Movie Sequels & Remakes, Hollywood bores us again

...and they don't know why people aren't paying 7-10 bucks per ticket for movies.
This summer's "Big 'Uns"
Another Star Wars toy commercial, er, movie.
Another Batman movie.
Another comic book film, "Fantastic Four"
Remake of classic film "War of the Worlds"
Remake of classic TV show "Bewitched"
Remake of classic film "Willy Wonka"
(Funny how Johnny Depp hates the US but will gladly come to Hollywood to pick up a few millions for playing another weirdo role)
I know there were more remakes but I can't remember them, they were so forgettable.
Oh, and even TV writers have no imagination. Aspercreme has a new slogan on their commercials: "You bet your sweet Aspercreme." No kidding.
Aren't there any writers in California at all?

Don't hate me, but I kind of enjoyed the 'Star Wars Sith' film.

One original, recent movie that I really enjoyed was a computer animated thing called "Robots," where Ewan McGregor did the voice of the lead robot, and Robin Williams did the voice of another robot.

"Anchor Man" has been on cable lately, and I think it's okay, and it's original. Wil Farrel is in it, and he spoofs the smarmy, long haired male news anchors from the 1970s. Christina Applegate co-stars. I forget exactly when this movie first came out, maybe about two years ago?

I haven't seen "Madagascar," which is another cartoon/ computer animated film, but it's original, and it looks like it might be quite good. I thought the previews were funny.

I think the remake thing has been going on for awhile now, starting most noticeably in the 1990s.

Harrison Ford was in a move that was a remake of Sabrina (spelling?), which was a film that originally had Hepburn in it, back in the '60s, right?

There was also a time when Hollywood was remaking foreign (usually French) films for American audiences, starting in the 90s or maybe later. I think one was called "The Bird Cage," and Robin Williams was in it.

George Cloony in "Ocean's 11," which was originally a rat pack film from the 1950s or '60s.

Not too long ago Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller (whatever his name is) did a remake of the 1970s show "Starsky and Hutch." They made that into a movie.

Hollywood kind of got on a trend of making cartoons into live action movies, e.g. Flintstones and Scooby Doo.

Did you hear they're coming out with a new Superman? I forget the name of the actor they chose to play Superman.

Television isn't much better - instead of relying on writers, they are still cranking out lots of "reality" shows.

I think what really kills me are the pop music song remakes - songs that first came out in the 1980s.

In the early or mid- 1990s, I was in college in a dorm (I started college in my early 20s, not at age 18 like most people), and my room mates were listening to rap by some guy (probably that Sean Puffy Combs guy) who had done remakes of '80s songs, one was an old 'Hall and Oates' song from 1984 or so. I grew up listening to that song, but I bet the girls who were in the room next to me thought the rap guy was the first to sing it.

I thought bands waited at least 20 or more years to remake a song, but they don't even wait that long anymore.

I'm actually excited about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I've already got my tickets (yes, I am sometimes a nerd) for opening night!

Anyway, it's not even really a "remake" considering the film starring Gene Wilder (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory) was VERY different than the book. The Tim Burton film is staying more true to the book's integrity. And plus, I really enjoy Tim Burton's films.

Robots wasn't too bad. My husband bought a copy in Iraq to watch, and I watched it on a plane coming back from Germany in June.
I swear, Ive flown a LOT this year, and on every flight where there were movies, Lemony Snicket was one of the choices. It's ok, but every airline had it!

I saw on the news the other day that Hollyweird is doing another movie based on an old t.v. show. It's in its very early stages, they haven't begun filming it.

Unfortunately, I forgot the name of the show, but I think it was from the '60s or '70s, and I remember thinking, "Why are they making that show into a movie??? Who cares?"

It was some kind of stupid, obscure type of t.v. show - one that you've probably heard of, but people under 30 probably don't know what it is, or it's one that some people heard of but most didn't pay attention to it when it was first on.

If I remember what the show was, I'll edit this post and put that info in.

