12. Big Eyes, 2014
Big Eyes is a biopic of a misunderstood artist, and while it doesn’t hit the emotional or visual highs of Ed Wood, it’s anchored by a nuanced performance from Amy Adams as Margaret Keane, the real woman behind the famous paintings of sappy-eyed children (her abusive husband, Walter Keane, passed himself off as the true artist). It’s the little moments that make Amy Adams’ performance, everything she doesn’t say as she tightens her lips or the flickering disappointment in her eyes over her husband’s lies. Once again, Tim Burton uses color to communicate the story’s emotions: the joys of their early marriage are bathed in saturated colors but become darker with cooler tones during their conflicts over the paintings. It’s refreshing to see Tim Burton explore the intimate lives of ordinary people; he does it so well that one wishes he would more often.
