Movie Director Rankings: Tim Burton (1 Viewer)

[KarmaPolice]

The list is ever growing. I just rewatched one of his movies the other day and had a discussion with a buddy about his body of work. I guess I have some strong feelings about him.

Filmography:

Frankenweenie

2012 Dark Shadows
2010/I Alice in Wonderland
2007 Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
2005 Corpse Bride
2005 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
2003 Big Fish
2001 Planet of the Apes
1999 Sleepy Hollow
1996 Mars Attacks!
1994 Ed Wood
1992 Batman Returns
1990 Edward Scissorhands
1989 Batman
1988 Beetlejuice
1985 Pee-wee's Big Adventure

The usual questions: (feel free to ask some of your own too)

1. What are your top 5 Burton movies?

2. How many movies of his have you seen?

3. Anything overrated/underrated?

4. What does he do well?/What doesn't he do well?

5. Any favorite scenes/characters?

6. What score did you give and why?

 

[Charlie Steiner]

1. Top 5

Big Fish

Ed Wood

Pee Wee's Big Adventure

Batman

Beetlejuice

2. How many movies of his have you seen?

11

3. Anything overrated/underrated?

Since Big Fish is my favorite, I'll say Big Fish

4. What does he do well?/What doesn't he do well?

He makes his off-center tastes/style accessible to the mainstream.

5. Any favorite scenes/characters?

Scenes: Bela Lugosi cursing out the stage hand in Ed Wood, Edward Bloom's 'death'. Actually there are a lot of scenes in Big Fish that I really like.

Characters: Edward Bloom, Ed Wood, Bela Lugosi, Bruce Wayne.

6. What score did you give and why?

I gave him a 9; he's very good at what he does and has seemed to have gotten better at it over the years even though he stays in his niche. To me, however, his niche is also his downfall. His 'range' is kid of limited. You know going into his movies that they're going to be at least a little off-kilter, and in that regard he'll do it well, but if off-kilter doesn't necessarily serve the movie, it will work against him. That's probably why he seems to stay in his 'comfort zone', which is ironic given his style.

P.S.--are you also going to do directing teams?

 

[KarmaPolice]

P.S.--are you also going to do directing teams?

If you are referring to a couple pairs of brother directors, yes they are on the list.

 

[Don Quixote]

I always thought he directed Nightmare Before Christmas, but I guess he just produced/co-wrote it. I was all set to call that one my favorite Tim Burton movie.

 

[KarmaPolice]

I always thought he directed Nightmare Before Christmas, but I guess he just produced/co-wrote it. I was all set to call that one my favorite Tim Burton movie.

yeah, I keep forgetting that too. because of that, it is hard for me to even select 5 I really like.

 

[Insein]

Mars Attacks might be the worst movie ever made.

 

[Abraham]

Loved Big Fish.

 

[KarmaPolice]

thought he would get more discussion

 

[Gr00vus]

Ed Wood was .

 

[Rick James]

I gave him a 4. He turned into a hack in 2005. never seeing another Burton movie.

 

[Thunderlips]

His more mutated and less known movies Ed Wood and Big Fish are his best. Pee-Wee is very good too. Sleepy Hollow is underrated. Batman is a bit overrated; as is Beetlejuice. Everything after Big Fish is typical "Big on splash, sort on substance"....they're not horrible....but they aren't quality.

 

[Hilts]

thought he would get more discussion

He's hacktastic. A few gems, but a lot of utter garbage. Especially in the past decade. And his love affair with Depp needs to end.

 

[Dentist]

haven't seen a huge number of these, but am a big fan of Pee Wee and the 2 Batman's

The only other one I've seen is the Chocolate Factory one, which I didn't think too much of.

Do people really choose what movies they watch or don't watch based on the director or the actors in it rather than the story/premise/concept?

I'm going to watch Batman whether some famous director directs it or if your mom directs it.

I'm going to go watch Lord of the Rings whether Peter Jackson directs it or if Pee Wee Herman directs it.

I'm not going to see Edward Scissorhands whether Woz directs it or Martin Scorseesee because it seems like a ridiculous concept that I'm not interested in.

 

[Yankee23Fan]

Seen a few of them. Really don't have a feel for him from the movies I've seen on that list. They weren't all awful by any stretch and some were downright awesome. But I think I could live without him. 5/6 tops.

 

[mon]

1. What are your top 5 Burton movies?

1. Big Fish

2. Beetlejuice

3. Edward Scissorhands

4. Pee-Wee's Big Adventure

5. Batman

2. How many movies of his have you seen?

10

3. Anything overrated/underrated?

No

4. What does he do well?/What doesn't he do well?

Creates alternative realities rather well.

5. Any favorite scenes/characters?

Day-O song scene in Beetlejuice was fun.

6. What score did you give and why?

8.

