The Rom Com Catalog

Tag: Johnny Depp

  • ‘Edward Scissorhands’ (1990) Review

    ‘Edward Scissorhands’ (1990) Review

    It had been a very long time since I watched Edward Scissorhands! I vaguely recall seeing it when I was much younger, but I forgot most of it. Anyway, it felt like a good time to watch it again, especially with it being so close to Halloween (when I watched it) and now the holidays (as I write this review). I enjoy Tim Burton quite a bit. And by Tim Burton, I mean Old School Tim Burton, with films like Beetlejuice, The Nightmare Before Christmas… even Sleepy Hollow.

    Edward Scissorhands was a joy to watch, though some of that could have been my nostalgia for the 1990s. Tim Burton’s imaginative production is one of my favorite things about him as a director, and Edward Scissorhands is the perfect example of why.

    Edward himself, pale and dressed in black, covered in metal, is a stark contrast to the rest of the pastel-colored world around him. In terms of appearance, maybe he’s the one to fear – hello, scissors for hands! But of course, Edward is the kindest character in the movie, and, yes, the “real people” are the worst. They gossip, lie, and turn quickly on the person who has brought them some semblance of joy in their bored, suburban lives. Edward wants to live and belong in society, but can he? And should he?

    Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder have some great chemistry together, but I don’t think I really bought into their romance. I think it had more to do with the story than anything else. I could see Edward’s attraction to Kim, but Kim’s feelings for Edward seemed non-existent until… well, they suddenly existed. It felt contrived and maybe a little unnecessary to the story, but for the ending. Depp gets the most attention for his performance in this movie, deservedly so, but I loved Dianne Wiest’s subtle yet effectively funny performance as Avon Lady, Peg Boggs. It’s not always the showy roles that carry a movie.

    Putting that aside, Edward Scissorhands still holds up pretty well thirty years after its release. The production design is so imaginative, from the cookie-cutter, pastel-colored suburbia to the gothic castle where the Inventor created Edward. The story is a modern fairy tale, like Beauty and the Beast, and is incredibly creative in its depiction of isolation. Burton’s talent for quirky characters and unconventional directing is on full display with Edward Scissorhands, and I wish he would get back to telling these kinds of fantastical stories.

    Watched: 10/27/2022
    Notable Song: With These Hands by Tom Jones

    Rating:

  • ‘Corpse Bride’ (2005) Review

    ‘Corpse Bride’ (2005) Review

    Destitute aristocrats plan on marrying their daughter, Victoria, to the son of wealthy merchants, Victor, to regain some wealth of their own. The day Victoria and Victor meet is the day of their wedding rehearsal. While they are instantly smitten with one another, Victor continually messes up his wedding vows, prompting him to flee to the woods to practice them before the big day.

    While doing so, he slips a ring on a tree branch, which conjures the corpse of a murdered bride. She calls Victor her husband and whisks him to the Land of the Dead. Victor then has to find a way back to Victoria before she’s married off to the evil Lord Barkis.

    I adore stop-motion animation, and The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of my favorite spooky/holiday films. I recall seeing Corpse Bride in theaters in 2005, but I haven’t watched it since until now. I can’t help but wonder why. Corpse Bride is precisely the kind of movie I would love to watch around this time of year.

    This film is the kind of Tim Burton I adore—a darkly whimsical fairy tale set in an imaginative world that only Burton could create. The Land of the Living is, of course, set in a grayish, drab tone, symbolizing Victor’s loneliness, Victoria’s neglect, and their respective parents’ greed and ambition. When the titular character, Emily, appears, she pulls Victor into the Land of the Dead, and of course, it’s colorful and loud, full of singing skeletons and talking spiders.

    The songs themselves are fun, though not as memorable as anything in The Nightmare Before Christmas, and the voice talent brings the characters to life. How can you go wrong with Albert Finney, Christopher Lee, and Helena Bonham Carter? Surprisingly, I felt like Johnny Depp and Emily Watson were the weak links here, but that could be because their characters are quite meek, so their performances come across as the same.

    More than anything, Corpse Bride is a visually stunning film. At times, I focused more on the movie’s appearance than on what was happening. Occasionally, I would sigh happily because a particular shot was so beautiful. And like The Nightmare Before Christmas, every character in Corpse Bride comes to life, no matter how small the role. Emily might be one of my favorite animated characters, though I can’t be the only one who thought she looked like Angelina Jolie. I mean, she does… right?? She’s a woman who died because she fell in love; she only wants someone to love her in return. It’s a simple, bittersweet premise, but Burton gives it life.

    I wish Burton had focused more on these kinds of films than the live-action movies that followed in his career. Sure, they look like Tim Burton, but they’re also missing the macabre charm that was/is Burton’s trademark. Watching Corpse Bride made me miss old-school Burton quite a lot. That being said, I would recommend Corpse Bride if you’re looking for a romantic, ghoulish Halloween movie. And it’s only 77 minutes long, so if you don’t like it, at least you haven’t wasted too much spooky movie time, right?

    Watched: 10/04/2021
    Notable Song: According to Plan

    Rating:
  • ‘Sleepy Hollow’ (1999): Random Reviews

    ‘Sleepy Hollow’ (1999): Random Reviews

    Sleepy Hollow Synopsis: Set in 1799, “Sleepy Hollow” is based on Washington Irving’s classic tale “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” Faithful to the dreamy custom-bound world that Irving paints in his story, the film mixes horror, fantasy and romance and features an extraordinary cast of characters that dabble in the supernatural.

    I have always loved watching Sleepy Hollow in October. It’s perfectly atmospheric and spooky, and I absolutely adore the setting. The cast is spectacular. Johnny Depp (back before he completely overdid everything) gives a fantastic, humorous performance as Ichabod Crane. The intelligence, balanced with the cowardice and nervous energy, brought so much life to the character.

    Watching him go from skeptic to quivering believer is one of my favorite parts of the film, most notably when he’s trying to explain to Baltus Van Tassel (Michael Gambon) that the Headless Horseman is real and Van Tassel is well aware of the horseman’s existence, considering that’s what they’ve all been telling Crane since his arrival.

    I’m not one for excessive gore in my horror films, but given this is a Tim Burton movie, the bloodshed and decapitations were more campy than they were grotesque. I lived for the Headless Horseman sequences, and Christopher Walken was perfect casting, even if we don’t get to see him all that long.

    I would say the weak link of this movie is Christina Ricci. She felt incredibly miscast as Katrina. The character was quite bland, and Ricci’s performance felt stilted and yawn-inducing. The romantic angle might have enhanced the movie, but I didn’t feel as though Depp and Ricci had any chemistry, which is unfortunate. As it is, the only time my attention waned while watching Sleepy Hollow was when Katrina and Ichabod were making eyes at each other.

    This is such a fun movie and perfect for this time of year. In my opinion, this remains one of Tim Burton’s best films.

    Starring: Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon, Richard Griffiths, Casper Van Dien, Jeffrey Jones

    Rating: