"The answer is not in the avoidance of remakes. The plain fact is that remakes of very good original films sometimes fail because they have not been remade by people as talented as those who made the first versions." -- David O. Selznick, 1956.
The famed producer of Gone With the Wind and Rebecca was on a downward slide when he wrote the above in a memo to the president of 20th Century Fox. Selznick spent much of the 1950s repackaging and selling his earlier productions to studios, pocketing tidy fees for his efforts. The modern-day equivalent is Roy Lee. As explained in a profile in The New Yorker: "What Lee does for a living sounds simple enough, but no one in Hollywood had thought of it before. He watches videos of every Asian movie ever made, picks the biggest hits, and then, on behalf of their Asian distributors, sells the 'remake rights' of those films to studios here, so that they can be turned into big-budget American spectacles."
That article was published in June 2003, on the heels of the financial success of The Ring in the fall of 2002 but before the coming horror onslaught that included The Grudge, The Grudge 2, Dark Water and The Ring Two (all involving Lee), plus Pulse and others. Lee quickly expanded into other countries and other genres, but the most appealing remake target for Hollywood remains Asian horror, with The Echo (the Philippines), Shutter (Thailand), The Eye (Hong Kong/Thailand), A Tale of Two Sisters (South Korea), Alone (Thailand), The Ring 3 and The Grudge 3 all listed in various stages of production on Lee's upcoming slate alone.
Lee has an eye for good films -- the titles include several of my recent Asian horror faves -- and some of the remakes have involved the original creative talent, but horror needs a strong personality at the helm, and too often the Hollywood studio machinery has softened and homogenized what made the originals so distinctive. So why not go back and watch the originals? Or try others I've written about before (Audition, Freeze Me, Koma, Memento Mori, Alone), or seek out the ones I've gathered below. Some are harder to find than others, but all represent dangerous visions that are carried out with flare. Why not share your favorites in the comments section?
We're 13 days into the month of October so far, and we here at Cinematical have already shelled out tons of Halloween-related content. In case you were away or not paying close attention, here's what we've covered so far:
Welcome to October! Mwahahahahaaa: "So to welcome in my favorite month of the year -- and to kick-start Cinematical's month-long ode to all things related to scary cinema -- I thought I'd get the ball rolling on the WHY of the horror film. As in: Why do completely normal and emotionally healthy people enjoy producing, watching and dissecting pieces of art / entertainment that are A) grim, B) brutal, C) terrifying, and / or D) frequently unpleasant to look at?"
Cinematical Sevens:
Cool Horror Films of the 80s: "Some of the biggest horror franchises in history came into their own then, and the decade was marked by the emergence of home video, the greatest thing ever to happen to horror. I'm presenting these in no particular order, but these are all flicks I found time to enjoy between solving my Rubik's Cube and admiring girls in leg-warmers (I keep hoping those will come back)."
Best Non-Halloween Costumes and Disguises on Film: "Of course, if I was a real, hardcore movie geek, I wouldn't just settle for the basic, predictable movie-themed outfit. I'd go for the gold, and be an uber-geek. How? I would doubly dress up as a movie character who is dressed up as somebody or something else."
Scary Movies for the Wimpy: "While brainstorming ideas for Cinematical's month-long tribute to all things creepy, scary, and gory, I had the bright idea to cover scary flicks for the wimpy -- those people who squeeze, plug, and hate to be scared."
Great Books About Horror Films: "I present you now with seven horror movie related books from my personal library, each perfect for reading by the fireplace while an angry storm rages outside and the howl of a distant wolf mingles with the wails of lost souls emanating from that deconsecrated cemetery across the street (you know, the one right next to Burger King)."
Worst Stephen King Adaptations: "He's the sultan of screams, the head honcho of horror, the duke of disgust -- whether you measure by the sheer metric tonnage of his output or the harder-to-quantify level of his influence, Stephen King bestrides modern American horror like a colossus."
Best Horror Films You Haven't Seen Yet -- "Over the course of this three-part series, I hope to give you a bunch of titles (21, to be precise) that have not hit the screens (or shelves) just yet. I'm not saying they're all classics, but on the other hand ... I wouldn't be throwing crap titles in there, now would I?"
