Sure, you know Tim Burton is the darkly whimsical force behind Beetlejuice, Alice in Wonderland, Corpse Bride and The Nightmare Before Christmas. You may even know he deserves the credit for Mars Attacks! too. But there’s probably at least one movie among the following you didn’t know was the work of Tim Burton.
Pee Wee’s Big Adventure stars Paul Reubens as Pee Wee Herman in the funny and colorful, family-friendly tale of Pee Wee’s search for his stolen bike. It’s rated 4.75/5 stars across 237 reviews, and the Amazon Instant Video is $2.99 to rent and $9.99 to buy.
Ed Wood is Burton’s black and white, biopic valentine to the real-life Ed Wood, a cross-dressing director whose passion for filmmaking far outstripped his talent. Wood is acknowledged by many critics and filmmakers to be the worst director ever, but his madcap enthusiasm is admired by most of them. This film marks the second collaboration between Burton and the actor who’s become a fixture in his films, Johnny Depp—their first film together was Edward Scissorhands. Ed Wood is rated 5/5 stars on Amazon, and is available to rent for $1.99.
The most recent Batman films have been dark and gritty, but Burton launched the franchise with the more tongue-in-cheek Batman and Batman Returns. Batman features Jack Nicholson as The Joker, and Batman Returns finds Michelle Pfeiffer donning black vinyl to play Catwoman. Batman has an average review rating of 4.5/5 and Batman Returns rates 4/5 stars across hundreds of Amazon reviews, and both Instant Videos are $2.99 to rent or $9.99 to buy.
Big Fish is based on the novel of the same name by Daniel Wallace. This film stars Ewan MacGregor, and was nominated for 33 awards, including the Oscar. In it, an adult son tries to separate fact from fiction in his father’s many seemingly tall tales, feeling that all this yarn-spinning has always kept him from knowing the real man behind the stories. But as his father’s life nears its end, the son learns there may be more truth to his father’s stories than he ever realized, and maybe he’s the one who’s created the gulf between them by withholding his trust. The instant video has an average rating of 4/5 stars across 501 reviews, and is available for purchase at $9.99.
Finally, there’s the remake of Planet of the Apes…yep, that’s a Burton film, too!
