Gothic Charm School: pretty things

marypsue:

I think, at some point, Johnny Depp and Tim Burton both started listening to their own press, started to believe that everything they touched was ‘quirky’ and ‘eccentric’ and ‘daring’, and turned into mediocre caricatures of themselves. That point, I suspect, was somewhere around Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

I miss the Tim Burton who didn’t just remake things with more stripes and swirlies, but who brought to the big screen unusual and unconventional and interesting stories that we hadn’t heard before. I miss the Johnny Depp who didn’t just pull out the “lolrandom! also look my character’s a crazy magpie!” act for every role, but who actually took on challenging roles and acted the shit out of them.

In short? I want another Edward Scissorhands. Or What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. Or Big Fish. And perhaps it’s come time to look elsewhere for that kind of innovation, intelligence, and heart. Because, much as I love and admire both of these men, I do not want another Alice in Wonderland.

Yes! This is what I’ve been saying since I saw the Tim Burton Alice In Wonderland. And you know me, I’m a huge fan of adding stripes and swirly details to things, but there needs to be a heart and a good story under all of that gothy icing.