Depp/Burton DARK SHADOWS Is In Release!!

[David]

Public disagreements on the film's merits aside, does anyone else think that Eva Green's delicious, scenery chewing Bette Davis like performance might actually be worthy of an Academy nomination?

[dom]

Not as long as hers and Bette Davis' names are continued to be brought up in the same sentence, lol. (And I am more than 1/2 serious.)

To be honest with you though, I did wonder if any of the performances were (seriously) Oscar worthy. I was impressed with everyone.

[David]

 

Fasten your seat belts! It's going to be a bumpy 200 years!

[Gerard]

I'm hoping that someday I can buy the DVD (not the Blu-Ray - I can't afford one on those contraptions) so I can see it again.  I'm really financially strapped right now.  My gas has been turned off and I'm staying warm with space-heaters.

Gerard

[Mysterious Benefactor]

For me , the movie definitely gets better the more I've seen it (this was the third time). Knowing all the stuff to come makes the story more "filled in", and the Vicki/Josette character doesn't seem to have been "abandoned" as much midway through the film--maybe because I'm noticing every little detail a lot more. And the lack of audience laughter makes the vomit scene easier to take. Hey, even the Carolyn stuff at the end seemed to play out more slowly and not be so out-of-left-field.

I just finished watching the film for my third time as well and I couldn't agree with you more, KMR. I loved the film even more this time than I did the two times I saw it in theaters - and it's quite interesting how watching it alone seems to make it even less of a "comedy" than I thought it was in the theaters (I'll never fathom WB's marketing campaign!). And something else I think I noticed this time around is that there seems to be two other things in some of the trailers and TV spots that aren't in the film. But I'm going to have to pay close attention the next time I watch to be sure that it isn't simply a case of the trailers and TV spots taking bits of dialogue from one scene and making it seem like it's from an entirely different scene.

And the Blu-ray is just absolutely gorgeous

Indeed!

I haven't watched any of the extras yet even though I'm dying to. But I've had a long day, so I think I'll probably wait to watch those tomorrow night. But I did check out the menu system for the Blu-ray, and it's totally different than the menus for the Sherlock Holmes and Batman films. There really isn't even any reference to Maximum Movie Mode except on the packaging - the actual menu choice for what is Maximum Movie Mode simply says "Play Movie with Focus Points".

And finally, I was surprised to see that the front of the slip cover for the Blu-ray is 3D. I didn't read about that anywhere, nor did I even suspect it might be a possibility.

148 days 23 hours 14 minutes 26 seconds since the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows has been in release(ET)!

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

[David]

 

Christmas is coming, Gerard. A little birdie told me that Santa Claus has a recordable DVD player, and that he just might  be willing to record the film for you when it comes to HBO.

[joe integlia]

i heard they are going to stop making/selling dvd recorders because everyone has dvrs or burning dvds in their computers and they are not going to distribute blu ray dvd recorders at all in the usa.

[michael c]

i disliked the film intensely upon my first theatrical viewing...


but upon subsequent viewings and certainly with the DVD release it's grown on me considerably. as someone said it's "it's own animal". it's a lighthearted romp.

certainly much of the criticism leveled at it...it's disjointed and hastily edited, most of the characters are poorly developed and underused, it's sort of all over the place...are quite valid. in terms of film structure it's deeply flawed. but it has it's own weird tempo and charm. and some great performances. in particular pfieffer, green and bohnam carter are really good. so is depp.


so while some of my initial reservations persist...i dislike the "magtoria" compromise and the late carolyn "reveal" will never sit well...i've come to accept it on it's own weird terms. it's an homage. a bit of a folly. but it can't be taken too seriously.

[michael c]

speaking of the much-despised carolyn "reveal"...


one of the benefits of at home viewing is the ability to fast forward through the explosive and overstuffed "climactic scene".

i never have to see it again.

[Gerard]

David, you are an absolute saint!

