Track the Films You Watch (2005) - Page 62

Michael, this is just an idiotic statement. If you cannot successfully address my views on the previous page, you don't have to shoot off a remark like that one instead.


It was relatively early for the talkies. And those "remakes" you might be referring to from the early 1900s or even the 1890s were largely unseen and/or forgotten pieces of film back in the 40s or 50s.

THE MALTESE FALCON of 1931 was considered good, but the 1941 'classic' has an even better reputation. Of all the hundreds of "modern" remakes of the past 15 years (for earlier films that were already considered to be GOOD or GREAT), which of these new ones are considered even better than their originals...?

I'm having a hard time thinking of more than a couple of films that meet your criteria: 1) made in the last 15 years & 2) a remake of a good or great film.

But if you could point me to a list "of all the hundreds" (I'm assuming there are at least 200 such films) of such films, I'm pretty sure I could find one on that list considered better than it's original.

Depeche Mode plays virtually everything exactly as recorded on the albums and I can vouch for thousands of fans who love it that way. The communal experience of 14,000 fans all singing the lyrics to songs we're intimately familiar with is a treasured experience. Hence while Mode no longer makes a dent in US album sales charts like they did in the 80's/early 90's, their concerts are always among the best attended and most profitable tours of any year where they tour. They are really the only band worth the IMO exorbitant price of concert tickets to go see.

Counting Crows will add lyrics, change tempos and instrumentation, etc. at their concerts, and I enjoy that as well. (they're my wife's favorite band so I have to go to the shows, though I do like their first 2 albums) It depends on the band.

If the Beatles rose from the dead or the Smiths reunited, you better believe I'd want to hear every song as played on the album (sometimes live changes aren't for the best, like the Smiths "Peel" sessions, where they throw harmonica into all their songs). But if I go see someone newer that I'm less attached to, like Fiona Apple, I would probably like it if some of the songs were reworked.

As for remakes, I loved the Dawn remake, and thought it was one of the best American films of last year, but it still isn't as good as the original. There are horror fans that prefer it to the original. There are also some who prefer the Chainsaw remake to the original, which strikes me as sheer lunacy since I thought it was crap, but there you go.

Savini's remake of Night of the Living Dead is just in your 15 year window, and is a very solid remake, even if changing the subtext from racism to feminism doesn't work at all.

I liked the Bob Le Flambeur remake, The Good Thief, though that was more because I think the Flambeur story is so great that even though they made some poor decisions on what they changed, enough remained that I still enjoyed it and Nick Nolte did a good job in the lead. But again, it isn't close to the greatness of the original.

The recent (2 or 3 years old) Ripley's Game with John Malkovich as Ripley, is I think, a more coherent, though I'm not 100% sure better, movie than Wender's The American Friend. However, I don't think the new movie was intended as a remake so much as taking another stab at filming Highsmith's novel.

I think the best remake of a classic film, that comes closest to matching the quality and power of its predecessor, is Werner Herzog's Nosferatu Phantom Der Nacht (well outside your 15 year window, though). A gorgeous film that is completely reverent to Murnau's Nosferatu A Symphony of Horror, and yet makes some meaningful alterations and even some enhancements.

Some upcoming remakes have me sick to my stomach (Ikiru), somewhat ill but intrigued because of the director (The Wicker Man w/Neil LaBute), but something like All The Kings Men could work.

I don't think I agree with this. Just look at Revolution which looked very different in it's two incarnations. As someone who has and enjoys the very different versions of Beatle songs available (or unavailable given that a lot of it is bootlegs), I'd be fascinated to see how they'd mix it up.

Remakes, Remakes, Remakes. [YAWN] Like it or not they've been doing 'em since the dawn of the movie industry so all the moaning & whining in the world won't stop Hollywood from continuing to make them.

