remakes of old movies & tv series

[Bright_Star]

I subscribe to "Entertainment Weekly" & in it, it states that they are going to be making a remake of the old tv series that was based on the movie "Fame". That's nice but are any of the original actors going to be in it? I hope it does ok. From what I remember of the original series, it was hip.
What's with all these remakes nowadays? it's as if Hiollywood has run out of ideas. Some of the remakes are incredibly good. Like the new 'Knight Rider" Then there are those that never should have seen the light of day. Like "The Bionic Woman".
The bionic woman remake failed bcause of ONE main reason-it was far too different from the original series that everybody is familiar with & remembers fondly.
I gave the remade bionic woman a chance & watched it. After 30 minutes I got disgusted & stopped watching it. It's no wonder why it was cancelled soon after.
The upcoming "Star Trek" movie is being hailed as a re-imagining. I really hope they don't screw this one up cause there will be a lot of pissed off fans. Leonard Nimoy will be making a cameo but NOT William Shatner. From what I've read, William Shatner was pissed not to have been part of this new movie.

[Greenday]

I liked the remake of The Longest Yard with Adam Sandler and having Burt Reynolds in it, but as someone different this time.

Willy Wonka remake? SUCKED

[blas]

The Dukes of Hazard remake, while entertaining, was just a shame.

[AdminAssistant]

Ahhh, adaptations...

Now, I liked Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but it took seeing it a few times to really appreciate it. Burton also did the best musical-to-film adaptation in decades with Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, yes, better than Chicago if for no other reason, not having to stare at Renee Zellweger's sternum *shudder*.

If an adaptation can bring something that was missing in the original, then I say go for it. But many times it's just not having a good idea.

[HorrorFrogPrincess]

I didn't care for the Sweeny Todd movie. Most of the actors were NOT singers, and Deep and... what's her name that played Lovett were frankly too young for their roles. I liked Toby (that was the kid's name, right?), and Alan Rickman was awesome.

I liked the Depp version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, mainly because they weren't trying to make the same movie over again. This one was less sugar-coated, more crazy, and had more heart with Willy's past and all.

I SERIOUSLY dislike remakes on principle. And I REALLY hate how they're redoing all the classic horror movies. Badly, I might add. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake I enjoyed for the carnage. But the Halloween one pretty much bitchslapped Michael, who was meant to be a soulless boogeyman. Haven't seen the new Friday the 13th yet, but I never cared for that series of movies. The Prom Night remake is a joke. The When a Stranger Calls was a bit scarier than the original, but that was more a crime thriller than a horror. When a Killer Calls (low-budget rip off) was better than either of them.

What I dread is the upcoming Nightmare on Elm Street remake. WITHOUT ROBERT ENGLUND! That's just not right. Not right at all.

I have mixed feeligs on the new Star Trek movie. I'll see it, but I already have issues with their casting choices. Especially for Amanda, Spock's mom. Puh, NO one is Jane Wyatt.

[JoitheArtist]

I generally despise remakes, though sometimes they're ok. For instance, I like the Vincent Price remake of House of Wax (yes, there was a version prior to his, and it's nowhere near as good.) And though this may be scandalous to some, I prefer the Harrison Ford-Julia Ormond version of Sabrina to the Bogart-Hepburn version...

But yeah, I don't think Hollywood has had an original idea in years, decades maybe. Sigh.

[wagegoth]

Hollywood had been making remakes since the beginning. They've made Ben-Hur multiple times, as well as The Maltese Falcon. Remakes and remakes of Sherlock Holmes; a former boss of mine loved the movies with Basil Rathbone, as I did when I was younger, but I thought the BBC series with Jeremy Brett was the best. The BBC, no matter how good an adaptation was, is always redoing them, often poorly, frankly.

There are really only a few stories (young man on quest, old man reviewing his life, and their variants), so it really comes down to how they are adapted and how well.

[HorrorFrogPrincess]

And though this may be scandalous to some, I prefer the Harrison Ford-Julia Ormond version of Sabrina to the Bogart-Hepburn version...

I may have to agree with you there. Not sure why, considering it's Bogart and Hepburn. Maybe a little too dated?

[wagegoth]

I may have to agree with you there. Not sure why, considering it's Bogart and Hepburn. Maybe a little too dated?

I think Bogart just looked too old for her. Bogart was 54 to Hepburn's 24, while Ford was 52 to Ormond's 29, and Ford still looked like he was in his forties.

