Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

I’m torn between starting this off with ‘Films like this remind us all of why it is we loved Tim Burton’s early work so much’ and ‘Seriously, is Samuel L. Jackson in every film nowadays?!’ Both? Both. Both is good.

In modern day Florida, awkward teenager Jake (Asa Butterfield) struggles to fit in with his peers and attempts to get through everyday life. With a mother and father more concerned with their respective lives than the welfare and happiness of their son, his father figure is presented in the form of his Grandfather Abe, who encouraged his sense of adventure and told Jake tales of his triumphs in the war fighting ‘monsters’. After Abe dies under mysterious circumstances, Jake is encouraged to visit a small island off the coast of Wales with his father in order to find closure in the children’s home Abe was sent to as a child. However, what he finds creates more questions than it does answers as he encounters Miss Peregrine and attempts to come to grips with his Grandfather’s past. Jake is suddenly thrust into a world where the threat against the ones he loves is one only he can stop.

The positives: This film has a lot going for it. A strong cast including Asa Butterfield, Samuel L. Jackson, Chris O’Dowd (good to see him branching out!) and Dame Judi Dench allow for the acting to be consistent and entertaining. Eva Green’s portrayal of the falcon herself was also a stand out, but at times felt a little overdone. All of the acting from the children was also surprisingly good. Shout out to Cameron King who was invisible for the whole film and yet still managed to be one of the most charismatic and funny characters. I am pleased to say that for once I don’t have to critique the pacing of the film: it used its time wisely, fleshed out characters and didn’t rush through important plot points for the sake of cramming in more action. As well as this, Burton’s signature style is clearly evident here: there are a variety of scary and disturbing elements that only serve to make the film not only more entertaining, but uniquely Burton. The cinematography and shot symmetry are beautiful and you can’t help but admire the use of colour, set and costume design: they all bear the Burton trademark and they really help to set this film apart from some of his other more recent work, creating a stunning world audiences will love stepping into. 

The negatives: For those of you who are looking for a book accurate adaptation (that is the original book of the same title by Ransom Riggs which went number 1 a whole bunch of times, seriously its excellent and I recommend giving it a read), this isn’t it. Anyone who has read the book and seen the trailer will already have noticed that Olive’s and Emma’s powers have been switched, and the film focuses a lot more on making it relevant in today’s modern world meaning that it has a few plot holes that would have been solved by the book’s plot. Its difficult to pin down, but there tends to be a hollowness to the film that can make it difficult to engage with, almost as if too much effort was point into its looks rather than the importance of underlying substance. As well as this, the film is mostly what you see is what you get: if you’ve seen the trailers and TV spots and have decided its not for you, seeing it isn’t going to change your mind. Still, that doesn’t necessarily negate the film, its’ certainly a good time, but that may leave some fans disappointed.

All in all, Miss Peregrines Annoyingly Long Title to Type Out is a fun, entertaining and well paced film that parents and kids alike are going to enjoy: but fair warning, this isn’t exactly Mary Poppins (more like her slightly off kilter cousin) and will possibly give some of the little ones nightmares, so make sure the tiny tots are prepared. Its worth a watch if you’re a Burton fan or book fan, but make sure you know what you’re in for before buying your tickets.

Big Eyes

"Espresso, what's that, like reefer?"

Tim Burton's signature gothic, often fantastical style has never particularly appealed to me. I haven't been sold by his reimagining of classic films, which in itself goes against my opinion on adaptations. However it's difficult not to appreciate some of his classics, Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Big Fish etc. His latest film Big Eyes, a biopic about artist Margaret Keane, does away with many of the Burtonesque themes, with a cheerful opening act that thinly veils a story of duplicity and suppression.

In the mid-1950s, Margaret Ulbrich (Amy Adams) runs away from her husband, taking her daughter Jane (Delaney Raye) and her paintings with her to San Francisco. Her work is unlike any other, often portraying young children with over sized eyes. Whilst selling her paintings for loose change at an outdoor market, she meets Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz), a fellow artist, who takes great interest in her work. The two hit it off, getting married shortly after. Walter helps Margaret get her art recognised, although he starts to take credit for it, believing that nobody would be interested in paintings from female artists. Soon the Keane 'big eyes' paintings grow into an empire, but the real artist is being hidden from the world. 

Whilst Big Eyes has a completely different style to most of Burton's other films, he doesn't hold back from injecting stylistic choices all over the place. For instance, there are sections of the film that are shown on a TV, and these appear to have been shot with a fish-eye lens, not only to mimic the curved front of CRT televisions but also to draw the centre of the screen closer to the audience in quite a confronting way. There are other sections that seem very heavy-handed, almost hitting the wrong points in the overall narrative arc and becoming overly emotional. But all those points aside, Big Eyes presents a captivating story that's augmented with skillful portrayals.

Amy Adams is a tremendous actor who's played some great roles in recent years, and yet again here she breathes life into her character. Over the course of the film she's liberated, then suppressed, hesitant, angry, then empowered. It's a great representation of her range as an actor, and of the troubles that Margaret had to deal with. Danny Huston narrates and plays a journalist but doesn't really do much for the story, and Jon Polito looks the same now as he did in Miami Vice back in the 80s. Krysten Ritter, Jason Schwartzman and Terence Stamp add to what is already a very strong cast.

The many faces of Walter are perfectly articulated by Waltz, and his performance defines Big Eyes for me. One minute he's charming his way up the social ladder, the next he's explaining to Margaret just why her work is actually his. It may be over-the-top but it's a lively performance, which is what I always love about Waltz. Walter is more than just a liar though, his personality is fragmented. To some degree it's as if he actually believes that he painted the big eyes. Waltz grins his way through the film yet the inner complexities and deceptions that define his character radiate so obviously to the viewer that it's agonising to see how effective his dishonesty is. The dramatic irony leaves the viewer on an excruciating precipice, waiting for Margaret to reveal the secret to the world, to break free. It's here that Big Eyes is the most effective.

This isn't Burton's greatest accomplishment, and probably won't appeal as much to his hardcore fan base, but I'm glad that Margaret Keane's story got put onto the big screen, even if it is a little Hollywood. Adams and Waltz are fantastic.