This title explores the creative works of famous director Tim Burton. Films analyzed include Batman, Edward Scissorhands, Sweeney Todd, and Alice in Wonderland. Clear, comprehensive text gives background biographical information of Burton. "You Critique It" feature invites readers to analyze other creative works on their own. A table of contents, timeline, list of works, resources, source notes, glossary, and an index are also included. Essential Critiques is a series in Essential Library, an imprint of ABDO Publishing Company.
This is the first full-length biography of the visionary Hollywood filmmaker Tim Burton, director of Batman, Batman Returns, Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Peewee's Big Adventure, Tim Burton's The Nightmare before Christmas, Ed Wood, Mars Attacks!, and Sleepy Hollow. More than an examination of his body of work, this book takes an in-depth look at Tim Burton's personal life, which until now the reclusive director has managed to keep under wraps. Author Ken Hanke examines the frail, wild-haired fellow whose unique, introverted feature films are passionately admired by many and dismissed by others. How does he command the respect of so many big names in a creative industry not much known for good judgment? How has he managed to carve out an impossibly personal and quirky body of work within the confines of the most mainstream venues of establishment Hollywood? You'll learn about: * Tim Burton's unhappy childhood; to this day he has no relationship with his family * the real reason why Tim Burton left Disney after Ed Wood * his collaborations with talent such as Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Vincent Price (his idol), and Danny Elfman * the autobiographical elements in Edward Scissorhands * Tim Burton's often disastrous involvement with other people's projects * the ramifications of excessive power-- the Batman Returns debacle * the collapse of the Superman Reborn project
Since his early days at Disney, Tim Burton has shown a unique talent and vision. His writing and directing credits range from big-budget features such as Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992), to the comically grisly The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) and Corpse Bride (2005), to the twisted fairy tale Edward Scissorhands (1990), to literary adaptations like Big Fish (2003), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) and Sweeney Todd (2007). Though his name has become synonymous with the macabre and the odd, Burton's films often reveal and champion the flawed human in us all. This collection of new essays brings together scholarship on many of his popular films, adaptations, and innovations in stop-motion animation and his collaborative relationship with actor Johnny Depp, providing an in-depth exploration of one of the most prominent figures on the pop culture landscape in recent decades.
This is an examination of film-maker Tim Burton's diverse body of work. Ranging from the 1982 short "Vincent" to 2000's "Sleepy Hollow", his work includes animated projects, offbeat fantasies and big-budget extravaganzas, all of which explore his fascination with the darker side of human nature.
Most Tim Burton films are huge box-office successes, and several are already classics. The director's mysterious and eccentric public persona attracts a lot of attention, while the films themselves have been somewhat overlooked. Here, Alison McMahan redresses this imbalance through a close analysis of Burton's key films () and their industrial context. She argues that Burton has been a crucial figure behind many of the transformations taking place in horror, fantasy, and sci-fi films over the last two decades, and demonstrates how his own work draws on a huge range of artistic influences: the films of George Melies, surrealism, installation art, computer games, and many more. The Films of Tim Burton is the most in-depth analysis so far of the work of this unusual filmmaker - a director who has shown repeatedly that it is possible to reject mainstream Hollywood contentions while maintaining critical popularrity and commercial success.
In 1952, just one year after Coach Adolph Rupp's University of Kentucky Wildcats won their third national championship in four years, an unlikely high school basketball team from rural Graves County, Kentucky, stole the spotlight and the media's attention. Inspired by young coach Jack Story and by the Harlem Globetrotters, the Cuba Cubs grabbed headlines when they rose from relative obscurity to defeat the big-city favorite and win the state championship. A classic underdog tale, The Graves County Boys chronicles how five boys from a tiny high school in southwestern Kentucky captured the hearts of basketball fans nationwide. Marianne Walker weaves together details about the players, their coach, and their relationships in a page-turning account of triumph over adversity. This inspiring David and Goliath story takes the reader on a journey from the team's heartbreaking defeat in the 1951 state championship to their triumphant victory over Louisville Manual the next year. More than just a basketball narrative, the book explores a period in American life when indoor plumbing and electricity were still luxuries in some areas of the country and when hardship was a way of life. With no funded school programs or bus system, the Cubs's success was a testament to the sacrifices of family and neighbors who believed in their team. Featuring new photographs, a foreword by University of Kentucky coach Joe B. Hall, and a new epilogue detailing where the players are now, The Graves County Boys is an unforgettable story of how a community pulled together to make a dream come true.
Throughout his career, movie journalist Tim Lammers has talked with director Tim Burton and the key players who helped bring the stop-motion films The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, and Frankenweenie to life. Now for the first time, Lammers has assembled the stories from Burton and his band of creatives all in one place. In Direct Conversations: The Animated Films of Tim Burton, you will not only hear from Burton, but Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Allison Abbate, Martin Landau, Elijah Wood, Atticus Shaffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, the late Ray Harryhausen, and more. The release of Direct Conversations: The Animated Films of Tim Burton comes as the 1993 classic The Nightmare Before Christmas celebrates its 20th anniversary. Direct Conversations: The Animated Films of Tim Burton also includes a foreword by Tim Burton.
