Choi Frankenweenie

Tim Burton’s 2012 version of Frankenweenie is quite unlike the original 1984 version of the film as it utilizes stop motion animation through the entire movie. Whether someone prefers live actors to stop motion animation is solely a matter of preference, but using stop motion animation to create a movie such as Frankenweenie definitely has its advantages in many different aspects.

Some might argue that using live actors would have been a better choice than using stop motion animation, as using live actors are more realistic. However, I believe Burton has made the right choice by choosing to utilize stop motion animation in his 2012 version Frankenweenie as stop motion animation grants more freedom than live actors in terms of visual and emotional expression.

Let’s take Sparky for example. Since Sparky is one of the key “characters” in the movie, it is crucial that the audience understands Sparky’s inner feeling and its emotional connection with Victor, its owner. This can be a tricky task, as facial expression, the main medium for delivery of emotion, is chiefly a human trait that a living dog doesn’t have. Sparky in 1984 version of Frankenweenie certainly doesn’t have any facial expression, and therefore it is hard for the audience to decipher Sparky’s inner feelings. The 2012 version of Frankenweenie, however, easily tackles this problem, as stop motion animation successfully personifies Sparky through use of facial expression. As a result, the modern version of Sparky effectively communicates various emotions such as happiness, sadness, confusion and loneliness, and we see a direct, two way emotional communication between the Victor and Sparky. This not only allows the audience to relate to their friendship to a much deeper level, but also adds a new dimension of emotional depth that adds to the dramatic aspect of the film.

Furthermore, stop motion animation allows a much more detailed characterization of the characters in the movie, which allowed Burton to blow more style and color into each character’s personality. Mr. Rzykruski is an excellent example of successful characterization that wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for stop motion animation. Mr. Rzykruski, with its gothic energy and disproportionate head-to-body ratio, is a highly caricaturized figure that creates an unmistakable imprint in the audience’s mind. His highly stylistic visual characteristics also justify his cynical, dark, yet strangely likable personality. 1984 version of Mr. Rzykruski, in my opinion, is not nearly as memorable as the newer version of himself, as stop motion animation allowed the creation of such a visually and psychologically striking character. Other characters such as Edgar, Toshiaki and Nassor also are very visually memorable as they have distinct, exaggerated physical traits made possible through the use of stop motion animation.

By far the most interesting character in this film.

Stop motion animation also is an effective tool of justifying highly unrealistic aspects of the movie. For example, no one would question the validity of the absurd character Weird Girl, the turtle Godzilla, or the twisted Sea Monkey, as exaggeration of reality is a key aspect of any animation.

Choi Sweeney Todd

There has been numerous version of Sweeney Todd, none of which are identical to others. Likewise, Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd, while maintaining the similar central plot as the theatrical version of Sweeeny Todd, is also quite different as it is thematically less far-reaching than on-stage version of the same story. However, no matter the version of the story, they all send a coherent message about cannibalism, urbanization and industrialism.

Meat Pie... Delicious or not?

Before investigating into those themes, it is best to first look at how Tim Burton justifies Sweeney’s heinous act of murder. Burton presents Sweeney as a victim of corrupt legal system, whose wife and daughter have been abducted by a corrupt official. Presenting that point of view of the character provides room for the audience to sympathize and empathize with such morally unsettling character.

Despite slight modification in Sweeney’s history, Burton didn’t lose hold of the themes of cannibalism and industrialism, effectively drawing on several issues that come with urbanization and industrialization. One of the very important issues addressed in the movie is social inequality, which can be seen at several different points of the movie. Right off the bat, Sweeney himself is a victim of social inequality, as Judge Turpin has taken Sweeney’s family away from him through abuse of his power. This idea of social inequality is further enforced through Burton’s use of mise-en-scene. Mrs. Lovett’s house is located on a dark and filthy alley, with almost colorless, roach-infested interior, which creates stark contrast with Judge Turpin’s pristine, spacious, well-furnished house. This visual contrast of the two households, though subtle, effectively communicates the theme of social and monetary inequality.

