Social Friday: What movie do you want to see remade? (Story updates)
Posted Friday, February 27, 2009 at 9:59 AM Central
by John Couture
You know some weeks it's really easy to pick topics to get the conversation rolling for Social Friday. Last week's Oscars was an obvious choice as were the previous week's multiple topics.
But this week, there's really nothing obvious to talk about, so I'm stuck having to go to the Well of Social Friday Goodness to pick a random topic that hopefully will find traction. The Wells of Social Friday Goodness is quite a topic of discussion in the office. It has taken the place of the old water cooler and it never disappoints.
So, I dug into the Well and thought of something that I think might be interesting. There seems to be a common thread running through Hollywood these days of remaking horror movies. The latest Friday the 13th is just the latest in a long run of movies getting the 21st century makeover in the horror genre.
But this trick isn't solely confined to horror movies. Comedies, dramas, action and everything in between is seemingly getting remade for a new generation. So, it got me thinking. Which movies would you like to see remade? It could either be classic movies that you think would stand the test of time and be updated with a new cast or outdated movies that would benefit from the passage of time.
If you're feeling extra adventuresome this morning, you could always pick out a few cast members while you're at it. Of course, it's your Social Friday, so please take this wherever you want.
And for you John-haters out there who were distraught over my omission of Watchmen from our top 10 movies list of 2009, be sure and check out next week's Social Friday. You will have your chance to sound off and we'll see once and for all who will be eating crow on Monday!
Update #1
I guess it's only fair to kick it off with my own choice. Tim will be back a little later with his selection, but one movie that I would really like to see remade or updated would be Midnight Madness. As it stands, the movie is mostly notable for being Michael J. Fox's first screen role, but for me it's so much more.
I think the concept is ripe for comedic gold and the potential for some of today's young comic actors stretching their legs a bit is a can't miss. A lot has changed between 1980 and now and any remake would have to factor in technology which would both hinder some of the original humor, but also open new avenues to laughs.
And the best part is that you could have this huge ensemble cast of characters that could make it legendary. I'd love to see Seth Rogen lead a team of stoners, or Michael Cera as the team captain of the geeks. You could even throw in a little nostalgia by bringing back Fox or David Naughton.
Update #2
I think they should remake the Wizard of Oz. They should keep the same grey and white in the begining and then color when the tornado hits. But I think with all the new techonology out there, they can remake this masterpiece 3 times better. Ps. If they do decide to remake this movie , I hope Tim Burton is not the director. I don't want him to turn another good movie into a dark one.
--Adam, San Diego, CA
A very interesting choice Adam. I almost think that the Wizard of Oz is one of those untouchable movies right up there with Casablanca and Citizen Kane. I mean we all saw what they did with The Wiz. It's been 30 years and I still can't get the taste out of my mouth.
That being said, I must say that if anyone is going to attempt to remake Oz, I almost want to see what Tim Burton would come up with. Now granted, not everyone enjoyed his take on Willy Wonka, but as long as he doesn't cast Johnny Depp as Dorothy in drag then I think he'll be alright.
I mean can you imagine how spooky the flying monkey creatures would be?
Update #3
none i hate f****** remakes i mean remakes are boring and the think that there istn any good comedies are other movies that can be made.
--Lee, Providence, RI
Short, not so sweet and to the point. Just how I like 'em.
I do agree with you Lee, I don't think Hollywood should do remakes in lieu of original movies, but the fact of the matter is that there will always be remakes.
Unless of course, we choose not to support them.
Update #4
TIM: There are numerous reasons for remaking a movie: reviving a classic film for a new generation, employing technologies not available for the original, shedding light on an overlooked gem.
Another reason is to set a now dated film in today's age. That's why my remake choice is the forgettable '80s film Electric Dreams. It's about a guy whose new computer helps him woo a beautiful girl (a young Virginia Madsen). After he lands the girl, his computer becomes jealous and starts trying to sabotage the relationship. (You can see the trailer on YouTube.) A screenwriter — one much smarter than me — could tailor the story to the internet age. Instead of a Cyrano de Bergerac computer, make it an iPhone.
Update #5
Hey guys. Great topic this week! While my personal preference has always been for there not to be remakes at all, I can think of two movies off the top of my head that could possibly be wonderful if they were remade, without changing the formula that made them great. The first is "Gremlins". While I absolutely loved that film as a child, the use of CGI on Gizmo and the gremlins could definitely improve the visuals of a movie that is somewhat outdated, but still a treasure. The other that popped in my head is "Clash of the Titans". Again, I enjoyed that movie as a child, but remembering how bad it looked then, you couldn't pay me to watch it today. Use the CG to enhance a film like that, and tell the same story, and you could introduce it to a whole new audience. I'm only going to talk about Gremlins in terms of who I'd cast, but for that I'd probably go with someone like Adrian Grenier for Billy. It could use a stunner for the female lead of Kate(?), but since no on! e can touch Phoebe Cates, lets go with Emma Stone. She's great at comedy, how about horror? I don't know, it could work right? Especially if they could convince Spielberg to be the executive producer again. Basically, I think if you're going to remake something, it should be because the old film was restricted by the technology at the time. Anyway have a good one guys!