"Fat Albert" which was originally a cartoon in the '70s was made into a movie not too long ago, and it's been playing on HBO. I watched about 2 minutes of it and got so bored that I had to flip the channel.

~~ EDITs BELOW ~~

If I can ever find the old thread we had where we talked about TV shows becoming movies, I'll merge this with that (if I can find it).

I hated Knight Rider when I was a kid, and now they're making it into a movie.

I don't know if I hated the talking car per se, but the story lines, the bad hair, bad acting, etc., all bugged me, and I've never been a Hasselhoff fan. I found him annoying.

This says if this first movie does well there will be sequels to it.

'Knight Rider' news

A movie version of David Hasselhoff's hit TV series could go into production as early as next year.
May 9 2006

It had to happen sometime I suppose – a film version of the hit 1980s TV series 'Knight Rider' is going into production.

For those who didn't live through the decade of leg-warmers, yuppies and appalling music, 'Knight Rider' starred David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight, a vigilante crime-fighter who cracked cases with the help of his loyal talking car, KITT.

And this week The Weinstein Co. signed a deal with the show's creator Glen A Larson to write and executive produce the forthcoming feature early next year.

There's no news yet on casting (though surely 'Hoff' must voice the talking car) but Larson had this to say about the tone of the film:

'A number of people wanted to do a pure comedic send-up of it, but I always felt that would throw away the franchise,' he told the Hollywood Reporter. 'There was always some humour on the show, but this film will probably have more gallows, foxhole humour.'

