Tim Burton recently stopped by JM Video Club (via Konbini) and, for 30 minutes, went on an unapologetically nerdy, wildly entertaining deep dive into the movies that shaped him.
For those unfamiliar, the concept of the series is simple: filmmakers and actors are invited into a retro-style video rental store, one of only two left in Paris, and asked to talk about the films they love. Burton, being Burton, took the assignment and ran with it—name-dropping Japanese horror classics, and personal favorites at a dizzying pace.
It should be noted that the only modern film Burton name-checks is Robert Eggers’ “The Lighthouse,” which, come to think of it, shouldn’t surprise us much — it has that gothic black-and-white allure Burton cherishes.
I loved its dreamlike quality. I loved the performances. I loved the vibe. Again, I hadn’t seen a movie in a while that I kept thinking about, but that movie resonates. It stayed with me for a long time. It’s rare for me and it’s nice when it happens. You know that it’s touched something inside.
In fact, most of Burton’s picks here are black-and-white films; and he did shoot his best film, “Ed Wood,” in black and white, with stunning photography courtesy of Stefan Czapsky.
When asked if he watches modern-day superhero movies, the director of two ‘Batman’ movies, released way before the MCU/DCU craze, bluntly acknowledges that he’s no fan of the genre.
Not really into them. I lost interest after “Batman Returns.”
Some of the other topics discussed include monster movies, his painful tenure at Disney, and rebooting classics — which included “Dumbo.” Burton acknowledges that by the end of the decade he was burnt out by the Mouse House, comparing his plight to that of the elephant, a “creature stuck at Disney.”
It’s wonderful to watch Burton geek out over movies, and these Konbini videos, which come out monthly, are fantastic. Think of them as the French version of the Criterion Closet — only better.