2003

#140RVW

One of Tim Burton’s best films, this Southern gothic fairy tale is as visually spellbinding as you knew it would be, but it’s so much more.

What’s more:

A truly original film from Tim Burton. Based on Daniel Wallace’s novel Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions, this may be the most realistic film Burton has ever made, which is honestly funny when you consider the nature of this story.

Big Fish is a winding, epic tale, moving easily between realism and fantasy as it portrays the entire life of one extraordinary man, Edward Bloom. Edward’s whole life has been a series of larger-than-life events, or at least that’s how he’s portrayed them, much to the frustration of his son Will. Will grew up in awe of his father’s tall tales, but grew increasingly weary of them as he got older, feeling that the extraordinary life his father rhapsodized about was more important to the man than the family he left behind on his constant business trips.

The men fall out at Will’s wedding, but when Edward’s health deteriorates, Will returns to his estranged and now terminally ill father. Now an expectant father himself, Will presses to learn who his father really is and find the truth behind the old man’s myths.

It’s a detailed synopsis because it’s a rich story, full of unique characters, momentous events, times and locales. It’s a very ambitious film, although it must have seemed less so coming after Tim Burton’s previous film, the disastrous Planet of the Apes.

Burton is much more at home in this tale, with its quirky characters. But it is far from a typical Tim Burton movie. Yes, Helena Bonham Carter is here and he brings back Danny DeVito, but it contains little else of his usual hallmarks. (Ok, Danny Elfman does the music, but it’s not your typical quirky Elfman-esque score.)

The film is equal parts fantasy and reality, and acquits itself well with both. You know Burton knows how to do the visually gorgeous stuff. What impresses is his equal mastery of the small moments in the “real world”.

Visually, the movie is a delight. Burton first used DP Philippe Rousselot on his crap ape movie (which at least looked good) and this second collaboration is much more fruitful. (They’d team up one more time for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.)

The visuals are a bit showy and would risk overwhelming the story in any other film, but this story is so mythic in its nature that it is the perfect complement to the narrative. You’re drawn in to this mystical tale just as the audience of Edward’s stories is and it’s easy to see why the yarns he spins have such sway.

The film has truly inspired casting – the younger counterparts of Albert Finney and Jessica Lange, played by Ewan McGregor and Alison Lohman, respectively, are perfect. Lohman in particular looks eerily like Lange.Mc

McGregor is one of my favorite actors, and really shines here, but really everyone is fantastic. While he gets the most to do, Billy Crudup is the glue that holds the story together as Will Bloom, giving the story its grounding.

Finney and Lange have some wonderful scenes together, as Finney also does with Will’s lovely wife Joséphine (Marion Cotillard).

The ensemble is filled out with great performances by Danny DeVito as the circus ringmaster who sets Edward on the path to his future wife; Steve Buscemi as poet turned bank robber turned businessman Norther Winslow, and Bonham Carter in dual roles. A larger cast of characters is headlined by the late Matthew McGrory as the gentle giant Karl.

Screenwriter John August adapted the novel with obvious affection and it really deserved more recognition from the Academy. (The film received a single nomination for Elfman’s score.)

 

The story simple is marvelous, and the way it twists and turns, jumping from present to past, fairy tale to family drama makes it one of the finest efforts in Burton’s career.

Poster:

Trailer:

Bechdel Test:

Pass

The Representation Test Score: B (8 pts)

(http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)

Main Cast	Ewan McGregor Ed Bloom – Young, Albert Finney Ed Bloom – Senior, Billy Crudup Will Bloom, Jessica Lange Sandra Bloom – Senior
Rating	PG-13
Release Date	Fri 09 Jan 2004 UTC
Director	Tim Burton
Genres	Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Plot	A son tries to learn more about his dying father by reliving stories and myths he told about his life.
Poster
Runtime	125
Tagline	An adventure as big as life itself.
Writers	Daniel Wallace (novel), John August (screenplay)
Year	2003

#140RVW

I don’t know when I’ve felt so refreshed by a truly original movie. Phenomenal acting in this well-written & directed quiet comic drama…

What’s more:

Finbar McBride is a solitary train enthusiast who works with his boss and only friend Henry at a model train shop. When Henry dies unexpectedly one afternoon, Fin’s world is upturned; the shop is closed and he inherits an abandoned old train depot in Newfoundland, New Jersey. His attempts to retreat quietly to the country where he can watch trains are continually interrupted by intrusions from a grieving neighbor and an over-friendly food truck vendor desperate for a friend.