The idea of industrialization is further enforced by the use of cannibalism. In different versions of Sweeney Todd, Sweeney explicitly imposes the grotesque parallel between the nature of industrialization and cannibalism: “The history of the world/ Is who gets eaten and who gets to eat.” This line not only is a strong reference to the social inequality, but also is a criticism of disproportionately competitive nature of capitalistic industry, where people constantly have to step on others’ foot to climb the social hierarchical ladder. This concept of symbolic cannibalism is later expanded into more literal sense of cannibalism, as the lower class people literally start feeding off the people above the social ladder, which introduces a twisted, grotesque sense of vengeance and justice.

Choi Big Fish

Contrary to many people’s beliefs, our lives aren’t lived alone, and the people we make personal connections with very often become an indispensable part of our lives. Edward is a person who understands that his life is part of something bigger, and he is thoroughly aware of the importance of his friends as active components of who he is and what his life is like. Understanding that the concept of ‘others’ is of paramount significance in his life, Edward naturally is accepting towards other people, and takes them for who they are, as everyone is special in their very own unique way.

Travelling with a giant would be quite the adventure

Edward’s unassuming and open-minded quality becomes readily apparent on his encounter with the witch. While Edward’s companions cowered behind fences, Edward overcame his fear and approached the witch. When witch opens the door, Edward’s expression tells us that he is scared, but he suppresses his emotion and politely greets the witch. A normal kid would have run away in fear, but Edward treated witch as he would have treated any other person. Outsiders very often are hostile against others because others are hostile against him, but when greeted as a “normal person”, as Edward has greeted the witch, it is highly likely that they are going to open themselves up towards a person. Such is the magic that Edward possesses, and such magic attracts extraordinary, often neglected individuals to his side.

Edward’s magic comes into play once again when he confronts the giant. Edward is scared just as much by the giant as he was by the witch, but again, he remains truthfully himself towards the giant, a total outcast and a stranger. This in return allows the giant to be himself towards Edward, instantly creating a deep personal connection between the two.

Outcasts and outsiders in fact are just normal people who are in desperate need for love and casual social communication. Edward’s special ability is to provide what they need by not doing anything special, but by simply treating them with a genuine heart and a truthful attitude.

Choi Sleepy Hollow

While both Irving and Burton’s versions of Sleepy Hollow share the same title and characters, the true content and message underneath each version are quite different. Irving’s version of the story is focused more on the main character Ichabod Crane and is delivered with a light, or neutral tone, while Burton’s version of Sleepy Hollow centered on the supernatural events related to the Headless Horseman, delivered with much more somberness.

Horseman rocking the horse.

Irving’s version of Sleepy Hollow is conveyed in quite an indifferent tone. Although the village of Sleepy Hollow is depicted as an area with mild supernatural qualities, it still isn’t haunted, and is just like any other villages of that time for the most part. They have abundant supply of crops and cattle, people are rather welcoming compared to Burton’s villagers, and there is no irrational fear about the apparitions and other supernatural beings amongst the people. Irving’s Sleepy Hollow simply tells the story of Ichabod Crane’s stay in Sleepy Hollow, without going much in detail about ghosts and spirits. Burton’s version of Sleepy Hollow, on the other hand, is more of a horror story, and puts so great of an emphasis on the headless horseman that the entire story revolves around it. Burton’s version of Irving’s story differs in many ways, but the differences between the two versions are the atmosphere and setting in which the tale is told in. The movie Sleepy Hollow fully utilizes low-key lighting to generate an eerie, unsettling atmosphere than puts audience on the edge. The sky is always cloudy and dark, and the air is filled with blinding fog, and there is barely any natural lighting. In addition, the story takes place in winter unlike Irving’s version of story. The characteristics of a winter, such as barren fields and exposed tree branches adds to the eeriness of the story visually. The dynamic between Crane and the villagers are also quite different. While Irving’s Crane is well received by a number of villagers, Burton’s Crane doesn’t seem to be too welcomed at Sleepy Hollow. Such fundamental differences in the setting of story turned a regular tale to a powerful horror story

Choi Planet fo the Apes

Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes touches upon sensitive topics such as civil rights, slavery, gender equality and primitivism, the same predicaments we have been through, or are going through even until this day. These conflicts and dualities are used in the film not only to highlight the problems that are underlying in modern day society, but also to develop characters by showing how they react when faced with obstacles imposed by such conflicts.

