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The Basic Summary: We like it and hate that trailers give away too much.  Also, we sample some Talking Heads.

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The Basic Summary: We enjoyed it in its wonderful weirdness.  And we sample a song from “Annie.” (not “Tomorrow”)

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The Basic Summary: We like it. A lot. And we sample some Johnny Lang.

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The Basic Summary: We split.  Sean likes it [despite not liking parts of it].  Gayle wants to know if Christian Bale’s script came in ironic quote marks.  And we sample some “Beatles”.

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The Basic Summary: We both like it quite a bit and have issues with one scene, but we don’t recommend it for everyone. We also sample some Ramones.

Another year, another Tim Burton film. How many more can this guy make? Wait, that didn’t start right, let’s try it again.

Tim Burton’s working with Disney now? Maybe someone will tie him down to a script. Damn, no, again.

Oh boy! A new Tim Burton film! It looks great!

Of course, Tim Burton films always look great, don’t they? That’s what gets us in the theatre, right? That’s what makes him great. And frustrating. One of these days we’ll express both our feelings for Burton in a review of “Edward Scissorhands,” but today I need to talk about this.

This is a cool trailer. It makes me want to see the movie, but I have the same reservations I always have about Burton. He’s a master of his own unique visual style, which he’ll cram into almost any film whether the film likes it or not. Ironically, Burton’s best movie, “Ed Wood,” was his least Burton-esque. Strange. But Burton’s usual downfall of preferring visuals over scripts has gotten better in the past few years. We both liked “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “Corpse Bride,” and “Sweeney Todd.” Two of those movies (and “Ed Wood”) came from strong source material that demanded a strong narrative to work. “Alice in Wonderland” has the opportunity to actually blend a story with Burton’s visual style. It could be great; if he lets it.

I really liked Borat (I recently found it for 3 dollars and watched it again), so I’m really interested to see Sacha Baron Cohen’s next movie, Bruno (sorry, no umlauts here). Longtime fans of Cohen’s antics may remember Bruno from Cohen’s “Da Ali G Show,” where he interviewed prominent figures in the fashion industry. Cohen’s a real comic talent, and given the content of the Bruno trailers and the great early buzz, I’m hoping he’s going to strike gold again.

…But…

Cohen’s really going to have to hit another home run with Bruno, because it will prove that he’s not some one-film wonderboy, that he’s able to put together another film with creative situations and outrageous dialogue. Sure, he’s willing to push boundaries, but can he still make it funny? All signs point to yes. Larry Charles, the director of both this and Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazahkstan, had great ideas of how to direct a comedy then and this film should be no different. Will they both make a great comedy again? Here’s hoping.