on Remakes....or Reinvisionings

[Adrenochrome]

OK, so, most of you know my abhoration (is that even a word???, anyhooooo, you get what I mean) for remakes/reinvisionings, right? sure you do.....
I was thinking; The only way I can truly loathe those that "reinvision" the older flicks (be they classic or just plain cheesy horrible) is to put myself in their shoes.
I asked myself, "What flick would I remake/reinvision if I was bored and wanted to sponge off of some earlier artist's name?" [this idea came from one of erisi's posts]
Wow. for some of us, that's a very hard question to ask. Believe me, I hate being so goddamned picky when it comes to movies! Really, I do.

I came up with 5 (cock pistols now)

1. White Zombie - Willem Dafoe replacing Bela Lugosi

2. Witness for the Prosecution - Philip Seymour Hoffman replacing Charles Laughton; Johnny Depp replacing Tyrone Power;

3. The Trouble With Harry

4. Network - my brain swirls trying to figure out THIS cast!!!

5. Carwash - for this I would need the comedic genius of Dave Chapelle by my side.

So, spill it!!!!!! what gives,.....where do we go from here?.......

[Tullaryx]

I don't know why people seem so upset about the concept of remakes/reinvisionings/reboots of past films and ideas. One thing I found interesting when I was taking a film class elective in college a decade ago was my professor saying something to the effect that Hollywood and the film industry, in general, has been remaking ideas since the 1950's.

Most every film since the second half of the 20th-century have either been remakes of earlier films of the first 50 years of film or were ideas lifted from those films. Sci-Fi and horror films usually get mentioned first when this topic comes up, but in reality drama and comedies have been the most remade/redone/rebooted genre in film. It's actually in horror and sci-fi that new ideas usually pop up once in awhile since the 1950's due to the fantastic nature of the two genres.

Even classic filmmakers like Kurosawa, Coppola and Kubrick have either remade or reinvisioned films from 1950 and earlier. Kurosawa, in fact, took the films of John Ford from the 1940's and remade them as feudal Japan samurai epics. Coppola's Apocalypse Now shares many thematic ideas with John Huston's The Treasure of Sierra Madre and The African Queen.

The question really shouldn't be has Hollywood run out of ideas (this debate has raged on far longer than anyone here has been alive), but whether the ideas they are re-using have been put in the hands of capable and talented filmmakers. One great example of such a thing was Shaun of the Dead. That film brought nothing new to the zombie genre that Romero and his many imitators hadn't already thought of. But Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and company did such a great job telling their story that people forget the fact that it's a rehash of pretty much most of the zombie movies that came out before it.

For me, as long as a film was done well and shows it on the screen then I don't mind if it's a remake/reinvisioning/reboot. Most of the films I've watched since I could understand what movies were probably one of those things in one way or another.

[bassman]

I don't know why people seem so upset about the concept of remakes/reinvisionings/reboots of past films and ideas. One thing I found interesting when I was taking a film class elective in college a decade ago was my professor saying something to the effect that Hollywood and the film industry, in general, has been remaking ideas since the 1950's.

Most every film since the second half of the 20th-century have either been remakes of earlier films of the first 50 years of film or were ideas lifted from those films. Sci-Fi and horror films usually get mentioned first when this topic comes up, but in reality drama and comedies have been the most remade/redone/rebooted genre in film. It's actually in horror and sci-fi that new ideas usually pop up once in awhile since the 1950's due to the fantastic nature of the two genres.

Even classic filmmakers like Kurosawa, Coppola and Kubrick have either remade or reinvisioned films from 1950 and earlier. Kurosawa, in fact, took the films of John Ford from the 1940's and remade them as feudal Japan samurai epics. Coppola's Apocalypse Now shares many thematic ideas with John Huston's The Treasure of Sierra Madre and The African Queen.

The question really shouldn't be has Hollywood run out of ideas (this debate has raged on far longer than anyone here has been alive), but whether the ideas they are re-using have been put in the hands of capable and talented filmmakers. One great example of such a thing was Shaun of the Dead. That film brought nothing new to the zombie genre that Romero and his many imitators hadn't already thought of. But Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and company did such a great job telling their story that people forget the fact that it's a rehash of pretty much most of the zombie movies that came out before it.

