Depp/Burton DARK SHADOWS Is In Production!!

[michael c]

i feel like the conversation is backtracking to where it was several weeks ago when the uber-campy trailer was first released.

since then we've seen and heard much more. none of us has seen this film, but i don't feel "alienated", or "undercutted", as of yet.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I certainly didn't mean to imply for my part that I feel alienated or undercut by the strategy behind the trailers or the TV spots.    As I've said several times, I've been loving them - and the more I see of them, the more I find to love. Plus I never thought for a moment that the film was being made for me or that it would be marketed to me. Maybe that's another reason why I'm willing to keep an open mind and to accept or reject the film based solely on what it might turn out to be rather than what I might have originally envisioned it might have been...

4 days 5 hours 19 minutes 4 seconds until the day the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is released(ET)!!

[michael c]

and as lara parker rightly pointed out in a recent interview "we" are a "drop in the bucket".

how many attended the fest last year. 1,500? and the FB "boycott" groups and so forth that have sprung up can't generate more than 65 or so members. hardly an effective boycott.

at the end of the day curiosity always kills the cat. i think alot of "real fans" who have vowed never to see this will go. the temptation will be too overpowering not to.

if for no other reason than to continue there conversation about what a "travesty" it is.

[Gerard]

I was strictly speaking box office, and they don't necessarily have anything in common because a film can be one of the most creative ever made and still not generate box office

You're absolutely right, MB.  How many of you have seen the 2011 film Melancholia?  How many of you have heard of it?  It's an end-of-the-world flick that is undoubtedly one of the most creative and beautifully filmed of that genre.  It won tons of awards and award nominations.  The critics were in high praise.  Those who saw it were amazed.  Of course, one of the reasons for its low box office was bad marketing and it being viewed as "artsy."  But there have been poorly marketed and "artsy" films which were highly creative and wonderfully done that rose high in box office because of word-of-mouth.  It didn't make gobs of money (yet) for the studio, but those of us who took the time and spent the money (including in gas to drive hours to a city that had a theater showing it), find that the time and money was well worth it.  I only wish the studio that made Melancholia (Zentropa - no, I hadn't heard of it until this film either) somehow had found a way to get the word out.

And we need to remember that creativity is in the eye of the creator (and eventually the viewer).  Could they have made a highly creative, straight, gothic-horror-romance version of DS?  I'm sure they could.  But who'd see it?  As has been mentioned here before, we've been inundated with straight, gothic-horror-romance movies (and most not so creative - Twilight, oh, ick).  It's understandable when studios want to capitalize on what's popular, but when it turns into saturation, ticket-payers have a tendency to stay away from what was momentarily popular to the same-old-same-old.  There are people here who will remember the "disaster" genre of the '70's.  It began with Airport (no, not Airplane - Airport) in 1970, followed by The Poseidon Adventure in 1972, and climaxed with The Towering Inferno in 1974.  There were others, but they couldn't surpass TTI and tried all sorts of gimmicks like the seat-shaking sensaround in Earthquake.  You could tell the studios were getting desperate in hoping that the same-old-same-old would continue to make money.  But people, who initially loved all those early disaster films, became tired of watching bygone stars of yesteryear falling/burning/being-crushed to their deaths.  How many times could Olivia DeHavilland be saved from a crashed airliner or a swarm of killer bees?  By the end of the '70's, the whole disaster genre, done to death, became nothing but fodder for sarcasm, ending with its tombstone in the brilliant comedy Airplane.  DS doesn't need to be another Twilight, even if its not and even if it could be done in a dark vein without it being another Twilight.  But the market is now saturated, so it had to do something because Warner Bros. probably figured (and rightly so) that audiences would perceive it as such.

Gerard

[usffan]

But congrats to The Avengers for pulling in so much dough.  I'm just curious who saw it. 

I saw The Avengers, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  It had lots of action and some pretty witty humor.  They also showed a preview for Tim Burton's Frankenweenie, BTW. 

I don't want to hijack the thread and turn it into a discussion of The Avengers, but I kind of see some parallels between comic book fans and OS fans.  There are a group of hardcore comic fans who want the movie versions to be treated completely seriously with little to know humor.  However, the need to bring in big audiences requires some level of entertainment that will attract crowds for night time shows that are willing to pay full price, which tends to be teenagers and young adults who are less likely to be among that hardcore fan set.  Marvel created a nice balance in The Avengers, with some great action scenes but at least two scenes that literally made me laugh out loud.  That laughter came at the expense of certain major characters, and I won't be shocked if there's a small group of fans of these particular characters who are unhappy.  It strikes me that this is similar to those who think Barnabas should neither be funny nor have any jokes made at his expense, even though he is both a fish out of water AND a vampire.  While it will alienate a few, it won't be upsetting to the vast majority of moviegoers. 

