Point Pleasant on DVD

[prydain]

Who's buying Point Pleasant on DVD Tuesday? I sure am. In fact, while I'm on the subject, go to amazon.com and vote for my review! :D lol jk.

I love the cover art for it, it's DEFINITELY an attention grabber:

http://www.slayerverse.org/images/misc/2005-07/20050729_025547_thumb.jpg

And here's a little snippet from Slayerverse:

I told producer Marti Noxon that I had finally gotten to see the thirteenth episode of Point Pleasant. She laughed and said, ``Oh, yeah, the crazy one.''

No kidding. On view in a new DVD set, it has violence, horror, some laughs, at least one inside joke (Noxon's mother is an extra in a key scene) and a flamboyant unleashing of evil on the world that will both make you glad the story is over and wish for more.

It's so wild because by the time the show made that episode, everyone knew it would not be back for a second season.

The early reviews had been consistently harsh (a ``dog-pile,'' Noxon said), and the ratings low. Fox pretty much stopped promoting it after three telecasts, she recalled, and the network pulled the show off the air entirely with five episodes unshown.

Still, Noxon is happy about Tuesday's DVD release of Point Pleasant: The Complete Series (Fox, 13 episodes, three discs, $39.98).

``I felt like we got better as the show went along,'' said Noxon, whose other credits include Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. ``We found our sea legs five or six episodes in, we found the tone of the show after a a bit of a rocky start.''

The series involved Christina Nickson (Elisabeth Harnois), a young woman washed ashore in a troubled small town, and bringing a lot more trouble with her. In the beginning, working off another producer's concept, Noxon found herself dealing with something that was part horror, part soap opera.

``It was a concept that I hadn't fully gotten a handle on,'' she said. ``But we found out that it worked when it was horror or darkly funny.''

She especially enjoyed making Christina out-and-out evil, and then forcing the other characters to deal with it.

One disappointment: The only DVD extra is a making-of segment done before the show had even aired. It's a big contrast to a new complete Buffy set being released on Nov. 15, which adds still more to the copious extras from Buffy's single-season releases.

``Even we are getting tired of hearing ourselves talk,'' Noxon said.

[Black Eye Guy]

WOW!!! I love the cover it is amazing, the Region 2 one looks crappy now :(
http://images.play.com/covers/819560m.jpg
Sorry can't find a bigger picture, I'm thinking I might buy the region 1 one just becasue it looks so much cooler!

[prydain]

Wow that region 2 cover is highly disappointing. Now...if you were in the video store browsing, what are you more likely going to pick up out of curiousity? The region 1 set. Plus, even the disc art is really awesome.

[fireflies]

hmm I actually like the R2 cover a little bit better lol.

[EduFonseca]

like both, but the region 2 is more related to the show, it shows Christina has power, in the region 1 she looks weak! lol

[prydain]

like both, but the region 2 is more related to the show, it shows Christina has power, in the region 1 she looks weak! lol

Uh...no, not really.

[Black Eye Guy]

I don’t hate the R2 cover, I find it kind of unique but I think the R1 cover is just so cool, I love the look of it, it is one of those covers that would interest me in the shop and I would impulse buy!

[prydain]

The region 2 DVD is just a poster that FOX released promoting the show...I always thought it looked kinda strange, and just plain freaky and not something the average buyer would notice or even want to pick up to read the back. The region 1 DVD is creepy and atmospheric, yet stylish and cool and DEFINITELY catches the eye.

[Velvet Sky]

Yeah, I ran out to buy it the day it was out, and then brought it to my friends house and got her addicted to it. We watched the whole 13 eps in two afternoons.

The ending was cool. I sort of wanted a total resolution, but yet I'm also kind of glad they ended it how they did. It leaves it open to the viewer to decide what they want the complete end result to be. :)

[prydain]

I'm trying so hard to get over "Point Pleasant". Looking back, it was seriously flawed. Sometimes a bit dull. Some episodes had so little supernatural happenings you forgot it was a show about Satan's daughter. But something about it grabbed me and will not let go.