 

[HellToupee]

Falls off the cliff after Ed Wood

 

[Hilts]

Do people really choose what movies they watch or don't watch based on the director or the actors in it rather than the story/premise/concept?

Why wouldn't you? Let's say I hate Tarantino's style. For better or for worse, he has a very distinct style to all his movies. A new movie is coming out...directed by Tarantino. The premise may seem really cool, but if you hate the rest of his works, odds are pretty high you'll hate this one as well.

Same with any director with a reasonable body of work. Some actors fall into this camp as well.

 

[B-Deep]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKbAEmvZyKQ

some bad language

 

[Fennis]

The usual questions: (feel free to ask some of your own too)

1. What are your top 5 Burton movies?

In order:

Edward Scissorhands

Beetle Juice

Pee-Wee

Ed Wood

BigFish

2. How many movies of his have you seen?

All 16 in your list.

3. Anything overrated/underrated?

IMO Sweeny Todd is also really really good.

4. What does he do well?/What doesn't he do well?

5. Any favorite scenes/characters?

Edward Scissorhands - That Johnny Depp - he make-a me cry

6. What score did you give and why?

7 He hasn't really shown any growth as a director. His shtick has gotten tiring. I would like to see him direct a straight movie.

ETA - He deserves bonus points for using Danny Elfman

 

[El Floppo]

Ed Wood is my favorite, followed by PeeWee and Beetlejuice. Nightmare before Christmas is also up there for me.

Not too much a fan of the rest- although Scissorhands works for me.

Oh! big fan of Mars Attacks too. The look Tom Jones gives when the Martians burst in on him while on stage is one my favorite movie moments ever. After MA, IMO, the wheels came off. What started off as a fun and consistent auteur became a bit of a cliched hack from then on. Gave him a 6. I'd do him in a dark club being just a little bit buzzed- but wouldn't show him off to my family and friends.

 

[Dentist]

Do people really choose what movies they watch or don't watch based on the director or the actors in it rather than the story/premise/concept?

Why wouldn't you? Let's say I hate Tarantino's style. For better or for worse, he has a very distinct style to all his movies. A new movie is coming out...directed by Tarantino. The premise may seem really cool, but if you hate the rest of his works, odds are pretty high you'll hate this one as well.

Same with any director with a reasonable body of work. Some actors fall into this camp as well.

I mean to an extent you have a point.

For instance, I like the transformers... but Michael Bay is so effing terrible.. killed that franchise for me.. so in a sense.. you do have a point... if MIchael Bay got the Bond gig or the Spider-man gig, I might be pretty pissed off and would consider passing.

On the other hand, I really enjoyed all of Christopher Nolan's Batman's.. but I had no interest in all of a sudden seeing Inception or Interstellar because the movie concepts seem stupid.

I like Matt Damon, but nothing was going to get me to see "We bought a Zoo" even if you told me he was better in that than in Rounders or delivered a better line than "how do you like 'dem apples! ahhhhhhhhh"

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

With the exception of a couple of titles he pretty much makes movies for kids, no?

 

[El Floppo]

Do people really choose what movies they watch or don't watch based on the director or the actors in it rather than the story/premise/concept?

Why wouldn't you? Let's say I hate Tarantino's style. For better or for worse, he has a very distinct style to all his movies. A new movie is coming out...directed by Tarantino. The premise may seem really cool, but if you hate the rest of his works, odds are pretty high you'll hate this one as well.

Same with any director with a reasonable body of work. Some actors fall into this camp as well.

I mean to an extent you have a point.

For instance, I like the transformers... but Michael Bay is so effing terrible.. killed that franchise for me.. so in a sense.. you do have a point... if MIchael Bay got the Bond gig or the Spider-man gig, I might be pretty pissed off and would consider passing.

On the other hand, I really enjoyed all of Christopher Nolan's Batman's.. but I had no interest in all of a sudden seeing Inception or Interstellar because the movie concepts seem stupid.

I like Matt Damon, but nothing was going to get me to see "We bought a Zoo" even if you told me he was better in that than in Rounders or delivered a better line than "how do you like 'dem apples! ahhhhhhhhh"

I was tempted to see this only because I like Cameron Crowe

 

[Hilts]

Do people really choose what movies they watch or don't watch based on the director or the actors in it rather than the story/premise/concept?

Why wouldn't you? Let's say I hate Tarantino's style. For better or for worse, he has a very distinct style to all his movies. A new movie is coming out...directed by Tarantino. The premise may seem really cool, but if you hate the rest of his works, odds are pretty high you'll hate this one as well.Same with any director with a reasonable body of work. Some actors fall into this camp as well.

I mean to an extent you have a point.

For instance, I like the transformers... but Michael Bay is so effing terrible.. killed that franchise for me.. so in a sense.. you do have a point... if MIchael Bay got the Bond gig or the Spider-man gig, I might be pretty pissed off and would consider passing.