And if the film is a hit, Larson sees the potential for a franchise, so expect the Knight to ride again and again.

~~~ EDIT ~~~

This is the only news report I've seen so far that says Hasselhoff is definitely not going to be in the movie. Other reports say they're still unsure if he is going to be in it or not.

No David Hasselhoff for 'Knight Rider' flick

May 10, 2006
The hit 80s TV show Knight RIder will be brought to the big screen, but without main star David Hasselhoff.

Apparently, former Miramax heads Harvey and Bob Weinstein have struck a deal with show creator Glen A. Larson, who will write and executive produce the film.

"I am a huge fan of the original series and could not be happier that we've joined forces with Glen Larson to bring these iconic characters to the big screen," Harvey Weinstein said.

"Teaming up with Harvey and Bob, with their unparalleled success in motion picture, gives Knight Rider an exciting opportunity to be a breakout franchise," Larson said.

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Poseidon Adventure -
- stars talk about what scared them while remaking the '70s Film

Where is The Originality in Hollywood: Are Remakes the Only Projects on Tap

- I think they forgot to mention The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It came out about 2 years ago and was a remake. Then there was King Kong and Fat Albert.

I think I read somewhere that the old t.v. show Dallas is going to be made into a movie.

Excerpts:

Sunday, 14 May 2006

recent history the most powerful movie remake or rendition seems to be James Cameron’s the "Titanic" ... Another film that was well received was the “Manchurian Candidate” which featured Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep and Jeffrey Wright.

... Over the past few years others in Hollywood have tried to capitalize on the recent trend in remaking movies, from the “House of Wax” which was derived from the Vincent Price classic movie to the most recent “The Poseidon Adventure”

... Now we have “Superman Returns” hitting the screen shortly, it’s not a remake but a continuation of a great film series and it received the blessing of Christopher Reeve’s wife

Don't forget every summer's requisite Dumb Dad and Kids On Summer Vacation idea. Now it's Robin Williams I think, in a rented RV. Ho hum.
I'm still predicting a Gone With The Wind, Citizen Kane, or other classic remake.
We HAVE redo these flicks with animation, sex, foul language, and Brangelina, now mustn't we?

I know what you mean. If Hollywood's not doing a movie version of a t.v. show, it's a genre-formula repeat, like the dim witted Dad on vacation with kids.

The last time (ie., Dumb Dad on holiday with kids), it was Steve Martin in a sequel for Cheaper by the Dozen (I saw a commerical for the DVD the other day.)

Although I really started out loving the CG-stuff, such as "Toy Story" and "Shrek," I'm now getting pretty tired of it, since it seems that the ones that have come out in the past few years aren't as funny, ground-breaking, or interesting as the ones that came out originally.

This was under an article about Man-donna:

HOLLYWOOD STILL A VAST WASTELAND OF IDEAS:

Maybe all these action heroes determined to squeeze every last penny out of their old action series should join forces for one last bloated action movie. Call it "Die Rambo Rocky Terminate Hard: The Final Broken Hip."

Bruce Willis announced Friday that filmmakers are ready to start shooting a fourth "Die Hard" movie and they hope to have it in cinemas next year. Speaking at the Cannes Film Festival, Willis, who played policeman John McClane in the "Die Hard" films, said he'll soon start filming the sequel.

"We're as close as we've ever got to getting 'Die Hard 4' started. It won't be called 'Die Hard 4,' but that will be the story. Hopefully it will be out next summer." [Source]

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I loved the original Hitcher movie with Rutger Hauer (sp?) in it. Now it's going to be re-made????

Bean thumbs killer role in new 'Hitcher'

June 01, 2006

Sean Bean is thumbing his way to "The Hitcher," Rogue Pictures' remake of the 1986 horror film being produced by Platinum Dunes. Sophia Bush also is on board the film, which is being directed by veteran music video helmer Dave Meyers.

The script follows a young couple driving across the country who become prey for a serial killer, who blames all of his murders on the young man.

Eric Bernt wrote the current draft. Bean will carve out the serial killer role made famous by Rutger Hauer in the original.

Bush (WB Network's "One Tree Hill") has been cast as the young woman; casting is imminent on the young man. ....

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The Omen remake exceedingly faithful to the original - perhaps too much

Published: Friday, June 02, 2006

Not only was there nothing wrong with the 1976 horror classic, in which the Antichrist wreaks havoc on Earth as an innocent-looking five-year-old boy, but the original stands as one of the most frightening movies. Ever. It's so ingrained in our pop culture, all you have to do is say the name Damien and everyone instantly knows you're talking about a demonic child.

So why mess with it?

.... It's not a shot-for-shot remake like Gus Van Sant's pointless Psycho from 1998, but it's close. The structure, characters, setting, events, giant chunks of dialogue - all the same.

