Tim Burton's Corpse Bride

Over a decade after creating his monster hit The Nightmare Before Christmas, Tim Burton returned to the art of stop-motion animation with Corpse Bride.  As his usual trademark goes, the film is dark and morbid, but far less grotesque as Nightmare was and is even a bit more heartwarming.  I would go as far as to say the movie is whimsical.  The strength of the movie lies in Burton’s genius as a visual artist.  He takes the saturnine and twists it into the most intriguing and lovely images ever.  He managed to make a corpse the most beautiful character in the movie, despite her decayed skin and rotted limbs.  I also appreciate his ingenuity in the separation of the world of the living and the land of the dead, making the living drab, uptight, and bleak, and the dead are colorful, fun, and “full of life”.  With an interesting storyline and characters, I only find two drawbacks with the movie, one being the songs.  None are truly good or worth remembering.  Even when the song is introducing the situation or the characters, it still feels like it’s almost being a hindrance to what you really want; the action.  It probably has to do more with the melodies; they’re not catchy.  Ugh, especially the song the maggot and the black widow spider, “Tears to Shed”.  I just keep thinking “Shut up, shut up, shut up!”  They're the two most pointless characters who are probably the worst singers the worst song to sing.  And what’s up with that maggot anyways!  Being a parody of Peter Lorre.  Really?  Who the heck even knows who Peter Lorre is nowadays?!  I only know who he is from parodies and references in Looney Tunes.  Anyways, clearly those two characters are the other drawback.  The three main characters (Victor, Victoria, and the Corpse Bride) are all likeable characters and you can’t help but root for all of them.  Victor’s bumblings and nervousness adds to his lovability, the softness and meekness of Victoria makes her so charming, and as for the Corpse Bride (or Emily, as we find out near the end of the movie), well your heart just goes out to her.  She’s a tragic hero with an open, loving heart and you end up joining her in her sorrow and wish her for her happy ending.  Talk about endings, the end of the movie is bitter sweet and such a stunning image.  Though the Corpse Bride never fulfills her dream of getting married, she accepts her reality and is ready to move on.  After throwing the flowers, she gazes at the moonlight and precipitates into butterflies and a flourish of light.  It’s so poetic and touching. 

The movie is nothing like The Nightmare Before Christmas, and I wouldn’t ever want it to be.  It’s its own special story that stands strong and shouldn’t be compared to its fore-runner. 

For more information on this movie, click on the link below:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0121164/

"The Munsters", with a 'u'

Here’s another double feature of mine featuring the weird and eccentric sitcom family of the ‘60s (besides the Addams), the Munsters.  Whereas the Addams where seemingly normal looking people acting atrociously and expressing interest in the dark and goth, the Munsters were, well, monsters acting in the typical “Leave It to Beaver” family way of life expected in the ‘60s.  There’s the lovable but oafish husband Herman, the Frankenstein monster; Lily, the dotting but firm vampiric wife; their adorable werewolf son Eddie; Grandpa, mad scientist and vampire; and cousin Marilyn, the black sheep of the family ironically because she’s “normal”.  But let’s not get too far into the premise of the show; point is the movies featured, Munster, Go Home! and The Munsters’ Revenge, are about this different and well-known family.

After The Munsters was canceled in 1966 after only two seasons containing 70 episodes, the series was shortly followed by a box office failure movie Munster, Go Home!  Essentially the movie, plot being that Herman inherits a title and an estate in England and how his despicable relatives try to be rid of him and his family, comes off more as an extended episode of the show.  The movie is in color and features all the same actors portraying the family members, with the exception of Marilyn Munster being played by Debbie Watson (during the series, Marilyn was played by two actresses: Beverley Owen and Pat Priest).  Low budget, the use of green screens, poor sets and cheap special effects are plentiful.  Considering it was the ‘60s, such things are probably of the norm and to be expected and I may be asking for too much, but still I assume to be impressed by some aspect of the movie.  However, when it comes to the storyline and the characters, I am content.  I do enjoy the show and maybe if the movie had been split into three separate episodes I may be more forgiving.  I remember coming across this movie for the first time when I was younger and being shocked that I was seeing these characters in Technicolor, and then being distrot when I would watch the show and would never come across an episode that was in color. Watching it again after such a long time, a new thing that upsets me is that I didn’t find Marilyn as pretty as she should be.  She should’ve been a total fox, but this Watson girl was just fine.  Disappointment considering she’s the love interest of the British racecar driver Roger (Robert Pine) who was quite the luscious-lipped cutie.  Putting that aside, the movie is still in all good fun as of the show, and it was interesting to see the family on a legit adventure in England rather than facing a daily mundane problem in their home.

