I wasn’t expecting much from Dark Shadows, the latest in the ubiquitous onslaught of vampire films, so to say the film lived up to my expectations may be a bit misleading as far as its overall quality. Tim Burton’s latest collaboration with Johnny Depp is good enough to amuse, but not quite good enough to do anything else. It’s not overly funny, though it’s supposed to be a comedy, and it’s not scary at all, though it has elements of horror running through it as well. So the result is a hodgepodge of tonal inconsistencies, and though it has brief moments of the Burton we used to know, Dark Shadows is, ironically, a vampire movie with no bite.

Depp plays Barnabas Collins, a member of an industrious English family that moves to America to start a fishing business. When he spurns the love of his household servant, Angelique (Eva Green), he’s messed with the wrong girl: she’s actually a witch, and proceeds to murder his parents, kill the love of his life, turn Barnabas into a vampire, and then bury him alive for 200 years. Yikes. He’s released in 1972, and the rest of the movie is a series of culture shocks mixed in with a meandering story about Barnabas attempting to restore the family to its former glory. The modern-day Collins family is kind of a mess: Michelle Pfeiffer plays the matriarch, barely keeping their floundering business afloat; Chloe Moretz plays a testy teenager with an attitude; Gulliver McGrath is David, a young boy who can see ghosts; and Jonny Lee Miller plays the young boy’s philandering father. The rest of the supporting cast includes Helena Bonham Carter as a live-in doctor who is supposed to be helping David, Jackie Earle Haley as a drunken servant, and Bella Heathcote as Victoria Winters, David’s nanny and the new love interest for Barnabas.

Burton and Seth Grahame-Smith, the screenwriter, seem much more interested in comedy than horror here. They’d be lost, however, without Depp’s performance as the proper 18th century Englishman; his delivery of verbose dialogue provides fodder for many humorous encounters with 1970s technology, such as when he sees a car for the first time coming at him through the forest and yells at Satan, “mark me not with your strange luminance!” Ultimately, though, these moments alone aren’t enough to keep us laughing throughout. There’s only so much of that one gag we can take before it starts to fall flat, and while the rest of the cast is undoubtedly talented, the script doesn’t give them much to work with in the way of comedy.

Also inconsistent are the rules of vampiric lore, which seem to be played as a punch line when convenient and ignored elsewhere. Barnabas literally catches on fire at one point when he’s hit by a beam of sunlight (typical in the vampire mythos), but other times he carries on conversations while standing in the sun, sometimes not even fully covered by an umbrella or dark clothing. It’s a sign of laziness on the screenwriter’s part, wanting to have it both ways so Barnabas can operate during the day and interact with the 70s setting instead of being confined to the night (as he should have been). And speaking of inconsistencies, the love story between Barnabas and Victoria Winters seemed totally out of nowhere and completely unearned. There’s a revelation near the end that, despite describing the reasoning for her character being there, still doesn’t really make a ton of sense, and then a series of events during the film’s climax that is still baffling to me. Proper setup and payoffs apparently weren’t high on anyone’s priority list.

Eva Green’s performance is the only other worth mentioning, since she did some great work as the jealous witch. Her character is one of the few that I felt really committed to the classical melodrama the film was attempting to recreate (there’s a nice scene at the beginning when she turns Barnabas into a vampire), and her cracking facade near the film’s end was one of the coolest visual effect tricks in a movie that was surprisingly boring in that regard (especially considering Burton’s proclivity for cartoonish designs).

There’s a nice message in Dark Shadows about how family is the only true measure of wealth, but sadly that’s one of the few things that’s actually clearly presented in this zany story. Burton and Depp have been in a comfortable groove for a long time, and I can’t help but wonder if they’d both be better off working together in a totally different type of movie, one that ditches the gothic setting and idiosyncratic characters in favor of something fresh and new. At the same time, though, I appreciate the fact that Burton has carved out a place for himself in the movie landscape, as it’s always difficult for artists to establish a voice in this marketplace. I just wish he’d sing a different tune once in a while. (Big Fish, anyone?) Until next time…

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With the movie less than two months away we’ve finally been given the first trailer for Tim Burton’s latest, Dark Shadows. In my opinion the movie looks funny at the very least, so color me interested.

Watch the trailer below:

Based on the 60′s cult TV series with the same name, Dark Shadows is a gothic horror tale centered around vampire Barnabas Collins, played by Johnny Deep.

In 19th century, Barnabas is a rich playboy in Collinsport, Maine, master of the Collinwood Manor. When he breaks the heart Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green), a witch, she turns him into a vampire and buries him alive. The year is 1972, two centuries have past when Barnabas is accidentally freed from his coffin and returned to basically a new world. Here he finds the Collinwood Manor in ruin and the remnants of his family, a dysfunctional bunch, residing there.