Just like the myriad of sequels over the years - Some turn out to be great & a lot turn out to be swill, just goes with the territory. Off the top of my head, some of the more enjoyable modern era (post 1970) remakes for me include The Fly, The Thing, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, War of the Worlds, Scarface & I even enjoyed Coppola's Dracula, so sue me. :p)

Oh and as much as I love the original I have to say that I'm really looking forward to seeing Jackson's King Kong. So get over it.

First time viewings in Blue

The Farmers Wife (1928)
Silent comedy from Hitchcock has a widowed farmer looking for a new bride.

Svengali (1931)
John Barrymore plays a sinister hypnotist who uses his power to control women.

Boudu Saved From Drowning (1932)
After a failed suicide, a filthy bum is taken in by a liberal bookseller, nails the guys wife and shakes up the local bourgeoisie. Remade in the 80’s as Down in Out in Beverly Hills, which I’m also not that fond of.

Young and Innocent (1937)
Finally, a suspense film from the Master. This one has the familiar theme of a man on the run from being wrongfully accused of murder.

The Invisible Menace (1938)
Tepid murder mystery on an army base stars Boris Karloff.

I Married A Witch (1942)
Veronica Lake is a resurrected 17th century Witch who turns Politician Frederic March’s life upside down.

Aventure Malgache (1944)
Forgettable Hitchcock propaganda short about the French resistance.

Battle Cry (1955)
Melodramatic War flick follows the love lives of a group of Marines.

Man’s Favorite Sport? (1964)
Disappointing sitcom-like comedy from Howard Hawks stars Rock Hudson as an author of a popular fishing guide who turns out to not know how to fish.

Burn! (1969)
Marlon Brando stars as Sir William Walker who plays both sides of a confrontation between British plantation owners and the slave sugar cane workers.

Nicholas and Alexandra (1971)
Flawed but fascinating epic the chronicles the life of the last Russian Czar and his family set against the backdrop of the Russian Revolution. A veritable who’s who of character Actors pop-up throughout including Lawrence Olivier, Jack Hawkins, Ian Holm, Michael Redgrave & Brian Cox.

Also finally watched the new DVD set of The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Michael -

First, I don't know who you've been listening to, but the OVERWHELMING majority of shows I've attended certainly have almost ALWAYS been fairly close to the original recordings. Yes, occasionally a new rendition will be attempted of a song or two, but that's always more rare.

Second, name these "thousand" live performances, and also name the "hundreds" of artists (man, you've done a lot in your 25 years!) Once you do this specifically instead of generalizng (as I have about remakes), then I will do likewise to answer this from you:


Yes, they got THE WIZARD OF OZ right in 1939 (note that it wasn't 1999, nor 2009).

And you're right, we have been through this before. Just as you have generalized how many live band and performances you've heard, so too have I generalized how many remakes have been done in the past 15 years. Whether it's 100, 200, or in reality only just 41, forget the semantics; the point is that they rarely if ever do a modern remake that tops an older "good" or "great" original. Why don't you just name all the ones from the past 15 years that have? Well, that's easy - because there just aren't many.

Jim -

And yet, as I often say whenever this arises, it's only lately that we run across all sorts of newspaper articles and magazine features where some critic or author is bemoaning the "epidemic lack of originality in an over-abundance of remakes like we've never seen before". They may have been with us since film began, but they've hit a real level of insanity today to the point where everyone's aware of it going too far. This wasn't always the case.

And anyway - Remakes, Remakes, Remakes. [YAWN] Like it or not some of us are going to roll our eyes and complain about 'em , so all the moaning & whining in the world won't stop some of us from saying we're fed up with them.


But you see, we have to now go back to post-70.
I also like THE THING (82) and INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (78). Even better than the originals! And in the case of INVASION, this is perhaps the most pathetic thing of all - they already did "modernize" this thing yet again in the 90's, and now they're going to do it again for the Zeroes!

I also liked the new WAR OF THE WORLDS immensely. Usually when this talk comes up, people throw around THE FLY as an example of a 'better remake', and maybe even THE BLOB from 1988 (which I hear they're doing AGAIN even though the '88 version is so liked!) .

