Tim Burton’s “Big Eyes” Preview, Starring Amy Adams

PinAmy Adams in “Big Eyes”

Oh, wow. This looks surprisingly good.

“A drama centered on the awakening of the painter Margaret Keane, her phenomenal success in the 1950s, and the subsequent legal difficulties she had with her husband, who claimed credit for her works in the 1960s.”

It’s nice to see Tim Burton trying something a little mature for once, instead of relying on kitsch and costuming to get the job done. Of course the story of the Keanes is pretty much the story of mid-Century kitsch, which is why it makes for a surprisingly good match for Burton, who has apparently been obsessed with their work for some time.

The under-a-certain-ages may not get the references, but believe us when we say there was a time in American culture where seemingly every middle class household had a Keane painting in their living room. “Ubiquitous” is the word. And in retrospect, it’s probably true that the work of the Keanes is a watershed moment in the commoditization of American artwork. They were the precursors to Thomas Kinkade, among others. Although we can’t think of any popular artist who helped define the look of the period in which they were popular like the Keanes did. Their work just screams mid-Century American kitsch.

In other news, we get more and more impressed with Amy Adams and the choices she makes as an actress.  The fact that she can go from a ’70s con artist to Lois Lane to a role like this in such a short period of time says a lot about her range and her ambition.

Man, that hairstyle never looked good on anyone but Marilyn, did it?

[Photo Credit: ©2014 – The Weinstein Company – Video Credit: Yahoo! Movies]

• Amy Adams
• Movie Preview
• Tim Burton