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I can't *wait* to see this (taking Sam next Sunday). Well I couldn't wait 'til I saw this name mentioned Steve Buscemi. That man makes me physically ill and I can't watch anything with him in, lol.
Posted: 00:23 Jan 26 2004
Big Fish
Writer: John August (Screenplay), Daniel Wallace (Novel)
Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Cudrup
Rated: PG
Running Time: 125 mins
Trailer: Quicktime, Various Sizes
Tagline: An adventure as big as life itself.
Big Fish is a film that fans of Tim BurtonÂ’s previous outings (such as Batman, Sleepy Hollow or Ed Wood) will surely love. Anyone who doesnÂ’t like what has come beforeÂ… well, go see it anyway.
The film follows Will Bloom (Billy Cudrup) as he tries to root the fact from the fiction in the story of his DadÂ’s (Albert Finney) life. WillÂ’s dad, Edward, has a habit of telling stories. In fact, heÂ’s built up an entire mythology around himself and he marvels everyone with it. Everyone except Will, who wants to know the reality behind his FatherÂ’s fiction.
IÂ’ve not read the novel so I canÂ’t comment on itÂ’s style, but the film is totally infused with Tim BurtonÂ’s style. From the moment the film starts to the moment it ends, you know that it is a Tim Burton film. From trees silhouetted against the dusk to a big, melancholy fish, itÂ’s definitely Burton all the way. And it is fantastic. No, itÂ’s not fantastic. ItÂ’s fantastical. Burton, as he does in many of his films, crafts a magical kingdom where reality merges with fiction. And yet, the real world is painfully real. This difference between the imagined and the reality helps Burton create a fine sense of emotion that had most of the cinema blubbering at more than one point.
In ways, Big Fish can be compared to Lost in Translation. It has had criticism levelled at it, with critics saying that it is a bunch of nice sequences cobbled together with no real story holding it together and no message. But, much like the critics of Lost in Translation (and I bet a lot of them are one and the same), they are missing the point.
As I see it, the point Big Fish is making is that itÂ’s not always about the story. ItÂ’s saying that the story doesnÂ’t matter as long as the journey is interesting and that where you are at the end of the journey is meaningful. To me, that is the crux of it.
Filling out BurtonÂ’s finely crafted world is, Albert Finney, who is excellent as an old Edward Bloom and Ewan McGregor playing the young Edward Bloom. At various points in the film, both of them narrate stories. And their talent is clear when they do it. A good story isnÂ’t a good story if itÂ’s not narrated properly, and they both do a fine job. Their acting generally is right on.
The rest of the cast is a very eccentric collection of actors and actresses. Of note are Helena Bonham Carter, Danny DeVito and Steve Buscemi. They all fit very well into their roles, rounding out a great cast.
Visually, the film isÂ… I think the best word to describe it is vivid. Everything on the screen jumps out at you and makes you look at it. At no point in this film did I look away from the screen. It grabs your attention and doesnÂ’t let you look away, just like a great film should.
So, is this film worth your time and money? Damn straight it is. Everyone should see this film.
(Edited by Maffrew 26/01/2004 00:22)
Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Cudrup
Rated: PG
Running Time: 125 mins
Trailer: Quicktime, Various Sizes
Tagline: An adventure as big as life itself.
Big Fish is a film that fans of Tim BurtonÂ’s previous outings (such as Batman, Sleepy Hollow or Ed Wood) will surely love. Anyone who doesnÂ’t like what has come beforeÂ… well, go see it anyway.
The film follows Will Bloom (Billy Cudrup) as he tries to root the fact from the fiction in the story of his DadÂ’s (Albert Finney) life. WillÂ’s dad, Edward, has a habit of telling stories. In fact, heÂ’s built up an entire mythology around himself and he marvels everyone with it. Everyone except Will, who wants to know the reality behind his FatherÂ’s fiction.
IÂ’ve not read the novel so I canÂ’t comment on itÂ’s style, but the film is totally infused with Tim BurtonÂ’s style. From the moment the film starts to the moment it ends, you know that it is a Tim Burton film. From trees silhouetted against the dusk to a big, melancholy fish, itÂ’s definitely Burton all the way. And it is fantastic. No, itÂ’s not fantastic. ItÂ’s fantastical. Burton, as he does in many of his films, crafts a magical kingdom where reality merges with fiction. And yet, the real world is painfully real. This difference between the imagined and the reality helps Burton create a fine sense of emotion that had most of the cinema blubbering at more than one point.
