I preferred Paul Simon's "Billy Paul" (not based on the "Me and Mrs. Jones singer)
"If only the world could get along as this ice cream cone.. Billy Paul wouldn't have to kill so many people."
Posted on 08/03/2012 12:29:50 PM PDT by EveningStar
With the opening Friday of "Total Recall," thoughts immediately turn to the subject of movie remakes...
Remakes are nothing new in Hollywood, although movie studios prefer to call them "reboots" or "re-imaginations." For some reason, the word "remake" has a negative connotation among moviegoers. Perhaps it's because it seems like a lazy and unimaginative way to make movies...
(Excerpt) Read more at ocregister.com ...
Just how does one mess up a movie starring Denzel? The original “The Taking of Pelham 123” was so unique because of the time period and it was fresh.
They are remaking it, but not with anybody you listed:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oz:_The_Great_and_Powerful
I totally recall the worst remake as being the remake of The Day of the Jackal.
The remake should have been called the day of the cackle since it laid such a huge egg.
Total Recall, the best that I can recall - was about the only commercially successful film involving Mars in my lifetime.
But they can only blame themselves for “John Carter” (of Mars). They tried to avoid the Mars movie curse by leaving Mars out of the title - they took the most simple plot ever devised by one of the greatest storytellers of all time (Edgar Rice Burroughs) and made a confusing mess of it.
I hope I live long enough to see someone do the ACTUAL story justice.
1945’s “And Then There Were None “ has been remade a half-dozen times and the original b/w still is far the best.
CGI and/or color can’t cover decay.
All I know about the new one (thanks but no thanks, Tom Hanks) is that it was rated R. That's all I needed to know.
The original was a great family movie, a slightly dark, but very droll British comedy from the mid-1950s.
A DEMOCRAT IDIOT GOES TO WASHINGTON, starring Jimmy Carter, was bad enough, but DEMOCRAT IDIOT II with Clinton was a real turkey. And why anyone thought that DEMOCRAT IDIOT III with Obama would be any different is beyond me.
Amen. Happy to see I’m not the only one who thought the remake of True Grit stunk. Made me appreciate the original that much more, despite Glen Campbell — actually, the only thing good about the remake of True Grit was the guy who had Glen Campbell’s part.
As a kid in the 1960’s, one of my favorite Sci-fi movies was “Robinson Caruso on Mars” They even used the leftover martian space ships from War of the Worlds. ;-)
Kids are easy to entertain, though.
Actually, it could be a good movie as a remake with plausible detials, weaving in what we now know about the moon.
I remember one of C. S. Lewis’ Sci Fi novels suggested HUGE trenches on mars that were so deep that there was a breathable atmosphere at the bottom.
The Moon = Mars
Oops.
The new remake of Arthur sucks.That movie is so bad it’s not even funny.Dudley Moore really made Arthur 1 and 2 into a great movie.
Probably Walter Matthau’s best... I always liked him better in drama roles than comedy spiel...
The original of ANYthing is all you should get.
Ok, well if you like it, I highly recommend you check out some of that director Wes Anderson’s other films, they are all excellent, but Rushmore, the Royal Tenenbaums, and the Life Aquatic are my favorites.
If it was written to be a movie - it was a movie - then a decade or more later they decide to re-make the movie - THAT is a remake.
A different adaptation of a beloved novel - not so much.
As to those citing SEQUELS - well what can be said about being unclear on the concept?
The remake was a bit of a yawner.
Every Billy Jack movie was a classic.
And, for a truly bad movie: “Highlander 2: The Quickening”
Speed 2
I loved the remake of Fright Night.
Other than that, I can agree with your list, for the movies I’ve seen.
“The Producers”, I will only watch the original.
I can’t believe that nobody has mentioned the re-make of “Planet of the Apes”
House on Haunted Hill remake Vincent Price can never be copied!
Amityville Horror first one with Mr. Barbra Striesnand was decent the second one was worse
I preferred Paul Simon's "Billy Paul" (not based on the "Me and Mrs. Jones singer)
"If only the world could get along as this ice cream cone.. Billy Paul wouldn't have to kill so many people."
