Posted on 07/28/2005 9:33:08 PM PDT by CHARLITE
The easiest way to get a "green light" for a movie in Hollywood these days is to steal someone else's old idea. That old idea, however, must be updated. With Hollywood there's just one formula: cinematic remakes of vintage TV shows or old movies are almost always made sleazier -- more sexual, more violent, more obscene and more cynical -- than the original.
According to Hollywood's calculations, today's young audiences will be disappointed if there isn't an over-the-top raunchy moment every two minutes or so. This is the mandate to be "modern," to avoid the stench of appearing -- watch Hollywood squirm here -- wholesome.
The latest controversy concerns the forthcoming movie remake of "The Dukes of Hazzard." Actor Ben Jones, who played "Cooter" in the original TV show, and was last famous for serving three terms in Congress as a Democrat from Georgia, has drawn a crowd of media by urging parents not to let their children see the new "Dukes" movie.
In a letter to fans on his website, Jones says he has not seen the film, but has read the script and talked to people on the set. He stresses: "Frankly, I think the whole project shows an arrogant disrespect for our show, for our cast, for America's families, and for the sensibilities of the heartland of our country."
Early commercials for the film remind viewers that the stars are Seann William Scott (the sex-obsessed Stiffler character of the "American Pie" movies) and Johnny Knoxville (the so-called "mastermind" of MTV's idiotic "Jackass" series), not to mention once-upon-a-time wholesome Christian pop singer Jessica Simpson as Daisy Duke. (Her new movie-plugging video for "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" fits right in with every other stripper-chic spectacle on the MTV assembly line as Simpson shakes her booty in an itty-bitty bikini just like Britney Spears and growls about pushing her tush.)
Jones admits he was miffed that the remake specialists wanted nothing to do with the original TV cast, but "what bothers me much more is the profanity-laced script with blatant sexual situations that mocks the good clean family values of our series. Now, anybody who knows me knows that I'm not a prude. But this kind of toilet humor has no place in Hazzard County." Even the movie commercials are full of sexual jokes, with double entendres from Lynda Carter and Willie Nelson's Uncle Jesse regarding a plate of muffins she's carrying.
The cable channel CMT (Country Music Television) has been running reruns of the original "Dukes" series since February, and Jones insists a new wave of youngsters is enjoying the program. "They love the positive values of our show, its wholesome friendliness, and the fact that Bo and Luke are heroes who always make the right moral choice. How can the producers of this film be so cynical, so jaded, so out of touch with America's heartland as to trash a great family show in this way?"
This is not a rhetorical question. It is a statement of fact.
In 1976, "The Bad News Bears" was a funny movie about a team of Little League misfits, but it was also in its day raw in its language and child behavior. So how to "update" that? As the Los Angeles Times notes, the remake "has nearly as many four-letter words as it does bats and gloves." Amazingly -- and this is truly reprehensible -- it's also rated PG-13. Hollywood is not only peddling raunch to children, it is disguising the raunch in its parental advisories.
The Times story was almost comical in describing how the Motion Picture Association of America ratings gurus didn't mind the multiple vulgarities "as long as you're not referring to [sexual] penetration," said John Ficarra, a screenwriter of the new "Bears" movie. Paramount had to rework one scene "involving some potentially borderline dialogue about a crack pipe," but there was one thing the MPAA drew a bright line against: "We were told in no uncertain terms that showing the kids smoking or drinking [as they did in the original] was a guaranteed R." What foolishness will be next? Just wait until the MPAA thinks showing kids eating Twinkies is unhealthy and should earn an R.
The movie's star, Billy Bob Thornton, insists there's a message in the new "Bears" for children that is really good, that you might not be as big or as fast as the other kids, but you can still excel. Whoop-dee-doo. That message can be sent to youngsters without emptying a Hefty bag of obscenities over their heads.
And Hollow-wood can't understand why attendance and $$$$ are down.
After all, if you make, they will come.....won't they???? Apparently not.
There are no heroes in todays movies. Just wimpy men, and agonized "feeeeeling" that we are supposed to give a crap about. Until Hollywierd boots out the lieberals they will continue to sink.
it's all over, everywhere, even the ads for a cheeseburger, a credit card, etc.... are about T&A.
it has almost desensitized me to the female form actually.
almost
This thread seems to be missing something........
Y'know what's funny?
That "Cooter" wants us to share his outrage that this new version of his POS show is a disrespectful remake with too much violence and sexuality. The ORIGINAL was too violent and sexy back then, according to all the pundits and culture priests who damned it.
Garbage in, garbage out.
I guess I can see why Burt Reynolds might take a part...the last thing I saw him in was a crappy Maaco auto painting commercial.
You might think the guy would have a little class and quit, but I guess not.
Expecting class from Burt Reynolds is like expecting a clean bill of health from a $20 whore.
I don't know about the new one--I'm skipping it because it looks like absolutely junk, not because of offensive content--but I watch the original almost every night on DVD, and whoever these people are who damned it for violence and sexuality didn't even watch it. It's a comedy above anything else, and the violence is on the level of a cartoon. It's actually pretty wholesome, with the Duke family praying to God before meals and so forth. You don't see much of that any more.
I know Ben Jones is a Democrat, but I don't think Denver Pyle was, and I know John Schneider isn't. And, Ben Jones has some bad political ideas, but he was for impeachment. Just some fun facts there.
LOL
Yeah, what was I thinking.
He was the Johnny Jackass of the 70's.