In ways, Big Fish can be compared to Lost in Translation. It has had criticism levelled at it, with critics saying that it is a bunch of nice sequences cobbled together with no real story holding it together and no message. But, much like the critics of Lost in Translation (and I bet a lot of them are one and the same), they are missing the point.
As I see it, the point Big Fish is making is that itÂ’s not always about the story. ItÂ’s saying that the story doesnÂ’t matter as long as the journey is interesting and that where you are at the end of the journey is meaningful. To me, that is the crux of it.
Filling out BurtonÂ’s finely crafted world is, Albert Finney, who is excellent as an old Edward Bloom and Ewan McGregor playing the young Edward Bloom. At various points in the film, both of them narrate stories. And their talent is clear when they do it. A good story isnÂ’t a good story if itÂ’s not narrated properly, and they both do a fine job. Their acting generally is right on.
The rest of the cast is a very eccentric collection of actors and actresses. Of note are Helena Bonham Carter, Danny DeVito and Steve Buscemi. They all fit very well into their roles, rounding out a great cast.
Visually, the film isÂ… I think the best word to describe it is vivid. Everything on the screen jumps out at you and makes you look at it. At no point in this film did I look away from the screen. It grabs your attention and doesnÂ’t let you look away, just like a great film should.
So, is this film worth your time and money? Damn straight it is. Everyone should see this film.
(Edited by Maffrew 26/01/2004 00:22)
3 Replies and 3866 Views in Total.
Posted: 00:23 Jan 26 2004
This film is great. i saw it last night with Maff and i loved every minute of it. i didn't think it was odd or wierd at all, but then again i'm a bit odd so it probably made sense as i'm on the same level of wierdness as it 
I highly recommend it to everyone, but if you're anything like me, take tissues
Just as a side note, when we went last night, there were no adverts or trailers or random turn off your phone adverts, just straight into the film (this has never happened to me before, not even in previews) so it was pretty cool. only thing was though people were coming in 15 mins into the film thinking they'd miss the trailers, but they missed the film. haha
I highly recommend it to everyone, but if you're anything like me, take tissues
Just as a side note, when we went last night, there were no adverts or trailers or random turn off your phone adverts, just straight into the film (this has never happened to me before, not even in previews) so it was pretty cool. only thing was though people were coming in 15 mins into the film thinking they'd miss the trailers, but they missed the film. haha
Posted: 10:57 Jan 26 2004 
Y'know, I really wanted to like this film, being a fan of Burtons work, but about halfway through the film I found I couldn't wait for it to end.
I found Ewan McGregor to be grossly miscast (He was supposed to be playing an 18year old!! in parts), but I've found that I do have a problem with Scottish actors in film, so that might just be me.
I also found it hard to 'gel' the two different storylines together, which to me was the whole point of the film. The whole thing felt like watching two seperate films, one of which was more like a daytime soap opera (I really didn't like the guy playing the son. Who cares if he doesn't feel like he knows his dad. Why am I watching this guy whine about his feeling.)
I guess i'd like to have seen more developement on what caused their lack of relationship. If Albert Finneys character was my dad, then i'm sure i'd have had a lot of fun growing up. Maybe I just missed the point.
Nevertheless, quite a few people in the (not very busy) cinema were in floods of tears, so it's obviously a very emotionally powerful film, and I guess if what happened at the end of the film happened to me, then i'd probably be a wee bit emotional too, seeing it through different eyes.
So, I dunno, maybe I had an off day and this is a good film, but i'm afraid I can't recommend it.
I found Ewan McGregor to be grossly miscast (He was supposed to be playing an 18year old!! in parts), but I've found that I do have a problem with Scottish actors in film, so that might just be me.
I also found it hard to 'gel' the two different storylines together, which to me was the whole point of the film. The whole thing felt like watching two seperate films, one of which was more like a daytime soap opera (I really didn't like the guy playing the son. Who cares if he doesn't feel like he knows his dad. Why am I watching this guy whine about his feeling.)
I guess i'd like to have seen more developement on what caused their lack of relationship. If Albert Finneys character was my dad, then i'm sure i'd have had a lot of fun growing up. Maybe I just missed the point.
Nevertheless, quite a few people in the (not very busy) cinema were in floods of tears, so it's obviously a very emotionally powerful film, and I guess if what happened at the end of the film happened to me, then i'd probably be a wee bit emotional too, seeing it through different eyes.
So, I dunno, maybe I had an off day and this is a good film, but i'm afraid I can't recommend it.
Posted: 15:30 Jan 28 2004