Monday Morning Quarterback Part II
By BOP Staff
May 15, 2012
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Kim Hollis: Since Johnny Depp became Captain Jack Sparrow and a box office powerhouse, what do you think has been his best decision, and what is his worst?
Edwin Davies: I think his best decision has been to keep on doing the weird, offbeat sort of things that he did before he was one of the biggest star in the world, especially because it has helped some pretty good films reach a wider audience (something like Public Enemies, for example, probably wouldn't have done half the business it did without his name attached, and even though it was a bust, The Rum Diary wouldn't have been made without him). I think that has done more to keep alive the idea that he's a sweet-natured guy who does right by the people he likes to work with, since it would have been all too easy for him to leave all that arty stuff behind and only make huge films for big-ass paychecks.
On the other hand, I think that he has occasionally done just that, most notoriously with The Tourist, which was a bad film that boasted a pretty lazy performance from Depp. At least with the second, third and fourth Pirates films - which I think are all deeply terrible films - you could tell that he was putting his all into the role. The Tourist was the first time you could tell that he didn't care and was just there to get paid, and I think that film might have done some damage to reputation as someone who always gave his all, no matter what the project.
Bruce Hall: The Tourist was Depp's biggest folly in recent years for many reasons, and some of them were even on camera. Other than that, I don't really have a problem with any of his recent choices. The unexpected success of Pirates of the Caribbean has given him the sort of freedom that few actors ever achieve, but you're always free when you're true to yourself, and next to his fondness for playing androgynous weirdos, it's been the greatest constant of his career. Johnny Depp has never been afraid to challenge himself, and I really respect him for it.
Brett Beach: I kinda concur with Edwin but I don't feel it was due to laziness. It was what I (with an assist from Leonard Maltin) refer to as the "Jennifer Jason Leigh in Backdraft syndrome," where a star known for quirky character business fails miserably playing "an ordinary person." (And if you've seen The Tourist, then you are aware SPOILER it's actually Depp's character playing at what an "ordinary person" is like END SPOILER). I would also debit Alice in Wonderland for being too obvious a choice for all involved.
For bests: I know it came out not long after (so I don't know if it had already started filming before POTC blew up) but I would choose Secret Window, for being a decent thriller and a biting black satire on divorce (it rung true at the time for me) and more recently Rango which is a great character turn by Depp, even animated.
Max Braden: Brett beat me to mentioning Secret Window, which I didn't enjoy because normal Depp is actually pretty boring. I don't know if that's a reaction to "not-weird" Depp, or if he's just that way in straight up roles, but I can believe it because I don't really find him that interesting in real world interviews. I can forgive him for the lousy Pirates sequels, because they failed despite him, not because of him, and who would want to be the one to say "this doesn't live up to the franchise standards, let's not do a sequel" when you have kids lining up for more. I really like that Depp embraces so many oddball roles, because it's rare that you have someone be so good and keep at it without it ever getting stale or repetitive. For instance, how does Keith Richards of all people fail to perform as a pirate father of a pirate? It just works with Depp, and that makes for more interesting movies. I hate to be someone who pigeonholes an actor, but I don't want to see another Tourist-y performance from him.
David Mumpower: I am an unabashed superfan of Depp. I was celebrating his work in From Hell, Blow and Chocolat before he became a global A-Lister. His run-up to Jack Sparrow is every bit as good as what happened afterward. And Edwin is now my sworn enemy for badmouthing Dead Man's Chest, one of my favorite movies of the 2000s. We saw that at a midnight show and the crowd was as hot for it as anything I watched from that point until The Avengers last weekend. Out of all the projects of his I've enjoyed, Charlie and the Chocolate is the best decision. Depp has nothing in common with Gene Wilder and yet it is an impressively respectful variation on Willy Wonka. The primary reason I have been giving Dark Shadows the benefit of the doubt in the face of mediocre buzz is that Depp and Burton were so great together in this movie. My least favorite decision is not The Tourist, a slight-ish movie I like well enough due to its Charade vibe. Alice in Wonderland, financials notwithstanding, is one of the worst blockbuster movies of the 2000s. It's down in Transformers sequel territory for me. I couldn't care less how profitable the damn thing was. All I know is that every time I think about the movie, I get angry.
Reagen Sulewski: I have a feeling that Lone Ranger is going to be one or the other of those things and I'm honestly not sure which yet. The Tourist is definitely an easy target, as it's a lazy film that lets all the exotic locales do the work for it, but it's not really all that terrible a film. That's kind of the only film in his post-Pirates repertoire that doesn't fall into either "huge box office hit" or "obvious labor of love". It's tough to argue with what he's done this past decade in general.
Felix Quinonez: For me, Depp's best decision since the first pirates movie was Rango. I just loved that movie, it was so weird and quirky and just fun. As for his worst decision, I have to say Alice in Wonderland. (I didn't see The Tourist) That movie made me wonder if perhaps Burton and Depp should see other people. There was almost nothing I liked about that movie and Depp's casting just seemed obvious and even lazy.
Kim Hollis: I really love Depp, and have going all the way back to 21 Jump Street (when I was all like, oh, it's that guy that was decimated by Freddy Krueger in Nightmare on Elm Street!). Like some others have mentioned, I'm really fond of Rango, which I think was a very bold choice for an animated film. And I love that the character of Rango has so many of Depp's mannerisms even though he is a cartoon lizard. The most disappointing decision he has made has been Alice in Wonderland, because even though the film was great financially, it was a truly horrible movie and Depp was just annoying in it. I know other people might say the same of his Willy Wonka, but I liked that his Wonka was very similar to the book version.