Directed by Tim Burton, Dark Shadows stars Johnny Deep, Eva Green, Michelle Pfeiffer, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jackie Earl Haley and obviously Helena Bonham Carter, can’t have a Burton film without her now can we.

Dark Shadows opens May 11th in theaters and IMAX.

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This weekend director Andrew Stanton, famous for Pixar animations A Bug’s Life, Finding Nemo, and Wall-E, made his live-action debut with John Carter. There’s a saying that goes something like this: first you need to learn how to walk before you can run. Andrew Stanton, while he did cut his teeth in animation, jumped straight to a 50 mile marathon with the $250 million sci-fi epic John Carter.

But he is not the only animation director that makes his live-action debut this month. Phil Lord and Chris Miller of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, the Oscar nominated 2009 animated flick from Sony, are bringing 21 Jump Street to the big screen next week.

Obviously the duo of Phil Lord and Chris Miller are taking things slower compared to Andrew Stanton and unfortunately for the latter his first live-action flick is proving to be something of a box office bomb for Disney. According to estimates, John Carter opened with $30.6 million which is in line with expectations but a lot lower then what it should be doing in order to get a pass.

Over the years there have been more than a few directors that started in animation and then successfully transitioned to live-action. The following is not a ‘top list’ of the most popular individuals but more a collection of 5 directors in no particular order who managed to turn at least one or two box office hits during their live-action ventures.

Rob Minkoff

Co-director of the highest grossing hand-drawn animated film of all time, The Lion King, Rob Minkoff successfully transitioned to live-action (though not 100%) with Stuart Little back in 1999. It was a not so little film (no pun intended, the film did cost $133 million) based on the classic children novel of the same name written by E. B. White, that blended a computer generated hero (Stuart Little) with a live-action almost everything else. The movie went on to gross $300 million worldwide and even spawned a sequel released in 2002, handled again by the same Rob Minkoff, one that made quite a bit less ($170 million worldwide). He went back to Disney and in 2003 opened the rather bad Eddie Murphy comedy, The Haunted Mansion with a worldwide total of $182.3 million. Since then he also directed The Forbidden Kingdom, somewhat successful with $128 million around the world, and Flypaper, a movie almost no one saw when it opened in just 2 theaters back in August last year.

Kevin Lima

This guy right here co-directed one of the last Disney hand-drawn animations before the computer generated tide came and swept everything away, namely Tarzan. With $448.2 million worldwide in 1999, it was a very successful film so for his live-action debut, Disney handed him the reins to 102 Dalmatians, the sequel to the live-action remake of the 1961 animated classic. With only $183.6 million worldwide, 102 Dalmatians was not as successful as 101 Dalmatians (1996) and its $320.6 million. Also, the movie was kind of bad so not the best live-action start for Kevin Lima. Fortunately for him, Enchanted, his 2nd live-action adventure, proved to be a hit with both critics and the general audience, and took $340.5 million worldwide which was a damn good rebound for Kevin Lima. Disney are actually planning an Enchanted 2 for 2014 according to IMDB. Recently Kevin Lima went back to his roots for DreamWorks Animation’s upcoming Monkeys of Mumbai.

Brad Bird

Bird directed the magnificent The Iron Giant and then joined Pixar to direct The Incredibles and co-direct Ratatouille. With such a pedigree no wonder Tom Cruise was so keen on having him helm the 4th Mission: Impossible movie. So Brad Bird made his live-action debut last year in December with Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol and considering that film made $686.1 million worldwide so far, I’d say this is arguably one of the best transitions from one medium to another. Truth be told, Mission: Impossible was already a household name but following Mission: Impossible 3, there were probably a few execs at Paramount scared that Brad Bird would not deliver. Looking back now, he more than delivered. Possibly up next for Brad Bird is 1906 for Warner Bros, a movie centered on the historical San Francisco earthquake of 1906 that he’s been trying to get made for a while now.

Andrew Adamson

Co-director of Shrek 1 and 2 for DreamWorks Animations, Andrew Adamson made a big leap into live-action with The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in 2005. As you may remember, after Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings were adapted into very profitable movies that spanned multiple entries, every other studio wanting a piece of the cake and went after just about all the big fantasy books out there. Most of them failed miserably but Narnia was one of the exceptions. Based on the very popular first Narnia book by C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe generated $745 million worldwide so you can’t blame Disney for thinking they struck gold again.