The female ape Ari is a perfect example of a character developed through the dualities of this movie, as she is the only one ape out of her entire tribe that truly cares about human beings. She supports civil liberties over slavery, and believes in interspecific equality rather than ape domination. The one scene that best demonstrates Ari’s qualities is the scene where she helps humans sneak pass behind the ape soldiers. Ari didn’t only believe in what is right and just, but supported her beliefs through action, showing that she’s not only just and civilized but also courageous and daring. Ari’s character is developed throughout the story, and more of her admirable qualities such as empathy and motherly strength are revealed.

Leo seems weak and helpless

Leo Davidson is another character whose qualities are exposed with the progression of the story. Starting out as a captive prisoner / slave of the apes, Leo seemed helpless and powerless. However, he does not conform to the human-ape inequality, and persistently puts on a fight against the apes, leading and empowering the primitive human beings residing on the planet, emerging as a hero amongst them. His heroic qualities are best shown when he activates CALIMA’s engine to wipe out the ape soldiers. In this scene, Leo demonstrates shrewd intelligence, fearlessness and bravery, which are traits that are developed throughout the movie. Outside this scene, he is also depicted as a character with charismatic leadership and a genuine good heart, as he saves Ari, an ape, by taking her across the river. Leo saving Ari seems like an odd move as he is in conflict with her kind, but it shows Leo’s undiscriminating righteousness and affection for weak individuals.

Choi Mars Attacks

Tim Burton humorously satirizes the government and capitalism through Mars Attacks. Jack Nicholson’s dual role as the president and Art Land creates a strong sense of irony, and allows Burton to wittily criticize the role of government and capitalism in our society.

The scene where the president dies satirizes the role of government particularly well. This scene is even more shocking and ironic yet comical as the president’s death occurred right after he gave a very emotional and motivating speech. The alien king not only cheerfully killed the president of United States, but also went a step further by erecting a flag or victory over his dead body, as if everything was a joke to him. Through this scene, Burton tried to undermine the authority and capability of a government, suggesting that we should not look up to a government to take care of us, but instead, that we should look after ourselves as a government can be useless and be of no help in many situations. Burton’s cynical view on central leadership directly contradicts the notion of a powerful government shown in the movie Independence Day. Independence Day depicts the president of United States as a brave, heroic leader figure who unrelentingly sacrifices himself for the better of humanity, creating strong respect and awe towards the government. Burton’s idea of the government is quite different, as the leaders in Mars Attacks are neither powerful nor respectable.

Besides questioning the role of a government, Burton also criticizes capitalism through the character Art Land. In Mars Attacks, Art Land is depicted as a greedy businessman who cares about absolutely nothing except money. The extent of his extreme materialism is clearly revealed in the conference scene, where he gathers other businessmen to propose his new idea of creating hotel service for aliens. While the fate of humanity and his own life is clearly at stake, Art Land is blinded by his desire to make money, and is completely oblivious to the fact that humanity is going to be destroyed any moment. Although Art Land’s extreme materialism is clearly exaggerated, this scene is a perfect criticism of American materialism and capitalism, as a lot of people are blinded to things that are truly important because of their desire for money.

Choi Ed Wood Response

Tim Burton’s film, Ed Wood is a tribute to “the worst film director in the world”, Edward D. Wood Jr. It makes the audience wonder why Tim Burton paid respect to a “bad director” despite Burton himself being one of the most successful film directors of all time. However, upon a closer look, we can totally understand why Tim Burton had such a deep connection and respect for Ed Wood as a film director, as Mr. Wood’s life was strikingly similar to that of Burton’s in many different ways.

