He mentions specifically a subplot involving David and Barnabas being cut already by the time he was shown a workprint.

The curse of Dark Shadows:  an elaborate narrative is constructed; studio suits bark "cut it down, boys!" the feckless auteurs scamper to obey, and the result is a hash.

Sound familiar?

G.

Amanda, just a line to say that I found your review utterly fascinating!  and not just because you quote me, lol. 

Ben and Taeylor and others, I look forward to reading your reviews soon!

Best, G.

So cool!  Luv the "mystery photo."  (It was taken not far from my workplace.)

G.

I don't know to what extent this factor has been discussed here, but we are obviously all aware of disgruntled DS fans gunning for the project in certain forums. Where reviews are concerned, the factor to be aware of is that there are people in "the Industry," including a number of professional critics, who are gunning for Tim Burton and who have probably been sharpening their hatchets for weeks now in preparation for the movie's opening.

I can't go over the litany of reasons why so many people in the industry profess to have had it with Burton, but it's been a frequent topic in certain other forums where I have seen the DS project discussed.  This has nothing to do with people's perceptions about what DS should or should not be; it has to do with people perceiving that Burton has sold out/come to a dead end/stopped caring/is repeating himself/etc. and so on.

The Forbes mag piece seems a bit premature.  There are many cases of movies tanking with the critics and cleaning up at the box office.  Just think of the Adam Sandler films (I think these were mentioned previously), the hot tub time machine films, the hangover films, etc.

cheers, G.

Yeah.  If more of the movie were going to be along the lines of PfeiffLiz's scenes with BarnaDepp and JuliaBC, I might actually be interested in seeing it.

But most of what I have seen of it makes me think the thing will be a crashing bore. With stunning costumes and art direction, granted.

G.

Interesting.

This isn't a spoiler really, but in this new "featurette," you hear the "Carolyn" flute riff from hoDS playing over the scene when the construction crew have just unearthed Barnabas and he utters the "thirsty" line when about to attack one of the men. 

G.

I'm the same way, Gerard.  I've seen so many of these things now that what gives me real pleasure is the quality of the performances, how the story is told, whether the dialogue is of a superior calibre, etc. 

It takes a really devious inventive mind to surprise me.  Two movies where I was at least jolted were Carrie and The Crying Game (where the "big reveal" was less of a surprise than how the director chose to reveal it).  I thought I couldn't ever be shocked like that again but it happened a couple of years ago when I saw the 1989 film The Woman in Black (recently re-made by a coalition of production companies including a revived aegis of Hammer studios).  A friend told me that there was no attempt in the remake to re-stage the shocking scene in the 1989 version.  Which was probably just as well.

cheers, G.