Depp/Burton DARK SHADOWS Is In Release!!

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I blame it all on the retailers, because they were practically giving away Blu-rays!   

Amazon might as well have been giving them away when it came to some of their Lightning Deals - and by example I got the DVD/Blu-ray Combo of In Time, which features Bella Heathcote (and it will be interesting to see her in something different because I never have), for only $3.99! How can you pass up deals like that when it comes to something you already have in mind to buy at some point?!

The Depp/Burton Dark Shadows played in US theaters for at least 161 days/23 weeks!!

The Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is now out on DVD/Blu-ray!!

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I was just over on Entertainment Weekly's Web site and noticed that they've already posted their best and worst movies lists (even though they haven't put them in the magazine yet - well, unless they're in the issue due in stores and in the mail). The Depp/DS didn't make the best lists - not that I thought it would.    But it also didn't make the worst lists. Though I didn't think it would make those lists either because they gave it a B+ when they reviewed it. But something that I haven't even been thinking about until now is that it will be interesting to see if it makes any other critics' worst lists because, as we know, some critics really savaged it.

Not surprisingly, though, is that John Carter came out on top of EW's worst lists. 

The Depp/Burton Dark Shadows played in US theaters for at least 161 days/23 weeks!!

The Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is now out on DVD/Blu-ray!!

[madscntst]

I hope it won't be on any worst lists!  But I don't think it will be.  I think most of the reviews that weren't good seemed to indicate disappointment, not living up to expectations, and/or being weary of Burton/Depp collaborations, as opposed to out-and-out hatred.  In other words, I don't think it was bad enough to really merit that kind of mention.  I've been looking at people's predictions for "Razzies" (basically awards for the worst of the year), and haven't seen DS anywhere.  In contrast, I wouldn't be surprised at seeing Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (which I saw recently and was very disappointed in- much more so than DS, despite enjoying the book) or The Raven (which I thought was even worse- I gave it a rare 1 star in my Netflix rating).  I can't speak for John Carter since I didn't see it 

I've been following the recent critics awards and top ten lists, hoping that maybe DS would be mentioned in some of the smaller categories, such as effects or musical score, but I haven't seen it on any of those kinds of lists yet.  I saw somewhere that Danny Elfman has something like 6 eligible film scores this year (including DS), but he's never won an Oscar.  It doesn't seem like he's made most lists yet     However, Burton seems to be doing pretty well so far with Frankenweenie as one of the best animated features.  Unfortunately, I missed seeing that one in theaters, but I'm sure I'll rent the DVD.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I would also hope that it doesn't make any worst lists - but sometimes there's really no rhyme nor reason as to what does. For example, I've seen Prometheus on several worst lists despite getting many great reviews. In fact, on that certain Web site that I don't mention by name here, Prometheus had a rating that was something like twice as high as what DS had, and I've had several people tell me they loved it (to the point where one of these days I want to get the Blu-ray). (But then the reason I don't mention that site is because, as I've said before - and even before DS even came out (so it's not just about DS), their whole rating system makes no sense to me. How films with average critics ratings of over 5 out 10 and audience ratings of over 3 out of 5 can have percentages well below 50% is beyond me. But I guess despite the fact that I majored in Math in college, I don't understand their math.  ) Though, of course, when it comes to worst lists, and even best lists, it's all often very subjective.

The Depp/Burton Dark Shadows played in US theaters for at least 161 days/23 weeks!!

The Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is now out on DVD/Blu-ray!!

[Gothick]

I finally saw Depp Shadows tonight.  I got it via my Netflix subscription.  I'd give the movie a C+, maybe a B whenever Pfeiffer and HBC were onscreen.   It just didn't really engage me one way or the other.  The sets were more interesting to me than any of the characters.  Eva Green was a little better than I had thought she would be given how she appeared in the clips and trailers.  Colleen Atwood's fashions deserved high marks.  The cameos by our old friends and Sir Christopher Lee seemed pointless. I wondered whether Lee's had been cut down from what was originally filmed.

I could go on but there would be little point.  I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it.  I just felt... "meh."

I am glad some of you enjoyed it so much you watched it over and over again. 

Happy holidays,

G.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I am glad some of you enjoyed it so much you watched it over and over again.

