Depp/Burton DARK SHADOWS Is In Production!!

[jimbo]

When I saw the trailer with a Hunger Games audience I heard the crowd make a ewe disgusting like sound. No one laughed at that particular scene or in any other scene-there was dead silence throughout the entire trailer outside of the tongue licking scene.

I agree some of the jokes originally not even funny the first time you heard them are going to be an annoyance by the time one sees the actual film.

[Nicky]

Midnite:  I don't think I ever gave Angelique a forked tongue ... hee hee!  Black eyes aplenty, but never a forked tongue.

I think they're laughing because it's so unexpected.  It also reminds me of the scene in Batman Returns when Catwoman behaves in a similar fashion, a scene that was much touted during trailers at the time, and also in publicity materials.  Maybe it's a Tim Burton thing. 

[Cousin_Barnabas]

I think Mrs. Johnson is now officially my favorite character in this magnum opus.  That shot of her helping poor Willie with the coffin is a scream.

G, I could not agree more.  She is the reason I am completely invested in seeing this movie!  Everything else I have seen so far, I can take or leave.  But...  Mrs. Johnson!  Maybe I am biased, because she has always been one of my favorite characters (different reasons for different actresses).  I am certain this is going to be no different.

but as they say "it is what it is". for whatever reasons this is what we've got.

i hope to enjoy it on it's own terms and that's it.

This is the attitude I have adopted as well.  Can't do anything about it, so we might as well just go with it.  It is, after all, our show so we should be invested in whatever forms it takes.  And when we've all finally seen this version, then we can trash it or embrace because of its merits or lack thereof.  It's nothing like what I wanted.  So, at this point, I just want to enjoy it for what it is.  I could be pleasantly surprised...  We shall see.   

The same thing happened in the movie theater this weekend-- that tongue scene got the only laughs, and I'm talking huge laughter and not nervous laughs... and I just don't get it... Why are audiences finding that spot funny?!

I think it is beyond all of us.    

i'm sort of indifferent to the tongue but what i can't get is why the film's promotional team keeps beating the 'chevy' joke into the ground?

The only thing I can figure is they want to showcase Pfeiffer.  And maybe that is one of her few "one liners" in the film.  (See that bit of hopeful thinking I injected into that notion?  Though I would not mind Liz having a million one liners directed to/about Roger.)

[Midnite]

Thanks, Nicky.  Adore your writing and definitely recall the black eyes.

[usffan]

i'm sort of indifferent to the tongue but what i can't get is why the film's promotional team keeps beating the 'chevy' joke into the ground?

The only thing I can figure is they want to showcase Pfeiffer.  And maybe that is one of her few "one liners" in the film.  (See that bit of hopeful thinking I injected into that notion?  Though I would not mind Liz having a million one liners directed to/about Roger.)

Or perhaps Chevy paid a hefty fee and WB is making sure they got their money's worth.  Given the golden arches in at least one of the spots, I presume McDonalds has also signed a sponsorship deal. 

Then again, there seem to be at least two VW vans in Collinsport (one outside the movie theater, one parked in the Collinwood driveway). 

[Cousin_Barnabas]

Ahh...  Commercialism... 

What I would not mind, but I doubt would happen, would be Happy Meal Toys.  How fun would that be?  I mean after seeing so much McDonald's, it really ought to happen.  But I don't think they do them if the film is over PG.    

[Mysterious Benefactor]

WB  seems to believe that comedy sells better than a gothic horror/romance flick?

For better or worse, that's certainly the impression I've gotten from the way the film is being marketed because the humor is front and center in the TV spots while anything Gothic in tone tends to be mostly in the periphery.

It is targeting a more family-like oriented demographic and a widest possible audience.

I get that impression as well. They want people to know that even though there's a vampire, the film is not a horror film. They definitely don't want people who don't like horror to be turned off. And apparently they think more people will respond to the humor than to the Gothic/horror elements. But they throw a few in just to show that they are there.

39 days 8 hours 26 minutes 43 seconds until the day the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is released(ET)!!

[Mysterious Benefactor]

i'm sort of indifferent to the tongue but what i can't get is why the film's promotional team keeps beating the 'chevy' joke into the ground?

The only thing I can figure is they want to showcase Pfeiffer.  And maybe that is one of her few "one liners" in the film.

I'm thinking that may be it, too. And I have to say that one of the things about the trailers/TV spots that has me most intrigued is the stuff dealing with Liz. I can't wait to see how it all plays out in the film. Though like the person who wrote for The Scorecard Review said, I really do think Eva Green/Angelique is going to steal the film. Her performance looks amazing in every glimpse we've gotten of her.

