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  • Dark Shadows

    Saw the 7:25 pm showing of Dark Shadows at the Ward Theater today, it was shown in one of their big theaters and it wasn't that crowded.

    While I do remember the TV series on ABC back in the 1960's I don't think I ever saw an episode back then, still I don't think that is a requirement to see this movie.

    The horror is really on the light side, some drama, some comedy, mostly due to the main character being a vampire who was locked in a coffin for nearly 200 years and gets released in 1972 and is trying to understand the nunances of the time period, course there are others things that go bump in the night, but they are not bumpping that hard.

    Overall an average movie.

  • #2
    Re: Dark Shadows

    The original series was literally hundreds of half hour episodes.
    Within that timespan the character development could expand with subtle nuances.
    Although a noble attempt, it's not possible to compress that much acting into a two hour
    time frame.
    The original tv episodes are very enjoyable.

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    • #3
      Re: Dark Shadows

      I was wondering if Johnny Depp might bring his strangely humorous acting into the movie enough to make it worthwhile watching. Does he?
      Now run along and play, but don’t get into trouble.

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      • #4
        Re: Dark Shadows

        Originally posted by lensperson View Post
        The original series was literally hundreds of half hour episodes.
        Within that timespan the character development could expand with subtle nuances.
        Although a noble attempt, it's not possible to compress that much acting into a two hour
        time frame.
        1,225 episodes, to be exact. And no, it is neither possible (nor even desireable) to produce a 2 hour movie that followed the same plot line as the original daytime serial. The first 200 or so eps didn't even include Barnabas Collins in the cast. And like many daytime soaps, the plot meandered aimlessly, as the writers on staff simply wanted to keep the daily drama and suspense going for as long as they could, with no predetermined climax in mind. When the original series was finally cancelled, the story was taking place in an alternate time line, which meant that Jonathan Frid ended up playing a character that was not Barnabas. Definitely not a way to end a Dark Shadows movie.
        This post may contain an opinion that may conflict with your opinion. Do not take it personal. Polite discussion of difference of opinion is welcome.

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        • #5
          Re: Dark Shadows

          I watched part of the pilot today (of the tv series) on cable and it very definitely did include Barnabas. Of course, they were different actors that were on the daily series, which I also watched when I was much younger. But the pilot did set up the series.
          "Democracy is the only system that persists in asking the powers that be whether they are the powers that ought to be."
          – Sydney J. Harris

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          • #6
            Re: Dark Shadows

            Originally posted by Amati View Post
            I was wondering if Johnny Depp might bring his strangely humorous acting into the movie enough to make it worthwhile watching. Does he?
            If you haven't seen the trailers to this movie, you can view them from the Apple Trailers web site. Will need Quicktime in order to view it but what sold me to see this movie was when he tried to rip open the TV set to get out the person singing inside of it and when he repllied to a girl who asked "Are you stoned or something?" and his reply was "They tried stoning my dear, it did not work."

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            • #7
              Re: Dark Shadows

              I guess I am a little biased, as I A) LOVE TIM BURTON, and B) am a Depp fan(Though I still haven't seen the Pirates of the Caribbean movies), and I have always love the collaboration between the two. while I won't be rushing out to see this in the theaters(I prefer my home set up, and the ability to pause for whatever needs may arise), I will be watching this as soon as it hits Bluray.

              I like that some of the cast was also in an older mix of the two, Edward Scissor-hands.


              My mom, and her Spousal equivalent went last night to see it(they do movies, every Friday)and my mom enjoyed it. . .for me, that's saying something, as ole Mom can be a tough nut to crack, and a hard lady to please(more power to her man, lol).

              looking forward to seeing it for myself!
              flickr

              An email from God:
              To: People of Earth
              From: God
              Date: 9/04/2007
              Subject: stop

              knock it off, all of you

              seriously, what the hell


              --
              God

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              • #8
                Re: Dark Shadows

                Originally posted by anapuni808 View Post
                I watched part of the pilot today (of the tv series) on cable and it very definitely did include Barnabas. Of course, they were different actors that were on the daily series, which I also watched when I was much younger. But the pilot did set up the series.
                Which pilot are you referring to? If it's the 1991 revival, then yes. Barnabas Collins is a part of that story from the get go. But not so with the original series. At the beginning, the central figure was Victoria Winters and storylines dwelled on her personal relationships with the Collins/Stoddard family, as well as love interest Burke Devlin. There were story arcs that featured ghosts and other supernatural happenings, but no vampires until a couple of crooks trying to swindle the Collins household tried to rob a family tomb hoping to find valuables,..... and the rest was history.

