Dark Shadows - 2012

Warner Bros. Pictures, Village Roadshow Pictures, Infinitum Nihil

Directed by Tim Burton

Cast:

Barnabas Collins – Johnny Depp

Elizabeth Collins Stoddard – Michelle Pfeiffer

Dr. Julia Hoffman – Helena Bonham Carter

Angelique Bouchard – Eva Green

Willie Loomis – Jackie Earle Haley

Roger Collins – Jonny Lee Miller

Victoria Winters / Josette DuPres – Bella Heatcote

Carolyn Stoddard – Chloe Grace Moretz

David Collins – Gulliver McGrath

Alice Cooper – Alice Cooper

Story: Joshua and Naomi Collins came to the New World with their son and heir, Barnabas, in 1720 and established a fishing industry in New England. The industry flourished and the family became wealthy, naming the town Collinsport, and building a vast manor on the hill overlooking the town which they named Collinswood. All was well until Barnabas rejected the advances of one of the maids, Angelique, who was a practitioner of the black arts. Angelique murdered Joshua and Naomi, caused Josette, Barnabas' betrothed, to hurl herself from a cliff to the sea, and turned Barnabas into a vampire. To further torture him, Angelique turned the townspeople against Barnabas, causing them to riot and imprison him in an iron coffin and bury him in the woods. 190 years later, Barnabas' coffin is unearthed by a crew excavating for a new McDonalds restaurant, and Barnabas is freed. He is lost in this new world, and returns to Collinswood, only to find his family home in ruin and his descendants mere shadows of their former selves. Barnabas sets himself to restoring the family prominence, only to encounter Angelique, who has kept herself alive through the centuries using black magic. Secret after secret is revealed as the two square off in a battle for the former Glory of the Collins.

Review: Formula for a great movie? Tim Burton+Johnny Depp+Helena Bonham Carter+Michelle Pfeiffer = Terrific movie.

Now, I grant you, I was not an avid viewer of the adventures of Barnabas Collins in the 60's, although apparently every girl in my high school was. But I doubt that melodramatic soap had much relation to the film I saw, other than the names of the characters and the ever present scene of the waves crashing upon rocks on the New England shoreline.

Small matter. The film I watched was funny, spooky in a predictable sort of way, and the story was fresh. Depp once again creates a strange and unusual persona as Barnabas Collins, at once both the vicious, blood thirsty vampire and the refined gentleman of the 16th century. There are so many elements combined, the jeweled necklace reminiscent of Bela Lugosi's Dracula, the darkened eyes, the long claws of the Nosferatu, and Depp's uncanny ability to pull all these elements together to give us a comedic and enjoyable character we cannot help but like.

Michelle Pfeiffer was an excellent choice as the current head of the family, a sturdy, refined and resilient woman determined to hold her head up despite the fallen state of the once powerful Collins family. Eva Green as Angelique is marvelous in her role as the evil yet business savvy woman whose only goal in life is the continuing destruction of the Collins family and reputation. The children, played perfectly by Chloe Grace Moretz and Gulliver McGrath, present the internal conflicts of the Collins, Carolyn who comes off as a very typical teenager, and David, who speaks frequently with his dead mother. Bella Heathcote, who portrays both Victoria in the present and Josette in the past, is also an excellent actress, and gives us just enough weird to balance the prim and proper appearance she first presents.

Of particular note is Helena Bonham Carter and her role as the doctor. The blatant comic relief she provides once again demonstrates her ability and depth as an actress, and one can easily see why Burton and Depp apparently enjoy working with this talented lady.

Overall, the film grabs your attention and keeps it throughout. The dialog is entertaining to the extreme, and the photography and cinematography is exceptional, as one would expect of anything from Mr. Burton.

Rated PG-13 due to the language and violence, as well as several references to sexual situations, I think this film will add nicely to any collector of the trio's work. I have one on order as soon as they are released.

