elfman's score really made my heart beat even faster. This film has a lot of intense moments that may make you pee yourself or hide in the closet, but in the end, the film is a comedy of madness and one of the funniest films ever made in my opinion. Like I said before, Pee Wee Herman is a riot and although I see why some may be annoyed by him, he's still charming and witty and worth half a million laughs. The scene where he and the fugitive disguise themselves as husband and wife is sure to make you chuckle endlessly and the scene where Pee Wee is out in the forest with all the woodland creatures is also laugh worthy. I also think that the chase through the Warner Bros. lot is the supreme highlight of the movie and it's fun to see the menagerie that unfolds as Pee Wee races through the place on his newly found bike. He runs into Santa Claus, a guy dressed up as Godzilla, and even the heavy metal band Twisted Sister. The final scene where we see Pee Wee's movie gives us one more laugh before the time is up (Paging Mr. Herman, Mr. Herman) and to give us a happy ending, we see Pee Wee and his new squeeze Dottie ride their bikes across the drive thru movie screen. It's iconic, it wraps up the movie well and leaves us with a feeling of satisfaction, a upbeat feeling. The film was followed by a sequel entitled Big Top Pee Wee and although it's considered to be inferior to the original, it's still a laugh fest and has Danny Elfman return for the film's score. Did I also mention that there's a talking pig? They are always awesome.

Pee Wee's Big Adventure is one of my all time favorite comedies and it was only the beginning for Burton in the feature film director's chair. This flick prompted Warner Bros. to hire Burton to direct a film involving a guy who dresses up like a bat, but the film wouldn't get off the ground for some time. In the meantime, Burton got busy directing another cult movie about dead people and a guy named after a star. Tune in next time and we'll talk all about it.

By the way, Happy 4th of July!

Beetlejuly: Frankenweenie (1984)

After creating Vincent, Tim Burton decided to change things up a bit and make a live action short film that paid homage to the classic horror films he adored as a child, primarily the 1931 horror masterpiece Frankenstein (based on the novel by Mary Shelley). Thus as a result, he made the whimsical, yet very jarring short that is Frankenweenie, a film about a little boy named Victor (played by Barret Oliver of Neverending Story) who brings his dead dog, Sparky back to live in a similar fashion to Dr. Frankenstein in Mary Shelley's story as well as the classic Boris Karloff film. Like Vincent, this film really showcases Burton's macabre imagination in it's infancy, but I have to admit, I'm not the biggest fan of this one, mainly for one reason. I'm not a big fan of movies where animals (not just dogs) get killed or get put in some sort of danger. The bull terrier Sparky is put in a lot of danger in this film and the scene where the sweet dog gets hit by a car really gets me choked up and disturbed. Having three dogs of my own, it's hard to see creatures of their kind bite the dust on screen, which is a problem in many horror/slasher films like John Carpenter's Halloween or the second Friday the 13th film where the killer (Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees) kills the beloved pooch of one of their victims. If I made a movie, I wouldn't kill off a dog or any time of animal for that matter, in fact, I would make the animal heroic in many ways, perhaps to the point of taking out the enemy of the picture. Wouldn't that be something if the family dog took out the serial killer in a horror movie?! Anyway, getting off track.

Just because I'm not a big fan of Frankenweenie doesn't mean I don't like it. It's a fantastic little movie that has a touch of datedness, but not a lot. What I mean is that some areas have some things that are a bit out of date, but there is not a lot of them. The film, like Vincent is shot in black and white and really brings a classic horror feeling to the table, much like the Frankenstein films of the 1930s and 40s. And the acting from the actors, while not the best is still humorous when it needs to be humorous and serious when it needs to be serious. Shelley Duvall stars as Victor's mother and she would allow Burton to direct an episode of her anthology series, Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre entitled Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp in 1986. Daniel Stern, Marv from the Home Alone films also stars as Victor's father and the daughter of famous director Francis Ford Coppola appears as the character named Anne Chambers. But the star of the show is by far the dog Sparky, who even in his stitched up form comes off as a cute friendly "weenie" and true companion to the main character Victor. I love when Victor's parents find out that Victor brought Sparky back to life and the fact that they don't know how to tell the neighbors that the dog is back from the dead is also quite funny. When the neighbors eventually find out, they break out in a fit of fury and franticness. And it's a bit jarring to see the neighbors sharpen their pit forks and go after the helpless dog, for....well....he's JUST A HELPLESS DOG! He doesn't know any better and he didn't necessarily do anything wrong despite make the neighbors a little suspicious and concerned. The annoying, corpulent, loud mouthed Mrs. Epstein accused Sparky of going after her own dog, but dogs always go after other dogs, you know what I mean?