The first element of the movie that highlights Burton’s appreciation for Ed Wood lies in Burton’s depiction of the relationship between Ed Wood and Bela Lugosi. In the film, Bela Lugosi is depicted as an old, retired morphine addict who lives in the shadow of his past glory days. However, such miserable traits of Lugosi do not affect Ed Wood’s appreciation and respect for him, as Lugosi clearly is Ed Wood’s hero. Ed Wood takes their relationship a step further by casting Lugosi in his own film, which is the ultimate homage a film director can pay to any an actor. Such experience creates a strong parallel with Tim Burton’s own life as a film director, as Tim Burton had an idol of his own, Vincent Price. Vincent price, too, was a horror actor like Bela Lugosi, and was a significant figure in Tim Burton’s heart as Lugosi was to Ed Wood, and also worked with Tim Burton for his films. These similarities could created Burton’s strong emotional relation to Ed Wood.

Secondly, Burton pays homage to Ed through depiction of Ed Wood’s struggles of working without a major studio. In early part of his career, Burton also had to constantly deal with lack of proper funding and sponsoring, the same exact problem that haunted Edward Wood throughout his career. Despite bad conditions, Edward Wood never gave up on his artistic endeavors, and scraped together whatever resource he could to perpetuate his movie production forward. I believe Ed Wood’s persistence greatly appealed to Tim Burton, and he would have greatly appreciated Wood’s unceasing attempts to achieve his goal, as such struggle is not foreign to Burton himself.

The third element of the film Ed Wood that shows Burton’s appreciation towards Edward Wood is Wood’s production crew. We can easily realize that the members of Wood’s filming crew are very odd, and are outcasts in one way or the other, including Edward Wood himself. Edward Wood is an unsuccessful film director struggling to get a job, Bela Lugosi is an old, retired and forgotten actor who wastes his life away on drugs, and all the other members of his crew have nothing better to do with their lives other than to make movie of Edward Wood. This odd assembly makes us wonder what is going on in Wood’s head, but it is Wood’s non-judgmental attitude towards outcasts that made such a bizarre assembly work. Being an outsider himself, Burton clearly would have felt a strong emotional connection between him and Wood, and anybody would be able to tell that he has a strong appreciation for Wood’s unassuming attitude towards people who are not welcomed anywhere else.

The worst director ever?

Although it is quite clear that Edward Wood isn’t the best film director in the world, his spirit and attitude towards his own art is definitely something that anyone can appreciate and admire. I believe such was the case for Tim Burton, as he would have felt a strong connection and respect towards Wood’s unpretentious and genuine attitude to his own works, hence using some of Wood’s footage in his own film.

Choi Ed Wood Response

Tim Burton’s film, Ed Wood is a tribute to “the worst film director in the world”, Edward D. Wood Jr. It makes the audience wonder why Tim Burton paid respect to a “bad director” despite Burton himself being one of the most successful film directors of all time. However, upon a closer look, we can totally understand why Tim Burton had such a deep connection and respect for Ed Wood as a film director, as Mr. Wood’s life was strikingly similar to that of Burton’s in many different ways.

The first element of the movie that highlights Burton’s appreciation for Ed Wood lies in Burton’s depiction of the relationship between Ed Wood and Bela Lugosi. In the film, Bela Lugosi is depicted as an old, retired morphine addict who lives in the shadow of his past glory days. However, such miserable traits of Lugosi do not affect Ed Wood’s appreciation and respect for him, as Lugosi clearly is Ed Wood’s hero. Ed Wood takes their relationship a step further by casting Lugosi in his own film, which is the ultimate homage a film director can pay to any an actor. Such experience creates a strong parallel with Tim Burton’s own life as a film director, as Tim Burton had an idol of his own, Vincent Price. Vincent price, too, was a horror actor like Bela Lugosi, and was a significant figure in Tim Burton’s heart as Lugosi was to Ed Wood, and also worked with Tim Burton for his films. These similarities could created Burton’s strong emotional relation to Ed Wood.

