Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Sometimes they come back...and it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Maybe Beetlejuice (the original movie) was an unlikely suspect to rise from its grave—it seemed like it had said all that it had to say—but no, there apparently were a few more characters left to carve onto that gravestone. It probably helped immensely that a) many of the original principals needed work, and could use an old standby to serve as a seed for something new, and b) the success of Wednesday and its young star Jenna Ortega (who is in serious danger of being forever typecast) provided source material for an injection of new life to the older work. Merge the two influences and voila, a revival arrives, bringing much of the sensibility of the original, if not quite its freshness, while adding enough touches of today to make something that can stand on its own terms. Much of the narrative here works as a slow build, not unlike the first entry, until at last the applied touches coalesce into a climax that is genuinely funny, well brought together, and satisfying in its resolution of the various plot lines. The whole story put together may be something not quite what a fan of the first flick, or of Tim Burton in general, might expect at first glance, but if you let yourself get into the ... um ... spirit of the thing, you’ll find yourself feeling like the effort was not a dead waste of time. One suspects, given the rule of saying the name three times, that a follow up will be on the way; the vote here says that enough was done this time around to make that possibility one that does not need to remain buried—though these characters could also go to their rest without it being a tragedy, either. Ultimately, I guess you can’t begrudge anyone grabbing whatever kind of afterlife they can.

Heathers

This, the wickedest satire of high school from the eighties--or, indeed, any time--holds up amazingly well, even for those of us who were there. The cruel and cliquish teenagers, the clueless and cynical adults, the grotesque and ghoulish media and society at large--it’s all here. And the laughs remain fresh and hearty, even if the language in which they are delivered has grown somewhat stale. (Of course, the visual language of this film has also aged, but that’s part of the appeal, too--getting a laugh out of what once was fashionable and normal.) In many ways, this is the perfect eighties movie, the perfect teen movie, and the quintessential combination of those two conceptual archetypes. It’s clearly the zenith of Christian Slater’s career (and maybe even the top of Winona Ryder’s arc, too). On top of all that, this flick became a cult classic, and eventually spawned a successful and wildly entertaining musical show that in certain ways exceeded the original. (The film’s script is so well written that many of the musical's song lyrics come directly and intact from the source's dialogue.) No wonder this work has long had standing in the Best of All ranks--it earns some of the loudest PURRs in this whole collection.

Alien: Resurrection

It becomes obvious early on that this flick was made mostly so Sigourney Weaver could have most, if not all, of the good lines. At least this time out she gets to trade in the previous outings' desperation for something more like occasional devilishness. That, and the bulk of this movie, are at least somewhat entertaining, even if at this point everything presented is redundant and derivative. Most interesting about this movie, in hindsight, is who was working behind the camera: Jean-Pierre Jeunet directed, and Joss Whedon wrote the script, both before going on to much bigger things. Say what you will about this franchise--and it's been all over the map--but it has always attracted top talent, even if its every presentation amounts to just a one note, dolled-up haunted house story. In this case, that's not enough to make a classic, but I never wanted to turn it off, either, so I guess that's a draw. Like its signature beastie, the series is a survivor.

Frankenweenie

I hate to be the one to have to say this, but this movie lacked a certain spark. The film had some nice touches--the Japanese kid and Gamera reference, for instance--but with a filmmaker as accomplished as Tim Burton involved, nice touches are the least you can expect. One interesting element was the undercurrent about the failure of U.S. society to appreciate and develop science and scientists, but it was little more than a couple of throwaway comments. I guess kids will enjoy it, but even then, I’m not so sure (they might not get why this film is in black and white, for instance; old references are lost on the young). Otherwise, it probably depends on how much you dig Burton and his oeuvre. Your call.

A Scanner Darkly

I'm two days removed from watching this movie, and I'm still not sure what to make of it. Is the paranoia trip focused on the government? Corporations? Every one of us? It's tough to tell. The performances work, I can say that. And the rotoscoped animation is OK; it serves its purpose in a few places, allowing touches of visual flair that would have just seemed weird in total live action. But...something's missing. You're pretty much on your own here; watch if you must.

Looking for Richard

You know I like Shakespeare. Not only does director Al Pacino present the lion's share of the Richard III in this documentary examination of bringing the play to life, but he, the other actors, and various scholars pour an enormous amount of analysis and perspective onto the screen. Watch this and you will feel like an Elizabethan scholar for days thereafter.

Edward Scissorhands

And now you know my secret shame: it took me this long to get around to watching one of Tim Burton's best movies. What's to be said? It's like looking back at the moment when Johnny Depp really became a star, when Winona Ryder was still the next great thing. Mostly, it's just a wonderful movie, a modest fable about an outcast and how he stays that way, despite a brief interlude of acceptance. Whether you want hope or despair, you can find equal doses here, and you'll enjoy what you get to the fullest.

Girl, Interrupted

Not bad, but it didn't really seem to say all that much. I suspect that, if not for the presence of Angelina Jolie (right in her first bursting onto the scene--and into fantasists' minds--moment), this movie would hardly have merited all that much attention.