Tim Burton is an absolute genius (and
it should be noted that he was nominated for Best Director of All Time in
the one year that the Cosmos featured a Lifetime Achievement category for
that honor). In a career of mostly eccentric, mostly insightful, quirky
pieces of art, "Big Fish" stands out as a highlight as one of the most
innovative and powerful films of his career.
It's so hard to describe the film.
It is, in part, a "father and son" story about two men trying to learn how to
understand one another. It's a story about stories -- the tall tales we tell
at times, and how we use them to create our own realities.
Ultimately, this film moved me so much because it is so similar to my own
experiences in my own family. (And anything more would be a bit too
revealing for the Web.)
I'm
considering this film for quite a lot of Cosmo categories, including Best
Film, Best Actor (Ewan McGregor), Best Supporting Actor (Albert Finney,
Billy Crudup), Best Supporting Actress (Jessica Lange, Helena Bonham
Carter), Best Script, Best Comedy, and maybe even Best Drama. I hope it does
well enough to earn Tim Burton a Best Director nomination. Although this
year my heart belongs to Peter Jackson, Tim absolutely deserves his dues for
this film. I predict that if enough Cosmo voters get a chance to see it, it
will be one of the top three most-nominated films this season (along with
"Return of the King" and "Lost in Translation").My grade: A
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