Secondly, Burton pays homage to Ed through depiction of Ed Wood’s struggles of working without a major studio. In early part of his career, Burton also had to constantly deal with lack of proper funding and sponsoring, the same exact problem that haunted Edward Wood throughout his career. Despite bad conditions, Edward Wood never gave up on his artistic endeavors, and scraped together whatever resource he could to perpetuate his movie production forward. I believe Ed Wood’s persistence greatly appealed to Tim Burton, and he would have greatly appreciated Wood’s unceasing attempts to achieve his goal, as such struggle is not foreign to Burton himself.

The third element of the film Ed Wood that shows Burton’s appreciation towards Edward Wood is Wood’s production crew. We can easily realize that the members of Wood’s filming crew are very odd, and are outcasts in one way or the other, including Edward Wood himself. Edward Wood is an unsuccessful film director struggling to get a job, Bela Lugosi is an old, retired and forgotten actor who wastes his life away on drugs, and all the other members of his crew have nothing better to do with their lives other than to make movie of Edward Wood. This odd assembly makes us wonder what is going on in Wood’s head, but it is Wood’s non-judgmental attitude towards outcasts that made such a bizarre assembly work. Being an outsider himself, Burton clearly would have felt a strong emotional connection between him and Wood, and anybody would be able to tell that he has a strong appreciation for Wood’s unassuming attitude towards people who are not welcomed anywhere else.

The worst director ever?

Although it is quite clear that Edward Wood isn’t the best film director in the world, his spirit and attitude towards his own art is definitely something that anyone can appreciate and admire. I believe such was the case for Tim Burton, as he would have felt a strong connection and respect towards Wood’s unpretentious and genuine attitude to his own works, hence using some of Wood’s footage in his own film.

Choi Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy - Anchor Baby

Anchor Baby

Anchor Baby is a story that contains several aspects of Tim Burton’s emotional isolation and loneliness. The female character of this story is an outsider in many senses. Firstly, she is physically isolated from rest of the characters of the story (the band), as she comes from the sea while the band plays ashore. She also can never really get close to the band, but instead just wanders around them. Secondly, she is not only physically but also emotionally detached from rest of the characters in the story. In the book, it clearly says “But throughout their lives they never connected. She wandered the earth alone and rejected.” Tim Burton states her emotional detachment from other characters in plain language. Her loneliness probably is a reflection of Tim Burton’s alienated and lonely childhood, as Burton has also never felt connected with his parents or the suburbia that he grew up in. The female character desperately tries to fit in and tries to find a place to belong in the little “society” in the story, but none of them worked, and at last, she chose to have a baby just to be connected to her lover, Walker. Such extremeness of her actions only enhances the idea of abandonment and desperate attempt to fit in, as they clearly shows the audience that she is willing to do anything to find a sense of belonging. However, she later realizes that she is truly abandoned when Walker literally walks away from her, and her love remains unrequited. This story is almost shockingly dark, and bends the traditional Jungian archetypes. There are no heroes, kings, devils or barbarians, but only shadows of the characters. The shadows in this story are portrayed both directly and indirectly. The female character’s loneliness and abandonment is her shadow, and the man’s irresponsible act of leaving his child and the child’s mom behind is his shadow. The baby is also representative of the shadow of both the male and female characters, as neither the mom nor the dad loves and cares for him. 

Choi Mardi Gras

The word ‘carnival’ generally carries a positive vibe, and the people of New Orleans has indeed proved to the world that Mardi Gras is an occasion of joyful celebration where everyone gets to shed their worries off and enjoy the present.

