but but but

Burton didn't write it.

Yeah, yeah -- okay, he couldn't hire a writer who could write themselves out of a paper bag (qv: Sleepy Hollow, etc, etc, etc...)

I certainly would never use award attention as a barometer for quality (yeah, I'm looking at you Crash) but being nominated for a Razzie and BAFTA for your screenwriting skills says something about John August.

Andrew Kevin Walker does solid work.

Heartwarming tale that starts off rather awkwardly, but slowly picks up steam until the fantastic finale, which is executed very well and is surprisingly emotional. The frame tale of the father-son relationship is pretty weak, and slows the film down for much of it - partly due to Crudup's annoying character - but manages to evoke a sentimental reaction by the end. The fantasy elements of the tale range from innovative (the town) to dull (the romance), but all have Burton's signature touch. McGregor and Finney really carried the film, it's too bad that a large portion of it has to be focused on Crudup. Among the females, only Bonham Carter is memorable, as she is quite good in her dual role. There's some good supporting work from DeVito and Buscemi, and the visuals are frequently fantastic. A bit of a letdown, but still a good flick.

F. Burton continues to show he is the worse director alive.

Pee-wee's Big Adventure : B+
• Beetlejuice A
• Batman B+
• Edward Scissorhands A
• Batman Returns B+
• Ed Wood A-
• Mars Attacks! B
• Sleepy Hollow A
• Planet of the Apes B
• Big Fish A
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory B+
• Corpse Bride A

--Nightmare before Christmas A+


I think this (very close with Sleepy Hollow and Edward Scissorhands) is Burton's best...not sure what to call it, film in general I suppose. Sweeney Todd has a similar release going on, so I'm expecting it to be his best film yet and my favorite movie ever.

01. Edward Scissorhands - A
02. Ed Wood - A
03. Sleepy Hollow - A
04. The Nightmare Before Christmas - A
05. Beetlejuice - A-
06. Batman Returns - B+
07. Big Fish - B
08. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - B
09. Batman - B-
10. Planet of the Apes - B-
11. Corpse Bride - C+
12. Mars Attacks! - C

Haven't see Pee-Wee.

All the haters need to shut up. I love this movie. The story is sooo touching, and I hate all Burton movies.

While we're busy ranking films...

1. A Nightmare Before Christmas: ****
2. Edwardo Scissorhandso: ***1/2
3. Beetlejuice: ***1/2
(this is where it gets tough)
4. Batman: ***
5. Sleepy Hollow: **1/2
6. Corpse Bride: **1/2
7. Big Fish: **
8. Batman Returns: *1/2
9. Planet of the Apes: *1/2
10. Mars Attacks: *
11. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: 1/2


Haven't seen Ed Wood. Have no desire to.

Sorry Corpse.

too beautiful for words to describe.

It would be easy to mistake this film as sappy and overly-emotional. It would also be easy to insist that it is slow or preposterous or superficial. It would be easy to believe this, but I don't.

I'm still digesting, but I know that it's a fantastic film. The story, while sometimes too blunt and sometimes not that well written, overall the dialogue is solid and the heart beyond the pen is one of the biggest your ever likely to see. It's clear that the writer of both the novel and the film are dedicated to what their putting on paper, and want it to be something special.

The acting all across the board is excellent. McGregor is at his best despite his occasionally haphazard accent. But he's far from alone with a great supporting cast including a perfectly subtle performance from Albert Finney, and a surprisingly emotional one from Billy Crudup. Marion Contillard also shines despite her miniscule screen time.

Burton displays his visual talent as well as he ever has. He balances fiction and reality on the same edge without flinching and his ability to allow the visuals to fall in the background when necessary really makes the film. He doesn't try to steal the spotlight from the story, he only accents it with his general brilliance.

The film does start off a touch rough but it's very interesting. And it rapidly develops its own face. Everything builds up to the fantastic finale the puts forth the ultimate question: what is reality and what is fiction? Ultimately, according to this film, it doesn't really matter. But one thing's for sure, the fabricated tales may be a little spiced up, but they still define a man.

5/5 (not a perfect score, but very very close.)

fractions got nothin' on JS

Bump because I'm watching it on TV. A classic.

Burton has shown that he can make a fantastic live-action film with Big Fish so why does he keep making shit like Alice in Wonderland and Dark Shadows?

Big Fish is such an easy watch but it's also a very deep film at the same time. It gets better and better as the film progresses to its fantastic last 10 minutes. McGregor is great as usual as is Finney.

Starts off mediocre, ends on a great scene. Vastly overlooked in the Burton filmography

I have always maintained opinion that this is Burton's best movie. Ed Wood does come close, but Big Fish hits incredible range of emotions - wonder, happiness, sadness, compassion... All on a very personal and relatable scale. I recommended this movie to a lot of people and nearly everyone said something along the lines:"It was a bit frustrating at the beginning but it got amazing by the end." I actually like the fact that it's slow and maybe slightly hard to get into at the beginning. It fits with the main characters view and feelings towards his father and the movie become so beautiful and highly enjoyable just like his opinion of his father gets progressively better. So I actually think its great editing work there. It's also one of the two movies that made me cry at the end.

I saw this for the first time about 10 years ago and loved it, it's a beautiful film and while Burton generally delivers quality I've never considered much of his films among my favorites. His Batmans are great too, but I guess Big Fish is my favorite film of his. It's my wife's favorite film anyway and I watched it again over Christmas and it's definitely re-watchable too. Just a very strong story matched with equally strong performances + very nice visuals. It's easily worth revisiting from time to time.

A-