One can only assume the intention was to appease the purists, but in doing so, director John Moore (Behind Enemy Lines) has breathed no new life into the material.

.... And Liev Schreiber - standing in for Gregory Peck as the father who surreptitiously brings the demon spawn into their lives - cries way more than Peck ever would have dreamed.

Peck's Robert Thorn choked up a little when he learned his wife had died, but mostly he held it together; here, as troubles mount, Schreiber is wiping away tears half the time. It's the sensitive-man remake of The Omen.

Tiny changes here and there inevitably modernize the film. It takes place in the modern day, so the characters have cellphones.

.... More importantly, though, it isn't even scary. It's so similar to the original that we already know what's coming. And because it adheres so closely, it only serves as a reminder of the superiority of Richard Donner's original.

I can relate to what everyone's been saying here. I've been to the movies only three times in the past ten years. I usually wait for films to come out on DVD, but have been renting them less and less. There's just nothing out there that I really want to see.

"Die Rambo Rocky..." There's another Rocky film coming out soon.

I think kids today hardly know what hand drawn animation is anymore. Monster suits and puppets are pretty much a thing of the past. CGI is so overused, that the famous Jim Henson Creature Shop is suffering due to lack of work. I think I heard that it might be closing down.

I'm glad to be an Eighties child/early Nineties teen. That's the last time when most movies were original and entertaining.

I went to the movies with my family for the first time this year - on Memorial Day weekend we went to see 'Over the Hedge'. I thought the movie was good, but as I watched it, I realized that most, perhaps 95% of the animated films released in the past six years or so have all been CGI-animated. The last hand-animated film I can remember is Disney's 'The Emporer's New Groove'.

I miss the big, blockbuster hand-animated movies Disney released, like 'The Little Mermaid', 'Beauty and the Beast', 'The Lion King', etc. I don't think we'll ever really see a major hand-animated film in theaters unless it's anime.

Found this on Drowned Man-donna:

"The Stepfather" Set For A Remake

The classic 1980s thriller that helped launch Lost star Terry O'Quinn's acting career is set to be remade by Madonna's movie company, Maverick.

O'Quinn won critical acclaim for his 1987 role in The Stepfather, but he isn't expected to return for the remake, according to Hollywood trade paper Daily Variety.

The film centres on a seemingly all-round nice guy who becomes a villain when a single mother lover welcomes him into her home and introduces him to her family. It was based on a true story.
Written by Gugarko on 2006-06-11 21:40:18

New movie, Pulse.

Just saw a commercial for it. Apparently, people make contact with ghosts through e-mail, and they also begin getting faxes from dead people.

At first, this kind of thing was novel, but a couple of other movies have already done this, using technology/ communications/ computers to tell a ghost story. For instance...

In White Noise, Michael Keaton communicates with his dead wife via t.v. sets and radio.

In Fear Dot Com, it's the web. People who view a site get haunted by a ghost and then killed by her.

Some of you may be able to think of other films that do the same thing.

EDIT:

The Ring. Little girl ghost haunts people after they view a VCR tape on t.v.

Poltergeist. At one point, the ghosts use the family's t.v. set

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There's a new movie coming out - Miami Vice. Based on the old t.v. show. Great, like I really want to see pastel outfits, 5 o'clock shadow, and guys wearing shoes with no socks again.

NBC to revisit Tubbs and Crockett in original 'Miami Vice' pilot

This sort of addressed unoriginality in movies:

Are Farts Still Funny?

I for one do not think that flatulence in movies (or in real life for that matter) is funny. Anytime I watch a movie, I know there's going to be at least one such gag (it's like death and taxes), and I'm usually right.

I like those jokes in movies about as much as I enjoy eating dinner (or sitting with a male family member) when commercials for Depends, Anti Jock Itch cream, tampons, maxi pads, douche products, Viagara, etc. come on.

Here's what the page says:

In 1989, Daniel Neman, a staff writer at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, began counting flatulence jokes in movies, beginning with the lovable cop-and-dog buddy comedy K-9.

This year, thanks to Nacho Libre and Click, his list of movies with funny farts has reached a milestone of 100 (that seems surprisingly low).

So, to celebrate, he has written a little piece in his paper about the overused gag, which he claims made its first appearance thirty years ago in Blazing Saddles. Basically he tells us what we should already know: flatulence isn't actually funny, especially not after more than 100 movies.

So why do filmmakers continue to include flatulence for comedic effect?

Neman blames film school, that place where he says future writers and directors learn to copy what has been done before. In fact, according to him, the entire lack of originality in Hollywood these days is because of film school.

Well, I kinda see Neman's point about film students being too obsessed with the filmmakers who came before them, but if film school graduates were actually copying the greats that much, then today's movies would probably be better than they are.