Bo Duke is a Republican? I know that he is from NYC.
I'm not sure I'm on board with this...at least not the Dukes remake. Of course I haven't seen the movie, and the cast (Jessica, Willie, Bert and Linda Carter) turned me off. But then I saw the trailer and was pleasantly surprised.
In fact the clips with Jessica at the Boar's Nest looked pretty good. The more I watched the trailer the more I figured they didn't really make a remake, but instead took the Dukes legend (the story IS based in a real life story of 2 brothers) and did a retelling, albeit updated a bit.
As to foul langauge...perhaps there is but not in the trailer. I'll have to wait and see the movie before I can say whether it's overboard or not.
Thing is the TV show was actually a remake of "The Moonrunners" which featured a lot of the icons from the TV show but was WAY darker. And the language - and storyline - in The Moonrunners wasn't exactly the cartoon cliche style that the TV show evolved into.
Now the kicker...at least to me. Doesn't ANYONE remember how the religeous right squawked about the TV series? There were efforts underway to have the show pulled from the CBS lineup because Daisy, the Duke Boys and Uncle Jessie were all living together and there was implied incest. They zealots weren't happy with Daisy Duke shorts either.
Ironic isn't it that decades later some of those same people are critical of the movie, and use the TV show they once critisized as immoral as a yardstick for American wholesomeness.
YEE-HAA! That's just a little bit more than the law will allow.
prisoner6
Yeah, and he has the audacity in this day and age to have rebel flags on his several restored Chargers. ;)
My friend and I went to see the Bad News Bears this past Tuesday (free popcorn on Tuesday's). I was just entering high school when the original came out and thought it was hilarious and outrageous. I had just begun a job scorekeeping Little League games and was very familiar with the kids and coaches out on the diamond. So it was all the more fun for me back then to see the movie.
I was disappointed in many ways with the remake. The language was just out of control (I have two sons 14 & 18 so I would say I am in the trenches) it was just distracting after a short time. A few choice words would have had more impact and levity. Also the acting on the part of the children was like that of the local middle school. Stilted and stiff acting. Billy Bob made reference to dating a German girl that I just did not get and know that the 13 year olds wouldn't have a clue about either. Also the young lady is supposed to be 12 but looks 15 in size and build. The rebel Kelly is also very affected in his acting like he is trying too hard to be the cool dude.
Good points tho were the African American boy, the Indian boy, Toby the son of Marcia Gay Harden's character. Greg Kennear as the over the top opposing coach. The Yankees team seem to be real Little Leaguers in age and demeanor. But still the film could have been easily PG if they had pulled back a bit and then the kids who were in the movie could have seen the finished film. Or they should have just gone all the way and made it a R and had the kids drinking the beer like in the original and made it for the adults who remember the Walter Matthau movie.
The latest controversy concerns the forthcoming movie remake of "The Dukes of Hazzard." Actor Ben Jones, who played "Cooter" in the original TV show, and was last famous for serving three terms in Congress as a Democrat from Georgia, has drawn a crowd of media by urging parents not to let their children see the new "Dukes" movie.
In a letter to fans on his website, Jones says he has not seen the film, but has read the script and talked to people on the set. He stresses: "Frankly, I think the whole project shows an arrogant disrespect for our show, for our cast, for America's families, and for the sensibilities of the heartland of our country."
Early commercials for the film remind viewers that the stars are Seann William Scott (the sex-obsessed Stiffler character of the "American Pie" movies) and Johnny Knoxville (the so-called "mastermind" of MTV's idiotic "Jackass" series), not to mention once-upon-a-time wholesome Christian pop singer Jessica Simpson as Daisy Duke. (Her new movie-plugging video for "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" fits right in with every other stripper-chic spectacle on the MTV assembly line as Simpson shakes her booty in an itty-bitty bikini just like Britney Spears and growls about pushing her tush.)
Jones admits he was miffed that the remake specialists wanted nothing to do with the original TV cast, but "what bothers me much more is the profanity-laced script with blatant sexual situations that mocks the good clean family values of our series. Now, anybody who knows me knows that I'm not a prude. But this kind of toilet humor has no place in Hazzard County." Even the movie commercials are full of sexual jokes, with double entendres from Lynda Carter and Willie Nelson's Uncle Jesse regarding a plate of muffins she's carrying.
The cable channel CMT (Country Music Television) has been running reruns of the original "Dukes" series since February, and Jones insists a new wave of youngsters is enjoying the program. "They love the positive values of our show, its wholesome friendliness, and the fact that Bo and Luke are heroes who always make the right moral choice. How can the producers of this film be so cynical, so jaded, so out of touch with America's heartland as to trash a great family show in this way?"
This is not a rhetorical question. It is a statement of fact.
I love the TV series on CMT, I'm glad they are still airing it. I used to watch the Dukes as a kid. If only the Dukes of Hazzard will come on on network TV. I agree with Ben Jones. There is a huge difference. It's a slap in the face to include "Stiffler" and Johnny Knoxville in the movie. Jessica Simpson I thought, is pretty cool. But her role in this film is a bit slutish. Daisy Duke was not a skank. She was a lady..and brunette mind you. If Hollywood is going to do a remake, then stay true to the era, meaning keeping the same values in mind. I wouldn't go see the Dukes of Hazzard film in theatres either.
There are no heroes in todays movies. Just wimpy men, and agonized "feeeeeling" that we are supposed to give a crap about. Until Hollywierd boots out the lieberals they will continue to sink.
Agreed!
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