Hey RJ - hope you had a great day!

Stay happy

Stuart

I was watching some Dream Curse episodes today and I was just floored by how good Thayer David and the character are.  It's a massive shame that Stokes wasn't one of the show's front-runners, because he's just electric - everything you want in a character. He's witty, brave, literate, surprising and clever - and best of all, he's just endlessly interesting.

Thayer has an incredible flair for making the fantastic and silly seem real and compelling - no matter how hokey the situation or dialogue, he plays it with intregrity, passion and conviction. And, above all, you sense that this is a special character and a special actor. Nothing humdrum or ordinary here - Stokes can be in a scene doing nothing, yet he always counts.

As for the WB pilot, sharp-eared viewers will have spotted that Stokes already played a crucial role in the proceedings.  With that in mind, I've no doubt he'd have turned up on the show before too long.

I would appreciate in the future if you do not take my words out of context. You are better than that. My statement was not based on a legal foundation but one on a moral basis and I used the word "perhaps"...

Sorry, but I don't see how I have taken anything out of context.  Even, taking your own clarification of arguing a "right" on a moral basis, I'm having a tough time following your logic.  Each to their own, though.

TBH, I don't think it's a question of revivals coming to an end or running out of steam...  The culture of reunions, sequels and remakes has been ticking along for nearly three decades now on TV and film, and the hit rate has always been pretty lousy.

The Doctor Who revival is a great example of how to get these things right.  In terms of critical accomplishment and commercial success it is the most triumphant return of a television show ever accomplished.  Sure, there is an element of nostalgia for some of its audience, but for the vast majority, Doctor Who worked because it was the most imaginative, exciting show British TV had enjoyed in years.  The fact it was a revival of an old show was totally incidental.

If a new Dark Shadows is to have a point at all, it needs that kind of impact. Being Dark Shadows isn't good enough...  Make it of the best shows on TV in its own right, and it might have a chance.

Have a great day

NoDS was a success by '70s movies standards. In fact, its domestic box office rental total is only a few hundred thousand dollars less than that of hoDS.

Add to that the fact the NODS didn't have the massive promotional boost HODS received from the daytime series airing concurrently, and there's even less between the two.  In real terms, its performance is really quite remarkable, not least considering how drastically compromised the final cut was.

I'll keep this brief, but in a nutshell I was floored by the whole thing...

I think without a doubt the pilot is one of the most densely fascinating 40 minutes of television I have ever seen. The really sad thing to reflect upon is that so much of that quality and scope is the contribution of PJ Hogan, who I think has been the recipient of one of the most sour and misplaced whispering campaigns possible.

What this DS has is a genuine sense of wonder and beauty - and looking at Dan's turn in 1991 and Rob Bowman's recent work, it wouldn't have gotten that without PJ's contribution. It's bold, assured and - love it or hate it - offers more character and identity in 40 minutes than the 1991 show managed in a dozen episodes.

A pilot is a statement of intent - showing the world your concept and getting them swept along in the process. PJ nailed that. This DS is joyously different from anything else on television - it's not a copy of an old show or a reshoot of an old movie. It lives and breathes and takes its audience on an amazing, epic ride. And that is what turns a workmanlike remake into something that stands on its own two feet and deserves a place in the schedule in its own right.

The only thing that spoiled it for me was Mark Dawidziak's introduction - a very wrong-footed and idiosyncratic speech which seemed to serve little real purpose.

Sorry guys, there is no truth in the master tape haul mentioned on that site whatsoever. Wishful thinking all around, unfortunately.