Remakes

[Pete B6K]

Some thoughts triggered by the fact that Marky Mark Wahlberg is soon to star in a remake of 'The Italian Job'. He's already ruined 'Planet of the Apes', and needs to be stopped. There has been been a recent trend in remakes (Get Carter, Oceans 11, Mean Machine, the two above and I'm sure many more that slip my dysfunctional memory).

Are there any remakes at all that are better then the original?
What remake do you wish had never happened?
What film would you most like to see remade?
What film would you least like to see remade?
Are people who remake films just too damn lazy to make an original?

Pete

[Flangepart]

Hummm....good one, Pete.
....#1.Can't think of any off hand.
....#2. P, of the Apes.....Godz(Growl)-"Deanzilla"......
....#3. Giant Claw, Black Scorpion,Giant Behemouth,Reptilicus,..lots of Kaihu in this list.....Deadly Mantis,.....
....#4. Them (leave it alone). C. from the Black Lagoon....humm...
....#5. For the most part, yes. But, as per my line#3, there are some flicks that could be improved with modern tech. As per script work, that leaves room for argument......

[ErikJ]

For the most part Hollywood tries too hard to improve on it rather then stay faithful. Think about when a rock band remakes a classic song. What makes it a hit? When the artist stays faithful to the original yet adds just enough flair to make it his/her own.
Godzillia could have been a lot better if they remembered what made him famous, his movies were fun. And also to me that's one of the major things that has been missing today, the fun in movies. It's all about money and no longer about the art. I have no faith in anything Hollywood does anymore.

[Steven Millan]

                        Add both creativity and good stroytelling to that list, Erik, for those are also missing from that list of movies that need good ingredients to make them work.
                        And,I think that Guillemero Del Toro will really make sure that the soon-to-be-remade "Creature from the Black Lagoon" will be a really great remake,one that expands upon the original ala "The Thing" and "The Blob",and not become another La-Hoo-ZaHer "redux" flick like last year's "Planet of the Apes" and that Roland Emmerich/Dean Devlin giant lizard flick(you know,the one that stars with the letter G).

[jmc]

I usually avoide remakes like the plague, but that INSOMNIA remake looks interesting.  

The remake of THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH was probably better than the original, but it most likely doesn't count since Hitchcock remade his own film.

The TEXAS CHAINSAW remake is one I'm not happy about, but I could actually maybe live with a remake of DAWN OF THE DEAD, provided it was done seriously and jettisoned a lot of the stuff that weighed down the original [you know, the half hour or so in the middle of the film where nothing really happens...]

[J.R.]

John Carpenter's The Thing is superior to the original.

Unlike seemingly everyone else, I enjoyed the new Apes. But I do wish Godzilla had never reared his new phallic-shaped head. And Matthew Broderick?!

I don't want to see Dawn Of The Dead or Texas Chainsaw Massacre remade, but both are already happening.

[Brock]

The remake of Ocean's ii was much better than the original.  And an all around cool movie, regardless of source material.  it's examples like that that prove that remakes can be worthwhile.

[Mofo Rising]

I wouldn't say it was Marky Mark who ruined the PLANET OF THE APES remake.  He was just an actor.  Blame Tim Burton.

The problem with most remakes is that they always decide to remake the classics.  Of course, it's stupid reasoning because classic films are considered classic because people still enjoy watching them today.  They don't need to be remade, the originals are still doing their job.

Now there are plenty of movies that could be remade.  Movies that had some interesting ideas, but never quite pulled them off.  Or movies that didn't have the budget to fulfill their own promise could be remade.  I can't think of any off the top of my head, but they're out there.

One practice I don't usually appreciate is when somebody takes a foreign film and remakes it for local audiences.  Like Cameron Crowe with VANILLA SKY, or the new SOLARIS movie.  But I think that's because I think most Americans should get off their asses and watch a foreign film.  Why not?  The rest of the world watches our movies.

[J.R.]

America is the best and everything we make is better, so there.

There are lots of films that had interesting idaes that couldn't be followed through. George Romero's original Day of The Dead script, for example, was much more ambitious that what ended up being made, due to budget constrictions. Lots of horror and sci-fi films had the same problems.

[XxSilverHxX]

USA ALL THE WAY!!!!!!!!

[Luca Brasi]

well, not that i doubt the competence of american filmmakers, as im sure some are capable at improving already succesful, quality foriegn films, but i get the feeling that isnt why we remake . . . perhaps (gasp!) its because americans cant read subtitles! . . . yes, its shameful, but true

[J.R.]

I think it's because we don't like seeing beastly people foreign countries consider beautiful shot on ugly film speaking in an odd language. I can't watch French films; Gerard Depardeu and Jean Reno are mutants and the women are always really skanky and French is just a very disgusting language. I'm an arrogant American and proud of it.

[jmc]

I like some foreign films, but I don't automatically assume all foreign films are better.  I really hate those Merchant-Ivory films [THE ENGLISH PATIENT, REMAINS OF THE DAY, etc.]  I refuse to watch the American remakes that are obviously just dumbed-down versions [like the American version of THE VANISHING.]  However, I've heard that the INSOMNIA remake isn't like that, so I'm going to give it a chance next time I head to the theater.  

Carpenter's THE THING was less a remake of the original and more an adaptation of the short story on which the original was very loosely based.  So I see them as two very different films, not really competing with each other.

The OCEAN'S ELEVEN remake was similar, but I ultimately found it disposable.  I would rather watch the original any day.  The Rat Pack had style.  It didn't really matter what the movie was about, they just had a charisma that the likes of Clooney, PItt, et. al. just don't have.  

Personally, I think DAY OF THE DEAD would have sucked even if Romero had been able to go with his original vision.

[Lee]

jmc wrote:
>
> I like some foreign films, but I don't automatically assume
> all foreign films are better.  I really hate those
> Merchant-Ivory films [THE ENGLISH PATIENT, REMAINS OF THE
> DAY, etc.]  
I'm with you on this one. I've seen really cool foreingn flicks and I've seen sucky foreign flicks. Anybody who thinks a movie is great and way better than everything else just because it's European, or Asian, or some place like that is a damn moron.
>
> Carpenter's THE THING was less a remake of the original and
> more an adaptation of the short story on which the original
> was very loosely based.  So I see them as two very different
> films, not really competing with each other.
>
Couldn't have said it better myself. So I won't try.
>
>
> Personally, I think DAY OF THE DEAD would have sucked even if
> Romero had been able to go with his original vision.  
EEEHHHHMMM....It might have been good or it might have still sucked(look at Romero's track record), but I guess we won't know. His script for Resident Evil(while having some good elements) was pretty bad(Anderson did alot better). I'm still iffy about Dead Reckoning, just doesn't seem like it will turn out good.

[retro_groove]

Mark Walhberg DIDN'T ruin planet of the apes. i could actually sit down and watch it, instead of wanting to eat my own head off with the original. and he's just an actor doing his job, like you're gonna stop him from making films. what's your problem with remakes? you don't like them? watch the originals and shut up.