Frankenweenie - Review

In Tim Burton's 2012 adaptation of Mary Shelley's classic novel, Frankenstein, Frankenweenie tells of a young boy, Victor, who, after his dog dies, finds a way to bring him back to life, when his classmates find out of his endeavours, they plan to discover how he did it, steal his idea and win the science fair. All does not go to plan and chaos is let loose on the town of New Holland, it's up to Victor and his dog, Sparky, to save the day.

German expressionism is a clear influence for a lot of the scenes in this film, being highly stylised and released in black and white, the film incorporates features of the 1920s movement so effortlessly giving it a dated feel although it is 3D stop motion animation which uses highly advanced technology. The constant use of shadows for dramatic effect and characters looking extremely pale with dark eyes portrays beautifully the gothic roots of the story, with Shelley being one of the most prominent authors of gothic literature, and also cements it stylistically as a 'Tim Burton film', with dark visuals and peculiar creatures becoming common features of the auteur's work.

The characters of this animated feature are brought to life with as much realism as any non-animated feature achieves, the movement of the animals in particular is something which struck me as masterfully done. The characterisation is brilliant meaning that the ending is emotionally engaging, for a moment we forget we are watching a digitally created image and connect with the story and characters of this fictional town, even when we are looking at stitched up dogs, cats combined with bats and giant sea monkeys, the film never strikes you as something false, instead it instantly makes use of the your imagination, suspending your disbelief almost without you realising it. The visuals and narrative combined make for a whimsical nightmare that you don't want to wake up from.

Tim Burton's extensive knowledge on film is shown in many subtle references throughout Frankenweenie, be it the creation of a giant lizard destroying the town reminding us of Godzilla, Sparky's love interest poodle donning the hairstyle of Valerie Hobson in The Bride of Frankenstein or even a direct reconstruction of Nosferatu's shadow climbing up the stairs. The references add an element of fun to a crazy plot, allowing audience members a moment to appreciate the influences that these iconic films have on modern cinema.
Frankenweenie is dark, dangerous and decadent, Tim Burton shows his experience in the animation field and lets his competition know he isn't about to step down any time soon. Frankenweenie contains everything you could want in an animated film, the excitement never stops. With quirky characters and an idea that only Tim Burton could write, this Oscar nominated feature is truly wonderful.

Nosferatu Review

Nosferatu is a must watch for fans of horror and/or vampires. Released in 1922, we see Count Orlok showing his interest in purchasing a residence in the city of Wisborg, and Thomas Hutter, and estate agent, having to leave his wife to go and confirm Orlok's request. Orlok, who is soon found out by Hutter to be a Nosferatu (a vampire), sets his sights on Hutter's wife, who is having nightmares and fever-ish conditions caused by Orlok. When Orlok disappears from his home in the 'Land of the Phantoms', Hutter realises that his hometown may be at risk, and what follows is the journey of both men back to Wisborg.

Modern Horror films have shown us that fear can be created through violent murder scenes and that gore is essential in any attack, Nosferatu, an example of a classic horror film, uses nothing of the kind. The horror element of the film comes from what we don't see. When there has been an attack, we are only given a glimpse into the aftermath of the event, seeing the bite marks on the neck of the victim and using our imagination to figure out the ways in which Orlok would have attacked these innocent people, which can be much more gore-filled than any of the modern horror films in theatres today. The appearance and characteristics of Count Orlok, his dark eyes and the fact he is constantly emerging from the darkness, also add to the fear element of the film. The extended shadows of Orlok's eyes combined with his gaunt face add an undead-like appearance to the character, his long, thin body seems almost inhumanely giant when next to the average sized Hutter, and the power in which he holds is evident even when the focus is not on him.

Cross cutting is effectively used in this film to create tension in the audience, we will be set up with a scenario that is going to be horrifying and then the film will cut away to something less dramatic, but with the dramatic scene still lodged in the forefront of our mind, it is as if we had never cut away. A factor that I have always enjoyed and felt added to my fear of Orlok, and one that may not be intentional by director FW Murnau, is the lack of clarity of shots. As the film form had only been around for just over 25 years at the time this film was released, the camera for motion picture was obviously not highly developed, leading to some of the shots being too dark to make out much else than one or two things, this lack of knowing the location being shown puts the audience in an alien environment and therefore an uncomfortable situation, mirroring the trapped position of those being targeted by Orlock.

As the film fits in to the German Expressionist movement, the use of lighting and shadows is key in the film. Elongated shadows of Orlok, with his claw-like hands and his long nose, are key shots in which viewers remember and associate with the film. The moment where Orlok is ascending the stairs in order to reach Hutter's wife, where we only see him by his shadow, is an iconic moment not only in the German Expressionist movement, but in film history as a whole. The constant playful techniques that directors of this movement used make the films so much more fun to watch than modern ones focusing on jump scares and CGI gore.
The film is a delight to watch and comparing Nosferatu to horror films from the past few years such as the remake of Evil Dead and the likes of Saw shows just how much change and development has happened in both audience expectations of horror films and also in the way they are produced. The film is a well-rounded, tense horror film, with a few problems regarding pacing along the way, however the interesting style makes up for what it lacks in the weaker parts of the script and the overall outcome of the film is one that is most definitely a classic in every sense of the word.