Rating: 
Summary: Much Insight, but Poorly Written and Filled With Summary
Review: Ken Hanke's autobiography provides much insight into Burton's childhood, adolescence, early career, etc. However, Hanke spends too much time in summarizing the plots of Burton's films and not enough time in relating those plots to their production or to his life in general. Hanke's writing is also loose and cumbersome at times, making for an unneccessarily awkward read. Why must he constantly use exclamation points where none are needed? Such punctuation is distracting and useless--if a sentence is going to surprise or shock us, it won't be because of the punctuation. I'd recommend keeping an eye out for future, more scholarly biographies of a director who deserves the Spoto treatment.
Rating: 
Summary: A biography worthy of its subject
Review: Ken Hanke's biography of Tim Burton is simply wonderful. Informative, enlightening, but never intrusive or unfair, Hanke proves himself to be a high caliber writer, and someone who not only understands Burton's work and artistry, but is able to communicate that understanding to his readers with style and wit. Don't let the "unauthorized" bit in the title fool you - this is NOT one of those rumor churning, scandalous, exploitative books that pollute the biography sections in stores and libraries. Hanke treats his task of uncovering Burton's life and work with seriousness, respect and affection. An obvious admirer of his subject, Hanke is still able to step back and be objective, providing the reader with as close of an "honest" view of Tim Burton and his work as one could expect and hope.Hanke's style of writing is a pure delight. His narrative is smooth, well written, well supported and humorous. Each of Burton's works are covered here, in varying degrees of depth. Most of his movies are given the 'capsule treatment' (if you will), which includes a brief summary of the film, Hanke's analysis (which is priceless), critical and box office reactions, and more. One cannot help coming off this book with a greater respect and enthusiasm for both Tim Burton and his biographer. A true must-have for all Tim Burton fans, and biography connoisseurs in general. Highest recommendations! Bravo!
Rating:
Summary: An Informative, Revealing Look At Burton And His Films
Review: Ken Hanke's book gives the reader a look into the creative genius of Tim Burton. From Burton's earliest beginnings in film, through his blockbuster successes and even his failures, Hanke paints a picture of Burton as an eccentric, wonderfully gifted director and producer whose films offer more than just entertainment. With thoughtful and insightful commentary, Hanke explains how Burton's true personality is woven into each of his films. Hanke's writing shows he has a definite affection for his subject, yet his comments and reviews are honest and unbiased. This detailed look at Burton's entire body of work to date has sent me back to the video store to re-rent Burton's classics. The book is a "must-have" for hardcore Burton fans and anyone who claims to "get" where Burton is coming from in his films.
Rating:
Summary: Everything I Hoped For And More!
Review: Ken Hanke's book on Tim Burton is exactly what I was hoping it would be--a well-thought out look at the filmmaker and his work. I've always admired Burton, but been somewhat put off by the bizarre adoration of his more ardent fans, and was therefore a little hesitant about approaching this book, fearing that it was going to be "more of the same" that I'd encountered in the BURTON ON BURTON interview book--in other words, an unthinking acceptance of Burton as some kind of inhuman innocent whose every thought is blessed with some mystical quality of a Holy Fool. Personally, that's an idea I find downright insulting--both to my intelligence and to Burton's true artistry. Bluntly, Holy Fools just do not head up multi-million dollar Hollywood movies, nor do they cut themselves savvy marketing deals, and it's my suspicion that Burton is laughing up his sleeve at those who think he really is the image he projects. Thankfully, this book is not content to accept that image at face value, but delves beneath the mask of Tim Burton to get at more of the real person and the real artist than has ever been done before. Using Burton's own words (and carefully reading between the lines of those words, especially as concerns the evidence of Burton's mindset on the screen), contemporary criticism of the films, and scores of existing articles chronicling Burton's career (the sheer volume of material amassed about Burton's rise to fame is itself impressive and worthwhile), the author manages to present a fresh and vibrant portrait of an extremely complex human being--something far more satisfying than anything done heretofore on the subject. It is, however, not a book for Burtonphiles who are afraid to look upon the human face of their hero. But for those of us who admire Tim Burton as a filmmaker rather than a warped icon, it could hardly be bettered.
Rating:
Summary: Ken Hanke's insights are sharper than Edward Scissorhands.
Review: Ken Hanke's insights into Tim Burton and his movies are sharper than Edward Scissorhands. A die-hard admirer of Burton's work, Hanke, unlike many film scholars, doesn't let his admiration for his subject blind him to the failings of both the man and his films. For all his creativity, Burton is not the sort of person one might want for a friend, and Hanke diligently records the number of times this self-styled "outsider" has let people down. His analysis of Burton's movies, which range from PEE WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE to MARS ATTACKS!, add significantly to the reader's understanding of films already appreciated and may very likely spark a desire to track down the rest of the director's body of work. Even when he's having trouble with his narrative, Tim Burton is the most stylish of filmmakers, and his biographer isn't lacking in style, either. (Furthermore, he has less trouble telling a straightforward story.) As with such previous efforts as the indispensable "Charlie Chan at the Movies" and his articles for my own publication, Scarlet Street: the Magazine of Mystery and Horror, Hanke's prose is such that he is never too academic to befuddle the average reader, and never too fannish to be superficial. In this day and age, when practically anyone regardless of talent can get a book in print via small press, Ken Hanke is one of those rare film writers whose work really deserves to be published.
