Frankenweenie (2012)

*** S  P  O  I  L  E  R  S***

"The electrifying dog is back from beyond the grave."

RATED- PG

RUN TIME- 87 MINS

WRITER(S)- LEONARD RIPPS, TIM BURTON AND JOHN AUGUST

STARRING- WINONA RYDER, CATHERINE O'HARA AND MARTIN SHORT

DIRECTOR- TIM BURTON

Synopsis taken from IMDb

Young Victor conducts a science experiment to bring his beloved dog Sparky back to life, only to face unintended, sometimes monstrous, consequences. 

STORY: I first saw the original 1984 Frankenweenie short film about 7 or 8 years ago when I bought The Nightmare Before Christmas on DVD. I liked it a lot. It was dark and demented, but also sort of cute. However, that was at a time when I still was a fan of Tim Burton's work. One of the cool things about Frankenweenie was the teacher being a Vincent Price look-alike and they kept that true in this full feature film. I'm a big Price fan.

Victor Frankenstein is a filmmaker and a scientist. He is known around school as being extremely intelligent, but he has no friends and no life. So his father insists he gets out of the house and Victor follows suit. He gets involved in a baseball game and hits his first ever home run, but his victory is instantly turned to gloom. When his dog Sparky chases the ball Victor hit it leads to his demise when he's hit by a car and killed. Victor remembers a recent science demonstration he saw of electricity making dead frogs move. Victor digs up Sparky and makes a laboratory.

Once the experiment goes right Sparky escapes into the neighborhood and is spotted by Igor, a kid Victor sees and interacts with now and again. Igor blackmails Victor into giving him his secret. Igor shows off his invisible goldfish to some "cool kids" at school and they make Victor give up his formula. The bullies ensue the Victor's whole class to make their own experiments and his secrecy of Sparky to even his parents is over. Soon after, the town is in fear of their lives as the monsters their sons and daughters created and it's up to Victor and Sparky to stop it. 

I had heard this movie has a sad ending and it did. However, it is short lived. This is just another story about how playing God only makes things go a billion times worse than possible. It's about letting go and moving on. It's about not compromising the laws of physics and moral for the sake of ones benefit. And ultimately, it's about how attempting to create life is a bigger burden than anyone can handle and too much power.

Victor greets Sparky upon his arrival back to life.

ANIMATION/FX: The animation in this film was great but also typical. It's a cool idea but it's nothing we haven't seen before. It's very generic and was better understood as a short film. Instead, you have a full length movie with black and white claymation. It's just unimpressive.

OVERALL: This story hits a spot with me that will always be a fan of Burton, but it's not enough. This, like all his other recent movies show how tired his material is. It's the same package wrapped in a different paper. Frankenweenie is probably the only last decent film Burton has left and it's not even original. To the Burton that brought us Sleepy Hollow, Beetlejuice, Big Fish, Batman and Edward Scissorhands, I ask you to please move on and do something new or hang up the goofy hat.

THIS FILM GETS 3 REAPER SKULLS OUT OF 5

Dark Shadows (2012)

RATED- PG-13
RUN TIME- 113 MINS
WRITERS- SETH GRAHAME-SMITH AND JOHN AUGUST
STARRING- JOHNNY DEPP, MICHELLE PFEIFFER AND EVA GREEN
DIRECTOR- TIM BURTON




Synopsis taken from IMDb
In the year 1752, Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set sail from Liverpool, England to start a new life in America. But even an ocean was not enough to escape the mysterious curse that has plagued their family. Two decades pass and Barnabas (Johnny Depp) has the world at his feet- or at least the town of Collinsport, Maine. The master of Collinwood manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy...until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). A witch, in every sense of the word, Angelique dooms him to a fate worse than death: turning him into a vampire, and then burying him alive. Two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his one- grand estate has fallen into ruin. The dysfunctional remnants of the Collins family have fared little better. 




Dark Shadows the movie marked Jonathan Frid's final screen moment, he died shortly after on April 14th. To those of you who don't know who Jonathan Frid is, he's the original Barnabas Collins from the show. He only has a bit part in a cameo in this film.

I used to watch the show all the time, my mom is a huge fan of it and she got me into it. I used to sit in the living room and watch hours of it. I thought it was brilliant. I soap opera that's horror and dramatic. Dark Shadows is a landmark in TV history.

That being said, as I've mentioned in my Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter review, I don't like Tim Burton's latest films. I personally, think he's lost it. I don't think he's up to par with his old self anymore. I think he tapped out after Big Fish. Big Fish was his last truly great movie. After that it was all downhill.

When I heard Dark Shadows was being made into a movie I was actually excited. I wanted to see what could come of it. Then when I found out Depp was in it I was still stoked but I started to feel weary of  this film. Then I heard Tim Burton was director and I threw my hands up in disgust. Here's another movie that has serious potential and they're throwing it to the wolves, letting Tim Burton have it.

Honestly, I'm really sick of the Tim Burton and Johnny Depp team. It was good for a while but it's got to stop. It's all so common and predictable now, I think it's past the point of moving on. Do something fresh and get a new actor to add perspective to the films. Instead Burton wants to use the same people over and over and over.

The film starts off in the year 1760 and the Collins family comes to America for a fresh start. When Barnabas grows up he seduces Angelique, his maid. But he doesn't know she's a witch and he makes the mistake of breaking her heart. Josette, Barnabas' new love interest is forced to her death by Angelique as she jumps off a cliff. Barnabas follows suit and jumps to his death, but he doesn't die and instead realizes he's been cursed into being a vampire and Angelique as him locked in a coffin and buried for eternity.

