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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Remakes...beyond ridiculous.

Tim Hole

Tim Hole

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I was talking to someone today who was saying that the Americanised remake of 'The Lives of Others' was going ahead. I gave up getting angry about everything that was being remade and rebooted simply because it was pointless and I know its all a numbers game and is about money 100% of the time.

My question really is...is this going to reach a fever pitch or is it just going to go on and on and on...literally until there is nothing left to remake and we again start rebooting the remakes.

Films like Lives of Others, Suspiria, Old boy are not just films that shouldn't be remade, but are films that were perfectly done in their current form for certain reasons. How can you Americanise a film set in 80s East Germany surrounding the Stasi. Thats just stupid. Suspiria was more than just a horror, it is an artistic masterpiece. It is very much of its time (like most of Argento's films appear now) remaking it just doesn't make sense. Old Boy is a Korean revenge film that was perfectly done. Taking it out of its native surroundings, rescripting, casting and recreating it...it won't be Old Boy...

We narrowly escaped the Casablanca remake with Ben Affleck and Jo'Lo, because Gigli did so badly at the box office.

Remaking Short Circuit, Flight of the Navigator, Gremlins, HE-MAN is one thing, but there really is a line. I don't mean that in a geekish 'get yer hands off' fashion (despite it tainting the original when something is remade) I just wish people would wake up a bit and realise we are killing our heritage - they aren't doing it any favours.
 
I'm seeing remakes that are not much more than a reshooting of the original. I mean the special effects aren't a lot better, the shots are even similar, and the story, dialog, is pretty much intact.

So why do it at all?

The only thing I can think of is a new cast. Maybe there is an audience that won't watch the original because it's old, but will watch the remake because the actors are new?

It's all I can think of.

Using your example, I can definitely think of an audience that doesn't relate to Bogie, but does relate to Ben Affleck. It's not me, but you know the under 25 crowd does buy most of the movie tickets.
 
Films made by corporations are typically made for one purpose - to make money. Apparently it has been determined that remakes and previously successful franchises are the way to do this. There has never been an easier time to counter this however. Ambitious filmmakers have access to equipment that is being used by big budget filmmakers. The thing is, they also need to have something to say and they need to make movies that can find an audience. That's the part that needs examining. In this world of facebook and other social media portals, if you make a film that moves an audience and has something to say that gets people's attention it will find an audience. The world is full of rich stories, look what's going on out there. Indie filmmakers have the same problems that Hollywood does in a way. Making good films is relatively easy. Making great, memorable films is very difficult and that's because it takes a perfect storm of talent in all departments and a great story.

I love going back and watching the making of Apocalypse Now because there was a filmmaker who was walking that line between Hollywood and independent who was passionate about what he was doing to the point where he nearly went insane and in the end makes a movie that is indeed memorable. To an extent the making of the movie was a reflection of the Vietnam War itself, chaotic and not always with a clear direction.
 
The key to making it stop to is to stop paying to see these remakes.

I'm not sure if people are ever going to understand just how much power they really have when it comes to this.
 
The reason studios do remakes, in my opinion, is because it's a very easy way to come up with a script that has already worked, modernize it for the current audience, and add special effect.

Take Straw Dogs. Most of the teens/young adults seeing that film will have never seen Sam Peckinpah's original, therefore the idea is unique to them. They will add silly references in it most likely to make it for the current culture, and then they will add special effects, so the teens/young adults will feel comfortable with it. I mean, have you seen the CGI deer in the trailer? It looks awful, but it's easy to do CGI then to actually get a deer running, and the current culture is so used to it, why not do it.

But... If they ever remake Old Boy, which I hear they are doing now with Spike Lee and Josh Brolin, ill watch it just to see how much they ruined a genuinely perfect movie.
 
Jason Svatos said:
What a... curious concept. But ok.
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If they remade Old Boy, you wouldn't see it?

I won't say a movie is bad unless I have seen it. And if they remake Old Boy, I have a feeling they will really mess it up, but I can't judge it unless I see it. So I will see it.

I don't know how you wouldn't want to see it.
 
Jason Svatos said:
The key to making it stop to is to stop paying to see these remakes.

I'm not sure if people are ever going to understand just how much power they really have when it comes to this.
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I think this is a misunderstanding of what is happening. People DO have the power. That's why the studios are making these movies. This is what people want. If they didn't, then you're right. They wouldn't pay for it. But they do!

I thought Kick Ass was great. Very original take on the Super Hero genre, and what amazing performances by the cast. But the general movie going public didn't agree with me. They are probably going to go see the reboot of Spider Man, where we get to see Peter Parker bit by a radioactive spider. Again. That's what they want.
 
For me the nadir was 'Edge of Darkness'. The BBC original scaled heights in all departments that have seldom been equalled; it was an astonishing piece of work. Gibson, an avowed uber-fan of the original, remade it and turned it into a humdrum American detective thriller. Groan.

