Word: actioner
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...September, some of the largest terrorist bombs ever repeatedly rocked Moscow--clearly challenging the psychological security of Russians. Though it is uncertain who planted these bombs, Russia has claimed it was Chechen terrorists and has used the guise of "anti-terrorist action" to launch a brutal offensive against the region of Chechnya. The charge of blame against Chechens is unverified, so far, but the campaign has garnered the approval of 60 to 80 percent of the Russian people...
...latest project--despite the standard action-packed previews--is decidedly Burton genre. Sleepy Hollow takes the basic outline of a suspenseful story, complicates it, and wraps it up in a shadowy portrait another alternate reality...
...there's nothing wrong with that, on paper. Hey, cool stuff is cool, I know that. The thing is, when film sequences are designed with the idea of being extravagant specifically in mind, they inevitably turn out muddled and less than satisfying. Think back to really effective action sequences in recent movies, and you'll see it was their simplicity which made them compelling: from the straightforward careening of the bus in Speed, to the unpretentious mano y mano fighting in The Matrix. In the modern Bond world, everything must turn on fancy gizmos, fancier gizmos to counteract the original...
...After directing a live-action, all-Oriental cast version of Hansel and Gretel for Disney's new cable station in the same year as Vincent, Burton was then allowed to develop and direct "Frankenweenie", a 25-minute film that served as a precursor for all of Burton's work to come. In the short feature, ten-year-old suburbanite Victor Frankenstein (Barret Oliver of Neverending Story fame) reanimates his dead dog, Sparky. Filmed in black-and-white, with make-up on Sparky complete with little neck bolts and stitches, "Frankenweenie" was a modest success for the filmmaker that eventually opened...
...From the start, Burton's Batman promised to be a departure from the cardboard comic characterizations and situations found in the Superman films of the early '80s. First, Burton chose Beetlejuice star Keaton, known more as a comic actor than an action star, to play the title character--a move that sent comic book fans into an uproar. Burton also removed the Robin character, choosing instead to focus on the intense psychological make-up of Batman and his foe, the Joker (Jack Nicholson in one of his best roles). Once again, Burton's strong adherence to his own vision paid...