does anyone want to chat about Big Fish?

[Ghostboy]

It actually opens pretty wide here in Dallas on the 25th...in seven or eight theaters or so (one art house and a few chain theaters in the wealthy part of town)...and then goes full blown on the 9th. And I've seen a few TV ads that are dripping with prestige. I'm guessing it will end up doing pretty well.

[modage]

oops moviefone updated the site later today and big fish is opening here on christmas! oops, previous post retracted.  hope it sweeps the oscars and beats titanic's grosses!

[russiasusha]

I saw this yesterday and it was awsome.    My only problem with this movie is the transition from young to old Ed Bloom.  Old bloom was played extra cranky in my opinion.  All and all it was definitly one of the year's best.  Danny Devito hasn't been this good for a while and it was good to see Steve Bushemi, he's been missing from movies of late.

[modage]

saw this yesterday and unfortunately it was another disapointment for 2003: the YEAR OF THE DISAPPOINTMENT.  this was a good film, but it wasnt a great one like i thought it might be.  my biggest problem with it is that in all of the stories there was no emotion of any kind.  although the tales were fantastic, (which is fine, and great) there was never any sense of peril, or lovelorn, or sadness or anything.  they all seemed to be too glossed over with vagueness.  none of the tales took long enough for me to become emotionally involved either with them or feel a connection to any of the characters as real people.  i read comparisions to forrest gump, which is also fantastic stories, but there are real emotions going on.  also have to agree with ghostboy, lose the DP.  the shots in the present were boring and the ones from the past were all bleached out.  as much as i like ewan macgregor, i think he was miscast in the role.  nothing in the film gave me the emotional satisfaction that i got from watching the trailer with the edward scissorhands music.  see this if you love Tim Burton, (as i do), but LOWER YOUR EXPECTATIONS, QUICK.  thisll probably sneak into my top 10 but thats only cause this year blew...HARD.

[Pozer]

man, and this was the one I was REALLY looking forward to

[Ghostboy]

What did you think about the end, themodernage? I felt the same way as you did about the movie, overall...on a scale of one to four, I would have given it two and a half, until that ending. It just effected me so deeply that the whole movie ended up being better just by association.

[modage]

i was affected by the ending, (although like i said that was diluted by the prior lack of emotional involvement) but it did make me a little teary.  had i known the characters better through the flashbacks, i would've been even sadder at the ending.  i also agree though, the ending seemed very Fellini-esque.  i love tim burton, so i'm not trying to trash the film.  but i just think it missed the mark.  i'm hoping it'll get better with repeat viewings (as i have about all his movies, ill surely be getting this one), maybe when you've seen the movie a few times it'll seem like you know the characters more. i dunno, maybe i'm just trying too hard to like it more than i do.  i'd say 2 1/2 also: better than most of the crap out there, but not as good as it could've been.

[bonanzataz]

you guys are crazy. this movie was great through and through. i saw it last night to a sold out theater (i had to buy tickets to lord of the rings and sneak in), sat front row with my neck craned up the whole damn time, and it was still a great movie. i'm going to see it again i liked it so much.


they even used my FAVORITE buddy holly song!

[Pubrick]

saw this yesterday and unfortunately it was another disapointment for 2003: the YEAR OF THE DISAPPOINTMENT.

u mean the year when everyone bought into everything trailers said and therefore based their expectations purely on what some fucked up marketing executive thought would get ppl to buy tickets. that's what year this was. more than ever ppl are seriously being led astray by trailers.

the following rant is directed to anyone who likes trailers..

the number of times i've read "man this wasn't anything like the trailer", or "the movie wasn't as good as the trailer".. it makes me think, WISH it was an american thing. cos like i've said ur all unreasonably in love with commercials. this is the first year i've really felt the influence over here and in just about every review posted in this site. whether u realise it or not, when u lick the balls of the devil by eating/memorising a trailer, u are making up ur own irrelevant movie in ur head and anticipating it. that's the function of a trailer, and u might need that lying piece of shit to get excited like an old man needs viagra, but that's not the function of the film itself. it's just not natural. so it really is no surprise that nothing lives up to anyone's expectations anymore.

i wanted to bring this up (for the millionth, hopefully final, time) in about 10 other threads and i chose this one arbitrarily. nothing personal. i've just had it with expectations and where they originate.

[bonanzataz]

i never saw any advertising for this movie. maybe that's why i liked it so much.

[anakin_e]

Just got back from the film, LOVED IT, perhaps my favourite Tim Burton film, certainly one of my favourites of the year, McGregor is excellent, the imagery's fantastic, i thought it was very cool.

[modage]

saw this yesterday and unfortunately it was another disapointment for 2003: the YEAR OF THE DISAPPOINTMENT.

u mean the year when everyone bought into everything trailers said and therefore based their expectations purely on what some fucked up marketing executive thought would get ppl to buy tickets. that's what year this was.

no, how about the year where all the movies blew, but a few?  the year where directors i admire for usually putting out good movies decided to go on holiday.

[Gamblour.]

The only movies I've said I liked the trailers more than the films were Last Samurai and Master and Commander. This doesn't make me some kind of commercial whore. Last Samurai sucked, and Master and Commander's trailer was superior to the movie. Sorry P, we Americans aren't as shallow suckers as you think  :P  (or at least I don't think I am, the commercials don't leave me to believe so hehe).

Anyway, Big Fish rocks. I cried like a fucking baby at the end, maybe it was because I had to pee really bad, but it really got to me. At first, I thought the structure was flawed and the tone was a little off (like I wasn't feeling what I thought I should), but it got better once they introduced more Will Bloom and his need to reconcile the fact and fiction. They spent a little too much time going to Spectre, after that, especially with Buscemi in the bank, it was really great. I think this one of my favorite Burton films, though I've yet to see Ed Wood.

[Jeremy Blackman]

I was a little disappointed (and without seeing trailers), but I'm convinced it's because I saw 21 Grams the day before.

So many classic ideas and images. I just wish it's parodic spirit had been taken farther.

And... Ewan McGreggor made this movie. Basically everything that he wasn't in bored me, except for the final scene SPOILER (although the fish transformation was too drawn-out).

[j_scott_stroup04]

I'm just hoping this film's overall impact may allow Burton a place on the XIXAX.com list of message boards.  If ya fell the need, I would rather you have Burton in here instead of Crowe (I like, but he only has five films), Fincher (enjoy him, too, but idk...), or Spielberg (many people seem to dislike him).  I hate to say it, but Wes Anderson hasn't proven his spot on here yet, even though I LOVE him, he only has three films.  But, whatever floats the editors boats, I guess.