Stay informed with free updates
Simply register on the Movie myFT Digest – delivered straight to your inbox.
I came of age in the early 1990s, so it’s perhaps natural that I consider it a period of unprecedented cultural relevance – that’s not an opinion, it’s empirical. It was certainly an era of cinematic brilliance, cementing the reputations of a new generation of directors – including Quentin Tarantino, Hal Hartley, Richard Linklater and others – who would subvert cinema’s tropes and reinvent them for the modern era.
Most notable among them was Tim Burton, an eccentric filmmaker and animator whose dazzling cinematic universe found expression in gothic horror comedies. His film about a happily haunted house, disturbed by the arrival of a family of grotesques and subsequently terrorized by a bio-exorcist, Beetle juicehad become a sensation upon its release in 1988, grossing $74 million at the box office (on a $15 million budget) and allowing Burton to direct his subsequent studio epics. This fall, Burton has brought back many of that same cast in Beetlejuice Beetlejuicethe highly anticipated sequel. I’m excited because it reunites my idols Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara on screen, as well as revisiting Michael Keaton’s extraordinary improvisational skills.
As revealed in This week’s cover interview with KeatonHis screen time in the first film was just 17 minutes, but it sparked a brilliant run of collaborations with Burton, which saw him don the rubber suit for OrdinanceKeaton is not a Hollywood star in the traditional sense, nor is he a lonely man. On our cover, we called him Hollywood’s ultimate maverick because his career has been full of pleasant surprises. He’s simply continued to do what makes the most sense to him (ideally, fishing for giant trout near his second home in Montana) and, as he tells Joel Stein, he’s remained pragmatic in a crazy business. Getting a short answer from him is nearly impossible (he could win awards for rambling). But since he’s one of the most authentic voices in the industry, I’m here to hear all the stories.
Elsewhere, another fisherman, David Coggins, gets into a car with a companion. HTSI Collaborator James Harvey-Kelly will embark on A backroads tour through the Scottish HighlandsThere is no fishing in this story, but the duo do feast on venison at Lundies House, stock up on royal tweeds at the celebrated Campbell’s of Beauly and eat delicious cakes at Dunkeld. Having never been to the Highlands, I have been taking careful notes: I dream of spending a night or two at Boath House in Nairn, or walking the moors around Killiecrankie House.
Finally, we turn our attention to food and drink, where we examine the etiquette around two vital topics: how to improve baked beans (can you? should you?) and how to make the perfect martini. Ajesh Patalay has taken over Heinzwhile Alice Lascelles is in charge of the cocktail.He presents his latest book on what is possibly the most celebrated and debated drink in the world. He has a recipe for all tastes, whether on the rocks or totally dirty.
Do you want to read? HTSI Want to know what’s coming your way before everyone else? Get the top stories delivered straight to your inbox every Friday. Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter here