Happy Birthday to Tim Burton, who turns 58 today.
I figured it was time to do a full updated list of My Top Ten Movies Directed By Tim Burton. So, The Nightmare Before Christmas unfortunately doesn’t count since Burton didn’t direct it (it would easily be in the Top Five). I also liked his Vincent & Frankenweenie short films but will only list full-length movies. And, wow – the only Burton movie I’ve reviewed is Big Eyes (which doesn’t make it into my top ten). Well, here’s my top ten! And, yes – I’ve seen his movies from recent years as well & they sadly come nowhere near these…
10. Mars Attacks!
9. Batman Returns
8. Corpse Bride
7. Big Fish
6. Beetlejuice
5. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street
4. Batman
3. Ed Wood
2. Pee-wee’s Big Adventure
1. Edward Scissorhands
And here’s the Ice Dance scene from Edward Scissorhands. This is one of my all-time favorite movie scenes and Danny Elfman’s beautiful music in this clip still gives me chills every time I watch it. I watch this clip every once in a while for a pick-me-up (along with the final scenes from Cinema Paradiso & City Lights). Gorgeous. Perfection. This is the type of scene that made me fall in love with movies. 🙂
Great list – I don’t know that I could change any of it. And I agree about the ice dance scene…perfect!
Thanks! Yep – the Ice Dance is perfection. Love that scene so much. Glad to hear from another fan of it. : )
That’s a great list. Ed Wood is my choice. Has Winona Ryder ever done a better film than Edward Scissorhands? Loved those first 2 Batmans too.
Thanks, Alex! Ed Wood is great. Hmm.. I think Edward Scissorhands & Heathers may be tied for her two best films. : )
I really liked Dark Shadows and Sleepy Hollow – they would have been on my list. Not sure if I would have included Batman as I find I just can’t stand to watch them anymore. Can’t wait to see Miss Peregrine.
I’ve not seen Dark Shadows & didn’t love Sleepy Hollow but it’s been many years since I’ve seen it. Yeah, I should’ve mentioned Miss Peregrine. I’m looking forward to that as, while reading the book way before they decided to make it into a film, I said to the hubby “Tim Burton should make a movie of this”. Perfect choice! Can’t wait to see it. : )
Really can’t argue with #1 – a fantastic movie. Watch it every year at Christmas. Always melts my heart. I would have included Sleepy Hollow in my list. It’s underrated. And Like The Telltale Mind, there’s something about Batman that doesn’t work for me like it use to. Batman Returns is much better and would have ranked it higher. But hey…this is your list 🙂
Thanks! I adore Edward Scissorhands. : ) I didn’t like Sleepy Hollow at the time but haven’t seen it since that first time years ago. I haven’t watched Batman in years and, hell, not sure I even watched Batman Returns all the way through (but stuck it on my list anyway). ; ) I think it’s all nostalgia for me with Batman – I was a teen when that came out & loved Nicholson in it. It was my first exposure to Batman in any way. I’m sure it hasn’t aged that well but I’ll always have affection for it. : )
Ed Wood would be my number 1 and Beetlejuice number two. They are my favourites by far.
They’re great! Beetlejuice has grown on me over the years – I didn’t instantly love that one. Btw – I read my first Terry Pratchett book recently (The Color Of Magic) so finally get your name… ; )
Haha cool..
All delightful movies though in my list I would replace Batman with Sleepy Hollow.
Lol. Maybe I should re-watch Sleepy Hollow. People keep mentioning that one. ; ) I didn’t like it at the time (think I liked the Disney short too much!) but I barely even remember it now…
Love the Disney animated one. I think Burton’s was different enough to not compete with the original in my mind.
Nice choices, still never seen your 1 and 2 and my list is very different to yours for sure.
Thanks! Lol! Well…. Hmm. I’d most definitely recommend the top two! Obviously. ; )
The top four are perfect. I haven’t seen the others
Thanks! Wow – it’s actually surprising that you haven’t seen some of those! I would think you’d like most of them. Check out Big Fish. : )
Great list! Beetlejuice would definitely make my top 5.