With the second book, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian adapted in 2008, again under Andrew Adamson, they went all out and spent $225 million ($45 million more than the original). Disney also moved the release date from December to May, something they probably regret now. Anyway, Prince Caspian was a huge disappointment with just $419.6 million worldwide so the house of mouse ended up dropping the series, thus leaving Fox more than happy to continue where they left off, sans Andrew Adamson. According to IMDB, the director has now finished one of his next project, Cirque to Soleil: Worlds Away for a tentative 2012 release date while the other, Mister Pip, is still in post-production also for a 2012 release.

Tim Burton

Probably not many know this but Tim Burton actually started as an animator at Disney, working on The Fox and the Hound and The Black Cauldron. While his career in animation wasn’t as long or prolific as the other names on here, Tim Burton is arguably the most successful director to make the jump to live-action with big hits like Batman ($411.3 million worldwide), Batman Returns ($266.8 million), Sleepy Hollow ($206.1 million), Planet of the Apes (2001, $362.2 million), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ($475 million) and Alice in Wonderland (2010, $1,024.3 million). Then there are other great films he made, maybe not as popular but still noteworthy, titles like Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Big Fish, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street or his return to stop-motion animation, Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride. For 2012 he has two films in post-production, Dark Shadows based on the popular 60′s TV show, and stop-motion animated flick Frankenweenie based on a live-action short he directed in 1984.

So who do you think made the smoothest transition from animation to live-action? Or who you like best? Also, if I missed someone feel free to mention him and contribute to this post!

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Seth Grahame-Smith wrote Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, a movie for which the teaser was just released earlier today. A while back, news came out he was in talks to write a sequel to Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice, but info has been scarce until Grahame-Smith spoke with ShockTillYouDrop and gave an update on that film’s status.

When asked how close the project was to reality, the writer said he has a few more movies to write before he gets to the sequel, but revealed that he met with original Beetlejuice star Michael Keaton last week and apparently Keaton was very excited about the idea.

[Keaton's] been wanting to do it for 20 years and he’ll talk to anybody about it who will listen. I really told him, I have a huge reverence for Tim [Burton] and a huge reverence for that film in general. I don’t think we should do it if we shit on the legacy. He agrees. So, right now, it remains to be seen, I have a couple of story ideas, but we’re very early out.”

Embarrassingly, Beetlejuice is currently on my list of shame, but I’m aiming to remedy that soon because we’re talking about it on the newest episode of The Not Just New Movies Podcast. I’ll be able to weigh in on this soon, but in the meantime, you guys sound off in the comments: is it a good idea to have Keaton reprise his role in a sequel? Would you be interested in seeing it?

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These live-action Disney remakes/re-imaginings just keep on coming. According to THR Tim Burton is in talks with Warner Bros. to direct a live-action Pinocchio movie, and the director has his eye on Robert Downey Jr. to star.

No deals have been made, but if things happen Downey Jr. would play Geppetto, the woodcarver who creates the puppet who dreams of becoming a real boy. Warner Bros. wants things to work out quickly as there are a few Pinocchio projects in development, with the main competition being Pinocchio prequel The Three Misfortunes of Geppetto which is set-up at 20th Century Fox and has Shawn Levy (Real Steel) attached to direct.

Here’s some details on the story from THR:

In the version being developed at Warner Bros., Geppetto embarks on a quest to reunite with his missing marionette. The well-regarded script is by Pushing Daisies creator Bryan Fuller. Dan Jinks (American Beauty) is producing.

Neither Burton nor Downey has a deal with Warners, but sources say Burton is keen to direct the film and has begun talks with the studio, so it’s just a question of whether Pinocchio will be his next movie. The Alice in Wonderland director also is eyeing an adaptation of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children at Fox, among other projects.

The site mentions Warner Bros. may have to find another director if Burton can’t make it his next project, so a Burton/Downey Jr. collaboration may not even happen at all. Downey Jr. is a busy man nowadays so he may not be able to fit this Pinocchio movie in amongst all the Iron Man/Avengers sequels and a potential Sherlock Holmes 3.

Would you see a Tim Burton-directed live-action Pinocchio movie starring Robert Downey Jr. as Geppetto?

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Johnny Depp is a busy guy. Once he’s finished promotion for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides he’ll be heading to London to start shooting his 8th collaboration with Tim Burton, Dark Shadows.

Today Warner Bros. sent out a press release announcing the start of production, along with the official synopsis for the movie.

Filming begins this week on Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ “Dark Shadows,” which brings the cult classic television series to the big screen under the direction of Tim Burton. The film’s all-star ensemble cast includes Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Bella Heathcote, Chloe Moretz, and newcomer Gulliver McGrath.

