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Remakes Of A Classic.....


DirtyBoy
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Some interesting thoughts.....

To “death” and “taxes” we can add a third certainty: If you mention news of an upcoming remake of a beloved classic (or even not-so-classic) movie, the Interwebs will erupt with cries of “Nooo! Why??? It’s gonna suck! Hollywood is out of ideas!”

We saw it a few weeks ago when zillions of folks rose up in righteous indignation over the idea of a new Dirty Dancing remake, which they’d have you believe is somehow a desecration of Patrick Swayze’s still-warm grave.

Around the same time, I was chatting with a film-loving child of the gritty ’70s and early ’80s who has no interest in movies about dancing teenagers. However, he was bemoaning the upcoming Straw Dogs remake and rumors of a new Escape from New York.

So this week (just as Baz Luhrmann begins shooting his new Great Gatsby starring Leo DiCaprio), I’m here to take the opposing position–not exactly in favor of remakes but in defense of them. Or at least a shruggingly principled stance of “eh, so what?”

1) No One is Going to Break Into Your Home and Confiscate Your Old Movies

You’ll still have them. And over time quality will win out. After all the initial hype and chat-room indignation, bad remakes fade away and cable TV goes back to showing the originals. Remember the Harrison Ford Sabrina? No? And how often do you say, “Hey let’s watch Gus Van Sant’s Psycho instead of Hitchcock’s?”

2) Remakes Overall Aren’t Any Worse than Most New Movies–We Just Notice Them More

Sure there are some really bad remakes (for example, the awful Nic Cage version of the absolutely brilliant 1973 original Wicker Man), but there are a lot of really bad movies out there in general.

And quite a few remakes are–like most movies in general–okay. Maybe not better than the original, but not unwatchable, either. (Case in point: The Russell Brand Arthur, which I find just as amusing as the beloved Dudley Moore version.)

It seems to us remakes are often bad because we pay a more attention to them. I’m sure Lionsgate didn’t mind all the anti-Dirty Dancing remake backlash one bit. It guarantees folks will be following and arguing about the remake right up to its release date–what more could a publicity department ask for?

3) Hollywood Hasn’t Run Out of New Ideas, but Viewers Don’t Embrace Originality as Much as We Think We Do

There are tons of really great, original scripts floating around Hollywood and believe it or not, studios would love to produce them. And there are truly original, amazing films being released in theaters and on home video every month. So sure it’d be great if some of the production money being spent on remakes instead went to original scripts.

But at the end of the day it’s a business, and especially during rough economic times, studios stick with the better odds and therefore with known properties with name recognition. Studios embrace remakes because their posters are pre-sold with a high-awareness brand name. And they know we’ll show up for them. Last year seven of the top ten highest-grossing films at the box office were sequels, remakes, or adaptations of pop-culture properties. So far this year nine of them are.

If you want to see studios make and promote better, more original films, you have to give them a financial incentive, show them there’s an audience for such quality. Go see good movies.

4) Films About Teenagers are Made for Teenagers

A familiar complaint about remakes from both critics and viewers is they take cheesy, fluffy (or cool, kick-butt) films we snuck into when we were 16 and re-gussy them up with hip-hop bells and whistles and flashy epileptic editing to make them appealing to–sputter-gasp!–16-year-olds today. And we all know that anything teenagers today watch, wear, or listen to is never as good as the cheesy fluff we were into 20-30 years ago.

News flash: Teenagers don’t want to wear their parents’ hand-me-downs. Heck, they wouldn’t be caught dead with last year’s phone, pop-star, or Trapper Keeper let alone a 25-year-old movie that still gets their mothers a little flushed or makes their fathers pump their fists. In fact, I believe the standard critical response from a teenager to such things is, “Ewwwwww.”

5) And Finally, Not All Remakes Suck

Some films now considered Hollywood classics were themselves remakes of earlier films, including His Girl Friday, Ben Hur, A Star is Born, and An Affair to Remember. And beloved Westerns The Magnificent Seven and A Fistful of Dollars were, of course, remakes of Akira Kurosawa’s samurai movies.