Rating: 
Summary: BEWARE!BEWARE!....Very Disappointing
Review: Most of this book is devoted to an utterly redundant retelling of the story lines of the director's films. What remains of the book is split between quotes from other publications and a poorly founded and superficial attempt at psychological analysis. The few original quotes the author has managed to obtain come from people very much on the periphery of Burton's working environment. There are strange omissions, and frequent failures by the author to comprehend his chosen topic. If you are already a Tim Burton fan, you probably already know more than the author does. If you don't know much about Tim Burton, but want to learn more, buy "Burton on Burton". I've never written a negative review like this before, but felt it was my duty to protect other Burton fans from the ripped off feeling I now have.
Rating:
Summary: New Bio of Tim Burton-A real Winner!
Review: Mr Hanke has proven to be one of the leading authors writing today about film. His writing style is such that, not only do you get to know Tim Burton, but equal time is spent on each of his films providing new and interesting insights into not only the films themselves but a personal portrait of Mr. Burton, as well. I have been lucky enough to read most of Mr. Hanke's books and consider them priceless volumes in any serious movie-lover's library. Mr. Hanke has written excellent books on Charlie Chan, Horror Movie Series and best of all, the films of British director,enfant terrible, Ken Russell. If you seriously care about film, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better writer.
Rating:
Summary: Deeply Insightful, wonderfully written book.
Review: Mr. Hanke's latest book should be a standard textbook for anyone interested in reading films. Through intensive examination and shrewd deductions, he not only enlightens the reader about Burton the artist, but actually gets the reader into the mindset of the great director. I doubt that anyone could watch any of Burton's films after reading this wonderful book and not see them in totally different light. Mr. Hanke, much like a Sherlock Holmes of film, finds in the movies themselves clues that reveal amazing personal information about Burton's life and common themes and running threads that give so many aspects of his films new and deeper meanings. If you are a fan of Burton or of film in general, I can not recommend this marvelous work highly enough. Ken Hanke is a truly a writer, researcher and critic to look for and I for one can not wait for his next book.
Rating:
Summary: The Film Book of the Year!
Review: No one was more surprised than I when I came away from TIM BURTON: AN UNAUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY as a fan of the filmmaker! I had never thought much of Burton's films before reading this book. (For that matter, can anyone approach a book labelled as "unathorized" without a qualm or two and visions of pointless scandal-mongering leaping into the mind?) They were amusing and often impressively big, but they always seemed slight, basically inconsequential and of very little staying power. This book made me look at them again in a new light, and I am grateful for what it helped me to see. There is nothing at all slight about Burton's work. It is instead the work of a serious artist with something to say--although not always said with the clarity one might like. Perhaps it is the fact that Burton himself is fairly inarticulate that it took someone as articulate as the author of this book to make so much of the amazing depth of these movies (BATMAN RETURNS deep? You better believe it!) apparent to anyone who isn't as tuned in on the director's wavelength as the auhor. Clearly Ken Hanke's insights into Burton and his work are to be carefully and thoughtfully considered whether or not the reader ultimately agrees with all of them. These insightful readings are made just that much more worthwhile in that Hanke does not simply offer his opinion, but rather contrasts his takes on the films with that of the critics who reviewed the movies at the times of their releases, giving the book a good sense of balance and fairness. If you like Burton, read this book with an open mind. If you don't like Burton, read this book and see if maybe you're missing something. I certainly was!
Rating: 
Summary: Behold the fruit of pensive nights and laborious days...
Review: Richard D. Altick wrote, in The Scholar Adventurers: ''If it is permissable sometimes to reconstruct biography on the basis of the known proclivities of one's hero...'' This comment was used as a forward to Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street,a book in which William S. Baring-Gould writes a biography of Sherlock Holmes based on all the facts revealed about him in the Canon, and because Baring-Gould is an excellent writer, the book is a fun and amusing read. The same holds true for this biography of the almost-as enigmatic director, Tim Burton. He rarely gives interviews (in which he says anything of substance, anyway) and guards his private life. To write a biography of such a subject requires a love of that subject (a love of that subject's works, at least), ingenuity, and dedication, and such has been provided here by Ken Hanke. His writing flows smoothly, and more importantly than anything else, his book causes one to think - to compare their reactions to a particular film to Hanke's own. If you are a fan of Burton, this book is highly recommened.
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