nightmares after Christmas
Next up on the Great Encyclopedia Trek: Tim Burton. Thus far my favourite quote found in research is from Gary Westfahl's Biographical Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, in which the Burton entry starts simply, "Sorry, you're not paying me enough money to figure out Tim Burton." I have to echo this. I thought I had Burton down - you know, gothic, grotesque, comic horror, yadda yadda - and then I discover the huge breadth of work he's done (quite a lot of it animated shorts on which I will never be able to lay my hands, cuss spit), the actually large number of bizarre recurring themes, his amazingly evil-minded Edward Goreysque illustrated verse, the fact that he used to animate for Disney... Then, as if that wasn't enough, I watch the two Burton Batmans, and Beetlejuice, in the space of twenty-four hours, and wonder why my head is starting to spin. I have Planet of the Apes lined up for tomorrow, as I couldn't face it this evening, and will hit jo&stv for Sleepy Hollow and Nightmare over the weekend. Don't blame me if future posts feature mere, feeble gibbering. And once I've covered the actual material, I have to find a way to channel it all into the narrow confines of folktale, fairy tale and a thousand words, preferably without my already-spinning head actually exploding. Newsflash, folks: attempting to analyse Burton sucks the unwary analyst into an animated Burton nightmare and reconstitutes them as a Gothic grotesque. He really does have a thing for dissociated heads, preferably spinning, exploding or bouncing around the room.
I had, incidentally, for no adequately defined reason, never seen Beetlejuice before. It's... um, very 80s. And rather sweet, in a perverse sort of way. I liked Winona Ryder's character a lot. It's funny to see her, and Alec Baldwin, so young.
Other than encyclopedia entries, life right now is pleasantly quiet. My mother has fled to the icy chill of Britain from whence she came, having this time only re-upholstered one chair (for jo&stv's shop) and manufactured a skull cap for my car. (Strange but true. It's an anti-bird-crap device). Various other mad visitors to CT have also departed, in some cases without actually visiting me, mutter grumble (stares very hard at Mich). The house is almost back to normal after the party, just in time for the Evil Landlord's birthday/garage warming tomorrow, sigh.
Things To Do This Week: kick the post-Christmas snackage habit. I seem to have been eating almost continually for about two weeks.
I had, incidentally, for no adequately defined reason, never seen Beetlejuice before. It's... um, very 80s. And rather sweet, in a perverse sort of way. I liked Winona Ryder's character a lot. It's funny to see her, and Alec Baldwin, so young.
Other than encyclopedia entries, life right now is pleasantly quiet. My mother has fled to the icy chill of Britain from whence she came, having this time only re-upholstered one chair (for jo&stv's shop) and manufactured a skull cap for my car. (Strange but true. It's an anti-bird-crap device). Various other mad visitors to CT have also departed, in some cases without actually visiting me, mutter grumble (stares very hard at Mich). The house is almost back to normal after the party, just in time for the Evil Landlord's birthday/garage warming tomorrow, sigh.
Things To Do This Week: kick the post-Christmas snackage habit. I seem to have been eating almost continually for about two weeks.