TOP PICKS: Burton’s sorcery

By Bibi Nurshuhada Ramli | bibiramli@nst.com.my

Master of fantasy films Tim Burton returns with his latest gem Dark Shadows, now playing in cinemas. Bibi Nurshuhada Ramli takes a look at Burton’s foray into the fantasy-horror genres.

Batman (1989)

1 - BURTON takes on the superhero genre and does a commendable job with this film. Starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson, it tells of the war between Batman and the Joker. Although it cannot beat The Dark Knight trilogy, it was considered a good adaptation of the comic character. Burton went on to direct Batman Returns in 1992 and produced Batman Forever in 1995.

Planet Of The Apes (2001)

2 - A REMAKE of the 1968 film of the same name starring Charlton Heston. With its amazing special effects, it was
considered a good movie.

Mark Wahlberg does well as the astronaut who crash-lands on Earth but the actors who play the apes, including Helena Bonham Carter, are even better.

Corpse Bride (2005)

3 - BURTON tried his hand at stop motion animation technology but keeps with his signature dark and morbid themes.
Infusing humour and cuteness into the story, it is entertaining more so with Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter voicing the main characters. A young woman rises from the dead after assuming that a shy man, who is practicing his wedding vows, has married her.

Alice In Wonderland (2010)

4 - THIS movie was highly anticipated because of Disney’s 1951 classic of the same name. Burton tweaked it and turned it into a dark and twisted tale.
In this film, Alice (Mia Wasikowska) returns to the magical world 13 years later, reunites with her old acquaintances and learns about her destiny.

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

5 - ICHABOD Crane (played by Depp) is sent to the legendary Sleepy Hollow town to investigate mysterious murders of three residents who are decapitated.
Great acting from talents like Christina Ricci, Christopher Walken, Michael Gambon and Miranda Richardson who add depth to Burton’s delicious reimagination of the fabled tale.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street (2007)

6 - GORY best describes this film adaptation of the Broadway musical on Benjamin Barker, later known as Sweeny Todd, who sets up a barber shop to avenge the death of his family. Another outing with Depp and Bonham Carter, Todd’s murders are repulsive and the stellar cast make it a worthwhile watch. And, it is a musical!

Beetlejuice (1988)

7 - A RECENTLY deceased married couple who have spent a lot of time decorating their house becomes angry when a family wants to move in. They hire Beetlejuice to chase them out but the latter has something else planned. This is horror comedy at its best. With excellent portrayals by its cast, the film tickles your funny bone, but also sends a chill or two down your spine.

Charlie And The Chocolate Factory (2005)

8 - IT is every kid’s fantasy to live in a wondrous world full of candy. Burton creates such a world in this film starring Depp. The way the kids keep on experiencing bad situations is quite morbid, but eye-opening.

Edward Scissorhands (1990)

9 - BURTON doing what he does best — inventing a character nobody else would have thought of. Depp plays a shy young man with scissors for hands. He falls in love with a teenage girl and has to accept the reality of their differing fates.

Mars Attacks!

10 - HERE’S a funny take on the little green people. Who else could have pictured alien invasions in such a weird way?
Burton’s film has heaps of dark humour and pokes fun at other alien invasion films. The aliens in question not only wish to take over the planet but also humiliate its inhabitants in the worst possible way.