|
Preview by: Jack Foley
TIM Burton fans will, no doubt, be eagerly anticipating the release,
next year, of his first film since the disappointing Planet
of the Apes remake, Big Fish.
The film tells the story of Edward Bloom (Albert Finney), a braggart,
who has always exaggerated his exploits and experiences as a young
man (Ewan McGregor), when he left his small town, in Alabama,
for adventures near and far.
Nearly everyone Bloom comes into contact with has been spellbound
by his terrifically tall tales over the years - except for his
estranged son (Billy Crudup), who has come home to take care of
his dying dad and separate fact from fiction.
The movie, which is based upon Daniel Wallace’s much-loved,
but hugely surreal novel, is said to mark a return to the director’s
‘whimsical and quirky roots’, during which he won acclaim
for movies such as Edward Scissorhands and Beetlejuice, and, of
course, the opening two Batman movies.
And it is opening at selected cinemas in America (in LA, New
York and Toronto) on December 10, in the middle of the Oscar season,
before expanding to select cities on December 19 and going nationwide
on January 16.
|
 |
Needless to say, advance word on the project, being a Burton
film, is red-hot, while the glorious trailer, which delivers a
stunning visual feast, looks breathtakingly good.
The support cast includes Jessica Lange, Danny DeVito, Helena
Bonham Carter, Steve Buscemi, and Matchstick Men’s Alison
Lohman.
The vibe surrounding Big Fish has been further boosted by Oscar-winning
producer, Richard D. Zanuck (Driving Miss Daisy), who claims it
is the best movie he's been associated with - which includes such
classics as The Sting, M.A.S.H., The French Connection, and The
Sound of Music.
"This is at the top of the list," he announced, in
an interview with USA Today. "Certainly, not since Driving
Miss Daisy have I ever had such a good, positive feeling. …
I feel in my heart that this is a marvellous film."
Ironically, the film started out as a venture for another of
those family-friendly directors - albeit a much less quirky one.
Steven Spielberg had been attached to the project initially,
but was too busy with Minority
Report at the time it was available, so Burton stepped in.
But then one visual stylist’s loss, is another’s gain
and the trailer alone suggests that we could be in for something
marvellous to bring in the New Year.
The movie opens in the UK on January 23, but needless to say,
we shall be keeping an eye on its US exploits.
|