For me, as long as a film was done well and shows it on the screen then I don't mind if it's a remake/reinvisioning/reboot. Most of the films I've watched since I could understand what movies were probably one of those things in one way or another.

Well said, my friend. I mean, hell....."Ben Hur" is a remake and I know that no one can deny the greatness of that film.

You're right though.....it all depends on who's handling it. Makes you wonder how "Dawn04" could've been if in different hands.

[Tullaryx]

Well said, my friend. I mean, hell....."Ben Hur" is a remake and I know that no one can deny the greatness of that film.

You're right though.....it all depends on who's handling it. Makes you wonder how "Dawn04" could've been if in different hands.

I think Dawn04 could've been handed over to a top horror director and screenwriter and people still would've complained.

[bassman]

I think Dawn04 could've been handed over to a top horror director and screenwriter and people still would've complained.


Now, now, now......"SOME PEOPLE" is right. As I've stated multiple times....I would still dislike the movie if it were titled anything different.

I just find it to be a sad excuse for a horror/thriller, regardless of name.

[p2501]

I don't know why people seem so upset about the concept of remakes/reinvisionings/reboots of past films and ideas. One thing I found interesting when I was taking a film class elective in college a decade ago was my professor saying something to the effect that Hollywood and the film industry, in general, has been remaking ideas since the 1950's.




excellent points all around. My predominate issue with remakes in general, is so many of them offer nothing new. take the remake of "Psycho" for example, it's absolutely pointless, both from a story telling and film making standpoint. at the edn of the day your just better off watching the original. Conversely the "reinvisioning" of dawn of the dead wasn't half bad. atleast within the context that they did try new concepts and characters.

"Invasion of the body snatchers" is an excellent example of this. i can think of two direct remakes (the 1978 version and "snatchers") that offer different takes on the core concept, but also go off on a different paths than the predecessing films.

Having said that, the underlying trend (not a new one) is to remake a cult/foreign/hit film, recast it to match mareting trends, add bad CG, and maybe alter a few plot points here and there. see the remake of The Fog as an example of this.

But on the whole, the reactionary statement that "remakes suck" isn't an entirely uncorrect on, as the number of good remakes is far outweighed by the utterly horrible ones.

[Tullaryx]

If I had to pick a director to have handled the remake then I would've picked John Carpenter in his prime to make it. He knows tension and doesn't mind working with gore effects. Plus, he's already done several reinvisionings of Romero's zombie theme: Assault on Precinct 13 being the most notable.

[darth los]

If I had to pick a director to have handled the remake then I would've picked John Carpenter in his prime to make it. He knows tension and doesn't mind working with gore effects. Plus, he's already done several reinvisionings of Romero's zombie theme: Assault on Precinct 13 being the most notable.

John Carpenter was also responsible for the remake of the Thing in the early 80's, which i must say is a good film. Certainly better than the original.

[MinionZombie]

I think they should remake crap movies from back in the day, so chances are you'll make a better movie than the original. For example - Drive In Massacre = it's hideously terrible, utterly incomprehensible, a total waste of DVD on my shelf. Now THAT is a movie which would be remade quite easily and quite well, it could be a real nostalgia piece. It'd be P*SS EASY to improve on that sack of poopy.

[p2501]

I think they should remake crap movies from back in the day, so chances are you'll make a better movie than the original. For example - Drive In Massacre = it's hideously terrible, utterly incomprehensible, a total waste of DVD on my shelf. Now THAT is a movie which would be remade quite easily and quite well, it could be a real nostalgia piece. It'd be P*SS EASY to improve on that sack of poopy.


I nominate CHUD for remaking.

[Adrenochrome]

what about Breakin' and Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo We need to bring back those whacky dancers!
Yeah!!!! woooo hoooo!

http://www.arkivperu.com/breakin-500-1.jpg

[general tbag]

remake demons or a proper sequel , demons 2 and 3 sucked.

[HLS]

I think they should remake crap movies from back in the day, so chances are you'll make a better movie than the original. For example - Drive In Massacre = it's hideously terrible, utterly incomprehensible, a total waste of DVD on my shelf. Now THAT is a movie which would be remade quite easily and quite well, it could be a real nostalgia piece. It'd be P*SS EASY to improve on that sack of poopy.

