.::GIUGNO 2010::.

Pause. Take a moment to create a mental list of all the Tim Burton movies that you can think of. How many can you come up with? Two, three,...four? Amazingly, Tim Burton has written and directed many movies that we do not naturally associate him with, such as The Fox and the Hound, Batman, Mars Attacks!, Planet of the Apes, Big Fish, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I, myself, have watched almost every single one of his films, and have enjoyed each and every one of them. I will always remember the first time that I saw Edward Scissorhands; as I watched the plot unfold, courtesy of Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder, I sat there in a sort of trance. The cinematography, combined with the music composed by Danny Elfman, captivated and mesmerized me the whole time through. The concept behind Edward Scissorhands is an odd one for sure, and can almost border on comical, in that the whole storyline is based on a man that has scissors instead of fingers. Burton, however, takes this storyline and creates a poignant film about what it is like to be misunderstood by people, including those that you love. It is the multidimensional nature and unique style seen in this film, and throughout the rest of Tim Burton's works, that lends me to believe that Tim Burton is a creative genius. I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to the Tim Burton exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. The entrance to the exhibit was a doorway design based on an untitled drawing by Tim Burton. This design is an open-mouthed monster with black and white embellishments. Walking into the exhibit forces you to pass underneath this monster's line of jagged white teeth, which border the top edge of the doorway, reaching down towards all those who enter. This is a spooky entrance, yet there is something redeemably lovable about it; maybe it is the zany tuffs of hair, or perhaps it is the fact that the monster's upper lip curls up, making it look like it is smiling. After entering the monster's mouth, there is a hallway that is painted in large strips of black and white, which are highlighted by several flat-screen television screens on the wall. Each screen is playing a different video clip created by Tim Burton early in his career; their placement in this hallway allows you to glimpse some of Burton's less-known works on your path to the next room. Before entering the main exhibit area, you end up in a small, dark room that is illuminated only by a “black light.” There is a large structure on display and it is justifiably called the Carousel. The combination between the different portions of the Carousel rotating and its neon colors make it hypnotizing to watch. The neon colors suit this room, because the presence of the “black light” makes these colors “glow in the dark.” There are also small, untitled sketches hanging on the wall, all of which are glowing in the dark due to their bright pastel colors. The creation of a “black light” room allowed for these pieces to be viewed in a manner that lets the eye focus on the nuances of the contours found in each piece. Once in the main exhibit area, you can see crowds of people trying to make their way around the different displays. Some of Burton's recent work caught my eye, especially the Gentle Giant collection. This collection is made up of two-part resin statues that are extremely graphic in nature. The “Boy with Nails in Eyes” is part of this collection, and features a simple casting of a boy that has huge nails sticking out of his eyes while holding a hammer in his hand. In this case, it is apparent that the boy has hammered the nails into his own eyes, which is quite horrific. The nails coming out of the boy's eyes are almost half the boy's height. Despite the violent and graphic nature of this casting, there is something about it that allows it to stay away from being nightmare-inducing. There were dozens of outrageous sketches and molds throughout this exhibit, and each and every one of them remained positive in some aspect. There is an inexplicable redeeming quality in Tim Burton's work that makes even the most grotesque and eerie designs appealing to the visual senses. A theme that I noticed in Burton's pieces is that monsters and ugly creatures have feelings just like humans; this is interesting, in that it shows that one should not judge based on appearances. I heard that some people felt that this exhibit did not belong in the territory of the Museum of Modern Art, but I have to strongly disagree. In our modern times, the majority of the Western world spends at least an hour watching television every day. Television shows and movies have worked their way into an essential part of our lives by keying into our visual senses. When I watch a movie like Big Fish, I cannot help but gaze in amazement at the stunning beauty of the way in which the fields of flowers blossom, and the manner in which the camera pans in to make me feel like I am a part of this imagined world. The attention to detail needed to make a visually resonant film like this requires more than just time and effort: it can only be found when passion and artistic brilliance are present. It is thus evident that a movie is a filmmakers canvas, waiting to be pieced together perfectly into a final product. It is this very canvas that Tim Burton has worked with for years, making him a modern artist in his own right.