Saturday, January 5, 2013

Weekend Weigh-in: What Movie Should Get a Sequel or a Remake?

Texas Chainsaw 3-D is in theaters this weekend, but instead of seeing it (life is too short), let's use it for the purposes of this week's discussion.

We are all (mostly) burned out on sequels and remakes, because there's way too much of that thing going on these days. But if you HAD to pick one movie you'd like to see get a sequel or a remake (and remember that Texas Chainsaw 3-D is ALREADY TAKEN), what would it be and why?

Those of you hoping/itching this week's WW-I would be about your Top 10 lists, CALM DOWN. You'll get your chance next week.

38 comments:

  1. No remakes for me, but I'd love to see a future sequel to Kill Bill, even though QT now says that's not likely to happen.

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  2. Wracking my brain, it's hard to come up with a movie I want to see sequelized or remade, because they are generally so hit-or-miss, with an emphasis on miss, as evidenced by Texas Chainsaw 3D.

    I suppose the one that I could come up with, which might not even be a great idea, depending on how it's executed, is to sequelize the one Pixar property that I think many want to see a continuation of the most: The Incredibles.

    I don't know what the story would be, but I do feel there is potential there. Pixar has proven they can craft a quality sequel with the second two Toy Story movies, but they also have faltered with the likes of Cars 2, so I don't know.

    We'll have to see how Monsters University (a prequel to Monsters, Inc.) and Finding Nemo 2, apparently slated for 2016, turn out, I guess.

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    1. To expand on the idea of remakes, what I think studios should do is take a movie that's "pretty good but flawed" and improve upon what's missing or wrong with the movie. That's the secret to a good remake, I feel. Invasion of the Body Snatchers is the best remake I can come up with.

      Instead the aformentioned idea, we get remakes of Psycho and other already established masterpieces, to which I ask "why?" Simply to modernize them? Come on...

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    2. Yes! When the Clash of the Titans remake was announced, I wasn't up in arms. I kind of got it. The original has a lot of problems (besides just "dated" special effects, which are great and don't really need updating to CGI), and it made sense that someone might take another shot at it. The results were even worse than the original (to me), but I wasn't insulted by the idea of it. Remaking something that's really excellent to begin with is just setting yourself up for failure -- unless you can come up with a totally different take on the material (which the best horror movie remakes have been able to do).

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  3. Any superhero sequel is fine by me...movies like those with vague general premises like "guy fights crime" can go on forever...as long as they're not rebooting it constantly...and killing off villains at the end...

    Remakes...I don't know...I keep coming up with some which I think I want to see, but I'm not shore if I really do...

    OK, I'll bite the bullet and say that I was thinking about a remake of Rear Window (even though I know there was that made-for-TV one with Christopher Reeve), but instead of a guy in a wheelchair, the protagonist is a socially inept shut-in...hmmm???

    Also, after a conversation with a friend about movie adaptations of cartoons, I think I would like to see a Scooby-Doo movie directed by John Carpenter or Wes Craven.

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  4. A film that I would love to see a sequel for is "District 9".

    I delight in glee in thinking that the alien and his kid will bring back an army to destroy the humans that treated them so terrible.

    Once upon a time that film was popular. Now it can be found in the $5 bin at Best Buy. Sigh...

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  5. Remakes are tricky things. Sometimes you think you want to see an update or "more technically adapt" version of something just to find out that those things were most of the movie's charm. Were there lots and lots of things that could have been done better in "Phantom of the Paradise"? Sure. Do I want a remake? Over DePalma's dead body (and yes I know he's been trying to do one - so far we've been lucky).

    They already screwed up "The Day The Earth Stood Still" so how about remaking one of the other movies the original "inspired"...like "Devil Girl From Mars"?

    Or maybe a remake of "The Last Starfighter" with William Shatner as Centauri?

    Needs a sequel? "Galaxy Quest"

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    1. I love The Last Starfighter, but it's possible to tell that story again in a way that feels contemporary. Like John Murphy says above, it's flawed enough that there's room for...maybe not improvement, but another interpretation.

      Love the idea of a Galaxy Quest sequel, too. That movie is a pretty perfect little closed loop, but everyone involved showed that they knew what they were doing enough that I would trust the exact same team to go around again. Of course, like all sequels, it could be terrible and tarnish the original. It's the whole careful-what-you-wish-for dilemma.

