recent movie re-boots of old tv series....

[zombie no.one]

long post / rant, apologies


out of nothing more than morbid curiosity I recently checked out the 2010 movie of THE A-TEAM.

the original series is a fond childhood memory for me but nothing more, and when I watched a few early episodes recently (having not seen it since I was a kid) I was surprised at how decent it was, for a tea time action series anyway

I assumed the 2010 movie would get it wrong, but the question was how wrong...

I cannot believe that they started it off with some grizzly torture porn-esque scenario (obviously it doesn't develop into one but still), and within the first 15 minutes there are some "s**t"s, and not 1 but 2 very heavily implied MF's... where the character goes "mother fuuuu"... and this is rated 12!!

no one swore in the A Team. you can't have Face saying MF

In what universe did they think "yeah, this'll capture the spirit of the tv show"?

it also looks and feels like a Michael Bay movie, even though it isn't.

I bailed out after 20 minutes, and the intro credits were still going?!


there's movie reboots of CHiPS and BAYWATCH and the clips I've seen of those look similarly horrendous, in that they've just gone full new-school gross out humour when the orig series had none of that...

[zombie no.one]

next I predict a MURDER, SHE WROTE movie starring Jennifer Aniston as Jessica Fletcher, going "I got me a f**king murder to solve, b***h!"

[Trevor]

long post / rant, apologies


out of nothing more than morbid curiosity I recently checked out the 2010 movie of THE A-TEAM.

the original series is a fond childhood memory for me but nothing more, and when I watched a few early episodes recently (having not seen it since I was a kid) I was surprised at how decent it was, for a tea time action series anyway

I assumed the 2010 movie would get it wrong, but the question was how wrong...

I cannot believe that they started it off with some grizzly torture porn-esque scenario (obviously it doesn't develop into one but still), and within the first 15 minutes there are some "s**t"s, and not 1 but 2 very heavily implied MF's... where the character goes "mother fuuuu"... and this is rated 12!!

no one swore in the A Team. you can't have Face saying MF

In what universe did they think "yeah, this'll capture the spirit of the tv show"?

it also looks and feels like a Michael Bay movie, even though it isn't.

I bailed out after 20 minutes, and the intro credits were still going?!


there's movie reboots of CHiPS and BAYWATCH and the clips I've seen of those look similarly horrendous, in that they've just gone full new-school gross out humour when the orig series had none of that...

The A Team movie is terrible aside from. Sharlto Copley who is great as Murdock. Rampage Jackson can't act, Liam Neeson is miscast and Bradley Cooper as Face loses face 😳💩

[M.10rda]

The 21 JUMP STREET movies seem relevant here. (I've only seen the first one.) It's a tough premise to take seriously, yes, but if there were any true fans of the show, I wonder if they were disappointed by the farcical nature of the films.

On the other hand, there's MIAMI VICE (2006)... written and directed by the TV show's creator and seems to take itself (very) seriously. However I found it tough to swallow. Colin Farrell is probably a better actor generally than Don Johnson, but watching him earnestly deliver lines like "I'm a fiend for mojitos" just didn't go over for me. Also, Gong Li (a respected actress in her homeland) clearly understands no English and has no idea what she's doing in the movie, thus delivers one of the worst/most ridiculous performances of this century. A lot of good supporting actors but so much posturing and mood-building instead of suspense and action... didn't work for me in the slightest.

[zombie no.one]

A lot of good supporting actors but so much posturing and mood-building instead of suspense and action... didn't work for me in the slightest.

yeah agree with that... but although the MIAMI VICE movie was also not my cuppa tea, I didn't feel like it tried to fully sabotage the original series. more like re-invent it slightly, which is less offensive.

The A Team movie is terrible aside from. Sharlto Copley who is great as Murdock.

the original Murdok is a tough act to follow... until I re-watched some episodes my memory of him was just being a general crazy fool all the time. yes he is obviously the comic relief factor, but his character is actually really nuanced and well portrayed imo

[zombie no.one]

ok there's also

STARSKY & HUTCH (2004)

I haven't bothered with this, although I never saw the series until fairly recently. seeing as Ben Stiller's in it can I assume it plays up to his comic stylings?


THE DUKES OF HAZZARD (2005)

Jessica Simpson and Johnny Knoxville... it would be hard to out-goofy the tv series but something tells me they manage it

(wow these two aren't so 'recent' now)

[M.10rda]

This genre really flourished in the 00s... STARSKY & HUTCH is yet another one of those ZOOLANDER/OLD SCHOOL/WEDDING CRASHER/ANCHORMAN joints that provided a loose structure for some combination of Will Ferrell, Owen Wilson, Ben Stiller, and/or Vince Vaughn (ugh) - or all four in the case of S&H - to clown around for 100 minutes. It's pretty hard to endure for the full running time, though of course there are a few isolated laffs.