It's hard to choose. On both sides.
Kim Hollis: What's your favorite Tim Burton movie? What's your least favorite?
Edwin Davies: Ed Wood, closely followed by Big Fish. I still admire Burton's aesthetic choices - there are few directors working today whose work is so unmistakable - but his skills as a storyteller seem to be degrading with each film these days, as the style overwhelms the content. Both Ed Wood and Big Fish use his style well, but they're wedded to sweet, heartfelt stories that he seems deeply invested in (Ed Wood clearly speaks to his love of cinema, particularly shitty B-movies, and Big Fish was his attempt to use his art to come to terms with the deaths of his parents). That same quality runs through a lot of his best films, and the worst are the ones that are completely devoid of any particular heart or investment. The absolute worst, in that regards, would be his remake of The Planet of the Apes, which is completely lifeless and has one of the most thuddingly dumb endings I have ever seen.
Brett Beach: I hate to be in repeat mode, but Planet of the Apes strikes me as the film that least gives an audience anything recognizable as Burtonesque. I started wiping it clean from my brain right after I got out of the theater 11 years ago.
On the positive front, I also adore Ed Wood. It's the kind of uplifting bio that Hollywood traffics in. Yes, it ends (perhaps thankfully) before Wood's ignominious end, but it celebrates the idea of filmmaking, making the argument that talentless enthusiasm may be preferable to glossy hackwork. Plus, it gives us a droll Bill Murray supporting turn before he was snatched up by the Anderson/Jarmusch contingent, and Martin Landau cursing up a blue streak.
Bruce Hall: I'd like to say Ed Wood is my favorite, because I really do love that movie. But I have to admit a soft spot for The Nightmare Before Christmas. It was a special time in my life. What can I say? The worst? Planet of the Apes. Get your hands off me, you damn dirty movie.
Max Braden: There's so much great visual style in his filmography, it's hard to pick the one I most like. I think I'm biased toward Sweeney Todd mostly because of the music. To pick the one I like most because of his role as director, I think I'd go with Big Fish. I like it most for the way Burton's visual style goes beyond just setting an environment and mood, but really helps the story as well. I can see the criticism of Planet of the Apes, but I actually prefer the depiction of the apes in that movie over Rise of the Planet of the Apes. My least favorite of Burton's movies are the stop-motion ones, so I'll pick The Corpse Bride. It's not my favorite animation style, and it's just too Gothic for my taste. For that reason I don't have much interest in his upcoming Frankenweenie.
Reagen Sulewski: Ed Wood really is an amazing film in most respects, including some of the best acting performances ever put on film. I also still hold some love for Beetlejuice and Batman (despite the latter's take on the superhero film being completely out of date now), as well as a "you had to be there" experience with Mars Attacks! that couldn't really be repeated. Alice in Wonderland is an easy pick as a film of his to hate, just aggressively annoying.
David Mumpower: Tim Burton's shining achievement as a director is Big Fish. I am hard pressed to watch the end of that movie without tearing up. The gradual understanding a son comes to have not only of his father but also of the way his father viewed life is every bit as powerful as Field of Dreams, only demonstrated through a different style. And the moment at the end where the son is faced with all of the oddities from his father's life is the purest version of Tim Burton as an artist. If you are reading this column and have never watched Big Fish, I beg you to take this opportunity to do so.
Conversely, the worst thing Tim Burton has ever done - and I know some of you disagree with me about this - is Mars Attacks!. I would describe it as a glorious mess but there is nothing glorious about it. The sci-fi spoof/celebration provides an agitating viewing experience as well as some performances that caused me to re-think the overall abilities of the actors in question. I actively despise everything about it. What Mars Attacks! and Alice in Wonderland demonstrate is that ever the greatest talents need guidance as they are capable of the worst mistakes.
Felix Quinonez: I'm a huge Tim Burton Fan so it's hard for me to pick my FAVORITE of his films. But in no particular order I have to say Big Fish. Visually, it was just amazing and the story was so moving and it resonates with me. I was still in high school when that movie came out and I didn't really pay attention to the Oscars then but I remember being very mad when this wasn't even nominated for Best Picture. Another one of my favorites is Batman Returns. I really like Batman but I LOVE Batman Returns, I thought it was Burton really cutting loose and it was just so bold. And Michelle Pfeiffer was awesome as catwoman. And I think Edward Scissorhands is a total classic.
As for his worst, well no one's perfect right? I have to say Alice in Wonderland. That was just such a disappointment.
Kim Hollis: My favorite Burton film - and I have many, many Burton films that I truly enjoy - is Batman. Yes, it's nothing like the superhero films of today, but it is a movie I can watch more or less on repeat and never get tired of it. I did a paper on it when I was in college, even, because Burton effectively turns the Joker into the director - he's staging everything. It's a fascinating bit of ars poetica, I think. As for other films near the top of my favorites list, I also really enjoy Big Fish (*sniffle*) and Beetlejuice.
His worst is Planet of the Apes. I think that movie was my worst of its year and the stink of it may never go away completely.