But it's always very slim, slim pickin's. Especially in light of the dozens or hundreds (pick whichever you prefer; the point remains the same) of remakes there HAVE been since the 1970s (if we want to open it to 25 years).

George -

Well, this is 1 song out of the couple of hundred or so the Beatles recorded. There are others - "Across the Universe," for example. But still, it was an exception rather than the rule. If the Beatles did in fact somehow re-appear today, their concert would almost assuredly be like what we've heard on their records. I just saw Paul McCartney "live" again last month too - and just about every song was faithful to the original, with some interesting exceptions... but again, they're the exception, not the rule.


George, you can use my response above to Michael to cover this too (as it's the same one). I know they're out there; I can't list them off the top of my head. Just think of good or great films, and then recall the remakes. Go back to 1980 remakes if you'd like. How many would you list as being "better than" the originals? Now -- I'm talking basically of originals that are already generally deemed "good" or "great" ... not films that were "average".... (And would you really and truly welcome a remake of, say, THE APARTMENT or THE MALTESE FALCON once again for 2008)?

Joe,

Believe me, there's some idiodic WTF idea's for remakes that leave me scratching my head like the rumored PG'd remake of Robocop. An unnecessary remake to me but I'm not going to waste my time agonizing over it.

I have noticed the upsurge of remakes over the past few years and I would rather see more original idea’s put on screen, but I guess the point I was trying to make is that even though like you’ve stated and I do agree that good remakes are ”slim pickins” I’d rather not condemn all remakes and be without those good ones. I guess part of the fun is suffering through all the bad/mediocre remakes.

As for remakes better than the original I’m not even going to go into that because it’s all in one’s personal opinion since there is no be-all end-all rating for any film (thank god).

I will say that of the films I mentioned previously I like the originals and remakes fairly evenly and sometimes for different reasons.

ROBOCOP is the perfect example, Jim! But I'm not really agonizing over these remakes; I just mention when I don't like it, and then I leave the agonizing over my comments to others!


I see what you mean here.


So, you can't think of one that's better than the original either, huh?


Fair enough. And I'll tell you that I have enjoyed new remakes/re-imaginings now and then too, despite the fact that I tend to shake my head when the latest one's announced!

It certainly IS false and stupid, if people are saying "everything is just remakes". I know I'm not claiming that.


Well, you say this any time anyone has an opinion that's not always positive, or one you happen not to share. Some folks just don't like certain DVD releases, or think a certain DVD cover is unappealing. There has to be some things in life you are not perfectly happy with, and you also have a right to state it.


I'm only saying that they used to be capable of it decades ago, and therefore remakes were probably more worthwhile doing. You were saying that they "got the WIZARD OF OZ right" in 1939, for example. Ditto George with THE MALTESE FALCON.


But every time someone says they're "not going to see this or that remake," you say that's wrong, too...


If the studios decided to stop doing so many remakes, and only made independent films with new ideas, then THOSE would be the ones people would see at their theaters. The average Joe Six Pack movigoers are just like sheep. They'll go see whatever's the latest rage at their local multiplex, and the largest bulk of paying customers don't care what that is, really. I think the theatres should show all oldies, and believe me - it may take some time, but eventually THAT would become the "rage" that's "in"!

People watch whatever's available to them on TV - and people will watch whatever's available to them on the theater screens.

King Kong hasn't to the best of my knowledge been viewed by anyone, let alone reviewed by one of the ahem.... critics. Why do you assume it'll get lessor favorable reviews?

Besides critical reviews are more than often of dubious worth to me.

Now I certainly wouldn't have skipped seeing War of the Worlds in favor of Grizzly Man, Munich or Walk the Line. Does that make me a "bad" person? And given the choice of seeing those three and Kong, um well the Kongster would win hands down. I know that by doing this that in some small way that I'll be contributing to Hollywood making more remakes in the future but um..... Sorry?