I went to the uptown parades this Mardi Gras and sure enough, I had the greatest time with my dearest friends. Having no carnival or parade experience at all, I did my best to get the most out of the first carnival of my life, screaming like a mad man in front of floats for beads. That was quite the enjoyable experience to say the least, but the happiness I felt from acquiring the beads was only skin-deep.

I think the true soul of Mardi Gras lies within the heartfelt happiness and the positive energy that everyone carries and willingly shares. Such flow of energy within the crowd enables strangers to become friends, creating the ultimate carnival experience. The affection and friendliness of New Orleans can be deeply felt from the smallest things. For example, a lady gave me beads when I didn’t get anything from one of the floats, and I jumped on to the edge of one of the float-towing trucks and sparked up a conversation with the driver, who was nothing but friendly despite my rather blatant behavior. Any city in the world can create flamboyant, eye-catching floats, but no other city can recreate the kind of honest energy that New Orleans carries.

On the other hand, we always have to keep in mind that New Orleans is a beast. It can either treat you very well, or bring you down hard and fast if you don’t look out for yourself. One night I was at a bar called One Eyes Jacks, located half a block away from Bourbon, checking some music out. At the very same time, 4 people got shot in Bourbon, which I was totally oblivious to. One other potentially dark aspect of carnival is its abundance of freedom. A lot of people that I’ve talked to over Mardi Gras shared one common feeling – that they are allowed to do whatever they want to do. Such excessive freedom can be detrimental to some people, as their moral boundaries may temporarily be blurred, making them do things they normally wouldn’t do. Although freedom can be an excellent way to enjoy carnivals, there is a need for people to constantly re-evaluate and check if they are crossing their own moral, ethical boundaries.

And Bob Dylan is right!

Overall, my first Mardi Gras experience has been a very positive one, but I’ve also realized that things can go down if you don’t have control over what you are doing. There is a fine line between having a lot of fun and having way too much fun, and unpleasant things can happen if we don’t have a good concept of where that line is. Will I join Mardi Gras again next year? Yes, most definitely. It’s so much fun!

Choi Edward Scissorhands

The world today is full of violence that comes in many different forms. People exercise violence against other people not only in real life, but also through Internet, phone and other means of telecommunication. Because modern technology made the world more connected as a whole than ever, it has become that much easier for people to abuse such connectivity and exhibit violence against others. It seems, in these modern days, that people are being violent just for the sake of being violent, without much sense of purpose or morality involved.

Tim Burton did an excellent job at criticizing such aimless, irrational violence of the contemporary world through Edward Scissorhands. Edward is abused and exposed to violence in several ways throughout the movie, being taken advantage of by people around him. Joyce used Edward’s innocence to sexually manipulate him, and Kim’s boyfriend, Jim abuses Edward’s exceptional lock picking skills to break into his own house, leaving Edward behind when the alarm went off.

Burton’s hatred for suburbia is also cleverly integrated into the movie. Although the neighborhood the story takes place in seems neat and clean on the outside, people are incapable of thinking or behaving independently, and blatantly follows what everyone else is doing, just like sheep in a herd. Such downside of suburbia is clearly portrayed in the scene where all the men goes golfing at the exact same time, with the exact same outfit and the exact same cars. The women in the town is very caught up with gossiping, with exception of the religious fanatic Esmeralda, and are easily manipulated by words of others because they don’t want to feel like they are falling behind, and they want to belong in a crowd. In other words, the residents of that neighborhood don’t like or want changes, and no one wants to be the odd one out.

Furthermore, Burton showed how contemporary technology could be abused to aid violence. Most of the women in the story are always on the phone gossiping and spreading words that might not necessarily be true, and later on the movie such misuse of telecommunication contributes to the widespread misunderstanding of Edward’s ‘misdemeanor’.

Shredding dat hair....!!

The town’s un-accepting attitude towards change and difference made Edward into a ‘monster’, and such reckless silent violence showed the audience that the only lesson that can be learnt from this contemporary violence is non-violence.