Thanks! Beetlejuice is a classic & has grown on me over the years. I just didn’t love it instantly like I did with things like Edward Scissorhands. : )
Great list. I love Tim Burton. I put Batman Returns above the first Batman on my list. I didn’t like Jack Nicholson’s Joker or Prince’s soundtrack. I absolutely loved both Danny DeVito and Michele Pfeiffer’s Penguin and Catwoman. Love that movie. One of my favorite superhero movies. But number one on my list of Tim Burton movies will always be Pee Wee’s Big Adventure (Name Dropping Celebrity Story Alert). I saw Pee Wee’s Big Adventure for the first time with Andy Warhol. The last time I ever saw him in fact. Andy liked to roll with a posse. So there was a massive group. And make no mistake, I do not know Andy Warhol nor have I ever talked to Andy Warhol. He said three words to me one time and I nearly swallowed my fucking tongue. But that’s not the story. The story is Pee Wee’s Big Adventure is one of the funniest movies of all-time. I was literally falling out of my chair in the theater. I was on the carpet laughing so hard. Everybody was… except for Andy. Andy Warhol never laughed once. Not even a chuckle. It was disturbing. The other thing was, you know how in a darkened theater the movie screen is the brightest thing in the room. It wasn’t. Andy Warhol glows in the dark and he was brighter than the screen. Sorry if I already told you this story. I repeat myself sometimes. I also don’t know why I keep putting these celebrity encounters in your comments. They’re not good enough stories for anything else and I thought you might get a kick out of them.
Thanks! I should really watch Batman Returns again. Or, like, all the way through as I’m not sure I ever finished it. ; ) I just love Jack Nicholson & totally bought into him & the whole Batman thing with the first movie. I was a teen & that was my first real exposure to Batman in any way. Holy fuck, though – you saw Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure with Andy Warhol?!? Seriously? That’s the most bizarre story yet. Not sure you can top that one! (Can you???) ; ) Agree that the movie is hilarious. It’s totally underrated. Or is it? I have no idea – a lot of people do seem to like it. Except glowing Andy Warhol, apparently. ; ) And these stories are totally awesome. You should write a book! : )
Jack Nicholson was doing more of the Joker from the TV show than from the comics. I’m a bit of a Joker snob. And I think. At least what I thought back then was that Andy had bet one of his inner circle that he could watch the movie without laughing. Or that’s how I rationalized it at the time. Because it was upsetting. One because he glowed. Or reflected the light from the screen brighter than the source. And two because he was stone-faced while the entire theater was dying laughing. I try to write all the time but when I write autobiographical stuff it just depresses me.
I don’t trust anyone who doesn’t at least crack a smile while watching Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. I’m not a laugh out loud person but I’m sure I was at least smiling through that one! : )
Scissorhands is (and probably always will be) the archetypal Tim Burton movie, I think. I didn’t really like Beetlejuice, but it’s a long time since I watched it so probably ought to give it another go. And I’m another one who’d rank Batman Returns above Batman. I know some people think the sequel is too Burton-y, but that’s why I love it.
Yep – Scissorhands will always be the first I think of when I hear Burton’s name. : ) I didn’t instantly love Beetlejuice but it’s grown on me. I barely remember Batman Returns and must admit I don’t think I actually finished it. ; ) The first one just means more to me because of the age I was when it came out. I totally bought into Nicholson as the Joker but am sure the movie hasn’t aged well (I’ve not seen it in years).
I last watched Burton’s Batmans a couple of years ago, but even then thought the first one had aged pretty badly at this point, whereas Returns still looked fairly fresh.
Ahh – that’s why I rarely re-watch older films. That way they stay good in my mind! ; )
Excellent list! I think Beetlejuice is probably my favourite. Pity his recent filmstrip have been such a flop!
Thanks! : ) I know – I want the old Tim Burton back : (
Love old school Burton, before it all went to shit. Before that? HUGE fan. Great list 🙂
Thanks, Zoë! : ) I’m such a huge old school Burton fan as well. Am hoping Miss Peregrine will be a return to the Burton we used to know & love. We’ll see!
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I’m another one of the Sleepy Hollow fans. I am also a ‘Sweeney Todd’ fan. I was excited to hear Burton was doing it and I think that he did a good job with it. My only complaint is Johnny Depp’s singing. He shouldn’t be allowed to sing. He was the weak link in a musical.
What do you think of Mars Attacks?