Now Munich I'm interested in seeing but I'll probably catch it as a rental, don't know if I have much interest in the Johnny Cash Biopic, and I've never heard of Grizzly Man. Is he like Spider-Man?



Good Lord! Showing nothing but all Indie films at theaters would certainly drive me away forever. The ratio of watchable Indie films isn't any better than remakes IMO.



Well since I have many friends and family members that I would consider just average Joe/Jane movie watchers I tend to give them more credit than being merely sheep.



Ach! Going to a public theater to pay to see something I probably already own and can watch in the comfort & privacy of my own Home Theater? No thanks, I'll pass.

Well, Jim, I was being... err... tongue in cheek (sort of!) )

So was I Joe. Just call it silly Sunday.

Don't be sorry Michael, I'm just trying to strike up some conversation by playing Devil's Advocate, I do that sometimes. Plus I'm being a little silly from all the cough medicine I took today.



Well it's more like 300ish and that turned into a well intentioned mistake on my part. Since then I've decided that life's too short to force myself into watching certain films just to scratch off a silly list.

Well said, Jim. I like that!


Hooray! I don't believe it! You actually admitted it, Michael! That's it - I feel lucky - I just gotta play the lottery today!


Looking forward to it!

Fatty Drives the Bus (1999)

Viewed 11/14/2005 (first viewing)

Bizarre offering from Troma has Satan taking the guise of a Chicago tour bus guide in order to collect the souls of the tourists after the bus crashes. But with Jesus in town, he finds his job may be more difficult than he imagined! Typically cheesy Troma affair, and overlong to boot, but pretty funny at times, with some great lines.

out of


Wheel of Time (2003)

Viewed 11/14/2005 (first viewing)

Werner Herzog's documentary on Buddhist rituals and the creation of the Wheel of Time, a beautiful and delicate symbol (made of colored sand) of Buddhist beliefs and dedication.

out of


Reefer Madness (2005)

Viewed 11/15/2005 (first viewing)

Musical updating of the camp classic has good, if not particularly memorable, songs. Fun, but eventually wears out its welcome.

out of


Apres Vous (2003)

Viewed 11/15/2005 (first viewing)

Pleasant enough French romantic comedy has Daniel Auteuil saving the life of a suicidal man. He then takes it upon himself to reunite the despondent man with his ex-girlfriend, only to find himself attracted to her!

out of


Yes (2004)

Viewed 11/16/2005 (first viewing)

Clinical examination of a romance between an Irish woman and a Lebanese immigrant in England. As much about life, death, politics, and race and social standings as anything else. Engrossing and well-directed by Sally Potter, with a fine performance by Joan Allen (stil looking mighty fine in her mature years).

out of


Travellers and Magicians (2003)

Viewed 11/17/2005 (first viewing)

Beautifully-filmed road movie set in Bhutan. A young govenment official yearns to leave his backwater village and go to America. But when he misses the bus out of town, he's forced to hitchhike with a motley assortment of fellow travelers, including a tale-spinning monk and a pretty young woman who may just change his mind about leaving. The oblique ending is perfect.

out of


April (1961)

Viewed 11/17/2005 (first viewing)

Ingratiating short film, mostly dialogue-free, from Georgian director Otar Iosseliani. The happiness of a young couple is imperiled by their lust for material possessions. This would make a neat companion piece to Jacques Tati's Playtime.

out of


Sanshiro Sugata (1943)

Viewed 11/17/2005 (first viewing)

Early film from Akira Kurosawa finds a young man being introduced to the art of judo. Not great, but worth seeing to study Kurosawa's growing prowess as a director (note the scene where the character of Monma is killed).

out of


Pickpocket (1959)

Viewed 11/18/2005 (first viewing)

Robert Bresson's calculated study of an unrepentant pickpocket and his long road to salvation. Bresson is not for all tastes, but I like what I've seen so far.