Choi Batman Returns

This guy would have been hell of a mayor

Penguin and Batman are very different characters and yet, the stories of their lives show striking resemblance with each other. Batman’s parents were shot dead by bandits right in front of his eyes when he was only a kid, and Penguin was abandoned by his own parents at birth due to the disfigurement of his hands. Bruce Wayne and Oswald Cobblepot both seek an outlet, a way to compensate themselves for the trauma they’ve experienced in their childhood, and try to achieve their goals through their alter ego, Batman and Penguin. Each of those alter ego represents the hidden, dark side of their true selves, and the times they wear their ‘masks’ are the times they struggle to find an answer to that one simple question that everyone has: “Who am I?”

While both Bruce and Oswald are on the quest for finding their true nature, the trajectory of their ‘career’ turns out to be quite different. Batman serves as the ‘dark knight’ of Gotham, fighting criminals in the dark alleys of the city, trying to prevent heinous crimes that devoured his entire life. On the other hand, Penguin tries to impose the pain he suffered onto other people by drowning all the first-born child of Gotham in the sewers. As can be seen, the conflict in Batman Returns arises from two people with different mentality dealing with similar problems. Batman tries to prevent others from suffering what he had been through, but Penguin wants people to suffer the same fate that he was forced to suffer.  The conflict between Penguin and Batman may seem like any other hero vs. villain story, but the fact that they both have similar, if not almost identical, underlying personal traumas makes their binary opposition all the more interesting.

As mentioned, Batman and Penguin carries out their introspective journey in very different ways. Batman is more focused on getting self-satisfaction through fighting crime, when Penguin constantly seeks approval from other people. For example, when Penguin sabotaged Batman, the citizens of Gotham starts turning against the caped hero. However, Batman does not actively try to redeem his public image, because he knows that his way of introspection lies within fighting crimes and preventing tragedies, and not within the love he gets from the people. On the other hand, Penguin seeks praise and approval from the public, and this becomes immediately apparent when he stages the saving of mayor’s baby to rise as Gotham’s ‘hero’. This clearly shows his desire for love and attention, especially since he was abandoned since he was a baby.

It is Batman and Penguin’s difference in personality created by similar life story that brings about the interesting conflict that occurs in the movie. If both of them were like either of them, such interesting story would not have been created.

Choi Batman Response

Tim Burton clearly integrates a number of elements of Film Noir in Batman. Batman conforms to the traditional Film Noir style in terms of mood, style, conflicted heroism, and urban modernity, but at the same time undermines the style in its use of female figure.

The mood and style of Batman is set from the very beginning of the movie, the opening credit. The lighting is rather dark and low key, which complements the dark and rich shadows that fill the screen. Such use of lighting is further exploited throughout the movie, especially in the scenes where Gotham city is shown. Gotham city is depicted as a place with generally dark and heavy atmosphere, where there is barely any natural light from the sun, and the alleys engulfed by nothing but shadow and darkness. The mood radiated by the city is very mentally distorting, and gives its audience a strong sense of claustrophobia, neatly falling into the style of Film Noir.

Gotham in itself is a crucial element of Batman that carries the spirit of film noir. It’s an exaggerated, yet a classic representation of modern day city - highly industrialized, heavily polluted, corrupted, and crime infested. While the buildings are tall, modern and somewhat magnificent, there is always a hint of darkness that haunts and lingers in every corner, every building of the city, creating a strong sense of alienation and isolation, keeping the audience mentally off-balanced. Such expressionistic portrayal of Gotham city clearly is Tim Burton’s conscious effort to allow Batman to lean into the territory of film noir.

The depiction of Bruce Wayne is another element of film noir integrated into Batman. While it is very clear that Batman stands on the good side, he can also be considered an anti-hero. He is not loved, he works in the shadows, and although he has very clear set of moral codes of his own that he follows, he yet is considered an outlaw by many. Furthermore, Bruce Wayne is very mentally unstable due to him witnessing his parents’ death as a child. On the surface, he is a perfectly normal and respectable gentleman but in the inside, he seeks an outlet for his anger and terror induced by the tragic event. Batman is the one outlet that Bruce Wayne has, and the element or noir is shown in such a conflicted personality that Bruce Wayne/ Batman carries.