The final scenes in the film take the main players to a miniature golf coarse where Sparky and Victor hide out in a flagship windmill. This is the ultimate homage to the classic Frankenstein film where the monster took Dr. Frankenstein to the windmill on the hill and threw Frankenstein off the edge. As the relentless townspeople set the windmill aflame, the benevolent Sparky sacrifices himself to save Victor and it's then that the townspeople discover that Sparky's not the monster they originally thought he was. Putting their car batteries together, they use all their power to bring Sparky back to life once more and in a feel good ending, Sparky kisses a female poodle, giving her the classic Elsa Lanchester Bride of Frankenstein hairdo that has been lampooned countless times in other horror spoofs and mockeries.
Frankweenie, for the most part, has an upbeat feeling to it and is overall a comedy, but when it's serious, it's very serious. Some kids might get a little upset over some parts (especially the scene where Sparky is hit by a car) and some of the imagery might be a little intense for young eyes, but in the end, it will give them a good feeling and I doubt they will be saddened or depressed. Even if Sparky dies more than once, he comes back and is just as cheerful and lovable as he was before.

I think what I like most about this short film is the way the camera moves. The way the camera moves would become pivotal in later Burton films, but here, it gives the film that proper balance of hilarity and suspense. The scenes where Sparky is running, you are put in his perspective and you really feel like you are a dog, exploring and observing the exotic world around you. It also serves as a throwback to the horror films of yesteryear where you were put in the place of the killer or monster. I also like the gags involved with the resurrected Sparky. When Victor gives him water to drink, the water comes pouring out of the holes on his neck, kinda like an old magician's act. When Victor's mom finds out he was resurrected, she says that she will make him a "bowl of batteries". And hey, the name Sparky is kind of a pun itself. Frankenstein. Lightning. Bolts. Sparks. Get it? Frankenweenie is a great parody to one of the greatest horror stories ever told and although it has those elements I'm not crazy about, it's still enjoyable, thrilling entertainment. The film is a little over 35 minutes and like Vincent, it's on one of The Nightmare Before Christmas DVDs. It's also on Youtube and other video hosting sites, so if you want to see an interesting take on Frankenstein involving a cute dog and some clever wit, this film is a real winner. The film was recently remade in Burton's signature stop motion style, but we'll talk about the remake when we get to it.

Unfortunately, this film wasn't a winner in Disney's book. After it was made, Burton was fired from the Disney Company and although they planned to show Frankenweenie in front of the 1984 rerelease of Pinocchio, it was ultimately shelved and never shown to the public until many years later. However, both Vincent and Frankenweenie got the attention of a certain guy named Paul, who wanted Burton to direct the film based on his famous comedy alter ego. So tune in next time and we'll talk about Burton's directorial debut as well as his first teaming up with one of his longtime collaborators.