--Eric, Shawnee Mission, KS
Hey Eric, great to hear from you again this week. Your two selections are quite interesting to me, but for different reasons.
I think that while Gremlins might benefit slightly from CGI, I think the real benefit of a remake would be if they took the tone much, much darker. Now granted, sure, it's pretty dark for a Steven Spielberg movie, but just imagine if they were to contrast the cute furry Gizmo with the true horrific potential of a flesh-eating Gremlin. I think that has a lot of potential.
As for Clash of the Titans, Sam Worthington will portray Perseus in a remake scheduled to hit theaters on March 26, 2010. So, I guess we will see if they are able to update the effects while maintaining the cool aspects of the story.
Update #6
I think you guys have found a pretty impossible topic for this Social Friday, it's hard to think of classics you would like to see reborn for this century, since this century has come out with some terrible movies. I couldn't think of many classics I'd like to see this century butcher, but one I did think would be cool to udate, givin the right director and everything, would be "Enemy Mine", a great classic and story, and it would be cool to see it updated well, just as long as it's not insanely special effects driven like the more recent "Star Wars"
--Dustin, Midland, MI
Hey Dustin, I do agree with you on the difficulty of trying to muster the courage to pick a movie good enough and deserving to be remade, but we are getting a lot of people who seemingly aren't having too much trouble picking out a movie or three.
As for your choice of Enemy Mine, I think that's an inspired choice and I agree with you. I do think that you can tweak some of the special effects to make it more modern, but you need to maintain the story.
And as for director, why not get Wolfgang Petersen to do his own remake? I think he might be able to present a closer picture of what he was intending now, as opposed to then.
Update #7
I have a recent one that I feel didn't fully live up to what it could have been... though it was not terrible: "The Craft". Maybe it could be The Craft 2, that part doesn't matter to me... I just think that with today's special effects, and much better writing, the movie would really do well.The main problem with that movie was the cookie-cutter ending and cliched moments.
I realize that Hollywood has designated a 15-20 year wait time before remaking something - unless they make a sequel for it. Either way, I'm all in :)
--Matthew, Denver, NC
Matthew, I'm pretty sure they waive the whole waiting period for young women who like to frolic around a cauldron or whatever. I'd like to see what an edgy director like Christopher Nolan could do with the material.
Update #8
I think classic movies should never be remade. This includes all the awesome movies of the 80's (Ferris Buellers, Princess Bride, Footloose. I do however think that some movies that were made recently need to be redone. The movie Ella Enchanted was terrible even though the book is one of my favorites. That needs to be remade, but remade correctly.
--Brittany, Manhattan, KS
That's definitely an interesting take on things. I agree though that there should be some official list of protected movies, sort of like the EPA's Endangered Species list, in which remakes are strictly forbidden.
And then we could nominate of a council of elders to which perspective studios would have to apply and get permission (with full script review of course) to remake certain other movies.
OK, maybe I'm getting a little carried away here, but that would be interesting.
Update #9
I'd like to see Mannequin remade. It's one of my favorite romantic comedies, and I feel now is a great time to reintroduce audiences to this awesome story. (Complete with, of course, cameos by Andrew McCarthy and Kim Cattrall and Starship's Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now.) Now for the question that will undoubtedly bug me for the rest of the day, can anyone possibly replace Meshach Taylor as the flamboyantly awesome Hollywood? Doubtful.
--Shane, NC
Wow. Congrats Shane, I think I'm speechless.
Update #10
The comment about The Wizard of Oz made me wonder why, to my knowledge, no one is making a movie based on Wicked. It involves the same characters and world, but it's different enough not to draw direct comparisons with the original Oz.As far as an actual remake, I'd loved to see what a director with modern technology could do with Metropolis.
--David, Pickford, MI
I think it's only a matter of time with Wicked. I know that there have been rumblings in Hollywood about it, but no one has given it the green light yet or even put a date out there. My guess is that we'll see it within five years.
Metropolis could be a lot of fun. I'm with you, I think the right director could do it justice.
Update #11
Hmmmm... How about "The Good, The Bad and the Ugly" with Hugh Jackman? Or "Porkys" with Michael Cera and Jonah Hill. Or maybe "Fletch" with Jason Lee will finally see the light of day? Or a new "Jaws" film with Matthew McConaughey? Hmmmm... what about a new E.T. movie? Maybe explore his homeworld and then another trip to earth. Just please don't let Tim Burton touch the Wizard of Oz. Bad, bad, bad idea. The Wizard of Oz needs to be left alone. It's timeless.
--Brian, Decatur, IL
Oh don't worry, I agree with you on Wizard of Oz, I just thought it would be interesting to see what someone like Burton would do with it.
I know that Howard Stern is seriously trying to get a remake of Porky's done, but not sure who he's wanting to cast, but your choices would work.
Well, I think we could go on and on about this topic as the sheer number of your replies would imply but it is Friday, Social or otherwise and it's time to power down and start enjoying the weekend!
Please join us next week, especially if you're a big Watchmen fan. You'll be able to get your revenge on me. How's that for a tease?