Gerard

[Mysterious Benefactor]

This is certainly an interesting (and quite favorable) review of the Blu-ray:

Dark Shadows | DVD => Blu-ray Review | Slant Magazine


And according to this Web site, the DS DVD/Blu-ray is #1 in rentals and #2 in sales:

'Dark Shadows' is popular with home viewers




And as if the previous discussion about extended cut video releases wasn't bad enough, more quite possible proof that there is no God is the report that Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, yet another film to flop badly, is getting a 3 disc Blu-ray release. Yes, you read that right! Not a 3 disc DVD release - but a 3 disc Blu-ray release!! 

“ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER” Blu-ray Details

However, the report may be questionable because details on Amazon indicate that both the 3D and the regular Blu-ray are only 1 disc releases. I suppose time will tell...


(

i heard they are going to stop making/selling dvd recorders because everyone has dvrs or burning dvds in their computers and they are not going to distribute blu ray dvd recorders at all in the usa.

I can pretty much confirm that because I have a friend who was looking around for a new DVD recorder (because his current one was starting to act up) and all he could find were models that were manufactured years ago. And after asking a clerk at Best Buy why that is, he was told that companies have stopped manufacturing them because DVRs have taken over the market - so he went with one of those.)


149 days 11 hours 29 minutes 4 seconds since the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows has been in release(ET)!

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

[David]

 
It's anti-DS bias, MB.

(Joe: I found some info, and some companies have stopped making DVD recorders, but some have not.
My current model works great, but there's plenty more readily available, so Gerard can count on Santa Claus delivering Depp Shadows down his chimney!)

[David]

 

Burton's Frankenweenie reboot came in at #5, grossing less than half of what Depp Shadows opened with.
There's a definite anti-Burton backlash going on.

It occurs to me, with Burton/Depp/Smith, and not Dan Curtis, taking heat from the Depp Shadows naysayers, that we could very well see more DS films, but with Burton/Smith kept out of the franchise.

Ang Lee's Hulk (2003) and Superman Returns both underperformed. Both got reboots.

[KMR]

And as if the previous discussion about extended cut video releases wasn't bad enough, more quite possible proof that there is no God is the report that Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, yet another film to flop badly, is getting a 3 disc Blu-ray release. Yes, you read that right! Not a 3 disc DVD release - but a 3 disc Blu-ray release!! 

“ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER” Blu-ray Details

However, the report may be questionable because details on Amazon indicate that both the 3D and the regular Blu-ray are only 1 disc releases. I suppose time will tell...

I suppose the 3-disc Blu-ray would be the equivalent to the 2-disc edition that Dark Shadows has. DS has a single-disc Blu-ray and a 2-disc Blu-ray/DVD. Abraham Lincoln's 2-disc Blu-ray/DVD would be expanded to 3-disc to include the 3D version on a separate disc.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

     It says as much right across the top of the 3D edition's packaging, which I never bothered to look at - I simply looked at Amazon's summary. Though it never even dawned on me that they'd be offering a 3D Blu-ray disc, PLUS a normal Blu-ray disc, AND a DVD disc. I'm sure there are people out there that would appreciate that, but to me, if I was buying it for the 3D Blu-ray, that would be two extra discs too many that I would probably never watch. But anything to jack up the price, I suppose. 

Thanks for clearing that up, KMR. 


And in other news, which is what I was really coming here to post about, Kickin' It did a totally different segment this weekend for the DS DVD/Blu-ray. This latest one featured clips from the film and behind the scenes along with an interview with Johnny Depp. So, together with what was on last weekend and on Friday's Entertainment Tonight (which I didn't see until after joe had posted about it, and which featured excerpts from the trailer, and which, even though it referred to the film as a comedy, at least it was as a "dark comedy") that's a total of at least four promotions for the release. 

149 days 21 hours 19 minutes 15 seconds since the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows has been in release(ET)!

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