And my uncertainty about the remake trend goes on…
I really haven’t found my base-level reading on the remake thing. Not even a workable “if A, then B; if C, then…” Remakes aren’t bad things in and of themselves. I really like cover songs, so maybe it stands to reason I like the idea of a remake.
How many remakes actually improve on the original? That’d be the best case scenario, right? I can only think of Dawn of the Dead, The Ring, The Hills Have Eyes and Ocean’s 11 (I haven’t seen the original Ocean’s 11, but I hear it ain’t so hot).
After that you’ve got countless “meh” remakes and then the really bad ones. And even then it’s not just about the quality of the remake, but also how good or beloved the original is. Remaking The Hills Have Eyes was a low-risk venture that paid off big, while remaking The Omen engendered a ton of expectations and failed miserably.
So here I am defining terms but drawing no conclusions. Which brings me back to the fact that it isn’t remakes themselves that are the issue but the fact that lately Hollywood has been gobbling them up like a whale sucking up krill, just like they’ve been gobbling up prequels and TV show-based flicks since the 90’s. And that is just omnipresent market forces finding old ideas a better bet than new ones, which is kind of a downer.
And my uncertainty about the remake trend goes on…
See my '05 review of the original April Fool's Day here.
April 20, 2007 9:47 AM
[Image]From bloody disgusting, "This time we aren't joking... 21 years later Fred Walton's '86 classic horror film April Fool's Day is still one of my favorite '80s horror flicks. Sure the ending was a ridiculous cop-out, but wasn't it a fun movie? Today we got word on who will be writing and directing the remake, which goes into production later this year. Read on for the skinny and watch this spot for an official announcement soon. Today Bloody-Disgusting received word that The Butcher Brothers - those crazy dudes behind After Dark and Lionsgate's The Hamiltons - will make their studio feature debut with a remake of April Fool's Day. The Butcher Bros. will also be penning the remake with either Columbia Tristar or Paramount Pictures distributing. In the film a group of eight college friends gather together at an island mansion belonging to heiress Muffy St. John to celebrate their final year of school. They soon discover that each has a hidden secret from their past which is revealed, and soon after, they turn up dead. Yet, are they really dead? Or is it just part of some very real and cruel April Fool's jokes? The hostess, Muffy, is the only one who apparently knows what's going on. But then again, is it really her doing the killing? I think this is wonderful news as I would easily count this as a remake that warrants a remake. With the ending that took place in the original film, most horror fans were pretty pissed off. So my advice to The Butcher Brothers... change it up!
"More from the unnecessary remake department"
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And my uncertainty about the remake trend goes on…
I really haven’t found my base-level reading on the remake thing. Not even a workable “if A, then B; if C, then…” Remakes aren’t bad things in and of themselves. I really like cover songs, so maybe it stands to reason I like the idea of a remake.
How many remakes actually improve on the original? That’d be the best case scenario, right? I can only think of Dawn of the Dead, The Ring, The Hills Have Eyes and Ocean’s 11 (I haven’t seen the original Ocean’s 11, but I hear it ain’t so hot).
After that you’ve got countless “meh” remakes and then the really bad ones. And even then it’s not just about the quality of the remake, but also how good or beloved the original is. Remaking The Hills Have Eyes was a low-risk venture that paid off big, while remaking The Omen engendered a ton of expectations and failed miserably.
So here I am defining terms but drawing no conclusions. Which brings me back to the fact that it isn’t remakes themselves that are the issue but the fact that lately Hollywood has been gobbling them up like a whale sucking up krill, just like they’ve been gobbling up prequels and TV show-based flicks since the 90’s. And that is just omnipresent market forces finding old ideas a better bet than new ones, which is kind of a downer.
And my uncertainty about the remake trend goes on…
See my '05 review of the original April Fool's Day here.
April 20, 2007 9:47 AM