Anyway, I went to film school, and I don't recall a class that taught flatulence. Maybe in the ten years that I've been out of school it was added to the curriculum, but I doubt it.

The kinds of movies that use fart jokes, except for maybe Blazing Saddles, are just not the kind studied at film school.

So what could be the real reason screenwriters put the gag into their scripts?

Easy answer: People still laugh at it.

Even if we know it isn't really funny we still sometimes laugh. Especially if we're 10, and exist in the demographic to which Hollywood caters.[via Fark.com]

Much of this can be applied to Madonna, too:

BY DANIEL NEMAN
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER \ Jul 16, 2006

.... The point isn't that all these movies reach as low as flatulence jokes. There is a place for low humor as well as sophisticated. The point is that so many movies took a gag that first hit the screens in "Blazing Saddles" and reused it over and over and over again without apparent shame -- of any kind.

If movies seem to be getting less good, perhaps this is why. Not the instances of cinematic flatus, but what they represent. Screenwriters, faced with a need for a good joke, now take the easy way out. Rather than writing a gag that is new and fresh and funny, they merely run with a joke they have literally seen 100 times before.

The biggest problem facing movies today (other than perhaps an over-reliance on special effects) is this endemic lack of originality. If you see a lot of movies, very little of what you see is new. It is not just the jokes that are so predictable, because they have all been done before. It is that the situations are familiar too.

Why is this happening? The answer is simple enough for two words: film schools.

This theory was first proposed by someone else, but I forget who: Filmmakers of the Golden Age of the Movies did not go to film school, because there was no such thing. Always on the lookout for the best way to tell their stories, they innovated, they created, they experimented.

Then came the film schools with their laudable mission of studying the art of cinema. Naturally, the most important part of studying the cinema involves looking at the great movies of the past, analyzing them and determining why certain ideas and scenes work so well.

As an academic exercise, it is perfect. But the practical application of this study has an inadvertent side ef- fect. It stifles creativity. Filmmakers of today, most of whom have come through film school, either intentionally or unintentionally copy the movies they have studied.

If they want to present a scene of tension, they may think of how the biplane scene in "North by Northwest" is edited. If they want to highlight the violence in a scene, they pull out the cross-cutting at the end of "The Godfather."

But an imitation of an idea is never as good as the original, especially when you've seen the original. And since film schools have now been around for several decades, something even more insidious is happening.

The first generation of graduates, the Steven Spielbergs, Martin Scorseses and Francis Ford Coppolas, are now themselves studied in film school. When today's directors use ideas appropriated from "Jaws" or "Taxi Driver," they are in fact borrowing ideas that were derived from earlier filmmakers. They're making copies of copies. [Source: A little film potty humor goes a long, long way]

You’ve climbed ‘Ant Bully’ hill before

Film is reminiscent of both ‘Over the Hedge’ and ‘Antz’
By Christy Lemire

Another week, another animated movie with a scorchingly starry vocal cast.

This time it’s “The Ant Bully.” With Meryl Streep! Julia Roberts! Nicolas Cage! Produced by ... Tom Hanks! (But the best work comes from Bruce Campbell, whose main claim to fame is the cult favorite “Evil Dead” series.)

Despite the wattage, though, the movie sheds no new light.

Structurally, it’s reminiscent of this summer’s superior “Monster House,” with an awkward boy (Zach Tyler Eisen) experiencing adventures and learning to trust what he’d once feared while his clueless parents are on a weekend vacation.

Thematically, it calls to mind “Over the Hedge,” with its images of suburban sprawl encroaching on nature. (It even features a similarly villainous exterminator, voiced by ... Paul Giamatti!)

And visually, it’s similar to “Antz” from 1998. As in, it looks just like “Antz.” ....

Currently a movie is out based upon the old 1980s show Miami Vice.

Die Hard 4 ("Live Free or Die Hard") is going to be made, and Bruce Willis is supposed to be in it.

A movie based upon the night time soap opera Dallas is being filmed. J Lo Ditched Dallas

There's a sequel to Hellboy coming up (Hellboy is based on a comic book series).

Universal Picks Up Hellboy 2

I read on that page that someone is trying to film "Halo." I assume that this "Halo" film is based upon the video game of the same name?

Other video games that have been made into films are -

Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Blood Rayne, House of the Dead, Alone in the Dark, Final Fantasy. - There are probably more, but that's all I can think of now.

I've read of more upcoming sequels -

Saw 3

Sequel to Gladiator

Sequel to the Lethal Weapon franchise

Gladiator????? No. Don't even think of messing with that one.

I didn't even know there was a Starship Troopers 2.

Starship Troopers 3 Sequel