Independent voices from the TWT Communities
Starting Wednesday, feed your desire for more vampire drama at the opening of the Washington Ballet's premiere of "Dracula," which resurrects the horror and romance of the original novel.
This year's London Film Festival has Ben Affleck, Dustin Hoffman and the Rolling Stones _ and it's bookended by one of the city's premiere cinematic couples.
"Frankenweenie" _ Tim Burton reminds us of why we love Tim Burton with this feature-length version of the 1984 short that revealed early glimmers of the veteran director's darkly humorous style. Beautifully detailed and painstakingly rendered in 3-D, black-and-white, stop-motion animation, "Frankenweenie" is a visual and thematic return to the best Burton has offered in his earliest films, such as "Edward Scissorhands" and "Beetlejuice." And it is a welcome return, given the reheated, unfocused nature of some of his more recent films like "Dark Shadows." Burton has said he'd always intended for "Frankenweenie" to be a full-length, stop-motion-animation feature, but he didn't have the means; instead, he made a 30-minute, live-action short. Both films are about the powerful bond between a boy and his dog, one that goes on even after death _ a heartrending subject, to be sure, but one that Burton infuses with his trademark mix of lively energy and macabre laughs. Even then, you could see Burton's sympathetic, protective portrayal of an outsider, an affectionate skewering of the sanctity of suburbia and a deep love of monster movies. Charlie Tahan provides the voice of Victor, a 10-year-old loner who's understandably devastated when his only friend _ his bull terrier, Sparky _ gets hit by a car. But a lesson from his science teacher (a wonderfully melodramatic Martin Landau) inspires Victor (whose last name happens to be Frankenstein) to try and bring Sparky back to life. Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short and Winona Ryder are among the Burton veterans in the strong voice cast. PG for thematic elements, scary images and action. 88 minutes. Three stars out of four.
Tim Burton reminds us of why we love Tim Burton with "Frankenweenie," a feature-length version of the 1984 short that revealed early glimmers of the veteran director's darkly humorous style.
Loving father and husband at home, a ruthless killer at work: The real-life Mafia hit man who inspired Ariel Vromen's new film, `'The Iceman," had a steep after-work decompression curve.
Tim Burton remembers critics back in the day finding his take on Batman rather gloomy.
There was a time when Tim Burton was considered an exciting filmmaker, when his aesthetic seemed daring, inventive and unmistakably his own. But that seems like a while ago after seeing "Dark Shadows," his eighth collaboration with Johnny Depp and their weakest yet.
Put Angelina Jolie's face on a magazine cover and sales will surely rise. Get her to write a memoir and it would be worth millions. But write a book about her, without her cooperation, and you're taking a chance.
Sofia Coppola's comic drama "Somewhere," and Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan" will make their world premieres at the Venice Film Festival, among 22 titles that organizers announced Thursday will vie for the prestigious Golden Lion.
`'I don't think you can be married for that long and go to sleep every night with someone, especially when he is getting up in the middle of dinner and going out and killing ... she's doing laundry, there's got to be blood," Ryder said.