In 1972, 196 years after his condemnation, Barnabas is freed by some construction workers digging on a work site. This is funny because Barnabas later in the film says he was dug up by a yellow dragon with steel teeth, referring to the construction vehicle that dug him up. Barnabas returns to his manor and although the Collins living in his manor are thrown off by his appearance and by his being a vampire, but they work out a deal where he can stay.

Barnabas throws a party to revive his families name and Alice Cooper plays at the party. It was an awesome surprise to see Alice Cooper performing some old goodies. Barnabas encounters Angelique and she tries to win him back to no avail. Barnabas is attracted to Victoria, who looks like his beloved Josette and Angelique witnesses them kissing, sending her further over the edge of anger and jealousy.

To be totally honest, I didn't know how to feel about this movie after seeing it. I mean, there's a lot to consider. The movie actually wasn't bad, I enjoyed it. If I wasn't such a big fan of the show I'm sure I'd love it. There were some genuinely funny parts in it, I snickered here and there and even laughed out loud a few times.

I thought the story was good and over exaggerated in Tim Burton's way, and although the film did fit his signatures with the weird coloring, it also had beautiful scenery and sets. The acting wasn't bad either, you could tell that they were going for the dramatic element that the show was known for.

There's a part where Barnabas can't figure out where to sleep, constantly changing spots throughout the film and I found it to be pretty funny.

I thought the cast was superb and great choices. It was great to see Jackie Earle Haley in this film as Willie Loomis. Jackie is an extremely underrated actor. That dude has talent.

But even through being entertained, it wasn't Dark Shadows to me. It isn't dark like the show was, it's very lighthearted and comedic. It's not the Dark Shadows I am used to or wanted, but the film still entertained me enough to like it and appreciate it. As a stand alone film, not compared to the series, it's good. I want better for the Dark Shadows legacy, but Tim Burton did this one some justice so I'll just be thankful I can say I like it.

THIS FILM GETS 3 REAPER SKULLS OUT OF 5

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012)

RATED- R
RUN TIME- 105 MINS
WRITERS- SETH GRAHAME-SMITH
STARRING- BENJAMIN WALKER, RUFUS SEWELL AND DOMINIC COOPER
DIRECTOR- TIMUR BEKMAMBETOV




Synopsis taken from IMDb
At the age of 9, Abraham Lincoln witnesses his mother killed by a vampire, Jack Barts. Some 10 years later, he unsuccessfully tries to eliminate Barts but in the process makes the acquaintance of Henry Sturgess who teaches him how to fight and what is required to kill a vampire. The quid pro quo is that Abe will only kill those vampires that Henry directs him to. Abe relocates to Springfield where he gets a job as a store clerk while he studies the law and kills vampires at night. He also meets and eventually marries the pretty Mary Todd. Many years later as the President of the United States, he comes to realize that vampires are fighting with the Confederate forces. As a result he mounts is own campaign to beat them. 




Here is a film that I have put off, I wasn't sure how I felt about it. And seeing Tim Burton as producer of this film didn't sell me on it. I like Tim Burton's old movies like Edward Scissorhands and Beetlejuice, but as of late I haven't been a fan of his latest works. So I was wondering how much of Tim Burton's limited imagination of trippy effects and bright colors would be seen in this film. Not to mention the whole concept is silly.

The film opened to fair reviews, some liking and some hating. It made a smash at the box-office with total grossing's of $108,319,139 world wide.

The film opens and we see young Abe and his family working on a plantation. While on the plantation, Abe makes friends with a young African American boy about his age named William Johnson. Abe sees William being beaten and stands up for William, getting his father Thomas fired from the plantation. Later that night Abe sees a vampire break into his home and bite his mother. She soon after dies.

9 years later Abe attacks the vampire that bit his mother, but he's over powered and no match. He's saved from the confrontation by Henry Sturges, someone who trains him to become a vampire hunter. He tells Abe their weaknesses (silver) and how to kill them.

Although Abe was warned by Sturges to not form any relationship due to his line of work, Abe meets Mary Todd when he movies to Springfield Illinois and they become romantic.

Soon after, Abe fights the vampire who killed his mother and finds out a secret about his friend Sturges. Abe gives up his mission to hunt vampires.

Years later, Abe marries Mary and begins his political campaign to end slavery. Eventually he becomes President and moves to the White House, they soon later have a son named William.

Years later, Abe is forced out of retirement to fight the blood sucking undead one more time.

I have got to admit that this movie surprised the hell out of me! I was seriously entertained. I think that getting past the ridiculous concept is the hardest part for people. If you don't judge it for accuracy and understand it's a pure pleasure film, you'll love it. It's a fun movie.

The kills and gore were well done. The action scenes are awesome and well shot, there's always a lot going on so it makes the movie more suspenseful and entertaining.

I thought the acting was well done, Benjamin Walker did a great job as Lincoln, this movie wasn't over or under acted. It fit the movie well, they knew where they were going with this. They didn't go too far on the stupid side. Although I did not like the way the vampires looked. They were too cartoony. I think if they made them real scary vampires the movie would be taken as kind of a film like Constantine.

This film won me over. If you're in the mood for an entertaining movie that's fun and full of gore and action, you should check this one out.

THIS FILM GETS 3 REAPER SKULLS OUT OF 5