                The Barnabas character was originally created with the idea that he would be killed off after a period of time. But the audience response was so positive that they not only kept Barnabas on ths show, they turned him into the lead character.
                This post may contain an opinion that may conflict with your opinion. Do not take it personal. Polite discussion of difference of opinion is welcome.

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                • #9
                  Re: Dark Shadows

                  It might have been the 1991 revival (which I hadn;t even known about) due to the clothing/hair styles. Thanks for pointing out the difference. and also, it didn't feature Jonathan Frid (?) as Barnabas. Thanks for pointing out the difference. Carry on.
                  "Democracy is the only system that persists in asking the powers that be whether they are the powers that ought to be."
                  – Sydney J. Harris

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                  • #10
                    Re: Dark Shadows

                    Frid was an assential element of the series.
                    Meandering is a way of mapping the environment.
                    Cats have an enormous visual mapping facility.
                    They can see at night.
                    The crew evolved though numerous hardware upgrades.
                    .

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                    • #11
                      Re: Dark Shadows

                      Dark Shadows (2012)
                      Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green

                      I don’t know the first thing about the long-running horror-gothic television soap opera upon which Dark Shadows is based, but I have a feeling that doesn’t matter much because it’s a Tim Burton movie and that all by itself is going to have people instantly predisposed either to liking it or not getting it. It’s campy and stylized as heck and totally worth seeing even if you’re merely a casual admirer of the Burton-Depp team.

                      With the exception of the first Pirates of the Caribbean film, I’ve never seen Depp enjoy playing a role as much as he seems to enjoy playing Barnabas Collins, a member of the Collins family that in the Eighteenth Century established its wealthy presence in an eastern U.S. seaboard town named Collinsport. Barnabas is locked in a coffin by Angelique, a jilted lover, and emerges 202 years later to discover that in 1972 his family’s fish-cannery business is struggling, and the majesty of the Collins family (and of Collinwood, the family’s estate) has suffered, all at the hands of the same Angelique. She’s a witch, you see, and therefore sort of immortal, and Barnabas is a vampire, and apparently two hundred years isn’t too long still to be holding a grudge.

                      Collinwood is in dire financial straits, but Barnabas reveals to the family matriarch a secret treasure room. In exchange for this knowledge and for keeping the treasure a secret, the family matriarch (Michelle Pfeiffer in a very good performance) allows Barnabas to stay, and he sets out to restore the family’s long-lost glory.

                      True to its soap-opera roots, everyone in the household has some kind of secret, and covert machinations abound. It’s all just colorful background, though, for Depp’s performance, which is worthy of Oscar consideration. His well-mannered interactions with every other character is restrained (except when he needs to feed, of course) but sympathetic, as if Barnabas knows more about each member of his descended family than any of them knows about the others.

                      The visuals are excellent and there is a silly but hot love scene, and right there in the middle of it all is this fun and funny performance by Johnny Depp, who makes up for a story that’s somewhat less than compelling. Recommended on the strength of Depp’s performance alone; however, there’s a quite a bit else to like.

                      7/10 (IMDb rating)
                      77/100 (Criticker rating)
                      But I'm disturbed! I'm depressed! I'm inadequate! I GOT IT ALL! (George Costanza)
                      GrouchyTeacher.com

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                      • #12
                        Re: Dark Shadows

                        Very thoughtful review!
                        When I was a young boy I looked forward to stepping off the school bus and
                        arriving at home.

                        Each weekday there was a daily episode and the drama advanced day by day.
                        The initial plotline expanded greatly over the years.
                        The episodes contain ,in some sense, a diary of the times

                        The references to wealthy east coast families are cloaked.

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