The second movie, The Munsters’ Revenge, is a big return for these characters to television, the movie being created fifteen years after the serie’s end.  Mind you the film is fifteen years later, not the characters, remaining the same age as before.  The family was supposed to be weird back in the 60’s, but they are even more awkward compared to the times of 1981.  Being a tv-made film, it was still a total flop, predictably.  While the first movie held the campiness of the sitcom, the sequel lacked the show’s charm or a strong plotline (being that Herman and Grandpa are falsely accused of crimes and must clear their names but foiling the plans of a monster-robots wielding conman).  Yeah… and on top of that the film was shot fairly poor.  There’s times when there would be awkward silences as if the actors are waiting for a laugh track, or the composer just didn’t feel like creating anymore background music.  And at one point you were even able to see the end of the pet dragon, Spike’s, tail.  The film did manage to obtain the original Herman (Fred Gwynne), Grandpa (Al Lewis), and Lily (Yvonne De Carlo), but Eddie and Marilyn were replaced by different actors, K.C. Martel & Jo McDonnell.  Gwynne and Lewis seemed like time hadn’t gone by at all, but De Carlo aged tremendously, maybe because she wears the least amount of makeup between the three.  Her appearance was superfluous as well; she neglected to carry the storyline in any fashion.  In fact, Uncle Phantom of the Opera had more screen time than her.  And what a nuisance!  His sporadic appearance throughout the movie was literally for him to belt operatically and to constantly show that he can break glass.  Pain to my ears.  As for this new Marilyn, get out of here!  Unlike the other Marilyns who were sweet and cute, this one was extremely bossy and definitely not 19-years-old.  Actually, the Marilyn from the first movie, Debbie Watson, would have been the same age as McDonnell (30) at the time of filming, so why not just use her again?  Oh, McDonnell was also a poor actress, on top of that.  Yeah, I said it.  The only redeeming thing about the movie is that Herman was as endearing as ever; very little saving grace.

Unless you’re already a fan of the tv show, I wouldn’t recommend watching these movies.  To be precise, you must be a regular fan to watch the first movie and a die-hard fan to watch the second movie.  Sitcoms often have a hard time transitioning from show to movie, and these were no exception.  So why would I make them a part of my movie collection?  Because I am an old fan and they do hold a place in my heart for sake of sentimentality, and they are nice to watch at this time of year.

For more information on these movies, click on the links below:

Munster, Go Home!: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060726/

The Munsters' Revenge: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082778/

Young Frankenstein: A Mel Brooks (and Gene Wilder) Film

Young Frankenstein is a classic satirical comedy, and possibly the most popular of Mel Brooks’ movies. Although the movie is often thought of and advertised as “A Mel Brooks Film”, the screenplay actually was a collaboration between Brooks and the movie’s star Gene Wilder, the latter being the originator of the idea of the movie.  Basing their satire on classic black-and-white horror movies, specifically the combination of Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein, the team added the typical and semi-expected gags along with fresh and sometimes spontaneous material.  They were very careful to stick as close to possible to shooting the movie in the same fashion as the old horrors, but still for modern times.  They shot it in black and white, despite the producer wanting it to be in color, and they used old effects such as apparent fake lightning and that famous loud surprise horror sound (Dan, dan, DAN!)  Its such small details that are relatable and appreciated.  And surprisinly enough, when its been typical for Mel to make an appearance in his own movies, this time around he did not. 

