[Bender2]

I must confess in my past years slamming my head against the Hollywood wall trying to be a screenwriter/director/producer, one of my fantasies was to write/produce/direct a sequel of The Day the Earth Stood Still while Patricia Neal and Billy Gray were still alive. BTW, they still are but my film making hopes are not...

Though I must admit Keanu has a vague resemblance to Michale Rennie, though I shudder to think how the usual suspect Liberal Left screenwriter will 1) make it all Bush’s fault or 2) have Gort kill off all Republicans!

Spielberg’s 2005 War of the Worlds was a failed attempt, IMHO, to recreate 1953’s The War of the Worlds. Without mentioning Tom Cruise's embrassing acting, the holes in Steven’s plot would allow all of Mexico’s long haul truck to drive though them in a line abreast! The main black hole was the alien’s buried their machines eons before?

I see Steve is in preproduction on a remake of 1951’s When Worlds Collide, I never considered it a classic, but I’ve no doubt it will stand up well to Spielberg’s new effort. I’m sure he has a heroic female Prez ala Hillary saving all the women and minority children while allowing the devilish Right Wingers to die in the cgi collision.

Just recently they remade again 1956’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers with this 3rd encounter having Nicole Kidman and new 007 Daniel Craig fight the new, improved pod people. I’ve not seen this 2007 work and don’t expect to...

John Carpenter’s The Thing in 1982 was another doomed recreation of a classic B&W sci-fi film, Howard Hawks’ 1951 The Thing from Another World. It was not as bad as the others, but it still never came close to the original.

Why cannot Hollywood do some original classic sci-fi works from Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov or Authur C. Clarke...

Opps, they already butchered Heinlein Starship Troopers in 1997, so why don’t I learn my lesson that the current crop of Hollywood filmmakers cannot pour piss from a boot, much less make a good sci-fi film nowadays!

Maybe... in the next life some West Coast heavies from the 40s and 50s will be reincarnated to make some great sci-fi films instead of remaking poor imitations.

[Xenalyte]

We watched The Day the Earth Stood Still about a year ago. I spent the first half an hour shocked at how much my husband resembles Michael Rennie.

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

I’d like them to make a flick of “The Mote In God’s Eye.” It has the sci/fi adventure style of the first “Star Wars.” And with computer graphics? I’d like to see the Motie planet and cities. But, never happen!

[Jeff Chandler]

they already butchered Heinlein Starship Troopers in 1997

They sure did. Woman in the Mobile Infantry?

[Borges]

Spielberg’s WOTW was a terrific piece of filmmaking and caught the spirit of the Wells text quite well.

[subterfuge]

the current crop of Hollywood filmmakers cannot pour piss from a boot, much less make a good sci-fi film nowadays!

Ha, ha, ha! Money quote!

[Borges]

While we’re on the SF boat...today is Jack Vance’s 91st birthday.

[mowowie]

There are actually 3 remakes of the original Invasion. There was an ok movie back in 93 called “Body Snatchers”
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106452/

Oh, And don’t forget “Invasion of the Bunny Snatchers” :)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104527/

The new Thing rocked and except for maybe 10 minutes the new WOW was unwatchable.

[absolootezer0]

Why cannot Hollywood do some original classic sci-fi works from Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov or Authur C. Clarke...

look at what they did with asimov's work in "I robot" or with any of Dick's stuff ("bladerunner," "total recall," "minority report," "paycheck.." altho "imposter" was pretty good, the others were pretty bad.) look at the abomination they made of gibson's "johnny mneumonic."
i'm not sure i'd WANT to see anymore original sci-fi movies- at least, not ones that's i've already read.

[null and void]

Ever see the so-called “Isaac Asimov’s Nightfall”?

It is arguably the worst adaptation of the written word to the silver screen, ever.

[Pablo64]

"...that the current crop of Hollywood filmmakers cannot pour piss from a boot..."

Not even if you wrote the instructions on the bottom of the heel.

In Hollyweird there has been a dearth of original ideas in the last decade or so. The only other explanation is that the next generation of writers/directors/producers/actors are all having a midlife crisis and are trying to cling to a bit of nostalgia (and that's a long shot observation).

[Rb ver. 2.0]

"they already butchered Heinlein Starship Troopers in 1997"

I took my 11 year old to see that in the movies. He was particularly impressed with the shower scene.

[Borges]

The film of ‘Starship Troopers’ was a satire.

[gimme1ibertee]

“John Carpenter’s The Thing in 1982 was another doomed recreation...”

Oh,I dunno so much about that. I thought the scene where the guy was the last one “tied to this f-ing couch!” was hilarious....

[Lee'sGhost]

I love SciFi, so take my comments as discussion rather than objections.

I believe the Kidman film will be the fourth movie version of the “pod people” story.

I thought John Carpenter’s The Thing in was excellent. Much better than the one where James Arness runs around in suit looking like a giant carrot.

“Opps, they already butchered Heinlein Starship Troopers.”

Yes and no. Yes, they did butcher Heinlein’s story. If — and granted it is difficult to consider — if the movie had been made without Heinlein’s story being around as a reference to compare to, the movie would have been pretty good. Of course, the biggest flaw was having Johnny Rico go for Carmen rather than Dizzy. Dina Meyer — what an absolute babe. Sure, Denise Richards is pretty, but there’s no there there. Plus, the fact that she cohabitated with Charlie “the human std petri dish” Sheen pretty much cancels out the good stuff.

[EDINVA]

Don’t even MENTION “The Thing” ... when I was a kid and the original was in the theatres it was shown as part of a double-header. My parents expressly forbade my brother and me from staying to see it. We did anyway (at his insistence). I got physically sick and was in bed for a couple of days afterwards. Kept waking up with nightmares. Don’t think I’ve been to a single sci-fi movie since.

[TrueKnightGalahad]

Why cannot Hollywood do some original classic sci-fi works from Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov or Authur C. Clarke...

Can you imagine what someone like Spielberg would do to, say, "Citizen of the Galaxy?" Or maybe VerHoeven, doing another of his soi-disant "satires?" Sends shivers up and down my spine! Too bad Asimov's work is all but unfilmable.

One Clarke novel that I've always thought would be perfect for a film adaptation is "The City and the Stars." I wonder if anyone in Hollywood has ever optioned it?

[johnthebaptistmoore]

I prefer the remake of The Thing to the original, and it’s one of the best movies from John Carpenter IMHO. The Thing is intense and unpredictable nearly all the way through the entire film.

[Guenevere]

I don't remember Billy Gray in Day the Earth Stood Still...

..but I sure remember Michael Rennie ...I sure do :))