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Post by cauldronbrewer on Apr 10, 2019 12:34:32 GMT
The kitchen sink approach - vampires, ghosts, witches, cursed portraits, werewolves - seemed to have worked well. Sometimes I wonder if it is the uniqueness of an old show like that or really the storylines which made it so famous. Hard to imagine that people will still talk about True Blood or Supernatural in 50 years time. I don't think people will be talking about True Blood or Supernatural at the half century mark, but I bet they'll still be talking about Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Hard to believe its run ended 16 years ago.
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Post by Michael Connolly on Apr 10, 2019 12:46:32 GMT
The kitchen sink approach - vampires, ghosts, witches, cursed portraits, werewolves - seemed to have worked well. Sometimes I wonder if it is the uniqueness of an old show like that or really the storylines which made it so famous. Hard to imagine that people will still talk about True Blood or Supernatural in 50 years time. I don't think people will be talking about True Blood or Supernatural at the half century mark, but I bet they'll still be talking about Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Hard to believe its run ended 16 years ago. Buffy is still alive you know. She has had so many transplants the oldest part of her is 38.
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Post by Jojo Lapin X on Apr 10, 2019 14:33:02 GMT
I am considering getting started with DARK SHADOWS. Should I begin at the beginning, or does the good stuff start at some specific later point? Also, is it necessary to watch every episode? Modern soap operas are characterized by a glacial pace and a constant repetition of crucial plot information, so it is never really necessary to watch more than once a week in order to follow the story. A lot of people start with episode 210, which is where the vampire storyline is first introduced. There are supernatural storylines before then, but they creep in gradually amidst the more earthbound intrigue of plots and murders and family secrets. Amazon Prime starts off what it calls Season 1 with episode 210 - in reality the show didn't have seasons, but was broadcast five times a week all year round, but I think Amazon are basing their 'seasons' on the individual DVD boxsets, which also started with the introduction of Barnabas Collins with the earlier episodes being released later. There is a lot of repetition of plot elements and recaps for viewers in DS... to the point that you can end up memorising certain bits of dialogue you know will come up again and again. There are also a couple of interesting releases on DVD and streaming on Amazon - The Vampire's Curse and The Haunting of Collinwood - which condense weeks or even months worth of episodes into three hour features based on two of the series' most popular storylines - the origins of Barnabas in the 18th century and the ghost of Quentin Collins - which might make handy samplers for anyone looking to delve into the series without committing to all 1,225 episodes. Thanks! This is very helpful. I had a quick look at episode 210, and it seemed weirdly familiar. It then occurred to me that although I have never seen the original, I have seen HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS and the early 90s remake series, both of which deal with the same subject matter.
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Post by helrunar on Apr 10, 2019 15:53:11 GMT
That's hilarious, Michael! Thanks for the laugh. I needed it.
cheers, Steve
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Post by helrunar on Apr 10, 2019 15:56:34 GMT
I think a good place to start is the beginning of the 1795 storyline, which completely re-wrote the show's continuity--back then, the term "re-boot" did not exist, but that to all intents and purposes is what it was. That storyline started in November of 1967. I don't know the episode number offhand or how it would fit into amazombie's "season" scheme.
Probably the best storyline they ever did in terms of narrative tightness and overall writing was the Phoenix storyline, which aired in December 1966 to early March 1967. Diana Millay who played the Phoenix was a very odd actress--apparently after a while, she actually she started to believe she really was a Phoenix--in a poetic way as opposed to a "totally raving bonkers" way. Sorry I am not writing with much flair or nuance today.
Best wishes, Helrunar
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Post by helrunar on Apr 10, 2019 16:00:33 GMT
Cauldron Brewer, have you seen any of the youtube videos about the new "HD edition" of Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Much more horrifying than any of the storylines aired on the actual series. I am afraid it does not bode well for the future of vintage television and film material, and this is just the latest in a series of what can only be called MANGLINGS of classic material by people I now think of as "HD whackos" in their labs. It seems as if a lot of basic film culture and understanding of cinematography 101 has gone right out the window with the frenzied acceleration of commercial tech innovation in recent years.
I'm not a fan of the Buffy series but it was pretty ghastly to look at the video and think about all the shows and films that could wind up getting this kind of "enhancement."
H.
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Post by cauldronbrewer on Apr 10, 2019 17:13:10 GMT
Cauldron Brewer, have you seen any of the youtube videos about the new "HD edition" of Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Much more horrifying than any of the storylines aired on the actual series. I am afraid it does not bode well for the future of vintage television and film material, and this is just the latest in a series of what can only be called MANGLINGS of classic material by people I now think of as "HD whackos" in their labs. It seems as if a lot of basic film culture and understanding of cinematography 101 has gone right out the window with the frenzied acceleration of commercial tech innovation in recent years. I'm not a fan of the Buffy series but it was pretty ghastly to look at the video and think about all the shows and films that could wind up getting this kind of "enhancement." H. I haven't, though I was already worried about the rumblings surrounding the Buffy reboot. As a general rule, I prefer watching films and television programs in their original forms (black and white over colorized; subtitled over dubbed; original Star Wars over the "Special Edition"), so I doubt I would enjoy an HD Buffy.