I’ve seen the movie more than enough times now to find any joke too stimulating, but the biggest pleasure I find from the film is the portrayal of Igor by Marty Feldman.  His natural quirkiness of delivering lines, his large smile, and his giant bulging eyes always get a chuckle out of me and I find him the most lovable character in the movie.  When I was younger I always tried to figure out how they made Igor’s eyes so seemingly extraordinarily bulgy, as it was hard for me to accept that they were the actor’s natural state.  They are a little unsettling, but they add to his character and I guess in the long run I wouldn’t want it to be in any other way.  In the reverse, I find it ironic that Gene helped write the movie because out of the whole cast he’s my least favorite, both as his character Frederick Frankenstein and as an actor.  Frankenstein isn’t a likable character; he’s a temperamental, selfish, stuck-up jerk who only thinks of up-keeping his reputation as an established genius. In addition to this, he’s an adulterer, stereotypically ending up sleeping with his lab assistant.  Seriously, such a hot lab assistant as Inga (Teri Garr) would never sleep with some man who looked like that.  That crazy frizzy clown hair is not a turn on!  I’m also being tres harsh.  But I also find Gene’s acting in the movie rather mediocre, especially compared to his performances in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Blazing Saddles.  He’s a good shouter when upset, but all of his emotions come across as synthetic and sometimes his lines are choppy.  Maybe he just does his best working amongst candy-grubbing children or black sheriffs.  Amongst the rest of the cast there are terrific and hilarious appearances by the Cloris Leachman as Frau Blucher and Madeline Kahn as Elizabeth.  True gems of the movie are the running gag of the horses’ scare of Blucher’s name, Igor’s ever repositioned hump, and definitely the “Putting on the Ritz” song/dance routine by Frankenstein and the Creature. 

Along the lines of what has already been stated, this is my favorite of Mel Brooks’ films… ok, actually it’s the my second favorite, after Robin Hood: Men in Tights.  But it’s definitely Mel at his least offensive but highest wit.  Though most of its pleasure has been lost to me over time, I’m confident any new viewer will be laughing nonstop. 


For more information on this movie, click on the link below:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072431/

The Addams Family *snap snap*

The Addams Family is the penultimate Gothic-horror comedy, a must watch during the Halloween season.  The two movies produced in the early ‘90s that were directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, The Addams Family and The Addams Family Values, relaunched the popularity of this lively (and sometimes deathly) family for the following decade.  Though the magazine cartoonist Charles Addams, who originated the Addams, had continued to create comics featuring them for The New Yorker since the late ‘30s til his death in 1988, the Addams Family had pretty much been forgotten since the run of the classic tv show of the ‘60s.  The ‘90s movies were mainly based off of the tv show’s version of the family, but was even heavier on the macabre and dry sinister humor, much like the original cartoons. 

Of course a movie is only as good as its actors, and The Addams Family featured a superb group of them, including Anjelica Huston as Morticia, Christopher Lloyd as Uncle Fester, and Christina Ricci as Wednesday.  I wouldn’t say Huston’s Morticia was as beautiful and lovely and as typical housewifey as Carolyn Jones from the ‘60s show, but she did play the role beautifully as a quiet seductress with quick wit.  Also, the best part of her role was how she always had a beam of light laid across her eyes in dark shots.  Amazing.  And for Ms. Ricci, this is my favorite role of hers.  In every other incarnation of Wednesday I’ve seen, she is always displayed as a typically sweet little girl or a little brash, but Ricci really made this Wednesday child full of woe with her fearlessness and her immense sarcasm.  And Christopher Lloyd… well he’s always been wacky enough that him playing the intensely foul and weird Uncle Fester is no great shocker. 

The great thing about the two movies is that the sequel is one of rare breed of sequels when it is equally good as or even better than the first.  I know I surely enjoy The Addams Family Values more than it’s predecessor.  Though both movies focus mainly on events involving Uncle Fester, I find the second movie includes more plotlines for all the characters, and it’s just funnier.  Wednesday and Pugsleys’ enforcement at the summer camp alongside the wackadoo camp counselors and stuck-up prep kids always guarantees laughs, and Joan Cusack’s role as Fester’s gold-digging psychotic killer love interest Debbie is cool, calculating, and perfectly crazy.  Add in stale sex talk, a Satan hand pupper, and fail murder attempts, and you have all the ingredients for genius! 

If you haven’t seen the movies before you should now, because if you don’t then you’re a loser because these movies are awesome and everyone knows it.

For more info on these movies, click on the links below:
The Addams Family: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101272/
The Addams Family Values: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106220/