One of the best films of 2010 was the Coen Brothers’ True Grit–not only is it a stronger film than the 1968 John Wayne version (and a much richer adaptation of Charles Portis’ excellent novel), but yep, Jeff Bridges is a better Rooster Cogburn than the Duke was.

And last year’s The Karate Kid with Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan is also an excellent remake, one that follows the original almost note for note, hits all the same high points, but also brings integrity and solid characterization and storytelling to the familiar tale. A few years ago we were all sure J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek reboot was going to stink. It didn’t–in fact, it soared.

Nor are all horror remakes exploitative cash grabs. Last year’s Let Me In turned out just as chilling and even more pleasingly dark than the terrific Swedish original. The 2010 version of The Crazies is a much better film than George Romero’s 1973 original.

I love the new version of Piranha, and last month’s Fright Night is a decent successor to the 1985 cult fave. And best of all is Zack Snyder’s 2004 Dawn of the Dead–we can debate whether or not it’s superior to Romero’s original, but it’s certainly a masterful horror achievement all on its own.

Other remakes that not only didn’t suck, but also are among my favorite films of the past decade include 3:10 to Yuma, Ocean’s Eleven, and The Departed.

And then there’s John Carpenter’s 1981 remake The Thing, a film rightfully cherished by the same sci-fi horror geeks so upset about the possibility of of Carpenter’s Escape from New York being remade.

Of course, the remake of Carpenter’s remake of The Thing hits theaters next month.

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What if Uncle George decided to finally stop updating the original trilogy and do a re-make of SW???

Justin Beaver as Luke Skywalker.

Miley Cyrus as Leia.

James Franco as Han Solo.

Adrien Brody as Darth Vader.

Ewan McGregor as Ben Kenobi.

The Geico Gecko as Yoda.

And Pope Benedict XVI as the Emperor

And Wedge would be played by the same actor, cause even today, he escaped alive from every single battle.

Think about it!!

Wouldn't that SUCK big time???

LOL!!!

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What if Uncle George decided to finally stop updating the original trilogy and do a re-make of SW???

Justin Beaver as Luke Skywalker.

Miley Cyrus as Leia.

James Franco as Han Solo.

Adrien Brody as Darth Vader.

Ewan McGregor as Ben Kenobi.

The Geico Gecko as Yoda.

And Pope Benedict XVI as the Emperor

And Wedge would be played by the same actor, cause even today, he escaped alive from every single battle.

Think about it!!

Wouldn't that SUCK big time???

LOL!!!

It sure would!!!!

the thing I find most interesting with the release of the SW BR is when I talk to people at work (most of them (18-30 years old) they have never watched the originals....of course they know who R2D2 and Darth vader are but thats about the extent of their knowledge. they do however know Jar Jar Binks, Padme, Darth maul and the clone troopers.

I believe good can come of the BR release....Even if its not what us ANH style guys want....at least it gives the movies an audience. Maybe it wont hold the same feeling it has for us but if 1 kid walks out of the living room feeling the same way I did when i saw it in the theater....Its a win :)

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What if Uncle George decided to finally stop updating the original trilogy and do a re-make of SW???

Justin Beaver as Luke Skywalker.

Miley Cyrus as Leia.

OMG Star Wars: The Musical!!!!! Actually maybe not as they need to have musical ability...

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Good points

All and all

But in my book remakes suck and I refuse to spend my money on them

That is the massage I send to Hollywood

Star trek was different than most

yes as it is more or less a remake but it is totally new New story line / same people with a twist

The only way to send any kind of massage good or bad to Hollywood is ether spend money on it or not

I vote NOOOOOOOOOOOO by not spending my cash on trash

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Good points

All and all

But in my book remakes suck and I refuse to spend my money on them

That is the massage I send to Hollywood

Star trek was different than most

yes as it is more or less a remake but it is totally new New story line / same people with a twist

The only way to send any kind of massage good or bad to Hollywood is ether spend money on it or not

I vote NOOOOOOOOOOOO by not spending my cash on trash

true....problem is, no matter what we choose to spend our money on there will be thousands of others experiencing it for the first time spending their money on it. I watch movies for the entertainment value for the most part....if its a cool storyline the storyline is still cool 30 yrs later. Even if it has new scenes or the or becomes more in line with todays technology.

