cult film freak: TIM BURTON DIRECTS BIG EYES

Written by James M. Tate / 12/30/2014 / 1 Comment / 2014 , amy adams , biopic , christoph waltz , tim burton

TIM BURTON DIRECTS BIG EYES

12/30/2014 | 1 Comment

year: 2014 rating: *1/2

What BIG EYES has in common with another Tim Burton film, BIG FISH, is that both are based on liars, but only one is a filthy, stinking liar.

The 1950’s is never really shown in a positive light, and hasn't been since… well… the 1950’s. And here we’re reminded that men are the only people who had it good during that era… Especially if they marry well… The man, that is: For in the case of fast talking Walter Keane, played by fast talking two time Oscar winning Christoph Waltz, a strategic partnership earned him a career as a famous artist, "his" work going from galleries to posters to postcards...

Not A Bingo

And those Gothic looking waifs with huge sad eyes are about the only Tim Burton element of a film that, based on a true story, lives up to the chauvinistic time it's based: The woman, Margaret Keane, played by Amy Adams, not only lacks important pivotal screentime but hardly gets a word in edgewise... Which is intentional since she’s stuck with a con artist charlatan using her talent for his fame, and their money. The biggest downside is he’s a plagiarizing jerk and ultimately becomes borderline psychotic…

Yet Christoph Waltz’s performance is so outrageously over-the-top right off the bat, there’s no progressive arc: Instead of going from A to B he starts on a frantic C and never slows down, waxing so much poetic there’s hardly a character visible at all... At least not a realistic one. Just another chance for Waltz to steal a movie that, unlike those paintings, is completely his to have and to hold, and never let go of.

Share This Post :

Tags : 2014 , amy adams , biopic , christoph waltz , tim burton

James M. Tate

1 comment:

Ripper MadnessJanuary 6, 2015 at 10:47 AM
Not a Bingo, classic. This is so disappointing. Great review by the way. I really wanted to see this movie because Christoph Waltz is one of my current favorite actors, and its Tim Burton. Alas.

Well I don't know if you ever saw it but the newest Terry Gilliam movie staring Christoph Waltz, THE ZERO THEOREM, was my favorite Gilliam movie since BRAZIL and Waltz is at his scene stealing best but wonderfully subdued. I love it.
ReplyDelete
Replies

Add comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

FAVORITES SHORTLIST

1)OTLEY 2)HELL IS A CITY 3)ROBBERY 4)THE FEARMAKERS 5)CANYON PASSAGE 6)VIOLENT SATURDAY 7)HOT CARS 8)JUNGLE STREET 9)THE CROWDED SKY 10)THE ROARING TWENTIES 11) ANATOMY OF A MURDER 12)CALCULATED RISK 13)SWEENEY TWO 14)RAIDERS FROM BENEATH THE SEA 15)HARDCORE 16)THE BREAK 17)WHITE HEAT 18)AL CAPONE 19)THE SERGEANT 20)FALLEN ANGEL 21)SHARKS' TREASURE 22)THE ASPHALT JUNGLE 23)ASH WEDNESDAY 24)THE SYSTEM 25)AIR PATROL 26)THE STONE KILLER 27)SANDS OF THE KALAHARI 28)WILLIAM CONRAD'S BRAINSTORM 29)RIOT 30)THE MAN FROM LARAMIE FAVORITE ACTORS 1)DANA ANDREWS 2)JAMES CAGNEY 3)STANLEY BAKER 4)MARLON BRANDO 5)JACK NICHOLSON 6) CHARLES BRONSON 7)BURT REYNOLDS 8)WILLIAM LUCAS 9)TOM COURTENAY 10)GENE HACKMAN DIRECTORS 1)JACQUES TOURNEUR 2)RICHARD FLEISCHER 3)VAL GUEST 4)STANLEY KUBRICK 5)OTTO PREMINGER 6)ORSON WELLES 7)JOHN GUILLERMAN 8)JOHN LANDIS 9)SAM PECKINPAH 10)MICHAEL WINNER