The Weekend Arena: 5/11
Last weekend was ruled by The Avengers, and it’s probably a good bet that most production companies assumed this would be the case. I’m sure that Dark Shadows will draw a decent crowd, but it would be safe to bet on Marvel’s superhero cavalcade to continue conquering the box office.
Dark Shadows: The love affair between Johnny Depp and Tim Burton continues. Based on the television series that ran for about twenty five years, Dark Shadows explores the world of Barnabas Collins, a man of the undead throw into the world of his dysfunctional descendants, in 1972. While I think it’s interesting that this film plunges its anachronistic character into a decade often skipped in time-travel cinema, it also frightens me that most of the jokes will be centered on Barnabas learning how to use a record player or adjust to the various couch-cushion-upholstery-looking clothing. The other thing that worries me is that this film is touted as “from the producers of Alice in Wonderland.” I enjoy most everything Tim Burton has done – except the recently noted. All I have is one word: Fudderwhacking. I fear that I will be charmed by Dark Shadows (much like I initially was by Alice) only to find that someone on set said: “Don’t forget to Disneyfy this film with something ridiculously unnecessary.
The Road: A horror film that comes out in May might just be good, and I think this one will be just that. It’s not simply about a group of people travelling on a road, but about a group of people stumbling upon a recurring past that is always present but often overlooked. In a sense, this is much like a road itself. As we travel the road, it is new to us, but it has a history, one that goes unchanged despite the scenery or our unfamiliarity with it.
Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview: Since Steve Jobs’ death last year, there have been a number of “lost interviews.” Each one of them making their way to the late and offering an opinion about whether or not Jobs was a genius or an opportunist; a revolutionary or a marketer; a narcissist or a leader. And, for the most part, each documentary, special, expose, etc. decides that he is a little bit of each. In my book, he made technology aesthetically pleasing and appealing. Whether or not I would want to work for the man would probably be contingent on my stock options.