I agree. I also want to see Deranged(movie about Ed Gein) remade by a better film maker with better actors, at least I do not think it was remade yet. Some movies are so good they should be left alone, unedited and not remade. It was a crying shame that they remade The Shining. Noone and I mean noone can top the origional and none can play Johnnys part better than good old Jack.

[LouCipherr]

I think they should remake crap movies from back in the day, so chances are you'll make a better movie than the original. For example - Drive In Massacre = it's hideously terrible, utterly incomprehensible, a total waste of DVD on my shelf. Now THAT is a movie which would be remade quite easily and quite well, it could be a real nostalgia piece. It'd be P*SS EASY to improve on that sack of poopy.


:lol:

I thought I was the only nutcase who ever rented that movie and watched it! You actually own that movie?! :lol: That was as bad as "Manic" - anyone ever see that movie? First movie I ever watched that showed some dude blow off someone's head with a shotgun! That image still creeps me out to this day!

As far as remakes/reinvisionings, I'm the kind of person who doesn't like pretty much any of them. I mean, the movie was made the way it was in the first place for a reason - and that's where that writer/director/whoever was at the time the movie was made. Now, that's not to say they can't be improved on, but why bother? Why not try and come up with a story that may not be 100% original (we've been over the whole 'nothing is original anymore' and to a certain extent, I agree) but at least more interesting than having to use someone else's script and rehash their idea.

Now, that being said, I know The Shining was already remade by King himself into a TV series - and it was a vast improvement over Kubrick's version of the story (don't get me started), but it left out one important ingredient: Nicholson. Steve Weber was decent in the role, but if Nicholson would've been in it, it would've been the best adapted Stephen King story ever put on film. At least the TV series King did stayed true to the novel. Kubrick's version, although interesting in it's own right, didn't relay the complete story and left out way too much to make it coherent. Bah, i've never really cared for Kubrick in the first place... (yeah, I know, "blasphemy!" right? :lol:)

Y'know what I wonder? When are they going to start remaking the Police Academy films? You know it can't be far away, and I bet 10 to 1 that someone in hollywood has already suggested it! :D

Although John Carpenter is still one of my favorite directors, I shudder to think about the fact that he's letting people remake his movies. The Fog was a hideous remake (yeah, I said it, so what? wanna fight about it? :lol:). I didn't care too much for the remake of AoP13 either... and although I have high hopes for Rob Zombie and the next Halloween movie, I'm getting kinda angry that he keeps letting people screw with his movies. I swear to God, if they ever remake The Thing, I'm going to have to make a personal visit to Mr. Carpenters house and beat him with a cricket bat! :lol: Yes, I realize The Thing isn't an "original" film for Carpenter either, but he sure nailed a home run with that film and made it his own.

I just can't think of anything I think could work as a decent remake. At least not off the top of my head. Let me think about it for a bit and see what I can come up with.

LC

[Adrenochrome]

I agree. I also want to see Deranged(movie about Ed Gein) remade by a better film maker with better actors, at least I do not think it was remade yet. Some movies are so good they should be left alone, unedited and not remade. It was a crying shame that they remade The Shining. Noone and I mean noone can top the origional and none can play Johnnys part better than good old Jack.

Jack Nicholson played Jack Torrance; there was no "Johnny". That was a line used to bring memories of Ed McMahon introducing Johhny Carson on The Tonight Show to the surface of the mind. This being one of your favorite movies, I'm suprised you didn't know that.

[p2501]

Jack Nicholson played Jack Torrance; there was no "Johnny". That was a line used to bring memories of Ed McMahon introducing Johhny Carson on The Tonight Show to the surface of the mind. This being one of your favorite movies, I'm suprised you didn't know that.


nicely done.

[Graebel]

I would like to see Tank Girl redone. Although the soundtrack rocked and I love Lori Petty. It just wasn't what I expected after the comics.

:shifty: Boinking kangaroos?? No, man, they're mutated kangaroos. Boink away.:lol:

[HLS]

nicely done. There was a reason I said Johnny. The people that need to know know what I mean. I know exactly what the characters were I only watch the movie 20 times a year.