I thought I'd be "cured" this season. This year is any sci-fi fanatics dream. I watch "Surface", "Medium", "Supernatural", "Lost", "Invasion", "Night Stalker", "Ghost Whisperer", and "Threshold", not to mention "Masters of Horror" on Showtime, and the occasional "Stargate" rerun. I thought the supernatural ones would help me forget about "Point Pleasant". They're both EXCELLENT shows and are drowning in the supernatural which I like. They have humor and everything you can want. But I still think about PP.

Sad, isn't it?

I think I've probably mentioned all this before...but here it is again. I'm just way too confused as to why I'm still so in love with it. *sigh*

[dashboardprophet]

I have just found your site tonight having finished watching the DVD with my wife. We live in London but didn't want to wait for the R2 version and ordered a copy from America (we have a multi-region DVD player). The DVD arrived yesterday and we watched all thirteen episodes over the last two days.

I absolutely adore this show. The first eight episodes were broadcast in Britain on E4 and C4 earlier this year and I was lucky enough to see the next three episodes on the Swedish TV channel TV3. I've just now seen the final two episodes for the first time. They blew me away.

I very much agree with prydain17. The show had a few flaws, but there was something fascinating and addictive about it. I've never been able to understand the widespread negative reaction it generated. I can only imagine how the show might have developed had it survived into a second season.

I am planning to buy an R2 copy of the DVD, primarily so I have something to play on my laptop when I'm away. If the R2 version comes with the different sleeve I would be quite happy. I like that particular poster and it would be nice to have the two alternatives.

[prydain]

Hey there, dashboardprophet. Glad you liked Point Pleasant, always a pleasure to meet a fellow fan. :)

[Velvet Sky]

I don't actually recall hearing a bunch of negative stuff about the show... just recall FOX taking it off the air. Although I could probably take a guess at a possible reason some people may have lashed out and hated the show... but I won't get into that, cause that's a discussion that doesn't need to be had here.

[prydain]

I don't actually recall hearing a bunch of negative stuff about the show... just recall FOX taking it off the air. Although I could probably take a guess at a possible reason some people may have lashed out and hated the show... but I won't get into that, cause that's a discussion that doesn't need to be had here.

Well now you've caught my interest! :crying2:

[Velvet Sky]

Well... if you think about the religions notions of the show... and then about some of the religious people in the US particularly... and then about how they react to anything that doesn't completely agree with their particular group of religious ideas... and well, there's a possible answer.

[prydain]

Ah, gotcha. Yeah...my Dad assumed it was glorifying evil or whatever. He's such a loser. I think it's a bad idea to go into a religious so expecting it to be true to what you believe...this is why shows with religious things always never get more than cult status. Only a small group of people are willing to look at it as entertainment only.

Revelations, which aired a few months after Point Pleasant, got off to a great start, but since it questioned some elements of Catholicism or whatever, I guess it scared people away. Cuz the last few episodes dropped a lot.

I *LOVE* dark/spooky/horror shows and movies that use religious themes, even though it's always VERY far from what I truly believe. I think religious themes can make it more personal and close to people, more so than something purely fantasy and alien, like Lord of the Rings where no real religious imagery is used.

I really hate how my fellow Americans are so close-minded. :(

[Vilandra]

I don't think you can make a blanket statement like that about Americans being closed-minded.

:)

[prydain]

Well...overall they/we ARE...well, when it comes to TV at least. How else do you explain CBS being America's most watched network.

[Vilandra]

Not everyone has the same taste...that doesn't mean they're wrong.

[prydain]

I know, I know...I just get frustrated when anything new and interesting comes along, it gets rejected pretty much immediately. Lost and Desperate Housewives would be exceptions.

[dashboardprophet]

I must admit I was never aware of any widespread criticism caused by the religious/supernatural Good vs Evil elements within the storyline, although I did come across a few negative comments and undoubtedly this was a problem for some people.

Most of the criticism I encountered (and there was plenty of it) suggested the quality of the writing was abysmal, as was the standard of acting, directing and everything else that was instrumental in the creation of the show. In many cases, this appears to have been the result of the misguided/misplaced antipathy some 'Buffy' fans feel towards Marti Noxon - and there were many unflattering comments made about her.

