NMR: In too Depp

Recently, I reviewed a pair of George Clooney's films and this time I look at two of another big time actor's movies.

Sleepy Hollow: This films marks one of the many collaborations between Johnny Depp and director Tim Burton. In a sense, this films lives and dies by Burton. The most recent 200th episode of South Park had it right when they mocked Burton for his redundancy. If you've seen one Tim Burton film, you've seen them all. They all have the same look, mood, and score. However, while there was nothing fresh in that regard, I found the film still being able to winning me over for two reasons; first, I really liked this interpretation of the Sleepy Hollow legend, as they infused a sort of CSI element into it. The other strength of the film is its cast. Beyond Depp, there is a wonderful group of character actors here including Michael Gambon, Jeffrey Jones, Miranda Richardson, Richard Griffiths, Ian McDermid, and Christopher Walken (who oddly doesn't utter one word the entire movie). If you're a fan of Burton's work, this one is definitely worth a view, otherwise this probably isn't for you. Rating: ****

Secret Window: One would think combining the talents of Depp with a story based on a Stephen King novel would make this film an instant winner, but they would be wrong. The movie is about a writer (Depp), who visited at his cabin by a creepy Southerner (John Turturro) accusing him of plagiarizing his story. Tormented by this accuser, Depp's character struggles to uncover the truth and keep his life together. For me, the film takes too long getting to its resolution and the journey isn't all that engaging. I did appreciate the fact that the film opted for an unconventional ending, but by that point it wasn't enough. Depp is typically good here, but he's about the only reason you should bother checking this out. Rating: ***