Some things should just be left alone. MOST things should just be left alone!

Mike
 
A Flight of the Navigator remake is actually a great idea. It's a good movie until the boy actually gets into the ship and then it's all down hill. Rewrite the third act and they might have something... This is what should be done, remake bad movies not good ones!
 
Eric Rodemann said:
I thought Kick Ass was great. Very original take on the Super Hero genre, and what amazing performances by the cast. But the general movie going public didn't agree with me. They are probably going to go see the reboot of Spider Man, where we get to see Peter Parker bit by a radioactive spider. Again. That's what they want.
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To be fair, those two movies do not serve the same audiences. "People" is far too broad of a category, and you're correct that the audience for Kick-ass and Spiderman overlap but the Spiderman audience is much, MUCH larger.

One problem with quote-unquote "indie" movies is that their target audiences are (a) small, and (b) difficult to reach at a modest budget. Hence, it's little surprise that most films fail.
 
I'm not a fan of remakes either but for the most part I'm indifferent about most of them. The remakes are generally not for the film connoisseur they're for the average joe in America. The reality of that market is hard to beat. I thought the remake of, "Let the Right One In" was pretty good. It was reshaped for the American audience and was done well. The general American audience doesn't want to read, or see dubs. I don't disagree. I actually don't like to read while watching movies either - because I want to experience the tone of the film the way the filmmaker intended. That's disrupted by the fact I have to read subtitles. It doesn't stop me from watching subtitled movies but it's a factor in the filmgoing experience. I would love to see a good remake of some asian films, "The Ring" remake was great, and I'd be interested in seeing what could be done with, "Old Boy". I'm a fan of the original (though the ending was pretty melodramatic). Also, I'd be interested in Fincher's version of, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" since I was okay with the original. I thought it was predictable. But I thought the second one, "The Girl Who Played with Fire" was great.

Also, there's plenty of places that "re-invision" American films. Go watch the Japanese version of Star Wars (Message from Space).

On a similar note, Mr. Lucas' fascination with "reinventing" the Star Wars series is god awful. And from personal experience, he's not interested in making good films. He's interested in making money (quick money that is).
 
Justin Chin said:
Mr. Lucas' fascination with "reinventing" the Star Wars series is god awful. And from personal experience, he's not interested in making good films. He's interested in making money (quick money that is).
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Really? Did he tell you that in person? Wow.

Do you really believe Lucas round up his film crew and said, "guys, lets make a shit movie and make millions".

It's not always about money, most of the pioneers we grew up watching and learning from can't cut it these days like they use to, both Lucas and Speilberg with all their experience, arguably wouldn't hold up against some of today's directors. The students become the teachers.

Opinions are just opinions. We can all bitch and moan about re-makes (myself included), but until you shoot a feature film yourself and show the people out there working hard away how to do it better, it really is just bitching and moaning. And just because you/ I / or anyone didn't enjoy a remake doesn't mean EVERYONE didn't.
 
Kacey Baker said:
Really? Did he tell you that in person? Wow. Do you really believe Lucas round up his film crew and said, "guys, lets make a shit movie and make millions".
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I was in the Lucas organization when they ramped up the new films. Nobody goes on to say, "let's make a shit movie." But one does make decisions on how to make a film (especially Lucas) and what to focus on. And he did round us up. But that's about all I'll say. I want Lucas and all his companies to succeed. I have many friends there still and I would hate to see all that go away (unfortunately, Kerner Optical is done). If that happened then a huge void would be left in the SF Bay Area. I love it when I get to hang out there. Lucas did create the filmmaking experience he wanted to make all along. "Rango" is a huge step in that direction. LOVE IT.

Anyway. I hope the tone of my message says that I don't mind the remakes (and perhaps you weren't directing those comments to me). They serve a purpose. Some of them are good some are not. I don't get angry about it. All I care about is watching a good film.
 
There is nothing unusual about remakes. Whenever decent script are written there will be remakes. Before movie scripts there were theatre scripts. Film allowed us to capture the moment of theatre and rewatch it. How many times has a Shakepearean play been redone in similar settings, different settings, different times etc. Eventually it becomes about different markets. If you have seen Romeo and Juliet in enough configurations you may prefer some contemporary theatre. There are enough new films out there to avoid watching a remake but will the new script etc be solid enough. Personally I mostly avoid remakes. Although, at times, I enjoy the different approaches to the same film.
 
Jason Svatos said:
The key to making it stop to is to stop paying to see these remakes.
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Agreed.

But I'll echo what someone else said, and point out that many (most) of the younger crowd will never see "old" original movies.

But they will watch remakes of movies that they would never see otherwise -- often being unaware of the existing original.

And that's what movie studios count on. It works, it's reliable, and is highly unlikely to change any time soon.
 
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