DUKES OF HAZZARD is actually a Broken Lizard film where the troupe wrote/directed and I think plays supporting roles while real movie stars (quote-unquote) play the leads. I know Broken Lizard has a following on this website... I rarely enjoy their films, and this one is no exception. Willie Nelson seems to be enjoying himself, though.

Dwight Schultz! I agree, he was great as Murdock and as the good guy in ALONE IN THE DARK (82). Wish he'd worked more.

[zombie no.one]

This genre really flourished in the 00s... STARSKY & HUTCH is yet another one of those ZOOLANDER/OLD SCHOOL/WEDDING CRASHER/ANCHORMAN joints that provided a loose structure for some combination of Will Ferrell, Owen Wilson, Ben Stiller, and/or Vince Vaughn (ugh) - or all four in the case of S&H - to clown around for 100 minutes. It's pretty hard to endure for the full running time, though of course there are a few isolated laffs.

ok that ensemble... Stiller and Ferrel can be funny for me, but the overall tone of their schtick gets quite old fast

Dwight Schultz! I agree, he was great as Murdock and as the good guy in ALONE IN THE DARK (82). Wish he'd worked more.

forgot he was in that.

there's an interview where he talks about the first day on set for A TEAM, and says George Peppard just came up to him and went "Hi I'm George Peppard and I'm not a very nice man. My ex-wife said I hit her over the head with a frying pan but she's lying. If that was true she'd be dead", and then walked off!

[M.10rda]

What a very George Peppard thing to say!

Recently there was news that Tarantino would NOT be making a film called THE CRITIC which he'd previously claimed would be his final film.    I don't need a live-action Tarantino-helmed biopic of Jay Sherman, however I wouldn't mind a quasi-sequel to ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD called THE THREE GEORGES about Peppard and Georges Chakiris and Maharis on some kind of dangerous secret mission behind enemy lines. Someone other than Liam Neeson could probably have a lot of fun playing George Peppard. Who would you cast? Maybe Tom Hardy?

Also in service of nothing, STARSKY & HUTCH '04 does have some ideal stunt casting in Snoop Dogg as Huggy Bear. Still not worth watching the entire film though.

[claws]

If they do a Golden Girls movie, I'd like to suggest

Virginia Madsen - Dorothy
Heather Locklear - Rose
Kristen Wiig - Blanche
Jennifer Jason Leigh - Sophia

they are now the same age the original cast was when they started with the show.

[M.10rda]

STOP IT... Rue McClanahan was 50 when it premiered?!

I was under 10 years old and naturally thought they were all 70ish...

I was aware (back in the day) that Estelle Getty was the youngest... Jennifer Jason Leigh can't be 49 (younger than Wiig)... she would've been 8 years old in FAST TIMES @ RIDGEMONT HIGH...

Anyway, amusing post... "they sure don't make 'em like they used to" ...which in this case is a damn good thing! 

[RCMerchant]

I never liked those TV shows. Maybe a GILLIGAN'S ISLAND reboot!

[Trevor]

I'd like to see an R rated Hawaii Five O reboot 😊

Aloha, welcome to Hawaii, now prepare for an ass whooping 😳😀

[chainsaw midget]

Am I the only one here that really liked the A-Team movie?

I was so disappointed that it didn't get a sequel.  Other than their B.A. not being Mr. T enough, I thought the other actors really did a great job at capturing the original roles.  

[claws]

STOP IT... Rue McClanahan was 50 when it premiered?!

I was under 10 years old and naturally thought they were all 70ish...

I was aware (back in the day) that Estelle Getty was the youngest... Jennifer Jason Leigh can't be 49 (younger than Wiig)... she would've been 8 years old in FAST TIMES @ RIDGEMONT HIGH...

Anyway, amusing post... "they sure don't make 'em like they used to" ...which in this case is a damn good thing!  

Bea Arthur (Dorothy) was 63 (born 1922) in 1985 when The Golden Girls had its premiere on tv.
Virginia Madsen turns 63 this year (b. 1961)

Betty White (Rose) was born the same year as Bea Arthur.
Heather Locklear turns 63 this year (b. 1961)

Rue McClanahan (Blanche) was born in 1934. She was 51 when she did the Golden Girls.
Kristen Wiig turns 51 this year.

Estelle Getty (Sophia) was born in 1923. She was 62 in 1985.
Jennifer Jason Leigh is 62, born in 1962. She was 19 when she filmed Fast Times at Ridgemont High.