First time (!) writer/director Thomas McCarthy has crafted a wonderful film. Funny and moving, it is just as successful at being heartbreaking as heartwarming. It would have to be classified as a comedy/drama, although I think dramatic would be a better description than drama. It isn’t heavy-handed or full of “important” themes; it doesn’t play on your emotions or try to build tension. It is a great story told dramatically by a talented filmmaker and some great actors.

Peter Dinklage is absolutely captivating as Fin – he carries the movie, and if he were the only character I suspect it might still be interesting.

Fortunately he is surrounded by great talent, highlighted by Patricia Clarkson in a star-making role. (So why isn’t she a star? Get on that, Hollywood.) She plays a difficult role as an emotionally wounded woman estranged from her husband after the death of their young child. Her great strength is how believably she moves through a full range of emotions; this is a fully realized human being.

Bobby Canavale is Joe, a young man running his father’s food truck during the latter’s illness, and climbing the walls looking for someone to connect with. He’ll annoy you for a while until you realize he is the change agent that really is propelling the story forward.

Smaller roles are filled by Michelle Williams as the librarian and child actor Raven Goodwin as Cleo – both locals who are equally drawn to this interesting newcomer, despite his desire for solitude.

The film has a unique and pleasing tone. The way the characters organically adjust to each other is wonderful. It’s the stuff of real life, but marvelously depicted on screen – that’s really hard to do. Watch Fin slowly adapt to then embrace these other characters. Lovely.

The Station Agent was a big hit on the festival circuit, winning awards at Sundance and everywhere else, and with very good reason. Take a chance on this overlooked gem…

Poster:

Trailer:

Bechdel Test:

Pass

The Representation Test Score: B (8 pts)

(http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)

Main Cast	Peter Dinklage Finbar McBride, Patricia Clarkson Olivia Harris, Bobby Cannavale Joe Oramas, Paul Benjamin Henry Styles
Rating	R
Release Date	Fri 05 Dec 2003 UTC
Director	Thomas McCarthy (as Tom Mccarthy)
Genres	Comedy, Drama
Plot	When his only friend dies, a man born with dwarfism moves to rural New Jersey to live a life of solitude, only to meet a chatty hot dog vendor and a woman dealing with her own personal loss.
Poster
Runtime	89
Tagline	Loneliness is much better when you have got someone to share it with (norway DVD release).
Writers	Thomas McCarthy (as Tom Mccarthy) (written by)
Year	2003

#140RVW

They don’t make ’em like this anymore – they should. Gorgeous epic of land & sea. Possibly greatest footage of sea battle committed to film.

What’s more:

Peter Weir doesn’t make a movie very often, but when he does it is something truly special. What a remarkable film.

Based on the novels of Patrick O’Brian, this may be the most accurate depiction of  this era of naval warfare. Richard King justifiably won an Oscar for Sound Editing, as sound is such a crucial element of making these ships come alive. (DP Russell Boyd also won an Oscar for the beautiful cinematography.)

Long, but this sort of film should be. Doesn’t flinch from showing the cruelty of war. Great action, but even greater explanation of the tactics and the thinking.

I would have loved to see a sequel, but it doesn’t appear to be in the works. Crowe & Bettany are so good together. There were 20 books about Captain Aubrey, so there’s no lack of source material. Pity, but at least we’ve got this one…

Poster:

Trailer:

Bechdel Test:

FAIL