Richard D. Zanuck Archives

Jaws (1975)

Rating: ★★★★★

Feb 15, 2001Killer Shark

The killer shark film that became the No 1 box-office hit of all time and put Steven Spielberg's name on the map. A powerhouse of seat-edge tension, filled with great performances and the young Spielberg with an incredible grasp of his craft

Director: Steven Spielberg

Actors: Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, Robert Shaw, Murray Hamilton, …

Category: Horror

15 February 200112 May 2026 by Roog

Jaws 2 (1978)

Rating: ★★

Sep 30, 2001Killer Shark

The best of the mostly worthless Jaws sequels. With a bigger budget, the shark attacks are more spectacular but there is nothing akin to the sustained suspense of the first film's extended climax

Director: Jeannot Szwarc

Actors: Roy Scheider, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton, Jeffrey Kramer, …

Category: Horror

30 September 200112 May 2026 by Roog

Cocoon: The Return (1988)

Rating: ★

May 3, 2001Alien Visitors/Rejuvenated Geriatrics

A dreadful sequel to the Ron Howard hit Cocoon about seniors encountering aliens. This misses all the interesting potential of a sequel and drowns in schmaltz and unfunny comedy routines

Director: Daniel Petrie

Actors: Don Ameche, Hume Cronyn, Steve Guttenberg, Wilford Brimley, …

Category: Science Fiction

3 May 20015 January 2026 by Roog

Deep Impact (1998)

Rating: ★★

May 31, 1999Asteroid Collision/Disaster Movie

Big serious attempt at creating an asteroid collides with Earth film, this came out the same year as Armageddon. Despite arraying much acting talent and effects artistry, this disappears into a melodramatic blandness

Director: Mimi Leder

Actors: Téa Leoni, Robert Duvall, Elijah Wood, Morgan Freeman, …

Category: Science Fiction

31 May 199910 October 2025 by Roog

Planet of the Apes (2001)

Rating: ★★½

Jun 27, 2001Planet of Talking Apes

Tim Burton's much disliked remake. Certainly, the ape makeups are superb. While Burton touches many points with the original, he has dropped the biting satire in favour of adventure, while the ending left everyone scratching their heads

Director: Tim Burton

Actors: Mark Wahlberg, Helena Bonham Carter, Tim Roth, Estella Warren, …

Category: Science Fiction

27 June 20015 September 2025 by Roog

Reign of Fire (2002)

Rating: ★★½

Nov 1, 2002Dragon-Ruled Future

This has the interestingly original premise of being set in a post-apocalyptic world where revived dragons have eliminated most of humanity. The show is stolen by Matthew McConaughey in wild man mode

Director: Rob Bowman

Actors: Christian Bale, Matthew McConaughey, Izabella Scorupco, Gerard Butler, …

Category: Fantasy, Science Fiction

1 November 20029 July 2026 by Roog

Big Fish (2003)

Rating: ★★

Mar 9, 2004Tall Tales

Tim Burton film where Albert Finney plays a habitual teller of tall tales whose son sets out to find the truth. Burton's characteristic quirkiness seems buried by such a blandness you suspect he has been replaced by a clone of Ron Howard

Director: Tim Burton

Actors: Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange, …

Category: Fantasy

9 March 20045 July 2026 by Roog

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

Rating: ★★

Sep 16, 2005Gonzo Children's Film/Fantastical Candy Factory

Tim Burton's remake of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a peculiarly lifeless confection that fails to find any of the zaniness of the original, something that one would have thought would have been Burton's forte

Director: Tim Burton

Actors: Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore, David Kelly, Helena Bonham Carter, …

Category: Fantasy

16 September 200517 October 2024 by Roog

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

Rating: ★★

Feb 3, 2008Murderous Barber Musical

Tim Burton takes on the film version of the Stephen Sondhiem musical about a murderous barber, featuring Johnny Depp in the title role. But disappointingly, Burton still makes the same film he always does

Director: Tim Burton

Actors: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, …

Category: Horror

3 February 20083 May 2026 by Roog

Alice in Wonderland (2010)

Rating: ★★

Mar 9, 2010Alice in Wonderland Adaptation/Epic Adventure

Tim Burton takes on Lewis Carroll but Carroll gets lost beneath Burton doing his usual quirky eccentric thing and a plot that seems to want to turn Alice's adventures into a modern epic fantasy

Director: Tim Burton

Actors: Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, …

Category: Fantasy

9 March 20105 December 2024 by Roog

Dark Shadows (2012)

Rating: ★★

May 10, 2012TV Series Comedy Remake/Vampire/Family Saga

Tim Burton's slide into mediocrity continues with this comedic update of the cult Gothic soap opera tv series, which is now played at a level of cartoonish unseriousness that resembles the Addams Family

Director: Tim Burton

Actors: Johnny Depp, Eva Green, Michelle Pfeiffer, Chloe Grace Moretz, …

Category: Horror

10 May 201215 January 2026 by Roog