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Post by cauldronbrewer on Apr 10, 2019 17:49:06 GMT
As for being a fan of Buffy: My feelings about the series will always be wrapped up in my experience of watching it as part of a social fandom--my friends and I were in our 20s when it aired, around the age of the characters (or at least the actors who played them), and we'd gather at each others' places for " Buffy night." There's a story by Kelly Link, "Magic for Beginners," that I think captures this sort of viewing experience. It uses a truly strange fictional TV series as a stand-in, but it's really about Buffy fandom, as she explains in an interview: The story “Magic for Beginners” was based on the experience of watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer . I moved from Somerville, MA to Brooklyn to Northampton, MA during the seven years Buffy was on, and the one thing all of the places I lived had in common, besides too many books, was a room with a television where we got together with various friends to watch new episodes and then dissect, praise, complain, rewrite and rewatch. It was an enormously social experience, and it’s not one I’ve had since Buffy ended. I wanted to write something that would capture the way it feels to be a fan and a member of a fandom.
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Post by helrunar on Apr 10, 2019 18:34:25 GMT
A few years ago I realized that the original 1960s Star Trek series (the only one I like or ever watch) was in danger of being no longer available as originally intended due to this strange need people seem to have to "update" the effects, screen displays, etc. So I quickly bought up the old sets (in those cute tricorder-like boxes) from the early 2000s. About a year after that, I saw new sets for the show that included both the original episodes and the "upgraded" versions, but I'm not sure that even the "original" form hadn't been "enhanced" for the now standard 16 x 9 monitors.
It's becoming an increasingly prevalent phenomenon. But no doubt just as the "original mono masters" for a lot of 1960s musical recordings were returned to circulation after people realized they were no longer hearing the music AS INTENDED, this trend will eventually shift.
cheers, H.
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Post by Jojo Lapin X on Apr 10, 2019 19:33:54 GMT
but I'm not sure that even the "original" form hadn't been "enhanced" for the now standard 16 x 9 monitors. The aspect ratio remains 4:3 also on the versions with the new effects. As for the effects themselves, I do not understand why they are necessary, but they do not bother me much.
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Post by andydecker on Apr 10, 2019 20:17:08 GMT
as "HD whackos" in their labs. It seems as if a lot of basic film culture and understanding of cinematography 101 has gone right out the window with the frenzied acceleration of commercial tech innovation in recent years. Aptly described. I also can't understand the HD craze or its next level. I really don't care if one can slice bread with the "new" sharp picture. (If you have invested a lot of money for the post-space-age tv first). The movie is the same. Who needs the umpteenth ridiculous expensive edition of, say, "Terminator" just because of a new "enhanced" picture quality. But HD fanatics will look at you if you are living in a cave just because you don't join the ranks. I also don't care for the new "improved" Buffy. I am tired of these "re-imaginings" which bring nothing new on the table except a horrible lack of imagination. thanks to the fragmentation of networks and the advent of streaming which is putting a final stake to a viewer community experience. Thinks like the story of Kelly Link which Cauldonbrewer shared are of the past. It is a subscriber only audience. A good reflection of the state of the world.
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Post by andydecker on Apr 10, 2019 20:35:30 GMT
The kitchen sink approach - vampires, ghosts, witches, cursed portraits, werewolves - seemed to have worked well. Sometimes I wonder if it is the uniqueness of an old show like that or really the storylines which made it so famous. Hard to imagine that people will still talk about True Blood or Supernatural in 50 years time. I don't think people will be talking about True Blood or Supernatural at the half century mark, but I bet they'll still be talking about Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Hard to believe its run ended 16 years ago. You are right. The original Buffy may have a chance. I recently re-watched the whole series. It is still strong and memorable. (And season six and seven still mostly suck )
16 years? Unbelievable. I bought it on video, later upgraded to dvd. I even bought most the novels. Good times. Something on Buffy just captured my imagination, I guess.
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Post by helrunar on Apr 10, 2019 20:36:00 GMT
I get why people want HD for things such as the Marvel comic book movies and the other Disney franchises, or Game of Thrones. All of that was shot IN HD, I believe. It is really a different aesthetic and a different film concept/culture.
There is a kind of community viewing experience but it's all online via various "social media" organs now. It's very disconcerting to me, because the new way of watching shows is the entire series gets "dropped" at one go on a platform and then people "binge" the entire thing over a weekend. So the kind of rhythm that was mentioned in the story, of people gathering on a specific evening to view and discuss the latest chapter of a serial, no longer exists. That's a major shift from how serialized entertainment has been shared for a very long time--goes back at least to the era of Sheherazade, if not older than that.
Best, Steve
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Post by Michael Connolly on Apr 13, 2019 12:36:19 GMT
I don't think people will be talking about True Blood or Supernatural at the half century mark, but I bet they'll still be talking about Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Hard to believe its run ended 16 years ago. Buffy is still alive you know. She has had so many transplants the oldest part of her is 38. Is no one going to ask which part?
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Post by Jojo Lapin X on Apr 13, 2019 21:53:35 GMT
Buffy is still alive you know. She has had so many transplants the oldest part of her is 38. Is no one going to ask which part? Ok, ok! Which part?
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