We all spend a lot of time complaining about sequels and remakes and remakes of sequels posing as prequel-reboots, but sometimes Hollywood jumping in the wayback machine is an inspired idea.
“Dark Shadows” is a gothic soap opera that aired when I was just a toddler. My parents tell me I was addicted to it, but I have no memory whatsoever of that. They also tell me I was an absolutely adorable toddler, which I don’t doubt in the least. Primetime television attempted to resurrect the series in 1991, but it only lasted a single season. And so this is perfect remake material, especially for a director like Tim Burton.
Furthermore, the casting is inspired: Johnny Depp, the criminally under-appreciated Helena Bonham Carter, Christopher Lee, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jackie Earle Haley, and the impossibly beautiful Michelle Pfeiffer.
It doesn’t hurt that this has the same vibe as both “Addams Family” movies — which remain (thanks in large part to Raul Julia) two of the best film adaptations of a television show ever.
ACADEMY WANTS OVERT POLITICKING TO GO AWAY
This is so dumb:
[The Academy] would like to see all those awards grabs — the meet-and-greet lunches and cocktail receptions, the post-screening Q&As, the DVD launches and “holiday parties” — just go away.
That’s not going to happen. That’s because new rules, which the Academy announced Wednesday, are largely focused on the period between when nominations are announced Jan. 24 and final ballots are due Feb. 21. They are likely to have two effects. According to a quick survey of publicists and awards consultants already busy planning the upcoming season, the months leading up to nominations could become more frenetic than ever.
So I guess that if your best friend is nominated for an Oscar you can’t have dinner with him between the 24th of January and February 21.
These Academy edicts surrounding promotion and Oscar remind me of gun control laws where decent people who really want to live by the rules are put at a disadvantage. There are a lot of truly good people who work in Hollywood and now they’re faced with a terrible choice. They can either do the right thing knowing those who never do are enjoying an unfair advantage over them or they can violate their own value system.
Furthermore, trying to control self-promotion in Hollywood is like to trying to control Michelle Obama around French fries. Stupid to even try.
ROCKETMAN: ELTON JOHN PREPPING “BIOGRAPHICAL MUSICAL FANTASY.”
This sounds like it could be something very special. Over the past four decades, Elton John has delivered too many great songs to count, has lived an amazing life, and is his own man when it comes to the way he looks at the world.
OH NOES: REDBOX LIKELY TO INCREASE PRICES
So it will now cost me $1.25 to feel the thrill of sticking it to Netflix. I can live with that. Besides, Redbox is mostly about renting movies, most movies suck and the pleasure of not renting them is free.
As you can see I’m a glass half-full kinda guy.
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SCOTTDS’ EPIC LINK-TACULAR
TOTO WANTS ANSWERS ON JASON STATHAM
FOX PICKS UP KIEFER SUTHERLAND DRAMA SERIES FROM HEROES CREATOR TIM KRING
10 GREATEST BRITISH FILM ENSEMBLES
TITLE SEQUENCE FOR ‘DEXTER’ INSPIRED BY SAUL BASS
FOR YOU SCREENWRITERS OUT THERE: HOW TO CRAFT A GREAT LOGLINE
HBO’S ENTREPRENEURIAL ‘HOW TO MAKE IT IN AMERICA’ RETURNS OCTOBER 2ND…
…READ BIG HOLLYWOOD’S POSITIVE REVIEW OF SEASON 1
WATCH THE RARE DOCUMENTARY ‘STANLEY KUBRICK: THE INVISIBLE MAN‘
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER MEMOIR TO BE TITLED ‘TOTAL RECALL’
10 ARCHITECTURAL SINS OF SUPERHERO BASES
SUMMER TENTPOLE MOVIES ARRIVING ON DVD
‘HUMAN CENTIPEDE 2’ GROSS-OUT POSTER
SCREEN RANT REVIEWS ‘PRIME SUSPECT’ PREMIERE
‘ROBOCOP’ REMAKE DIRECTOR PROMISES A DIFFERENT SCI-FI FLICK
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LAST NIGHT’S SCREENING
Half-listened to the GOP debate while painting the living room ceiling and replacing some old electrical outlets. It’s not the electric shocks that bother me every time I pretend I know what I’m doing around electricity, it’s that the smell of burning hair lingers for days.
As far as the debates, they’re getting pretty dull. The only real news is that Perry is his own worst enemy and his flailing is leaving a real gap in the GOP line-up — and that gap just happens to resemble a fearless, two-fisted scrapper who’s right on all the issues and hails from the Great White North.
You know I’m right.
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