Beetlejuly: Vincent

Tim Burton grew up in Burbank, California and throughout most of his youth, he enjoyed making short films in his backyard as well as drawing and painting. Another hobby of Burton's was watching monster movies and one of his childhood heroes was Vincent Price, a famous actor who appeared in many horror movies throughout the 50s, 60s and 70s. Burton went on to attend CalArts, an art school founded by Walt Disney in 1961 and his short animated film, Stalk of the Celery Monster earned him an apprenticeship at Disney studios where he worked as an animator, concept artist and storyboard artist. Some of the films Burton worked on were The Fox and the Hound, Tron, and the colossal flop, The Black Cauldron. However, as Burton would later recall, he was not very good at drawing in Disney's signature style, joking that when he worked on The Fox and the Hound, all his foxes looked like they had been hit by cars. Because of his differences, Burton went on to make solo films for the company and his first solo film was a stop motion animated salute to Vincent Price, fittingly entitled Vincent. Running in at a little over 6 minutes, it's a short little treat, but not by any means a waste of time. It shows the birth of Burton's dark, twisted trademark style and in many ways is a short autobiographical film of Burton himself and what his childhood days were like. It also has Vincent Price himself narrating and when you hear his empowering voice, you get shivers, but good shivers. Vincent Price has gone on to say that this film was "the most gratifying thing that ever happened. It was immortality, better than a star on Hollywood Boulevard".

What makes this shortie great is something I can't put my finger on, but I think it's because it's short, simple and to the point. Burton could have made a longer film, elaborating on many more of Vincent's hobbies and passions, but he didn't. He picks a few, showcases them in all their glory and gets the message out pretty clear. Vincent Malloy is a 7 year old boy who wants to be like Vincent Price. He dreams of things like dipping his aunt in wax for his wax museum and experimenting on his dog, Abercrombie in hopes of creating a terrible zombie. These are things that harken back to films Price was in like House of Wax and The Abominable Dr. Phibes. Vincent also reads the works of Edgar Allan Poe and gets sucked into them, particularly Poe's most well known work, The Raven. Of course Vincent Price was also in many Poe based films directed by Roger Corman like The Pit and the Pendulum, House of Usher and Tales of Terror. As Vincent gets sucked into the poems, he believes himself to be the characters in the poems like the man in The Raven who dreams of his lost Lenore. Vincent also sees the things around him morph into horribly grotesque abominations which haunt him to the utter point of insanity. At the end, Vincent slums to the floor, believing himself to be dead and the closing lines of The Raven are said (Shall be lifted, nevermore). It's a pretty intense ending to an already intense short film, so intense that Disney never knew what to do with the film once it was finished. Sure it appeared at film festivals to critical acclaim but Disney was unsure how to release this film of gothic horror to the public, so it was put in the Disney vaults for several years. It wasn't until The Nightmare Before Christmas was released on DVD a few years ago that the film was added as a bonus feature.

And while watching this film, you can't help but see the seed that eventually grew into The Nightmare Before Christmas. The stop motion animation is fluent and nice to look at and the black and white coloring really makes this film feel old fashion, similar to Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein. The design of the characters is also something worth praise. I can't help but feel that Victor from Frankenweenie, Victor from Corpse Bride and even Jack Skellington were partly inspired by Vincent and his stylized movements throughout the film. In fact, an early form of Jack Skellington makes a cameo in the film, although this was back in the day when the character wasn't fully developed yet. Vincent also bares a striking resemblance to Tim Burton himself, again implying that this is somewhat of an autobiographical film. I also like the look of Abercrombie and the monsters and ghouls seen later in the film. The fact that some of the characters are seen in shadow and some of the scenery is warped also brings German expressionism to mind. But Vincent Price's narration is brilliant and you can really tell by the way he narrates the piece that he enjoyed doing it and really took the film seriously. Of course, Price and Burton would later reunite for Edward Scissorhands which was sadly one of Price's last roles in a motion picture. 

Nevertheless, Vincent is a grim, ghoulish, yet fun and exciting piece of Burton history and if this film wasn't made, then it could very well be that The Nightmare Before Christmas wouldn't have been made either. It pioneered Tim Burton's gift for the macabre and led to his trademark stop motion segments in films like Pee Wee's Big Adventure, Beetlejuice and of course Nightmare. It also showcased Burton's passions like Poe and classic horror films and paid tribute to a cinema legend, a legend who thought the short film was "legend". If you haven't seen it, then give it a watch. You can find it on Youtube and similar video hosting sites, or if you really want to, buy The Nightmare Before Christmas DVD to see the film full force on your television. If you are in the mood for something out of the ordinary and dark, check it out. 

Tune in next time and we'll have a look at another Burton short film, a short film that was recently remade in stop motion by the company that didn't want to release the original at all. See you then!