Tim Burton
Interpreted from the widely popular young adult fantasy novel by Ransom Riggs, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is home to the latest magical world from the mind of Tim Burton. Alas, there is no appearance from Johnny Depp or Helena Boham Carter, yet there is no doubt that the somewhat creepy, dire visuals on-screen belong to a Tim Burton film. Aside from the visuals and construction of characters, though, there isn’t much more to this book adaptation.
I’ve only vaguely heard of the book on which Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is based (same name), but this excellent trailer hooked me within thirty seconds. That odd imagery and lilting song drew me right in, efficiently setting the mood and freeing the rest of the trailer to tease character and plot. Granted, it focuses mostly on the characters, but when a trailer presents such a lovely group, it’s hard not to look forward to meeting everyone.
There are a number of directors that have distinguished their own unique imagination into Hollywood and reflected it on the big screen. Directors who are considered ‘auteurs’ have the creative ability to make feature films that are based on their own imagination, are part of their personalities, or which they find as a genuine interest. One such example is Tim Burton, the eccentric filmmaker who broke through as an animator and storyboard artist in the 1970s to progressively becoming one of cinema’s most recognised directors.
They were at the top of their game. They had it all: the fame, the positive critics, a status amongst the greatest filmmakers of all time, and the power to make any film they wished.
In the fast-paced world of show business, projects are announced before swiftly being cancelled every day. Yet there are some film projects that obsess their creators for years, always on the verge of getting made, before the cinematic powers that be decide otherwise. This article is a celebration of the best movies never made – films that would have been surefire masterpieces, that generations of film fans have had to resort to merely imagining existing.