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    2. Well, I have an ulterior motive in a "Galaxy Quest" sequel...a really great idea I have for one (and would write up if I thought there was a hope in hell anyone who could green light it would read it).

      Another problem I've seen getting that cast in the same place at the same time long enough to make a movie...

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    3. I always thought Last Starfighter would be a good candidate for a sequel/reboot, with Alex Rogan now serving as recruiter and mentor for a new generation of gamers turned warriors.

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  6. It's too late now, sadly, but I always hoped they would make a sequel to Running Scared. Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines had great chemistry, there were fun action setpieces, and a terrific supporting cast (HEDAYA!). I'd love to have spent more time with them, either in Chicago or Key West. Then again, sequels to comedies have pretty much a 100% failure rate, don't they? Christmas Vacation is the only comedy sequel I can think of that's on par with the original. Are there any Blues Brothers 2000 defenders out there? God, I hope not.

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    1. I love the idea of a Running Scared sequel back in, say, 1988 or 1989 -- any later and it would be Another Stakeout. I love Running Scared and, like you, would gladly hang out with those two cops for another two hours. Good call.

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  7. Just realized I lied about comedy sequels. A Shot In The Dark is pretty damn great.

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  8. I agree with "Running Scared". That is the most underrated comedy/action cop film 'cause no one's heard of it. Or, people think you're talking about a film with Paul Walker.

    When I first heard about the "Psycho" remake, I was intrigued by what Gus Van Sant was proposing, but the execution (and choice of cast) destroyed those possibilities.

    Also, a "Psycho" remake could be done by adapting the novel since the the POV in the book is Norman's through the whole thing.

    You know a "Breakfast Club" remake will be done one day. Only this time all cultural groups will be represented, as well as sexualities and Hollywood will try so hard to make it revelevant to today's teens that they'll fail.

    The new sequel titled, "A Good Day to Die Hard" looks like 20th Century Fox is wanting to veer this series in the direction of "The Fast and the Furious" franchise.

    I always thought the sequel to "Jurassic Park" should have been about the other island. Not Island B depicted in "The Lost World" but the island where the scientists dumped all the rejects. Imagine that spitting dinosaur with wings...



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  9. What I would like to see be remade? I'm going to pick "Spawn" from 1997. The CGI effects for this movie are horrendous, John Leguizamo was so overbearing as the Violator and everything else about it just did not work. I hope they can create better effects for this redo so I can see it done well.

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  10. As a big fan of "Grindhouse", I would love to see a sequel to it, since "Machete" was more of a spin-off than a true sequel. The sequel should follow a similar format(fake trailer, movie, fake trailers, movie), but change-up the genres a bit. Maybe a tribute to the Cannon action films of the '80s from directors with B-movie sensibilities like Joe Carnahan or Nelvidine/Taylor.

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    1. Shannon Briggs, you are IN MY BRAIN. The biggest heartbreak of Grindhouse failing at the box office (besides the fact that it proves that audiences can sometimes be THE WORST) is that it means we won't be getting more installments. I would welcome a new double feature every year from different filmmakers (I like the ones you mention!). I don't really want to see them make movies out of the fake trailers, though -- keep the trailers fake and keep coming up with new movies. I'm so disappointed that it's never going to happen now.

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  11. Back on their old TV show Siskel and Ebert always made it a point to ask why didn't Hollywood remake the bad movies they got wrong the first time rather than remake the good one's that didn't need remaking. Breck Eisner's "The Crazies" (slightly-to-no-better than Romero's original) comes to mind as the baseline for this theory.

    Using that as my guideline (and ignoring the fact some remakes of good movies actually turn out really good, like Cronenberg's remake of "The Fly" or McTiernan's "Thomas Crown Affair" remake) I think "Green Lantern" should be remade with someone that knows and cares about the comic book property and can do it justice. It's too soon now for the stench of the 2011 version to have gone away, but with some smart and inventive director (like "Distric 9's" Neill Blomkamp) it could be done.

