In less than three months, President Barack Obama will celebrate the anniversary of being sworn in for his second term as president. Although many conservatives are looking ahead with anticipation to the end of his final term in office, many liberals are looking ahead with the hope that in his final years as commander in chief, the president might begin pushing a more aggressively progressive agenda. Then there are those of us who are hoping that in the president’s final term, we might get to see the Michelle Obama we haven’t seen since the early days of the 2008 presidential campaign.

Most of Burton’s movies are instantly recognizable thanks to the filmmakers’ unique artistic vision and his ability to blend dark, film noir elements into genres known for sunnier treatments.  His touch is particularly welcome here because “Frankenweenie” – presented in black and white – is visually similar to director James Whale’s 1931 version of “Frankenstein.”  The likeness adds to the idea that Burton is not only re-imagining Shelley’s story but paying tribute to its previous film incarnations.