Jeanne du Barry is a French period drama, directed and starring Maïwenn (known for The Fifth Element), about the courtesan and the last official mistress of King Louis XV (Johnny Depp) of France. The film chronicles her life from her childhood and formative years as a servant's daughter, to her rise in French society through sex, alliances, and strategic marriages. Although well-crafted, it is a very conventional drama that, in its making, invites not very favorable comparisons with Barry Lyndon. While Kubrick's classic manages to be a very subtle satire, Maïwenn's film takes itself too seriously. This, considering its representation of the female gender and the backgrounds of its two main stars, not only does not help but invites questioning the purpose of telling this story, with so little hope for its protagonist. You will enjoy it if you like period dramas with sumptuous costumes, or if you are an avid follower of Johnny Depp.
If there's one movie that's a true ode to grassroots cinema, made on a shoestring budget, it's 'Ed Wood'. Here, Tim Burton delves into the real-life story of the filmmaker who gives his name to the feature - considered by many to be the worst director of all time, with films like 'Plan 9 from Outer Space' and 'Glen or Glenda?' on his resume. It's a delicate and funny, often emotional film, which pays attention to detail in telling Ed Wood's difficult journey to make his movies happen. Although Johnny Depp (‘Pirates of the Caribbean’) is good as the protagonist, it's Martin Landau (‘Crimes and Misdemeanors’) who steals the show as an aging Bela Lugosi. A must-see for movie fans.
Based on the famous Disney parks attraction, 'Pirates of the Caribbean' debuted in theaters with a bang, in a feature-length film directed by Gore Verbinski ('Rango') and with Johnny Depp at the peak of his acting, transforming Jack Sparrow into one of the most memorable anti-heroes in cinema - and receiving an Oscar nomination for the role. With frenetic sequences, just like a park ride, 'The Curse of the Black Pearl' is pure entertainment, rescuing a subgenre of fiction (pirate stories) that seemed forgotten.
Mike Newell (director of 'Four Weddings and a Funeral') may seem like an odd choice for a crime drama initially. However, the filmmaker managed to make 'Donnie Brasco' one of the best films of the 1990s with a story based on the real-life experiences of FBI agent Joseph Pistone. Al Pacino and Johnny Depp co-starring is one of the best things you can see from that decade.
If there's one Tim Burton character that has become embedded in popular memory, it's Edward Scissorhands. Extremely peculiar, as bizarre as most of the characters created and developed by the filmmaker, Edward is as sensitive as he is strange. A kind of Frankenstein, he was created by a scientist who died before finishing him. This made him distant, alone, lonely -- largely due to his scissor-shaped hands. However, he quickly discovers new abilities that change the course of his life. Magisterial performance by Depp, long-time partner of Tim Burton, who knew how to mix all the strangeness of Edward Scissorhands with the sharp sensitivity of the plot. To be moved.