[DeadJonas190]

:lol:

Y'know what I wonder? When are they going to start remaking the Police Academy films? You know it can't be far away, and I bet 10 to 1 that someone in hollywood has already suggested it! :D
LC


They are making a new Police Academy! No need for a remake just yet.

I am really sick of remakes, especially since 95% of them are horrible attempts to cash in on an already established name... its like when these rappers "sample" a song, they are just cashing in on popularity that is already there. People see a familiar name and go to see it since they "loved" the original.

One of the few remakes I liked was The Hills Have Eyes. I wasn't sure if I would like it because of how awesome the original is, but Aja did a good job on it... but then again High Tension rocked. I am a little worried about this sequel in the works, but then again, it may be good.

The one movie that if remade will make me personally drive out to the sight just to bitch slap the makers is the Warriors. I own both the original version and the Directors cut and that movie is just great.

The funny thing is that working at a Blockbuster I keep getting customers who complain about all the remakes, yet they still go see them at theaters and rent them since there is nothing else out there. If they quit renting them and going to see them at the theaters there would be no market for remakes! But that is just me complaining as I still rent them also... but I get them for free!

[MinionZombie]

lol, I know, Drive-In Massacre is a blight on my DVD shelf ... although I do own some more turkeys. I made the mistake, as a young lad of 18, to believe the "hype" of the DVD cover. If you put a kick ass pic of a classic car covered in blood and write things like "Previously BANNED!!!" all over the cover, or "UNCUT!!!" then you're bound to get my interest, lol. Sadly, the movie was atrocious, and is a prime candidate for a GOOD remake, it wouldn't be hard. Heck, I could remake it with soft toys in my bedroom (a la Adam & Joe) and make a much better flick.

Aye, the new Fog and Precinct 13 sucked, you can't beat the originals. Carpenter's "The Thing" is a friggin' classic. Not a hardcore remake, because it went back to the original source material and showed what Hawks couldn't show back in the day, hence sticking with a dude in a suit, lol - the movie should have been called "Not The Thing, But A Dude In A Suit".

I dig Kubrick's Shining, it's legendary. The TV movie was dud in my eyes. "Maniac", I thought that movie was good, one of the few video nasties that actually lives up to it's hype, none of that Drive-In Massacre wank. :lol:

*oh my friggin' gawd - Snakes On A Plane - is actually getting a segment about it on Channel 4 News...blimey!*

A Rob Zombie Halloween movie? Hmmm...is it a remake or is it a sequel (as if 2 ... or maybe 3 through 8 never happened?) It'll be interesting, but I'd rather see him make something original, like The Devil's Rejects - that was superb. I'd also LOVE to see a Rob Zombie zombie movie, now that'd be a good flick!

[LouCipherr]

MZ - you've seen "Maniac" too?! OMG, I thought I was the only one that lost 90 minutes of their lives watching that! :lol:

Y'know, i'm so torn on The Shining. I mean, you really couldn't get a better person to play Jack Torrence (Nicholson), but see, my problem is I read the book before I saw the movie. If you do that and watch the Kubrick version of the flick you're left going "WHAT THE HELL?!" because Kubrick's version only touches on about 1/2 of what's in the book - and misses some INCREDIBLY important details (uhhh, the boiler?!) that are pertient to the story. That's mainly why I like the TV version better (closer to the original novel) but there's no denying that Nicholson owned the part of Torrence in the Kubrick version. Bah, I like 'em both, I just think the tv series kept closer to the novel, which is what I expected Kubricks to be when I saw it. It's decent, yes, but it just left out too much for my taste. In the novel, the job interview was almost 1/3rd of the book and had lots of detail and info in it - and in the movie they touched on that interview for maybe what, 5 minutes? huh?!

About RZ's upcoming Halloween - y'know, I do have faith in RZ to make a decent Halloween film. After watching the cinematography of The Devil's Rejects (which is still my favorite movie to come out the past few years) I think Rob has a really firm grasp on how to achieve that 70's "look" on film. I mean, TDR could've come right out of 1976! It just has that look and feel of the 70's classic horror films, and I'm hoping he applies that to the new Halloween movie. He'll pull it off - I'm worried about it a bit, but I think RZ has the best chance (other than Carpenter) of taking that series back to where it should be. That cult BS they started with Meyers was just stupid beyond stupid. They should've quit after part 4 (which I liked, surprisingly). I have one word of advice for RZ: Get Nick Castle to play The Shape again! :D

DJ190 - are you serious? there's a new Police Academy movie coming out?! Where's my 'smack myself in the head' smiley?! and for the record, The Warriors was a totally kick ass movie!!