I can't believe that I still haven't found the time to watch any of the extras yet. But I did watch the film twice when I first got the Blu-ray - and as I said back then, I enjoyed it even more than I had in theaters. I really do believe the film improves on repeated viewing, quite possibly because you're able to notice things you may not have noticed before and you're able to savour certain things that you know are coming up. 

The Depp/Burton Dark Shadows played in US theaters for at least 161 days/23 weeks!!

The Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is now out on DVD/Blu-ray!!

[Lydia]

I bought the DVD, and when I watched it, my reaction was pretty much exactly the same as it was the one time I watched it in the theater: some things were very good, some things were very bad.

What tips me towards a negative opinion of the movie is the lack of discussion of it here.  Start a topic about the original series, and you'll have people piling in to give their various opinions, and dragging in all sorts of irrelevant issues.  Start a topic about the Johnny Depp movie...and it doesn't attract much interest.

[michael c]

interesting observation lydia...

while fans viewing the film have either liked it or disliked it or, in many cases, despised it completely what almost nobody seems to have is any emotional investment in it.


there is something almost emotionally void, or dare i say, bloodless about much of the reaction to it. not counting of course the blood lust of those who wanted burton's head on a pike.


for all of the hype and money spent in the end it might end up being a minor, peripheral, part of the whole thing.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Oh, I don't know. I'd say discussion of the Depp/DS film is just about where I'd expect it to be - particularly for a new version of DS. If one goes back through this topic, one can see that there are definitely posts which share very favorable views of the film or which discuss some aspect or other of the film - the posts aren't all simply about links to various online articles or about the film's box office. And the responses to polls about the film are pretty much in line with responses to practically any poll on the forum. 

It's probably also worth pointing out that there really isn't a lot that's been posted about the two original DS films. In fact, when it comes to the original films, there's probably more posts about if/when they were ever going to come out on DVD than anything else. And for me anyway, I don't read into that that there's a negative opinion of those films simply because there's a lack of in depth discussion about them. The real truth of the matter is that the lion's share of what gets discussed here is related to the original series. But then there's nothing in the least bit surprising about that because there's a lot more opportunity for discussions when there are hundreds of hours of story and 1225 episodes and not simply three films with 90-120 minutes of story. 

Though to get back to the Depp/DS film, plans with regard to it for the coming year on the forum have been in the works behind the scenes for the past several months. And who knows, maybe those plans will prompt more discussion? Or maybe not. We'll just have to wait and see...

The Depp/Burton Dark Shadows played in US theaters for at least 161 days/23 weeks!!

The Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is now out on DVD/Blu-ray!!

[Gothick]

I found it profoundly uninvolving.  The one scene that stuck with me was Barnabas arriving at Collinwood and talking about the beauty of the craftsmanship (a scene closely modeled on the one in the OS where Barnabas returns to the Old House for the first time and tells Miss Winters about how it was built, etc.--I think this was Frid's third episode).  It was beautifully filmed and accentuated the incredible set designs that had been created.

I don't really care enough to pillory it or defend it.  I am left, as I think Burke Devlin once said in the OS, with a series of question marks, but no real motivation to investigate.

I don't agree though that nobody has any emotional investment in it... there are some here who really loved it. No need to name names but if you go back and read the posts around the time of the premiere, it's clear that there are fans here who reacted with genuine passion & delight to this experience.

G.

[michael c]

perhaps the scope of the story doesn't readily lend itself to the 90-120 minute time frame...


i recently purchased the HoDS DVD and my only attachment to it was the familiar actors/characters and story. as a stand alone narrative it was profoundly disengaging.

[David]

 

I noticed that the new Bond film Skyfall isn't making back it's cost at the US box office and is turning a profit from overseas ticket sales--just like Depp Shadows.
But NO ONE is calling Skyfall a bomb!

[David]

Now that the Academy nominates ten performers in each acting category, is there any chance of any Depp Shadows acting nods? Pfeiffer and/or Green in the supporting category?

[dom]

Wow, I am so out of touch, I thought only the film nominations were increased. I wouldn't expect anyone to get a nod but I do think Eva Green deserves one.

[David]

 

Eva chewed the scenery!