Actually, The Planet of the Apes remake wasn’t too horribly bad if you forgot it was a remake.
Poseidon stank on ice.
The all black version of Death at a Funeral was just a shame.
Around the World in 80 Days. Eck.
Halloween. Why bother.
Rollerball. No. Just no.
If they ever did remake “Roman Holiday” they would turn it from a love story to a “happy ending” with her running away to be a reporter or something.
Don’t forget Denzel’s “The Manchurian Candidate” remake, that should have been on the list.
OK, here are a couple of remakes where the remake is better in many ways than the original, but the original still has good qualities that the remakes have lost. I like to watch both the original and the remake because I get different things from them.
The Man Who Knew Too Much
and
The Ring (Ringu)
Not a remake but a spoof - and a very funny movie.
Check out “The Man Who Knew Too Little” with Bill Murray.
Two movies, I pray never get remade, but I fear will eventually be remade:
The Dirty Dozen
The Warriors
That’s right, and Sarah Michelle Gellar was “Amazing” .
Disagree with you about the Star Trek reboot...though Chris Pine needs to sound less whiny!
Scarface (1932) versus Scarface (1983) - I’ll take Pacino
It’s going to be interesting. Arnold’s Total Recall was a travesty based on a great story. I have hopes that this one stays truer to the source material, hence making a better film.
Of the list, I have two disagreements.
The 2002 version of Mr. Deeds was better than the original. Capra fans everywhere will now hate me. Sorry, but the new version was actually funny.
The 2010 Wolfman was head an shoulders above the rubber-masked original.
Good, it’s not supposed to.
Trekkies Bash New Star Trek Film As ‘Fun, Watchable’
http://www.theonion.com/video/trekkies-bash-new-star-trek-film-as-fun-watchable,14333/
here's a hint, ANYTHING, with that useless eater, no-talent hack brand in it, IS GONNA SUCK!!!
Heston: Great movie, doesn’t stand the test of time.
Walberg: Horrible movie in every sense of the word.
Franco: Amazing movie that surpasses both of them.
Speaking of Denzel and remakes. His remake of Scott Glen’s, Man On Fire was horrible. Nowhere near as good as the original.
Come on, fair is fair. King only tried his hand at directing once, Maximum Overdrive, more than a quarter of a century ago. He did just fine as a screenwriter.
As an adjunct to this discussion, I just got this morning the 70th Anniversary edition of “The Wizard of Oz”
For any true movie fans and historians out there, all I can say is GET THIS!!!!
The color and detail is amazing, I’m seeing things in every scene that I never noticed before.
And it’s a two disc set that has over 3 hours of extras about the cast, making the movie, and Baum, the author.
“I just found out this morning that Total Recall doesn’t go to Mars this time.”
Which is an improvement.
I just re-read the source story. No actual trip to Mars. Covers little more than a city block, actually. And includes a second twist.
“We can remember it for you, wholesale”
Philip K. Dick
How-ya-do-ya!
Strangely in the director’s commentary of the Man Who Knew Too Little on DVD, The Man Who Knew Too Much was not even mentioned.
It was a good movie but you would think they might have put in something about Marrakesh or Anders Chapel or something.
The Taking of Pelham 123 was a bad remake.
I actually liked the 1976 version of King Kong.
Ocean’s 11 with Julia Roberts was bad too - the original told you that crime doesn’t pay.
Well, the version of The Shining that you liked so much, was brilliant because it was a Kubrick movie. What you’re watching is Stanley Kubrick’s brilliance, not Stephen King’s story. It deviated heavily from the book, and King fans weren’t happy with it. Kubrick especially downplayed Danny’s pyschic abilities, which Halloran calls the Shining. Fans were understandably unhappy that a detail so crucial that it lent the work it’s very name is so underplayed.
Ditto for Salem’s Lot. The orginal with David Soul took so many liberties with the novel that it’s barely the same story. The remake did a much better job, especially with Barlow.
I think it was William holden
The Maltese Falcon was made twice before they got it right with Bogart on the third try.
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