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Nice read, Rick!

Awesome points made as well, Brother!

Isn't the next installment of THE THING actually a prequel? Pure awesome either way. Heck, born in 1969, Troops!

I remember all those good ones from that time. Who could forget Sybil Danning from Battle Beyond The Stars? Man, they should remake THAT one just for the eye candy! LOL

Posted Image

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Yes the new "The Thing" movie is the story of the Norweigian camp before the happenings in Carpenters film which itself was a remake of the film "The thing from another world" I dont mind these rmakes either some are awful and some great and you're very right HOLLYWOOD IS OUT OF IDEAS!

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Lol why do a remake of a movie that has less then what? Two years age? Let me in, is the movie i am talking about. And while remakes can be great, as a rule it is something i really do not like. Also, while talking remakes i cant help but get mad and think of george lucas, there is a huge difference in making a new version of a film and adding stuff INTO the original feature which i would say is cultural rape. And unforgivable.

But back to remake: i never got why USA feel the need to do remakes of newly releases european or asian movies when there is such things as subtitles, even dubbing makes more sense to me but even that is stupid. :D

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Well it isn't like hollywood even tries to make anything new. They said in their own report on piracy that the main reason for losses at the cinema was not in fact due to piracy but lack of quality movies that people want to see.

Looking at what is released on a yearly basis from hollywood i would guess they are right in their conclusion.

ANyway, i for one enjoyed dawn of the dead remake more than the original, as is true to most zombie-movies actually.

Also i loved True Grit and **** if i had to watch Inglorius bastards instead of tarantinos basterds with Christoph Waltz. ANd there is always some movies i for one wish they DO make remakes on... But then there is those movies that should never have been remade, like the awful, no, sacreligious remake of the wicker man from the 70's... i mean... :D:( :(

Now hollywood are remaking the millenium-films based on a sorry excuse for writer Stieg Larsson's equally pathetic books. For me as a Swedish person it will be a mixture of epic fail and total LOL to see how those turns out if i at some point actually will watch them...

I am guessing a lot of you guys are from USA, can someone explain what's up with those remakes of foreign movies? i watch a lot of films and very few is in my native language, i can watch german, danish, norwegian and enlish movies with no problem understanding what is said, but if i happen to see a film that is in an other language i use subtitles? And i don't know of any case where we remade a recent movie to have it in swedish instead. Is movie remaking the american equalent of german dubbing? :D

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Billy Wilder once said, there were only 7 stories to be told.

If you really think about it, it is true.

But if you really think about it a bit more you realize there is only three stories to be told, A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. :D

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I read this some where (perhaps it was on RPF)

The 80's it was all about the movie star that sold the movie.

In the late 90s and 2000s it was about the special effects.

Now its about the 'brand'!

I think I would loose my sanity if Hollywood ever decided to redo the John Hughes movies or if they redid the Back to the Future trilogy. :6:

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I dont have a problem so much in that classics are being remade... Just like any movie sometimes it is a hit, sometimes a flop. Granted it is rare but there are moments that the remake is better than the original. My biggest problem is that it seems as though movie makers are just lazy, there are no new ideas out there? or do the stuios not want to pick up on these scripts.. TV seems to get it right at least to a degree, they come out with new ideas, but then thats where they goof it up, the cancel a new show before it gets going, and replace it with some other crap new reality show that is so far from reality that Eureka seems like a real town...

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I dont have a problem so much in that classics are being remade... Just like any movie sometimes it is a hit, sometimes a flop. Granted it is rare but there are moments that the remake is better than the original. My biggest problem is that it seems as though movie makers are just lazy, there are no new ideas out there? or do the stuios not want to pick up on these scripts.. TV seems to get it right at least to a degree, they come out with new ideas, but then thats where they goof it up, the cancel a new show before it gets going, and replace it with some other crap new reality show that is so far from reality that Eureka seems like a real town...

Sorry to tell you this Eureka got canceled!!

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