Dark Shadows
What little I've watched of the old
Dark Shadows soap opera, I felt it creepy and moody and had wanted
nothing to do with it. However, when I found out that Tim Burton was
doing a full feature film, I was on board. I know he's had his
misses, but it's hard to fail when Burton and Depp are involved.
The story seems typical: A jilted lover
kills Barnabas parents, lover, and turns him into a vampire. Then,
the bitch has the nerve to get the townspeople to bury him alive in an iron
coffin for 196 years. Modern (well sort of, 1972) day construction
frees him and he reacquaints himself with his long lost family. I
should say that this seems typical as of late, given all the horror
treats we've had over the last 15 years. We're not surprised by much
anymore.
I'll stop short of calling the plot weak because that's not
what this film is selling. This film is selling imagery, nostalgia,
and maybe a little Depp. Actually, a lot of Depp. And Depp's
masterful dialog. And cleavage. Everyone but the 2 youngest women
were literally bursting at the seems. And while everything from
wardrobe, lighting, cinematography, and sound were just top notch,
there were some things I thought were underutilized. For example, the
two ghosts, one of which was Barabas first love. The other was a
victim of Angelique, the film antagonist. I would have though both of
them would have helped a bit more. Oh, and the nostalgia, thankfully,
wasn't ran into the ground like I had thought it might. It was well
placed and quirky, but NOT part of the overall story. The soundtrack
was also outstanding and there's a kick ass cameo by the ugliest
woman known to mankind, Alice Cooper!
I'm glad I saved this for last. It was
the quickest 113 minutes of this season, and my favorite as well. The
lack of a proper epilog and a predictable teaser at the end were the
only real beefs I had with this film. This, I feel, is a must watch.
And that's it! 31 features in 31 days.
My curiosity for never ending sequels may have been the reason most
of my picks were absolutely terrible this year, but as I said on Oct. 1st: This
is the only genre that holds the worst in the same regard as the
best. And I think this year I've seen both.
But I do have one last bonus I'd like
to share with you:
Friday: I'm going to read a fucking book!!!...so god damn tired of movies right now......
I;m reading the Hollows series by Kim Harrison - or I was - but tomorrow...I think I might try writing again for the first time in a year. We'll see.
ReplyDeleteI want to like Dark Shadow (the series) but I have trouble being impressed by it. First, the series has been restarted at least twice, not including the 90s (?) miniseries. Barnabas was like persona non grata in the first series, if I'm not mistaken, and talked about more than seen. I remember lots of spooky creepiness that...never went anywhere. At least the last series incarnation actually featured Barnabas and not just a bunch of people voguing ennui-style in dimly lit rooms.