On the other hand, I really enjoyed all of Christopher Nolan's Batman's.. but I had no interest in all of a sudden seeing Inception or Interstellar because the movie concepts seem stupid.

I like Matt Damon, but nothing was going to get me to see "We bought a Zoo" even if you told me he was better in that than in Rounders or delivered a better line than "how do you like 'dem apples! ahhhhhhhhh"

The actor/director are rarely going to be the sole criteria for seeing a movie, but they can help push fence sitters into seeing (or avoiding) movies.

 

[FUBAR]

Mars Attacks might be the worst movie ever made.

it's right up there with Batman Returns and Batman Forever or Batman and Robin. That franchise went straight downhill after the first one.

 

[El Floppo]

Mars Attacks might be the worst movie ever made.

it's right up there with Batman Returns and Batman Forever or Batman and Robin. That franchise went straight downhill after the first one.

I love Mars Attacks.

 

[Insein]

Mars Attacks might be the worst movie ever made.

it's right up there with Batman Returns and Batman Forever or Batman and Robin. That franchise went straight downhill after the first one.

I love Mars Attacks.

Awful awful movie with no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

 

[KarmaPolice]

I have been surprised by this one and the Kubrick one. I thought Kubrick wouldn't get as many high marks because his movies lean to the 'artsy' side and, I say this as a huge fan, can be hard to get through. Here I thought Burton would be a little more popular or get better scores mainly for his 80s output.

Here are my responses:

1. As I said, this is actually hard, but gun to my head I guess:

Big Fish

Pee Wee's Big Adventure

Batman

Edward Scissorhands

Batman Begins

2. Looks like 14. I haven't seen Mars Attacks! or Sweeney Todd

3. I would have said Big Fish is underrated, but then I opened this thread. To me, it's about the only great movie of his since the early 90s. Overrated I would say Beetlejuice. Like Keaton's performance, but don't like the movie as a whole.

4. I think an above description put it perfectly - he delivers weird to the masses. He has a specific vision for his movies and is great at creating weird interesting worlds for the characters. What he doesn't do well is branch out. After a point his movies feel the same.

5. Large Marge in Pee Wee's Big Adventure still haunts my dreams. Scared the crap out of me as a kid.

6. I gave him a 5. Completely average - does one thing well, weirdness, but that's about it. Would have loved to see him branch out, but seems to be completely happy being the guy that can just weird up a kids book, or an existing property. As somebody else said, he needs to prove he can do something without his wife or Depp being in it too. (maybe that's why I liked Big Fish so much?). It has gotten to the point for me that I would probably just rather look at pictures of the concept art for the movie than sit through a whole movie.

That said, I am still interested in seeing Big Eyes with Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz. Also, I really liked the book of Miss Peregrine, and will watch that. I guess I just don't know how to quit him.

 

[KarmaPolice]

haven't seen a huge number of these, but am a big fan of Pee Wee and the 2 Batman's

The only other one I've seen is the Chocolate Factory one, which I didn't think too much of.

Do people really choose what movies they watch or don't watch based on the director or the actors in it rather than the story/premise/concept?

I'm going to watch Batman whether some famous director directs it or if your mom directs it.

I'm going to go watch Lord of the Rings whether Peter Jackson directs it or if Pee Wee Herman directs it.

I'm not going to see Edward Scissorhands whether Woz directs it or Martin Scorseesee because it seems like a ridiculous concept that I'm not interested in.

I would say that this is my main basis for choosing what I watch.

For me Director >>> actor> plot.

I know from a director's body of work if I would like the movie or at the least find it interesting and worth a watch. The good directors could make just about any movie/plot into something decent to watch. They also get the best performances from the actors. ANY movie from my favorite directors are instantly on my radar, as are anything with DDL, PSH, etc. as the good actors usually gravitate towards interesting things as well.

My twist to your examples:

I would go to a Lynch or Kubrick movie if it was about people painting their bathroom or they were remaking The Happening.

No way I would touch a plot like The Usual Suspects if Roland Emmerich were at the helm or if it starred Cuba Gooding and Brendan Frasier.

Could you imagine a Batman movie directed by Michael Bay? No thanks.

 

[KarmaPolice]

bump for another day. will do another tonight.

 

[El Floppo]

Mars Attacks might be the worst movie ever made.

it's right up there with Batman Returns and Batman Forever or Batman and Robin. That franchise went straight downhill after the first one.

I love Mars Attacks.

Awful awful movie with no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

ah- ok. I've changed my mind then- it's terrible and I hate it.

 

[Insein]

Mars Attacks might be the worst movie ever made.

it's right up there with Batman Returns and Batman Forever or Batman and Robin. That franchise went straight downhill after the first one.

I love Mars Attacks.

Awful awful movie with no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

ah- ok. I've changed my mind then- it's terrible and I hate it.

I'm glad you saw reason.