Nick of Time - 1995

Paramount Pictures

Directed by John Badham

Cast:

• Gene Watson – Johnny Depp
• Lynn Watson – Courtney Chase
• Mr. Smith – Christopher Walken
• Huey – Charles S. Dutton
• Ms. Jones – Roma Maffia
• Gov. Eleanor Grant – Marsha Mason
• Brendan Grant – Peter Strauss
• Krista Brooks – Gloria Reuben
• Officer Trust – Bill Smitrovich

Story: Gene Watson is coming from San Diego on the train with his daughter, Lynn. He arrives in Los Angeles and is headed to an appointment when he and his daughter are stopped by two police officers as they are leaving the train station and asked to come with them. They get into a van, where the man tells Mr. Watson he has two choices, do what he is told or they will kill his daughter. The time is shortly after noon. Mr. Smith tells Mr. Watson to go to the Bonaventure Hotel and kill the Governor. He has until 1:30 p.m., or his daughter dies. While Mr. Watson tries to figure a way out of killing the Governor, he discovers there are more people involved than just the two people who have kidnapped him. The plot leads all the way to the Governor's husband.

Review: Johnny Depp as your average Joe C.P.A.? Naw, say it isn't so. Isn't this the guy who rose to fame with strange robotic blades for fingers, with an eye-patch and catchy phrases, with a reputation for playing the strange and unusual? Well, the role may not be strange or unusual, but the movie certainly is. For one thing, it is extremely rare for a 90 minute movie to actually happen in 90 minutes. But Nick of Time is about the occurrences in Gene Watson's life over a span of 90 minutes. Christopher Walken shines as the SOB cop/assassin who manipulates Depp's character, and Roma Maffia excels as his partner. I think the most interesting aspect of this film is combining two powerful character actors (Depp and Walken) across from each other. The action is fast and non-stop, and the tension builds throughout the film. When Depp finally finds help in the form of Charles S. Dutton, a shoe shine man in the lobby of the Bonaventure, the help comes in the strangest way. Rated R for violence and language, this is a interesting, breakneck paced film that keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

The Ninth Gate - 1999

Artisan Entertainment, R.P. Productions, Orly Films

Directed by Roman Polanski

Cast:

• Dean Corso – Johnny Depp
• Boris Balkan – Frank Langella
• Bernie – James Russo
• Liana Telfer – Lena Olin
• The Girl – Emmanuelle Seigner
• Victor Fargas – Jack Taylor
• Baroness Keffler – Barbara Jefford

Story: A book broker specializing in rare books finds himself embattled in a struggle for power between the owner of one of three copies of a book supposedly coauthored by Satan himself. Dean Corso is a well known and unscrupulous man whose only interest is the money he will earn by finding rare books for his clients. He is engaged by Boris Balkan to verify the authenticity of a book he has recently obtained, one of only three copies known to exist. He soon learns there is more at stake than just a book. People are following him and searching his apartment. He hides the book with a friend in a rare book store, only to find the friend dead when he returns to retrieve it on his way to the airport. He tries to back out, but Balkan persuades him to continue. Soon Corso is pursuing the book for his own reasons. Is this book really the path to the Ninth Gate?

Review: If you needed an actor to play a somewhat strange and peculiar role, who would you choose? Roman Polanski, the controversial former husband of actress Sharon Tate and still wanted for his dalliance with a 13 year old girl, was certainly the right man to direct this dark film, filled with the realities of human frailty. Depp was the ideal actor, his ability to interact with others, yet stand apart from them is a crucial element of the film. As with all Polanski films, this one is filled with villians with nuances of evil, from the jaded, wealthy Lena Olin to the pontificating and self-righteous Barbara Jefford. Emmanuelle Siegner, Polanski's wife, provides our supernatural character, but on whose side is she? The plot weaves intricately from step to step and the reality of the book is only revealed in the end. Rated R for nudity, language and violence, this film is definitely a late night indulgence for the grown ups.