[shrrshrr]

We used to have a thread on this topic but I couldn't find it...

Most of you who know me know how much I despise remakes. I don't see the point, especially if the original version was really good. I don't care if the movie people want to "update" a movie to make it more relevant to the current times because somehow they usually lose something in translation.

I especially don't care for US remakes of foreign films. I can't even think of a single movie off the top of my head that fits into this category that was even remotely good (with the major exception of Tortilla Soup, but that's a personal view). This is frequently because the originals are set in a cultural context that the US version just can't quite capture.

Recent examples of this are Insomnia and The Ring - the original versions are FAR superior than the remakes, and even better - they make sense! Why? Because in these two cases the story is set in a very specific cultural context.

Insomnia deals with climatic elements of living in northern Europe, and The Ring falls in the tradition of classic Japanese ghost stories. They just don't work translate as well.

Now, that being said, I have to admit that I actually like foreign versions of US films! I don't know why this is - call it a weird personal quirk, but weak stories are frequently fun as foreign remakes.

Why is that? I'm not sure - I'll let you know if I come up with an explanation.

What brought this on? The Grudge, which is again a remake of a Japanese ghost/horror story, Ju-On. It probably won't translate as well in the US version, but I acknowledge that I might actually see this one before I see the original.

Why? Because I know that the story probably won't make a lot of sense, and I know the US movie cliches for horror films, so I'll know what to expect. And I have to do this - because the commercials alone are freaking me out! The girl who crawls down the stairs? *shudders*

And I know the original Japanese version will be so much more scary - because it'll make sense.

Make sense?

So what do you think - I'm especially interested to hear views from people outside the US as they're likely much more exposed to foreign remakes...

[tsg_84]

have to agree with you on that. i think the first remake i saw was psycho, which in my opinion was perfect as it was. maybe not the best of all horror films, but it proved that you don't need big budget special effects to scare someone. all you need is to get inside their head and mess with it in a more subtle way. i find it more frightening that way then to just see how much fake blood can be tossed all over everything in sight. now there's remakes for old classics, which is a disgrace both to the film-makers and the stars. its a genre that has a life of its own, and should have been left alone.

i don't watch very many foreign films, but i do have a friend that does, and after catching a glimpse of some of his favourites, i'd have to agree that films based on cultural elements or history are relevent to that culture, and if it's to be brought to another culture, it shouldn't be necessary to remake it in a fashion that suits our taste. what happened to broadening our appreciation and experience of other cultures, rather then just absorbing them into our own? i haven't seen japan remake the legend of sleepy hollow to serve their tastes. seems the west should have the same respect.

[Ravens23]

I think Remakes can work... but very rarely. Oceans 11 was a good movie. I bought it... (OK, if only because Shane West was in it for 2 seconds, but that's a different obsession. LOL) but it still does not compare to the original Oceans 11.
I especially dislike when I am watching a movie that I haven't really heard a lot about and it all of a sudden looks familiar... they sneak a remake in on you. For example... I had to sit thru some Melissa Joan Hart Sabrina the Teenage Witch movie only to find it was a total steal of Roman Holiday! Grrr. (To be fair, it's not like that movie had a chance to start with... but I was even more angry when it took on Roman Holiday like scenes.)
I do have to give credit to the Italian Job. But I'll stop there. LOL.

Other movies ruined by the need to "remake" include:
Little Women
Sabrina -don't mess with Bogey!
Shop Around the Corner (well, actually, I did like You've Got Mail. hee hee)
And, crap, what was the name of the movie where the woman is running off to meet her man at the top of the empire state bldg and she gets hit by a car and ends up in a wheel chair... (the Annette Benning/Warren Beatty remake was a sad comparison)

It just seems like nowadays every movie is a remake of another in some form. I have been trying to ignore the similarities and be more forgiving... all in all, if I can sit thru the whole thing that it wasn't a total waste.

[Clash181]

I like remakes.

"The Manchurian Canidate" and "The Ring" were both really good in my opinion. I know the japenese version probably explained why Samara(?) had those powers better then the U.S. version since being a psychic is more accepted over there but I still thought it was really scary and good.

Another good one was "Vanilla Sky" and "Insomina." I have to say though that I haven't seen the originals of these films. I've wanted to see the original "The Ring" but I'm too scared, I saw a trailer for it on the DVD of The Ring and I'm just not ready for it.

I have no plans to see the original "The Manchurian Canidate" or "Insomnia" but I might check out the first version of "Vanilla Sky." I like foreign films. I'm still waiting to see "Y Mamma Tu Bien."

[S.A.S.H.A.]

I don't mind good remakes. I liked The Ring. I saw Ringu as well. It did a good job of explaining things, but I didn't really enjoy it as much. Ringu bored me for the most part.