    As for sequels, and as much as it would kill the magical ending that leaves it wide open to interpretation, I'd really like to see a follow-up to "The Usual Suspects" (less so now that Pete Postlethwaite has passed away). Ditto for "Drive," I'd really like to know/see what became of the driver after... well, you know. "The Host" is also the type of movie that leaves you so endeared with the human characters that you'd love to check back with them, and see the twists Joon-ho Bong pulls to get a monster put in front of them, "Jaws 4" style. Also, if she can still pull off the innocence/charm schtick, I'd love to see Audrey Tautou come back for a follow to "Amelie" in which she has a daughter that is putting her through the same crap she herself put her mother through at the start of that movie (minus the church stuff).

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  12. My new-to-me movie:

    François Truffaut's ANTOINE AND COLETTE (1962)

    I've owned a Criterion box set of movies entitled "The Adventures of Antoine Doinel" since forever that I've been unable to watch because, like JB not wanting to rewatch "Hugo" or Patrick being unable to rewatch "Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith," I didn't want to ruin the perfection that was the ending of Truffaut's seminal French masterpiece "The 400 Blows." Isn't it better to not know and leave up to my imagination what becomes of Doinel than to have Truffaut spell it out to me over four sequels?

    Turns out, if I can keep my memory of "400 Blows" enshrined and let this new-to-me Doinel movies take place in an alternate timeline that doesn't touch or affect my memories or feelings of the the '59, 1962's "Antoine and Colette" (a 32 min. short made as part of an anthology movie, "Love at 20," currently not available) is a pleasant-enough lark. For every misfire (like a flashback to an inconsequential scene in "400 Blows") there are inspired choices like bringing back Doinel's sidekick René (Patrick Auffay), having Antoine working for a record company to finance his movie-viewing habit and him having a better relationship with the parents of the girl he's pursuing (Marie-France Pisier's Colette) than he has with her.

    It can't be a coincidence, knowing the people that worked on the TV show, that "Antoine and Colette" ends with a viewing arrangement in front of a TV that mimics "Mystery Science Theater 3000's" theater seat arrangements (but at the service of an entirely different emotion than mocking stuff). And even though he couldn't possibly afford the cool Paris apartments where he lives I'm glad "Antoine and Colette" presents us with a brighter "future" for Doinel than what the end of "400 Blows" hinted at. :-)

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    1. You really need to start your own blog for these.

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    2. 'But Mr. Bromley, I'm an orphan that was raised in the woods by a retarded bear named Winnie. And it's my birthday today (for real). Please, mister. Won't you have pity and compassion for a human bear that hasn't learned to crap in the woods yet? Regardless, mister, God bless you and God bless us... or not.' ;-)

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  13. All I can think of is "Good idea but poor execution"....but no specific titles are coming to mind.
    Im in the camp of; remake bad movies rather than good ones.
    While not really applicable I would go for a remake of Godfather Part 3 with the incest plot removed and Tom Hagen inserted.
    I think there are many licensed properties that could be done much better (Phantom, Green Lantern etc etc), but the way its going those will happen eventually.

    The main movies I can think of that would work with remakes are a lot of the old blaxloitation movies (and by extension 70s exploitation movies)....but even then the cheapness of them is half the reason I love them.

    End result....This question is too hard im going to bed now.

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    1. I'm with you -- the cheapness and crudity is part of the effectiveness. Plus, the cultural and political climate has changed so much that the movies would lose all their edge. Look at the remake of Shaft. I don't hate that movie, but it's just not the same.

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    2. As an aside, i would love to see F this Movie do a 70s explotation focus, either through podcasts or as a community event (movie fest or a month style event).
      Aprilploitation.

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    3. As an aside, I think 70s exploitation would make for a good F this Movie feature, either podcasts or a community event, i.e. F-Fest or a month event: Aprilploitation.
      Just a thought.

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    4. I like where your head is at, sir. I was recently thinking about something very similar. Not sure what shape it will take, but I'll keep you in the loop.

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  14. I'd love to see a remake of Logan's Run. The original is the very essence of the 70s, but the remake could be a great exploration/takedown of the so-called "millenial generation." Reset the age of termination back down to 21, and show a society loaded with self-absorbed deadheads who do nothing but shop, play video games, and text.

    Whattaya mean, am I old? What kind of a question is that?