out of


The Rains Came (1939)

Viewed 11/19/2005 (first viewing)

Longish melodrama has Tyrone Power and Myrna Loy as old lovers reunited in India and facing a bevy of natural disasters.

out of


Bumping Into Broadway (1919)

Viewed 11/19/2005 (first viewing)

Harold Lloyd two-reeler features the comedian as a down and out playwright in desperate need of cash. Rather ordinary, save for the great physical comedy.

out of


An Eastern Westerner (1919)

Viewed 11/19/2005 (first viewing)

Another Harold Lloyd short, this time he's a young whippersnapper whose shimmie dancing gets him sent out West. Again, nothing special, but buoyed by superior physical comedy (though some of it is redundant of Bumping Into Broadway).

out of


Little Ice Age: Big Chill (2005)

Viewed 11/20/2005 (first viewing)

Solid documentary from the History Channel on the Little Ice Age - the period of global cooling that began in the 1300s and lasted 500 years, exacerbating the Black Death and the destruction of Napoleon's army (among many other things).

out of


Ugetsu (1953)

Viewed 11/20/2005 (first viewing)

Kenji Mizoguchi's sumptuously-filmed ghost story about two peasant families and how their lives are affected by greed and war. Great stuff and a must-see!

out of

The Vanishing (1988) 8/10
I was a little confused by some of the jumps in time, some of which aren't directly made clear, but the unusual story structure of re-tracing the development of the crime from the beginning, and through the perpetrator's eyes, is very interesting. Some of the symbolic points of motivation, both for the criminal and for the protagonist, seemed a little unnecessary. While the ending is certainly very strong, what I found most powerful was finally seeing the way the crime was committed, which only comes at a very late point in the story.

Regarding the (safely spoilerized) criticisms that George made here, I'll add my own spoilerized response:

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

The Little Foxes (1941) 9/10
A strong cast for an adaptation of one of Lillian Hellman's most famous plays is already a good start, and the William Wyler/Gregg Toland team was just about at their best for this one, a brilliantly filmed story dealing with greed and corruption that focuses on a turn-of-the-century Southern family clinging to their aristocratic heritage. The script does get a little preachy on occasion, but the focus is almost all on the drama. I hadn't realized that Toland did not work on The Magnificent Ambersons, but the visual style of how that story unfolds in its big mansion setting is certainly reminiscent of this one.

Walk the Line (2005) 8/10
Reviewed in this post.

Family Plot (1976) 7/10
Hitchcock's last movie sort of seems like it was made for TV, as there isn't a whole lot going on outside of the plot developments and the occasional joke. It isn't exactly boring, but not exactly riveting either. John Williams' score does provide some effective charm, and the ending has a couple of fun twists that are worth waiting for.

Rear Window (1954) 10/10
This has always been my Hitch favorite, as well as one of my favorites by anyone. Just about all of his signature themes combine more seamlessly here than they do in any of his other films: murder/suspense, sex/romance, and humor. This gets my vote for best film ever in terms of creating direct audience identification with what's happening on the screen, in terms of coming to feel exactly what the main character is experiencing. Some of the other all-time greats are master studies of compellingly enigmatic personalities, like Citizen Kane, Lawrence of Arabia, and (sort of) The Godfather, but nothing beats Rear Window for me as far as cinematically getting the audience directly inside of someone else's head.

The Haunting (1963)
I finally got around to seeing this one and it was every bit as underwhelming as I thought it would be, unfortunately. I really enjoyed the opening and the first half hour or so, where we are introduced to the quirky characters (particularly the neurotic Eleanor) and to the stylish Hill House, with all its spooky history and grandeur. And then the talk, talk, talk set in, with not much else to sustain my interest. A shame.

