Movies that are worth remaking? (1 Viewer)

[Bill J]

I would really like to see a good film about Pearl Harbor. Unfortunately Michael Bay's attempt will most likely be the last one we will see for a long time.

Pearl Harbor could have been better with a different writer, cast, director, and producer.

 

[Rex Bachmann]

MatthewA wrote (post #19):

Shangri-La (Columbia Pictures, 1973), starring Liv Ullmann and Peter Finch. This movie was also denounced by "conservative cultural critics" for years afterwards for its supposed "moral relativism". ("The world is a circle . . . . with no beginning, and no end . . . .")

I started to point the existence of this film out, but it seems the original poster is interested in a remake that would bring alive the fantasy world of the original source material, something a musical couldn't.

 

[MatthewLouwrens]

When I was in America last December, I was in a restaurant and I found myself eavesdropping on a couple who were discussing movies and remakes, and one of them commented how it would not be long before someone tries to remake It's A Wonderful Life. Just the thought of a remake of that film scared me. That is one film that should never be remade, not least because the innocence of that film would not be at all credible in today's cynical world.

I was with my parents at the time, and they were laughing at me, because they knew exactly who I was listening to, and why. Of course, in NZ we don't have the whole IAWL as Christmas film tradition that the Americans have, so my parents had never even heard of the film and didn't know why it was such an awful concept for a remake.

 

[Jan Strnad]

A very big second vote for a remake of X, the Man with the X-Ray Eyes!

I'd like to see a decent adaptation of John Wyndham's Day of the Triffids, a great book but a pretty cheesy movie with a stupid ending.

Jan

 

[Francois Caron]

I would really like to see a good film about Pearl Harbor.

Have you seen "Tora Tora Tora"? The current Fox release is in pretty decent shape.

 

[Bill J]

Yes, I've seen Tora! Tora! Tora!. It's been awhile, but I was disappointed with it because it lacked emotion. While the battle scene was stunningly realistic (especially for 1970), it failed to display humanity. Films like Black Hawk Down, Saving Private Ryan, and We Were Soldiers managed to accurately portray a battle while having a strong emotional impact. I admire the way the film attempted to be historically accurate, but it just seemed to spout facts.

 

[Scott A.]

How about a remake of "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" They could get Mel Gibson, and for the climax of the movie they could...

Ah skip it.

Actually there's been some not bad remakes of foreign films recently, The Ring and Vanilla Sky being two. I'm sure there is plenty of foreign language films that would make good "Hollywood" movies.

Then there's some silent classics. Personally I'd like to see what another visionary director would do with either M or Metropolis.

An updated The Magnificent Seven or Seven Samurai might be interesting int he right hands.

Just some thoughts,
S.

 

[Eric Peterson]

Yeah, I never liked "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington". All he does is talk, talk, talk, and he doesn't even kill anybody!.

There are some good ideas so far.

Key Largo is a great movie, but I could definitely see it being improved upon with some great dialogue, and by enhancing the sexual tension, both of which were big no-nos in the late 40's.

Lost Horizon - I wasn't aware of the musical remake, but it sounds awful. I was definitely looking towards a more faithful adaptation that could really enahnce the fantasy portions of the story. The original used a lot of stock footage of natives and there were some other major flaws.

X, The Man with the X-Ray Eyes - I've never seen this movie, but I'll definitely add to my list. The premise certainly sounds interesting and I figured that a lot of the input for this thread would be Sci-Fi/Fantasy based films.

 

[Paul Mason]

Legally Blonde 2 appears to be a loose re-make of that.

 

[John Watson]

I think a case can be made for remakes, even if there is a classic version that is highly regarded by critics and the well-educated movie buffs.

In the first place, the good stories are always being remade anyway - boy meets girl, power corrupts, men slipping on bananas, etc, are human stories always being retold form generation to generation.

If they are remade with contemporary stars, better effects, sound, etc., more people will see the remakes than will see the classics. Perhaps its as simple as the effect of colour. And if the story is set in a contemporary context, it may hit home in a way that the original doesn't (at least to the vast audience that doesn't know much history).

Tho it is pitiful when some lame, shoddy, tasteless remake deprives contemporary audiences of the brilliance or depth of an earlier version, or if it indicates that the public's taste has actually declined.

There was speculation here some time ago about a remake of the Manchurian Candidate. Let's keep our fingers crossed, or play a little solitaire.

A remake I'd like to see is The Stepford Husbands, could be much better than Fight Club.

 

[Scott Van Dyke]

Lou beat me to it.

The Hulk

My wife and I just had a discussion about this very movie.
We agreed that this movie will bomb because the Protagonist is based off the comic book character and not the T.V. series. It's of our opinion that this movie is just stupid, and people don't want a scary hulk, they want one with a heart; ala the T.V. series.

 

[Dan Rudolph]

Whiel The Hulk wasn't exactly the smash hit some speculators thought, it was hardly a bomb. So far it's grossed enough to cover its budget in the US. With international and video, it will be fairly profitable. And Hulk did have a heart, just a very angry one.

 

[Mikel_Cooperman]

Ive just been reading the book Millennium and I keep thinking how they really missed the boat on the original that was done in the 80s with Cheryl Ladd and Chris Cristopherson.
This has so much potential to be a great movie if done right.
I saw remake this one.



As far as remaking the Hulk to be like the TV show and not the comic book I have to say that that is the most rediculous statement Ive heard in a long time.
You want a movie not based on the original source material?
One that dumbs down the character for Mass audiences?
Sure The movie had its problems but it was much better and complex than the TV show and I liked that too.
You want a sweet and cuddly Hulk?

Oh Brother.

 

[Chris Atkins]

I would dearly dearly dearly like to see STAR WARS remade sometime.

Before you all scream blashpemy, think about how much fun it would be to see someone else's take on this movie, particularly someone who grew up with the films. Given how ingrained this movie is in our culture, the slightest deviation from the original would draw attention to itself. It would be a sensory overload!

 

[Scott A.]

Mikel,

I Agree with you about Millennium, the movie is a real mess. but John Varly, the Author of the novel, (and short story it was based on), also wrote the screenplay. So he's as much to blame for it as anyone else is.

IMHO it's his weakest work as a novelist. Read "Steel Beach" to see how well this guy can write.

A remake might be interesting if they stuck to the premise of the book though...

Cheers,
S

 

[Shane S.]

I don't mind remakes. I'm young enough that most of them are new to me anyway. I do try and make it a point to check out the originals, but I can't say I always do.

I'd like to see A updated Clash of the Titans. Not some popcorn version but an update with new technology.

 

[Rob Bartlett]

I'm think an interesting idea would be the old Star Trek characters recast and turned into a movie or series of them.

 

[L. Anton Dencklau]

..

 

[Todd Phillips]

An updated The Magnificent Seven or Seven Samurai might be interesting int he right hands.

Is there any movie that has been remade more?
Seven Samurai (1954)
The Magnificent Seven (1960)
Battle Beyond the Stars (1980)
Three Amigos! (1986)
A Bug's Life (1998)
Galaxy Quest (1999)
(and just about every episode of "The A-Team" )

Sure, none are direct remakes, but you might not have to wait long for a real remake is the rumors are correct:
http://www.thezreview.co.uk/comingso...urairemake.htm
http://www.theindependent.com/storie...pt_mike08.html

 

[John_Lee]

Bonfire of the Vanities
Such a strong book, such a crappy movie. We can do better people.