Film Remakes - Yay Or Nay?

[db]

Once BB is off the air do you think we could turn our attention to the wealth of pointless film remakes?

now this point really irks me.. i hate it when chin stroking zealots* say "I cannot belieeeeeve they're going to remake [insert_classic_film]!! How dare they touch such a masterpiece!! Films like this should never be remade in my opinion "..

it's not like by remaking it, the original somehow ceases to exist.. if you don't like the new one, don't watch it.. your precious original is still there, and you and your chin stroking tofu eating mates will just have something more to deride inbetween wanking each other off to trotski or whatever



* = not lumping you in with this category, gus; your point just catalysed my rant!

 

[jimbob23]

Fight! Fight! Fight!

 

[Augustus Gloop]

The point is have 'ideas' really dried up to such an extent that they keep having to remake old films (and not all of them are classics) to put bums on seats.

Hollywood cinema is in a pretty poor state at the moment, yet rather than funding projects that may - or may not - carry a risk they go for the easy option of churning out poorly made remakes. They add nothing to the original, or improve on it, except stick some teen star in the lead role and make one or two irellevant tweaks to the script.

I realise the bottom line is money but if the only way Hollywood believes they can prevent profits from falling further is by resorting to the easy option - a remake - then they may as well pack it in now. They don't give audiences they credit they deserve IMO although I'm the first to admit that certain 'audiences' get exactly what they deserve!

The current fascination with remaking Hong Kong/Korean cinema also does my head in. The Departed was ok but it didn't come close to Internal Affairs. I keep asking, why on earth bother?

Ho hum.

 

[Augustus Gloop]

Fight! Fight! Fight!

I'm no cyber hoolie Jim.

I'll happily meat up in public though and settle this dispute man to man.

 

[db]

Hollywood cinema is in a pretty poor state at the moment, yet rather than funding projects that may - or may not - carry a risk they go for the easy option of churning out poorly made remakes. They add nothing to the original, or improve on it, except stick some teen star in the lead role and make one or two irellevant tweaks to the script.

but the film industry is a business at the end of the day.. if all businesses did away with tried and tested formulas and relied purely on taking risks, we'd be in a right pickle.. hollywood needs to rely on the more mundane, meat & two veg stuff to support the more creative ventures..

i hate country and western music, but i'm not about to complain about its production.. it's a massive industry, and if there's a market for it, let them have it..

 

[rich upsetter]

I'll happily meat up in public though and settle this dispute .man to man

meat up. man to man. i shiver at the thought.

 

[victoriab]

but the film industry is a business at the end of the day.. if all businesses did away with tried and tested formulas and relied purely on taking risks, we'd be in a right pickle.. hollywood needs to rely on the more mundance, meat & two veg stuff to support the more creative ventures..

i hate country and western music, but i'm not about to complain about its production.. it's a massive industry, and if there's a market for it, let them have it..

But the whole point is creativity and the production of thought provoking stuff isn't it (excluding classic romcom/action/christmas film formulas). The lack of these things is creating disillusionment and apathy. People will give up on the industry (as is demonstrated here) if the trend for trash continues. It's an insult to people's intelligence (mostly).

 

[db]

The current fascination with remaking Hong Kong/Korean cinema also does my head in. The Departed was ok but it didn't come close to Internal Affairs. I keep asking, why on earth bother?

see my original point.. the originals are still around, feel free to enjoy them as you have done previously..

"why on earth bother?" because not everyone is aware of the east asian film industry, and this will bring the ideas to a wider audience, and in the process generate a huge revenue for the film studio.. i'll wager that many thousands, if not millions, of people would not even know such great korean films exist if it weren't for the terrible remakes that have wet their pallet and made them hunt down the originals..

once again - these remakes aren't hurting anyone.. i just don't get why people get offended when someone dares to remake one of their favourite films!

 

[Augustus Gloop]

I'm well aware it's a business but I don't believe for one minute that the meat and veg of it's production has to be remakes. American writers and to a lesser extent Kermode/French over here have noticed that more and more of the big studios are putting a lot of stock in remakes around the big periods (Summer/Xmas/Thanksgiving in America). I don't recall such an unhealthy fascination with that kind of stuff during the 70s/80/90s. Creativty was encouraged it doesn't appear to be so these days - although those films are out there they just end up being marginalised further.

Perhaps it is what the audiences want, the fact that they keep on turning out to see the likes of Will Smith in a remake of _____ suggests so - and if that's the case feck em.

 

[db]

But the whole point is creativity and the production of thought provoking stuff isn't it (excluding classic romcom/action/christmas film formulas).

no - the whole point of credible films, ones which the producers have a vested intellectual interest in and through which they have something to express, is to be creative, thought provoking, and entertaining..

the whole point of blockbusters and remakes is to draw in the audiences and make vast sums of money..

life cannot exist on ideas alone..

 

[Augustus Gloop]

but the film industry is a business at the end of the day.. if all businesses did away with tried and tested formulas and relied purely on taking risks, we'd be in a right pickle.. hollywood needs to rely on the more mundance, meat & two veg stuff to support the more creative ventures..

i hate country and western music, but i'm not about to complain about its production.. it's a massive industry, and if there's a market for it, let them have it..

But the whole point is creativity and the production of thought provoking stuff isn't it (excluding classic romcom/action/christmas film formulas). The lack of these things is creating disillusionment and apathy. People will give up on the industry (as is demonstrated here) if the trend for trash continues. It's an insult to people's intelligence (mostly).

That be it.

And Bobby I just want to clarify my beef is with remakes not blockbusters.

 

[TENSHON]

And Bobby I just want to clarify my beef is with remakes not blockbusters.

i'll challenge you on remakes gloop. heat, ace film, remake of LA takedown (also directed by michael mann) was shit compared to the updated version.

 

[Augustus Gloop]

And Bobby I just want to clarify my beef is with remakes not blockbusters.

i'll challenge you on remakes gloop. heat, ace film, remake of LA takedown (also directed by michael mann) was shit compared to the updated version.

Yup, agree with that. There's a handful of decent remakes - some better than the original - but there's far too much shit out there and it's coming out all too often.

 

[TENSHON]

And Bobby I just want to clarify my beef is with remakes not blockbusters.

i'll challenge you on remakes gloop. heat, ace film, remake of LA takedown (also directed by michael mann) was shit compared to the updated version.

Yup, agree with that. There's a handful of decent remakes - some better than the original - but there's far too much shit out there and it's coming out all too often.

there's also a lot of shit original films as well ain't there.

 

[db]

there's also a lot of shit original films as well ain't there.

exactly, and that's kind of my point.. hollywood is churning out some right shit these days, they might as well base it on a decent premise.. at the very least, it will raise awareness of the original as everyone compares the two and inevitably pans the remake..

if someone remakes a film, and it's shit, just bask in the glorious fact that someone threw A-listers and millions of dollars at it, and it's nowhere near as good as your precious original!

 

[jimbob23]

I would like to remake 'Ginger on the Rocks' with me taking Ron Jeremy's role. Subject to Panders' permission of course.

 

[FooFighter]

I would like to remake 'Ginger on the Rocks' with me taking Ron Jeremy's role. Subject to Panders' permission of course.

I've never heard Ron Jeremy's knob being called a "role" before

 

[FooFighter]

Back on track for this thread .
Surely there are only so many stories that can be written so plagiarism will occur

 

[Gramaisc]

I see there's going to be a re-make of the Sweeney - http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2012/apr/05/the-sweeney-trailer-plan-b?newsfeed=true - Mmm, I think I'll stick to the real thing, sonny.