...and I still can't think of a single movie I want to see remade. :rolleyes:

[MinionZombie]

Why didn't you like Maniac? I thought it was a good flick, Joe Spinnel was genius in it ... wasn't a waste of 90 minutes to me anyway...here's a question, do you reckon that's a boner the killer is sporting in the cover art, or is it just unfortunate, Larry David style "bunching"?

Indeed, RZ is the man for the job regarding the new Halloween, I want to see the series go back to it's roots. Personally, only #1 and #2 cut the mustard, #3 was just stupid and the rest just got worse and worse and felt "flimsy" to me, while #1 and to a lesser extent #2 feel tough and robust, they feel like films ... not TV movies, which is a taste I get from part 4 through 6. #7 was just stupid and #8 was just pure turd, a Halloween movie ... with Busta Rhymes in it ... and that stupid "Myers was tortured by his parents" junk, I mean COME ON!!!

Now, what with all this "returning to" franchises that's going on lately (Batman, Superman...), I'd like to see a return to Friday 13th and Jason, but none of that Jason X or whatnot nonesense (although I do own Jason X on DVD and enjoyed it too). A return of Friday 13th would be quite welcome, but a serious return, no p*ss taking or modern techno-junk thrown in with obvious CGI etc. Speaking of CGI in horror movies, the best I've seen it employed is in Land of the Dead, only a few moments are recognisably CGI to our trained eyes. Rock on.

And Maniac was a good slasher flick! :cool:

[LouCipherr]

I don't know why I didn't like Maniac. I was REALLY young the first time I saw it, and the vision of that guy jumping on the car hood and blowing that dude's head off with the shotgun is forever stuck in my head. :lol: Maybe because of that, and being that's what I remember most about the flick, I don't have much of a fond memory of it. The ending I remember and it was just plain gross.. The movie was just... just... I dunno... weird. :D

How about Microwave Massacre? Remember that one? and Basket Case? Ahhh, the heyday of cheese horror films.

oh, and as far as the boner/bunching - i have no idea, but i'm trying not to think about it. :lol:

[Adrenochrome]

I don't know why I didn't like Maniac. I was REALLY young the first time I saw it, and the vision of that guy jumping on the car hood and blowing that dude's head off with the shotgun is forever stuck in my head. :lol: Maybe because of that, and being that's what I remember most about the flick, I don't have much of a fond memory of it. The ending I remember and it was just plain gross.. The movie was just... just... I dunno... weird. :D

How about Microwave Massacre? Remember that one? and Basket Case? Ahhh, the heyday of cheese horror films.

oh, and as far as the boner/bunching - i have no idea, but i'm trying not to think about it. :lol:
ooooooo Basket Case!!!! I recently sat through all three of those!!!
Remember the It's Alive series?


ooooooooooo or, Blood Beach!!!!
http://www.impawards.com/1981/posters/blood_beach_ver1.jpg

[Marie]

"Not The Thing, But A Dude In A Suit".

That's James Arness, T.V.'s Matt Dillon in that suit! So it'd be "Not The Thing, but James Arness in a suit", if there'd been a sequel they could have used Festus I guess.:D

M_

[Adrenochrome]

That's James Arness, T.V.'s Matt Dillon in that suit! So it'd be "Not The Thing, but James Arness in a suit", if there'd been a sequel they could have used Festus I guess.:D

M_
more Gunsmoke/horror trivia

there's an old (horribly bad) flick from 1942 called Mad Monster. Glenn Strange, the guy that played Sam Noonan (the bartender) on Gunsmoke was cast as "Petro" (the guy that is turned into a "mad monster" by George Zucco.:D)
You can download a copy of this wonderfully cheesy flick here (free - public domain) -
mad monster (http://www.archive.org/details/mad_monster)