In the end, the show's cancellation had little or nothing to do with the (often rather unkind) criticism to be found on some posting boards. It was simply a show made for a network notorious for its trigger-happy cancellation policy that failed to find a big enough audience quickly enough.

For myself, I think the cancellation came too soon. The show was never given a chance. I continue to be amazed by the obvious quality of the thirteen episodes that were made. I think Marti Noxon is one of the most talented people working in American televison at the moment - and I am greatly looking forward to seeing 'Cursed', the film she is co-writing for Sam Raimi's Ghost House Pictures production company.

As much as I am disappointed that we will never get to see a second season of Point Pleasant, I feel sure that we can look forward to plenty of new Marti Noxon ventures in the future.

[prydain]

Actually I believe that movie is called "The Curse", not "Cursed", which is the name of a Wes Craven werewolf movie that was released earlier this year. And I am looking forward to it too, she says there are some elements of Point Pleasant in it. I hope it gets made - they didn't say production would go ahead, they just said they're writing a screenplay.

Marti Noxon recently said in an interview she was done with stories about teenagers and the end of the world (ref. PP and BtVS), and she's working on two pilots, neither of which deals with the supernatural, which is unfortunate because she seems talented in that particular genre. *sigh*

[dashboardprophet]

Actually I believe that movie is called "The Curse", not "Cursed", which is the name of a Wes Craven werewolf movie that was released earlier this year. And I am looking forward to it too, she says there are some elements of Point Pleasant in it. I hope it gets made - they didn't say production would go ahead, they just said they're writing a screenplay.


Sorry, you're right, it's called The Curse. I'll have to keep an eye on the Ghost House Pictures website to see if there is any announcement about it in terms of going past the script writing stage.

[Allycat]

They put an article on Whedon.info which has a large picture of the cover. I must say... I think it looks quite intruiging.

http://www.dvdactive.com/images/news/screenshot/2005/12/pointpleasant2d.jpg

[Black Eye Guy]

Oh wow that is very cool.
http://www.dvdactive.com/images/news/screenshot/2005/12/pointpleasant3d.jpg
I want this cover, it is my favourite by far, it looks so classy and grown up!!

[EduFonseca]

Here's a working link for the picture:

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000BTIPHU.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

by the way, love the cover! I'm so gonna get this the day it comes out!

[prydain]

Oh wow that cover is cool. What country is that?

[dashboardprophet]

Oh wow that cover is cool. What country is that?

This is the cover for the British and Irish release. Great artwork - I think I prefer it to the American one.

[Black Eye Guy]

I am so happy with the cover, The picture thy had on Play.com was just a temporary they have now changed it to that one :)
It is sooooo cool!!!!
Point Pleasant on Play (http://www.play.com/play247.asp?pa=search&searchtype=allproducts&searchstring=Point+Pleasant&page=search)

[prydain]

I like both but I prefer the American one, I think.

[prydain]

On Amazon.com my review has gotten some positive feedback (you can vote if the review is helpful or not)...everyone who voted voted positively, so I'm happy. I didn't think it was that good though. I'll quote it below:

Point Pleasant" is a gothic soap opera created by Marti Noxon, best known as the woman who writes great depressing stories on The WB's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". I am a huge fan of "Buffy" and "Angel", but I personally enjoy "Point Pleasant" better.

Now don't get me wrong. This show has serious problems, it's biggest one being that the pilot was specially designed to best ensure a pickup by FOX. It has many elements of "The OC" and FOX was right in thinking it would work best with "The OC" compared to the other shows on their schedule.

"Point Pleasant" has loads of potential. Everything is there. A great premise, capable actors, beautiful locations, character backstories, everything that was there could have become a huge ongoing battle between good and evil, with the forces of heaven and hell battling on Earth. And I do believe that's what it would have become if the writers were able to run with it.