The Recruit

This isn't a knock on this particular film, but films in the action thriller genre have been using the 'surprise bad guy' for so long, that it long ago became routine, and it occurred to me while watching this that the real surprise ending would be if the guy that the film was indicating all along was the bad guy, really was the bad guy. In this film it was a little past the half-way point when I realized who the real bad guy was almost certainly going to be, and if it had ended with him the good guy, I really would have been surprised.

King Kong (1933)
It's been 7 years since I last saw this classic, and boy does it still hold up, even 72 years later! It's a magnificent film that still impresses with its special effects, especially when considering the time it was made. Non-stop action, brisk pacing, exciting adventure, and snappy dialogue. It's a pity that Peter Jackson wants to remake it, and it's hard for me to understand how a big fan would even wish to touch it. But who knows - it might be good.

Son of Kong (1933)
On the run after being ostracized by all of New York after the catastrophe brought on by Kong, Carl Denham returns to Skull Island to search for a treasure that's said to be hidden there. While there he runs into a pint-sized version of the King. This is not bad, but it's an obvious quickie made in a hurry to cash-in on the success of the original. It's harmless enough and kind of cute and occasionally humorous, but it pales mightily coming hot on the heels of the glorious first movie. Helen Mack makes for a feisty new lead female, and Robert Armstrong is a treat again in his reprisal of the Denham role.

Psycho (1960)
Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece is still admirable for its groundbreaking style, and deserves to be praised. There is nothing I can say about it that hasn't already been stated a million times, except that while it retains the cinematic artistry of Hitchcock, its rough edges have possibly been smoothed out over the passing decades due to countless "slasher" imitators, sequels and rip-off's. It's hard for me to conceive, for example, that newcomers who've already seen other later films of this type would not easily be able to determine who the killer is, and what makes this person commit the crimes.

Psycho II (1983)
A satisfying continuation of Norman's story, with Anthony Perkins turning in a good performance as a rehbilitated and likable Bates. Meg Tilly is the young girl who works her way into his new life, at which point all sorts of murders and shady goings-on threaten to drive Norman over the edge again. This works well as a mystery, with a few surprises in store. This is a sequel I feel has gotten better with age.

Ouch, only two stars for The Haunting. Sorry you didn't like it much Joe. It's one of my favorite classic Horror Ghost flicks, along with The Innocents & Legend of Hell House.

First time viewings in Blue


Mata Hari (1931)
Typical Greta Garbo vehicle, this time she plays the infamous WWI German Spy.

Stamboul Quest (1934)
Another WWI spy film, this one stars George Brent as an American medical student and Myrna Loy as his love interest.

Bluebeard (1944)
John Carradine stars as the infamous Parisian serial killer.

The Frogmen (1951)
WWII drama has Richard Widmark taking over command of an underwater demolition team including Dana Andrews & Robert Wagner.

Daughter of Dr Jekyll (1957)
Skid Row Horror effort has the daughter of Dr Jekyll believing she is a split personality killer and has the curse of her father.

The Hunters (1958)
Korean War Drama about a squad of jet fighter pilots lead by Robert Mitchum.

Vanishing Point (1971)
Dated but oddly compelling anti-establishment chase flick as an ex-cop/ex-race car driver who’s only known name is Kowalski attempting to deliver a supercharged Dodge Challenger from Denver to Frisco with the state police forces in hot pursuit and with the usual media circus in tow.

Ran (1985)
Upgraded to the overpriced Criterion of Kurosawa’s masterful Samurai Epic retelling of King Lear.

Scarlet Street (1945)
Fritz Lang’s superior noir has Edward G Robinson playing a mild mannered banker who gets involved with a scheming tramp Joan Bennet & her oily boyfriend Dan Duryea. Always passed up owning the atrocious PD DVD treatments of this classic so I gladly snatched up the new Kino release.

Mighty Joe Young (1949)
The cute takeoff on the KING KONG formula, with Joe as a lovable oversized pet gorilla. Great stop-motion effects sequences, humor, and plenty of action (the climax at the orphanage is great; much better than the ferris wheel one in the remake!).