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    1. Supposedly, that's been in the works for a long time. Bryan Singer was always the name I heard attached, which got me a lot more excited 10 or 15 years ago.

      But I'm with you -- it's a good idea that could be better executed.

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    2. Nicolas Winding Refn is attached to it according to IMDB.

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    3. If a writer or producer of "The Hunger Games" makes it into the crew of "Logan's Run" the studio could advertise it as "From the producer(s) of 'The Hunger Games'" to try and get tweens and young people unfamiliar with the original to check it out. My problem with a "Logan's Run" remake is that the story is so well-known by now that I can already see in my head the story beats the filmmakers would have to go through to establish the premise. I would prefer it if a director (especially one with a unique voice/style like Refn) completely reworks the premise of "Logan's Run" and subverts our expectations by marketing the hell out of the original premise as a hook, then after 10-15 minutes abandon it and strike on his/her own.

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  15. My new-to-me movie (Sunday edition):

    Terry Zwigoff's CRUMB (1994) - http://www.dvdverdict.com/juryroom/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=6028&p=74482#p74482.

    Better?

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  16. For sequels, one I really would have liked to see was the intended follow-up to John Carter... getting a strange feeling we won't be getting that one anytime soon.

    I agree with the previously stated idea of remaking films that had potential but ended up flawed. For me one of the best examples of this was Lifeforce, the Tobe Hooper flick from the 80s about space vampires. The really good elements of the film (the distinctly British flavor of the film, a strong performance by a pre-Spooks Peter Firth, fun puppet effects, a great B-movie premise, copious nudity for both sexes) were somewhat cancelled out by a murky plot, uneven pacing and a grueling display of overacting by Steve Railsback. Here's one I think could be done again a bit better.

    The only other one I can think of is one that the newly resurrected Hammer Studios has already hinted at: a reboot of the Quatermass series. Whether this will involve all new stories or new versions of some of the existing films such as The Quatermass Experiment and Quatermass and the Pit, I'm definitely interested.

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    1. As soon as John Carter ended, I thought "Oh, man, I would love to see a sequel to this now that all the groundwork is laid." But then I remembered that the movie was already a bomb (this was maybe two weeks into its release) and my heart sank. Boo.

      Lifeforce is another great suggestion -- good stuff, but big flaws (great call on Steve Railsback). But, as a fan of Lifeforce, here's the rub -- part of what I like about the movie IS the messiness. Every time there's a remake, it seems to go one of two ways: either it improves on what was good about the original, or it irons out any kind of personality. It's not a huge deal, because we'll always have the original, but it always disappoints me to realize that so many modern filmmakers or, more likely, studio executives fail to understand what makes movies special.

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  17. This won't be a popular opinion but I think enough time has passed for another Jaws sequel to be an interesting prospect again. Those movies are inherently scary based on the premise and I think they would be almost harder to eff up than make good. There will never be one up to Spielberg's but they could make another good one easily.

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    1. Universal owns "Jaws," which is how they were able to squeeze three sequels out of the well-regarded original in which Spielberg was a hired director and just one clog (an important one) out of many (Verna Fields' editing, John Williams' score, etc.). They're free to reboot if they wish, but how can you top Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss and Roy Scheider on a boat? Or the build-up for tension that today's audience are simply not trained or conditioned to expect?

      "Jaws" exists in such a place and time in movies that I think it'll take a couple of more decades (basically when everyone that was young when it came out is old) for the idea of a reboot to take shape, and that's just from the audience-rejecting-the-idea-outright point of view.

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    2. Disagree. And who says they have to top the original? Why can't Universal just make another good Jaws movie, what's wrong with that?

      A talented director can come up with their own vision of the material. Everyone will hate the idea at first, but if it's done well it could be a pleasant surprise.

      How is Jaws any different than a Universal monster from the 30s? The original is a classic but that doesn't mean you can't revisit the idea (which is forever scary) and still wring quality material from it.

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    3. Holy crap, Adam, I was just getting ready to comment on this article and, with head held in semi-shame, admit that I would be first in line for another Jaws sequel. Glad you said it first, but yeah, I totally agree. It's been 25 years since Jaws: The Revenge - bring on Jaws V!

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