What 13 episodes there are, however, are still good even with their faults. The actors aren't exactly award-winners, but they get the job done quite nicely. Elisabeth Harnois, our protaganist, is the perfect choice for the daughter of Satan and a God-fearing woman. She's beautiful, and usually angelic but can become overcome with her hellborn powers in an instant. Harnois is good at instant transitions and I love the scenes where her character knows that she's too weak to drown her evil nature but doesn't know what to do. Anyway, the series opens up on Point Pleasant, New Jersey, although we're not sure if this is Point Pleasant or the town of Point Pleasant Beach. There's a difference. But it's a nice day with hot girls sunbathing on the beach, but an otherwordly storm quickly gathers and runs everyone off the beach. Jesse, a young lifeguard, spots something floating in the ocean and swims out. It's Christina. He takes her to the Kramers since the roads are closed so the doctor can look at her.
Soon Christina is living with the Kramers, and befriends their daughter Judy, whose older sister died years earlier. Her mother still has not gotten over it.

The show begins to shed its allusions of "The OC" immediately, although it does not completely do so until about the fifth episode. We see the characters evolve. The town whore soon stops her ways and tries to make things right, the love triangles become actually important to the actual story, etc. The series uses LOTS of symbolism and is very, very smart with it, proving that it is not the shallow waste of time people claim it to be.
The character relationships and the things that happen are important to whether the townspeople will be on the side of evil or the side of good. Judy's mother realizes that she is not crazy like people believe, but she has a connection with the spirit world and may be psychic. We also discover that Jesse died as a child but came back, and he is destined to kill Christina, the Antichrist, even though they have an unbearable attraction for one another. This adds much flavor and promise to the show, as Christina does not WANT to be evil and tries fighting it, yet people keep having visions of what she's destined to do to the town, and it's not pleasant. (Pun not intended.)

As different as the two shows are, "Point Pleasant" could be compared to "Dark Shadows". Both are a part of an extremely rare breed. How many gothic/horror soaps appear on television? Not many at all. "Dark Shadows", both the 60s and 90s versions, are also favorites of mine. And the short-lived CBS horror drama "American Gothic" was similar in style to "Point Pleasant", so if you like those shows you might want to check out "Point Pleasant".

Other things I'd like to point out is the EXCELLENT music used in the opening title sequence. It was written by Danny Elfman, who also did the "Desperate Housewives" theme song and has done nearly every Tim Burton film. The music used throughout the show, while not written by Elfman, is also good and sets up the atmosphere nicely. The filmwork is also nice, and looks great in widescreen, and a blue film is used quite a bit and it can be effective.

Overall the show is good, but it's no surprise many "Buffy" fans were displeased, because the two shows are completely different. However, if you are into dark, religious themed shows and movies or you just like creepy supernatural adventures, "Point Pleasant" is definitely worth a buy or rent.

Some of my views on the show have changed, though...I'm thinking about rewriting it...

[ClementinE]

Sad, isn't it?

I think I've probably mentioned all this before...but here it is again. I'm just way too confused as to why I'm still so in love with it. *sigh*

You're not the only one. Every supernatural show I watch goes straight back to my two favorites. Point Pleasant and So Weird. Nothing can compare. I can't stop thinking about either.

[prydain]

You're not the only one. Every supernatural show I watch goes straight back to my two favorites. Point Pleasant and So Weird. Nothing can compare. I can't stop thinking about either.

You didn't happen to send me a friend request on MySpace just now, did you? lol

Point Pleasant and So Weird are my top favorites, too. :You_Rock_

[ClementinE]

You didn't happen to send me a friend request on MySpace just now, did you? lol

Point Pleasant and So Weird are my top favorites, too. :You_Rock_
Yes, actually, I did =)
and you just IMed me, how ironic.

[prydain]

OK this is a huge stretch - but to anyone who has the DVD (if BEG and me aren't the only ones here who own it)...does anyone know the name of the song used in the pilot episode in the beach scene? It's driving me insane because I can't find any info on it ANYWHERE. I even emailed Marti Noxon about it, I dunno if she'll know though.

All the songs used on the televised versions are different on the DVD...

[madmankanan]

I Dont Know About The Song, But I Still Cant Get Over Jesse Stabbing Christina. Im Sure It Was All So The Show Could Have A Second Season, But Id Like To See A Happy Ending. Id Atleast Like To Know If The Kramer Bring Her Back, Or Kill Her. Or If The World Ends, Or Even If Jesse Is Resurected.