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I’m sorry that you so entirely missed the point of Big Fish. It is apparent from your post that you a) do not have kids, b) do not have a father, c) do not have an imagination, and/or d) all of the above. Big Fish was a beautiful movie. It was very well thought out, well conceived and well executed. I found it refreshing, to say the least, that in the world of computers and dot-commers, a movie can still have this much heart. This is a film that should make every man alive look twice at his relationships with both his father and his kids. This if a film about imagination, love, storytelling, and above all, the beauty that exists in the world. Not since American Beauty has there been rumination on beauty that came so close to getting it “right”. To call such a film “nonsensical” says something about your world-view.
Nightmare is neither scary nor funny. It was not designed to make YOU gasp. It was a film that satisfied a need Burton had to make an animated film. As far as artistic vision goes…bear in mind that it was all done with clay. Could a computer have generated better images? Maybe, but this was clay. The reason for the adoration for the film is based on the perfect cohesion of styles between the artistic designers and Elfman’s music. It’s the combo that makes this film a classic.
Beetlejuice was a valiant effort from a very young director. The movie was funny, startling, and odd. Most of all, the film’s sense of style and overall design vision combined with some pretty beefy special effects (for their day) to create a film that is truly memorable. Admit it…you will never hear “DAY-O” again without thinking of Beetlejuice.
Nolan is an upstart. He has had some early success, just as Burton did. They simply do not make the same types of films. I’m glad you liked the new Batman. But any attempt to put an up and coming director, a critically acclaimed one, yes, but new in the field, up against a director widely considered a master in his field, is foolish indeed. Tim Burton has the most talented people in the world beating down his door. He has consistently shown a flair for finding and grooming talent. He is, perhaps, the only director on Earth whose films I will see on the basis of their director alone. Why? Because he has earned it, through consistently giving me more than I could have hoped for. Has Burton had some failures? Sure. One cannot expect perfection…that is to say, not every team is last year’s UTES. A flub or 2 in 13 films is to be expected.
I like Nolan. I like his work; I like his sense of style. I hope that one day he has an inkling of the public appeal that Burton has. As for today…he simply does not. Let’s talk in 15 years, after Nolan has something under his belt and we’ll see. As for me…I’ll save my movie dollars for Willy Wonka.