[HorrorFrogPrincess]

I think Bogart just looked too old for her. Bogart was 54 to Hepburn's 24, while Ford was 52 to Ormond's 29, and Ford still looked like he was in his forties.

Get out. Ford wasn't that old, was he?

Of course, in the first one the age difference was almost a plot point. I don't think it was even mentioned in the remake. >>

I did like David in the remake. Especially at the end where we find out he isn't as he was treated.

[AdminAssistant]

I didn't care for the Sweeny Todd movie. Most of the actors were NOT singers, and Deep and... what's her name that played Lovett were frankly too young for their roles. I liked Toby (that was the kid's name, right?), and Alan Rickman was awesome.

I had serious doubts about Depp and (Helena Bonham) Carter* because of their age and voices. However, I think they did a nice job of acting the roles, which is always more important to me than the singing. Yes, if it's opera, then the singing is more important, but in a musical - it's the acting. And despite the operatic nature of it, it is a musical. Quite a few of the theatre people I know didn't like it, because of the singing and the elimination of practically all of the choral numbers (i.e. "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd") . But, in a film, large groups of people breaking into song really is hard to pull off.

The absolute worst musical-to-film in the last few years that I've seen** is RENT. Awful, awful, awful. I liked keeping most of the original cast - and I liked the addition of Traci Thoms. I love Rosario Dawson as an actor, but she was way too old to be playing Mimi. And Chris Columbus' cuts changed the story from being about Mark (he is the protagonist of the musical...yes, yes he is) to focusing pretty solely on the love story between Roger and Mimi - which isn't even the most important relationship in the thing. That's Roger and Mark. The friendship. By cutting, "Goodbye, Love (pt. 2)" Columbus pretty much eliminated that arc. Yes, I do have it, and yes, I do watch it for the incredible performances (Anthony Rapp, Jesse L. Martin) but I'm always frustrated.

*aka Tim Burton's wife.
** I haven't seen Mamma Mia, I've been strongly advised not to.

[HorrorFrogPrincess]

Actually, Sweeny Todd was funny for the reactions of the audience. After the movie ended, one group was complaining that it was a horror. A guy in another group was bitching that it had been a musical. XD

I wasn't impressed with Mamma Mia. The only part I liked was Does Your Mother Know.

[JoitheArtist]

I think Bogart just looked too old for her. Bogart was 54 to Hepburn's 24, while Ford was 52 to Ormond's 29, and Ford still looked like he was in his forties.

Yeah, it was the ick factor for me. Plus, while Bogie and Hepburn were fine actors, I don't remember the rest of the cast at all, whereas in the remake, everyone did a great job.

But I'll confess, I'm not a big Bogie fan. But I LOVE Treasure of the Sierra Madre!

[El Pollo Guerrera]

The only thing I find I enjoy about Hollywood remakes is that someone decides to release a digitally remastered version of the original on DVD.

Other than that, there are few remakes I have liked.

In fact, the only one I can think of right now is the Hollywood version of "The Ring". I just couldn't get into the original.

Found a list of remakes in the works right now and some might be good... There's "The Crazies", "When Worlds Collide", "Fantastic Voyage", "The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3", "The Last House on the Left", "Westworld", "Logan's Run" (although I liked the cheesieness of the original), "Rosemary's Baby", "Near Dark"... All of these might be good.

But they also have planned remakes for some real CLASSIC films there.

"The Host"? This movie was only a few years old... how could they really improve it? Awesome movie that shouldn't be touched.

"They Live" ?
"Highlander" ?
"Evil Dead" ??
"The Rocky Horror Picture Show" ???

"The Rocky Horror Picture Show" ???

EDIT: I just saw the ad for "Race to Witch Mountain"... and that actually looks like it might be fun.

[Racket_Man]

"The Rocky Horror Picture Show" ???

"The Rocky Horror Picture Show" ???

they have been talking about a remake of RHPS for at LEAST 5 or 6 years now esp around the 30th anniv in 2005 but nothing has come up yet.

How can they update/improve/destroy/change around the original campiness, the newness of the androgonious (sp) characters, the blatent bi-sexuality (now a common and open thing), the great songs, the unintentional pregant pauses we use for callbacks, the semi good/bad acting, the plot holes, the bad dialogue

AND

will the hardcore fan accept something new (???) and improved?????