Though I would not mind Liz having a million one liners directed to/about Roger.

Same here!

39 days 8 hours 12 minutes 8 seconds until the day the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is released(ET)!!

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Oops - I forgot to program my DVR to record Kings of the Court on CBS this afternoon just on the off chance that basketball and DS might go hand and hand on CBS again today. I missed recording the first 18 minutes, so has anyone been watching it, and if so, were there any DS ads I might have missed?

39 days 7 hours 36 minutes 14 seconds until the day the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is released(ET)!!

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Well, since there weren't any film spots during what I did get of that show or during the High School Basketball Slam Dunk that came after it. I'm going to presume that CBS didn't run any DS spots during basketball today. However, the next chance would certainly seem to be during tomorrow night's NCAA final...

39 days 5 hours 58 minutes 52 seconds until the day the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is released(ET)!!

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I came across a piece on bloody-disgusting.com about the release of the latest new DS TV spot and I love how it begins:

"Remember just a few short weeks ago when we were worried that there might never be a trailer for Dark Shadows? How quaint those days seem now as we're drowning in a deluge of footage."

Not that they, I, or probably many of us are complaining that we're getting so much new footage.

And speaking of the TV spots, I was just reading an article about yesterday's TV ratings and Warner Brothers must be thrilled that they bought time for so many (beyond what I'd posted about yesterday, there were also repeat airings of previously shown that day spots at 8:53 (the box and peanuts) and 9:35 (the McDonald's) for a total of 6 overall) during yesterday's NCAA coverage because the games pulled in huge numbers in the highly coveted 18-49 demos and were watched by 15 million viewers. Not that that means all those people saw all the spots - but Warner Brothers got them out to a huge potential audience - and that's really all they care about.

And something tells me the numbers may be even bigger for tomorrow night's NCAA final, so it should be very interesting to see what Warner Brothers may have up their sleeve for tomorrow night's games...

39 days 2 hours 51 minutes 22 seconds until the day the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is released(ET)!!

[Cousin_Barnabas]

And what's interesting is that this audience is probably not the usual Burton/Depp crowd.  So we will see how that works with opening weekend numbers. 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I seems like it's somewhat of an odd group to market to, but something in Warner Brothers' marketing research must tell them otherwise or I doubt they would be spending as much for airtime during the games as they have been. They'd be spending it elsewhere. But the really interesting thing to me would seem to be that they're spending elsewhere very judiciously, like during last Sunday's season premiere of Mad Men. There hasn't been hide nor hair of a DS spot seen during many of the highest rated regular TV shows. Well, at least not yet. Though that is sure to change as the May 11th release moves closer...

Though so far as opening weekend goes, I'm still of the opinion that no matter what Warner Brothers does, it's not likely DS will place any higher than 2nd on its opening weekend. After all, look at how much was spent on promoting Wrath of the Titans, yet it came in second despite some good reviews. And look at how much was spent on Mirror, Mirror, yet that came in third. Both did respectable box office (particularly for this year), but there was just no way of defeating and pulling a great many people away from the juggernaut that is The Hunger Games - and I'm pretty sure the same will hold true of The Avengers...

39 days 2 hours 7 minutes 48 seconds until the day the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is released(ET)!!

[Cousin_Barnabas]

I am sure you are right, MB.  I do hope Shadows will get 1st its second weekend, though.  We shall see.

And another note: the second trailer is coming...

http://www.albertafilmratings.ca/recentclasstrailers.aspx

And I did have a thought about Julia's appearance in the newest ad.  Perhaps Burton and Co. are including bloopers at the end of the film, and this is one of those bloopers...  Because she doesn't sound at all like she does in the other parts of the commercial.  Just something to consider. 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

the second trailer is coming...

Ah - interesting. I wonder how long we'll have to wait before it shows up on the Internet. Not long I would suspect...

And I did have a thought about Julia's appearance in the newest ad.  Perhaps Burton and Co. are including bloopers at the end of the film, and this is one of those bloopers...  Because she doesn't sound at all like she does in the other parts of the commercial.  Just something to consider.

Really? I suppose that's definitely possible. Though to me that scene comes across as possibly Julia thinking she's revealing Barnabas secret to Liz - but little does she know that Liz already knows. But as always, we shall see. 

39 days 1 hours 53 minutes 55 seconds until the day the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is released(ET)!!