In the year 1752, Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set sail from Liverpool, England to start a new life in America. But even an ocean was not enough to escape the mysterious curse that has plagued their family. Two decades pass and Barnabas (Johnny Depp) has the world at his feet—or at least the town of Collinsport, Maine. The master of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy…until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). A witch, in every sense of the word, Angelique dooms him to a fate worse than death: turning him into a vampire, and then burying him alive.

Two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his once-grand estate has fallen into ruin. The dysfunctional remnants of the Collins family have fared little better, each harboring their own dark secrets. Matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer) has called upon live-in psychiatrist, Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter), to help with her family troubles.

Also residing in the manor is Elizabeth’s ne’er-do-well brother, Roger Collins, (Jonny Lee Miller); her rebellious teenage daughter Carolyn Stoddard (Chloe Moretz); and Roger’s precocious 10-year-old son, David Collins (Gulliver McGrath). The mystery extends beyond the family, to caretaker Willie Loomis, played by Jackie Earle Haley, and David’s new nanny, Victoria Winters, played by Bella Heathcote.

It’s also worth noting that cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince) is working on the film so at least it will look great, even if Burton delivers another average film like he did with Alice in Wonderland. Burton has been hit and miss over recent years so hopefully he makes something along the lines of Sleepy Hollow and Sweeney Todd.

Dark Shadows is scheduled for release on May 11th, 2012.

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Over a year ago we heard that Tim Burton and Angelina Jolie were loosely attached to Disney’s Maleficent, a live-action take on the wicked fairy godmother who cast the original spell on Sleeping Beauty. Burton never officially signed on, but he got his Alice in Wonderland screenwriter Linda Woolverton to write the script.

After a year with little news on the project Heat Vision now reports that Burton has moved on and is no longer directing, but with Angelina Jolie still interested Disney are in search of a new director.

One of the names that has apparently surfaced in the early search is David Yates, director of the past four Harry Potter movies including Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, which looks nothing short of epic. Yates would be a great choice, but after spending the last 6 years in the fantasy genre he may want to do something different before diving back into magic and dragons.

If a director is found it could still be a year or two before it actually gets made as Jolie and Sony are currently searching for a director to helm Cleopatra, with David Fincher being a possible candidate.

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According to Deadline Eva Green, who played Bond girl Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale, will be joining Johnny Depp in Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows.

Green is negotiating to play the role of Angelique, a powerful witch who is tormented and bewitched by her love-hate relationship with Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp).

Dark Shadows is a gothic-horror tale centering on the life of vampire Barnabas Collins and his run-ins with various monsters, witches, werewolves and ghosts. The original TV series ran from 1966-1971 and Warner Bros. purchased the rights to make it into a movie in 2007.

Filming will begin in April, with a 2012 release likely.

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It has been confirmed by Deadline that Tim Burton and Johnny Depp’s 8th collaboration will be Dark Shadows, a gothic-horror tale centering on the life of vampire Barnabas Collins and his run-ins with various monsters, witches, werewolves and ghosts. The original TV series ran from 1966-1971 and Warner Bros. purchased the rights to make it into a movie in 2007.

We’re all familiar with Tim Burton’s style by now so we can expect Dark Shadows to be weird and wonderful. It’s early days yet but Helena Bonham Carter will probably appear (she’s been in every Burton film since 2001) and Depp can add another iconic role to his resume to sit alongside the Mad Hatter, Edward Scissorhands, Jack Sparrow, Sweeney Todd etc.

The April start date means Depp will probably have to rule himself out of Kathryn Bigelow’s Sleeping Dogs with Tom Hanks which is also shooting early next year, unless of course they can work something out. Dark Shadows will likely be released sometime in 2012.

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Generally the movies that are nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars have also received good reviews, which makes sense. But this year it may be different as according to Deadline Disney intends to give Alice in Wonderland (51% on Rotten Tomatoes) a “major advertising campaign” in the hope of gaining some Oscar love.

However, this won’t just be for the “technical nominations such as art direction, makeup, visual effects, and costumes, but also Best Picture and Director recognition.” Having seen Alice in Wonderland I could see it getting some technical nods, but Disney should be putting all it’s efforts behind Toy Story 3 which is by far a better film and stands a greater chance at actually winning. Wonderland may have made over $1 billion but that box office doesn’t always reflect quality, and clearly not everyone enjoyed it.

A problem for Disney is that as Alice in Wonderland was released in March people may have forgotten about it by the time it comes to voting (hence the ‘major’ campaign) and all of the Oscar-fare is being released over the next few months, which may steal some of it’s thunder.

Should Alice in Wonderland be nominated for Best Picture alongside (potentially) Inception, The Social Network and Toy Story 3?

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