coffeyaddict

Kinda dull plot, poor direction & editing, clichés left and right, and it really isn't the epic western it aspires to be. The performances are pretty good, although Glenn has some trouble acting hurt. Costner does his usual devil-may-care Jeff Bridges impersonation, Dennehy is over-the-top, Danny Glover does what he can in a tired role, Linda Hunt is always fun to watch, and Jeff Goldblum, as was his mien for the 1980s, totally steals the show as Slick. Most of the characters remain fairly thin, with the ones in black hats relying entirely on comic-book personas. Costumes are kinda lame, with the hats seeming to rely on what was available in department stores of the 80s. Rifles shoot tiny holes in people, the good guys never miss, and the music is far too ambitious. Once Upon a Time in the West this is not.

Tim Burton has made a number of films I really like (Ed Wood, Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice, Pee Wee's Big Adventure), but this is not one of them. The son trying to figure out his father is a wholly unlikable character. If I were his dad, I'd disown him. Like everyone else in the picture, he is successful, very clean cut, and middle class. In fact, these words can be used to describe the film in its entirety, and I don't mean that as a compliment.

It's possible that the Burton films I like were carried by quirky actors like Johnny Depp and the young Winona Ryder. As good as he was in Trainspotting, Ewan McGregor has become a dull, middle of the road, mediocre actor. His role in the midst of these extended fantasy sequences is too bright-eyed, too naive to be at all involving or interesting. The only reason I was able to sit through this entire picture was the presence of Steve Buscemi, in a relatively small role.

How a film is able to involve a lot of carny sequences and remain pure as the driven snow is beyond me, but I think the more important question is WHY would a director do this? Tim Burton's film has a very Disney-fied quality to it, everything is squeaky-clean sweetness and love once initial misunderstandings are overcome. There is not nearly enough humor in this film to make it worthwhile. Burton's wide-eyed fantasy world has become unbearably boring.

This kung-fu version of Snow White is unbelievable. Was it made for kids? Hard to say. A fleshy egg pops out of the pregnant queen, weird demons plague the kingdom, evil sorcerers try to take over, the hero fights with a weird bloody body. This film is low-budget, and if that's a plus for you, check it out. The sets are wonderful and the special effects are very funny (the dwarves are regular-sized actors, shot from above). Most of the effects involve optical-printing, which wasn't done very skillfully, so the sequences are a little out of focus. Nevertheless, this is one of the most entertaining kung-fu movies I've ever seen. The soundtrack consists of the themes to Battlestar Galactica, Starblazers, and some 80s P-funk.