Best friends forever?

One thing that doesn’t conform to the classic elements of noir is Vicky Vale. She is just a normal career woman who isn’t seductive, does not abuse the male character for wealth or power, is not dangerous, and though beautiful, not necessarily glamorous. Tim Burton undermines film noir in use of such a normal, rather insignificant female character, which is quite interesting as a lot of elements in Batman charters the territory of film noir.

Choi Beetlejuice response

Why does America refuse the idea of death? Compared to many other civilizations around the world such as China or Korea, America has a very short history. China has developed over a course of a few thousand years, whereas America was declared independent only 237 years ago. Despite being such a young nation, America has achieved a lot over a very short period of time which is nothing but remarkable. On the other hand, such rapid change and progress could have entrapped the minds of Americans in the “present”. Since everyone was busy playing their parts in helping the young country develop, there surely would have been less room for people to think about neither the past nor the future (in terms of afterlife), needless to say that they did not have the chance to acquire the laid back, somewhat optimistic approach to death that some “experienced” countries with long history have. America is a nation that did not experience too much history or change, and therefore people are afraid of changes, and love being in the present. Death, being the one greatest change in our lives, is not the kind of thing that Americans would love.

Having said that, the view on death imposed by Beetlejuice can be described as the epitome of such stable, unchanging way of life that many Americans prefer and live. Upon death, the Maitlands have a hard time comprehending what happened to them. When they realized that they are dead, their first and most natural instinct was to go back to where they were in life, not accepting the fact that they were dead. They did not want to leave their house (although they couldn’t even if they wanted to), they did not want intruders in their house, and they wanted nothing to change when everything has changed. Beetlejuice is a story built on that one great desire to seek stability in life. It could have been a story about the Maitlands going through a mystical and fantastic journey through the world of afterlife, but instead, Tim Burton chose to depict a couple seeking to retrieve their original lifestyle, although their life seemed pretty mundane and uninteresting to me.

The Maitlands

Well, I guess it doesn’t matter if afterlife is way more adventurous and interesting than life. The Maitlands just wanted their lives as they were, and change was something they didn’t want, no matter how dull and colorless their lives might be.

Choi Introduction

I am Jae Yun Choi from South Korea. I go by my last name, Choi, because non-Koreans have a hard time pronouncing my first name correctly and going by my last name just makes my life a whole lot easier. I have been living in my hometown, Seoul, until I was 6 and moved to Shanghai, China in 1999 and lived there for almost 13 years. Now I am here in Loyola New Orleans studying jazz guitar, but my love towards jazz is significantly smaller compared to my love towards blues and rock, as I have an insane obsession toward Pink Floyd and Steely Dan.

I feel very privileged to be here in birthplace of jazz because the overall music scene in Shanghai and Korea is just substandard in terms of both quality and quantity. The music scene of New Orleans simply supersedes the music scenes of China and Korea combined not only in quantity and quality, but also diversity. In the past few month of my stay in this city, I have already been to more concerts and seen more maestros of music than I have in my entire life.

I have very little interest in things other than music, but movie is not one of them. In college, my brother studied Broadcasting & Entertainment, which essentially falls into the field of filming, and his love toward films and movies aroused the same interest in me. Watching movies is one of my favorite, if not the favorite time killing activity. Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller movies are some of my favorites but I like crazy odd, mind twisting, out of the ordinary movies such as Alice in Wonderland and Corpse Bride more than anything else. To be honest those two are two of the very few Tim Burton movies I have watched, and I didn’t even enroll in this course myself but I am still looking forward to have a great time watching some Tim Burton, and to find out more about him as a movie director but also as an artist. It is always interesting getting to know a crazy figure such as himself.