[borgosi]

I don't want DS to be Twilight or Airplane. I hated Airplane. Of the two I think I'd rather it be like Twilight and I'm no Twilight fan.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

If you haven't been to the film's official Web site lately, I've noticed that they've added some new things like wallpapers for your computer, ipad, and iphone - and there's also a feature where you can use a webcam or upload your photo to substitute your face on some of the portraits.

4 days 1 hour 27 minutes 24 seconds until the day the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is released(ET)!!

[Mysterious Benefactor]

'Dark Shadows': Tim Burton's quirky touches lurk

Michelle Pfeiffer: What She Knows Now

The Vampire Who Came Out in the Afternoon

Michelle Pfeiffer goes for laughs in big-screen remake of ‘Dark Shadows’
(Given the title of this article, I'd say this comment is interesting: “It has a lot of comedy,” Pfeiffer said, “but I would say it’s drama. Kind of a family drama.”)

4 days 0 hours 41 minutes 7 seconds until the day the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is released(ET)!!

[LOOKE300]

horror movies can be a success look at all the saw movies  and house of dark shadows did very well at the box office lets see if this comedy ds dose as well.

[Cousin_Barnabas]

Warners has just announced that they have fired Depp, HBC, and Heathcote!  And look who they have replaced them with!  I guess this movie is gonna be great after all!  No doubt about it now...

(Courtesy the DS site Portrait Maker)

[Josette]

I didn't get to see the Jonny Lee Miller on Jimmy Kimmel until tonight.  From what he said, apparently Kimmel has seen the whole movie.  He said he liked it, but also only used the word funny.  While we know there is some humor, we've also been led to believe there are a lot of other elements, so his only saying "funny" was rather disturbing.

Other than Depp, Carter and Pfeiffer, I had never heard of any of these actors, so I had forgotten which part he played, and while watching him, I was assuming it was Willie.  I just found out a little while ago that he's Roger.  So, the scene that they showed of him with Barnabas seemed perfect for Willie.  Now that I know he's Roger, I'm really curious to see how that scene comes about!!

[Cousin_Barnabas]

And because I had fun with the first three, here are two more... 

Joan Bennett as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard and Alexandra Moltke as Josette duPres.

I just used the pictures I had on hand.  I am sure someone who really wanted to could make them look really good.  But it was a quick and fun diversion.  Just couldn't get Angie to work...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

gkfilms ‏ @gkfilms
RT @RealAliceCooper: Heading to LA for tonight's premier of @wbpictures #DarkShadows by #TimBurton! http://bit.ly/KI2fNS
2:04 PM - 7 May 12

3 days 9 hours 51 minutes 54 seconds until the day the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is released(ET)!!

[jimbo]

Some comments from the press conference. http://www.craveonline.com/film/interviews/188095-johnny-depp-on-dark-shadows-and-long-vampire-nails

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Thanks for the link, jimbo. 


Here are some more online articles:

No hissing from Michelle Pfeiffer about Anne Hathaway as Catwoman
(Who knows - Depp might have made for an interesting Catwoman - and after all, there were all those (false) reports that he would be doing the film.  )

Tim Burton Vamps It Up in His 'Dark Shadows' Remake

Best Bets: "Dark Shadows" in the movies, "Desperate Housewives" and "Survivor" on TV

Top 3 Pop: 'Dark Shadows' opens in theaters Friday

TRIP's next step is going abroad
(Article from Variety that some may not be able to access - but it mentions that the DS film benefited from the Tax Rebate for International Production (TRIP), and the article includes the photo of Depp as Barnabas standing in front of his portrait.)

This Rotten Week: Predicting Dark Shadows Reviews
(It's interesting that at the moment the poll accompanying the article overwhelmingly disagrees with the article's prediction. Though it's anyone's guess if the voters think his prediction is too high or too low.  )

'Dark Shadows' is lighter with Tim Burton

Director Tim Burton and Johnny Depp reteam for revival of vampire soap opera ‘Dark Shadows'
(Who knew Barnabas would be awakening in 1976? But then, what are DS articles without glaring errors?  )

3 days 9 hours 14 minutes 20 seconds until the day the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is released(ET)!!