Sasha

[tsg_84]

Originally posted by Ravens23 [And, crap, what was the name of the movie where the woman is running off to meet her man at the top of the empire state bldg and she gets hit by a car and ends up in a wheel chair... (the Annette Benning/Warren Beatty remake was a sad comparison)]

think that was an affair to remember....sleepless in seattle being the first remake, which led to you've got mail, the remake of an affair to remember AND sleepless in seattle, only with email.

[UnsilentMajorty]

Some remakes are good and some are just awful and are only made to cash in on a tried-and-true premise and nothing more.

For example, I thought "The Thomas Crown Affair" remake was really well done and actually more relevant in today's society regrading corporate philanthropy and responsibilty in terms Thomas Crown and why he does the things he does versus the '60s when the original film was made.

On the same note, I can't stand it when studios try and remake something because they are just trying to re-invent (or re-engergize) a dying genre like "Love Don't Cost a Thing" which is an African American, version of the John Hughes teen classic "Can't Buy Me Love".

Here are some statistics:

About 160 scripts will be greenlighted (not necessarily made into actual movies) at the major studios this year... And about 70-80 of those (almost half) will almost always be remakes, or "retellings" of previous stories/films.

I've said this before and I will say it again: Hollywood is just plain lazy and thus, we are caught in the Catch-22 of them not wanting to take any real risks which in turn equals the same old crap...

Which is why independent films and films by smaller studios like New Line and others are in fact where one should be looking for truly unique and original material along with foriegn films as well.

[missvalentina]

Originally posted by shrrshrr What brought this on? The Grudge, which is again a remake of a Japanese ghost/horror story, Ju-On. It probably won't translate as well in the US version, but I acknowledge that I might actually see this one before I see the original.

They're using the same director (Takashi Shimizu) for the Hollywood remake, so I wonder if having him on board will improve the liklihood of the film working in a different context.

[Profaine Angel]

Originally posted by tsg_84 think that was an affair to remember....

And to make it more fun, AATR was itself a remake of an earlier film called Love Affair, and then the remake of AATR was also called Love Affair and Sleepless in Seattle was more a nostalgic pastiche of the others


99% of remakes suck. There's always one or two that are cool but the majority...noooo. I hate when they try and update films that were so perfect in their time. And when they add in all this sex and foul language that wasn't in the original and just isn't necessary. But worse when people think that that film is an original and don't realise it's a remake and there's a better one out there, they make me so mad with their ignorance

[thuggie8]

The one remake I liked, well two, I guess, would be 'The Italian Job' and 'Oceans Eleven'. They were good, not great, but not crap either. The 'Pyscho' remake wasn't good but wasn't horrible either. I didn't really care for it. That's how I feel about remakes; knowing that there is better version of it, completely turns me off in watching the newer one. Another example would be 'Charades' and it's remake, 'The Truth About Charlie'. Remakes are hard to make, simple as that. If it's great the first time, why mess with it?

[Angeli_Dean]

why do they have to remake good movies? Why not remake movies that had good ideas but bad execution. They just have to try and make as much money as possible. Movie makers don't have much imagination anymore. It's all remakes and sequels and crap.

I did like Ocean's Eleven and You Got Mail and a few other remakes. The new Psycho is one of the most godawful things I've ever seen. Maybe that's because I love the original so much.

:rose: Audrey :rose:

[Ambular]

I'll just re-post what I had on the other thread

Sometimes, legitimately well-made movies don't really hold up too well to new technology. They look outdated. And it's nice to see it pop up again years later with a new look.

But - some movies stand alone perfectly well on their own, even decades later. There is virtually no need to remake classic movies! Take Psycho for example. One of the best movies in cinema - it's on any movie critic's best list of classic thrillers. Why we needed to see this totally redone is beyond me. Shame on you, Anne Heche!

Planet of the Apes. Sorry, Mark Wahlberg. That was terrible!

And Carrie? What was that all about?

Alfie hasn't been getting stellar reviews, either. Nothing with Michael Caine needs to be repeated - he did a good enough job the first time! Replacing him with that Ken doll doesn't seem like a great idea. I know, I do think Jude Law is a good actor in the right role. But he just doesn't compare, IMO.

[shrrshrr]

Originally posted by Ambular I'll just re-post what I had on the other thread Nothing with Michael Caine needs to be repeated - he did a good enough job the first time! Replacing him with that Ken doll doesn't seem like a great idea. I know, I do think Jude Law is a good actor in the right role. But he just doesn't compare, IMO.

WORD, yo!

[LittleMilkJug]

I wait to see what Peter Jackson does with King Kong.

That's a classic loved by millions (including me) so the pressure to come up with a good film must be there.

[Suga*Babe]

Originally posted by Ambular Nothing with Michael Caine needs to be repeated - he did a good enough job the first time! Replacing him with that Ken doll doesn't seem like a great idea. I know, I do think Jude Law is a good actor in the right role. But he just doesn't compare, IMO.

Piece of advice for film makers, if your thinking about re-making a Michael Caine movie, DON'T DO IT!.

I can't wait to see what Peter Jackson does with King Kong, It could go either way.