Lots of pictures were taken of Marilyn Monroe -- it's one of the reasons she's still so well-known today. One of her foremost photographers was a man named Milton Greene, who took thousands of shots of Monroe, including the famous ballerina image. Now, years later, his son Josh is looking to sell his fathers images, and has run into a big, solid, Arnold Schwarzenegger wall. The Guardian reports that Greene is currently awaiting yet another ruling to see whether he'll be allowed to sell his dad's Monroe photos.
See, Arnie passed a "dead celebrities bill" recently, which "decrees that famous people, even those who died years ago, are entitled to pass on image rights to whomever they choose." Oh, so they mean a famous person can come back as a ghost and tell us who gets the rights? Sure, that makes sense. Why this hurts Greene -- Monroe handed most of her estate to her late acting coach, Lee Strasberg.
In the realms of law, this all seems sort of fishy, and it certainly throws a wrench into celeb photography. On the other hand, The Guardian does mention what sort of things the images have been sold for in the past -- when federal judges had ruled that he could -- products including sex oil and underwear. In the realms of taste, it's a bit questionable. He's not selling the image as a poster, in a book collection, or something Monroe-themed. Instead, sex oil. But this is a good lesson: watch out who takes your picture. One day, after you're dead, your grandkids might find your face on sexual paraphernalia.
When you consider the last poster release we got from I am Legend; at least you knew that it could only get better from there. Movies Online started off by hosting 4 different posters for the the big-screen version of Richard Matheson's 1954 classic. But here's the bad news: two of them were just some pretty convincing fakes. I can't say I'm too disappointed since they look like they are cast offs from the Bad Boys II marketing campaign. Luckily, Warner Broshas produced a brand new poster for the film (which you can see to the right, and click on for a larger version), and it's definitely a step up from the first one (it's still the same general idea, but it's just a teeny bit more stylish).
Legend centers on the lone survivor of a 'vampiric plague'. Immune to the disease, he struggles to find a cure before the infected survivors wipe him out. Directed by Constantine's Francis Lawrence, the script was written by Mark Protosevich (Poseidon). Protosevich has been devoted to the project, writing his first draft almost 10 years ago. After numerous drafts and casting upheavals, the production began filming on location in New York and was completed last spring.
There is still the release of a Legend comic book from DC Comics and Vertigo expected in November that will be the basis for some online animated featurettes. The comic was created by Protosevich, Bill Sienkiewicz, and Orson Scott Card. Even Matheson's son helped out on the project as a consultant. Not content with stopping at a comic book and a series of shorts, WB commissioned a Second Life I Am Legend-related MMO game. Up against all of that, a movie poster seems downright quaint. I am Legend will hit theaters on December 14th.
As quite possibly the whitest man alive, I feel compelled to tell you about a new documentary called Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy. The film will be produced and directed by stand-up comic Darryl Littleton and Robert Townsend (director of the brilliant satire on the black experience in Hollywood -- Hollywood Shuffle). The film is inspired by Littleton's book Black Comedians on Black Comedy: How African-Americans Taught Us to Laugh, which you can pick up at Amazonhere. The film will contain "archival clips, reenactments depicting the evolution of black comedy, and interviews with comedians and social critics." Sounds like it could be both informative and very, very funny.
Variety reports that the filmmakers have already done interviews with comedians like D.L. Hughley (co-star of the thankfully canceled Studio 60), the Wayans brothers (stars of films like White Chicks and Little Man -- neither of which I'd imagine will be discussed in the documentary), Paul Mooney (comedy legend who did those hilarious "Ask A Black Dude" and "Negrodamus" bits on Chappelle's Show), Tommy Davidson (of In Living Color and the shamefully underrated Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls), character actor Reynaldo Ray, Marla Gibbs (from The Jeffersons and 227), Eddie Griffin (star of the very funny Undercover Brother), and stand-up comedian Katt Williams. Representing the social and political commentary side, there will be discussions with Cornel West, Michael Eric Dyson, Russell Simmons, and Stanley Crouch. I sure hope they can swing an interview with the great Spike Lee, I could listen to that guy discuss anything all day, and he seems an ideal speaker for the project. There are no release details yet for the film.
Just a few days ago I shared a report from Twitchfilm, and in that report it was stated that Fox was planning to "tame" their video game adaptation Hitman. Further, we also heard that director Xavier Gens had been removed from the editing process. Well, either the earlier reports were false or there's been a change of mind over at Fox, because the Hollywood Reporter blog has an update for us...
"A source close to the project and a Fox rep both confirmed that director Xavier Gens is still on board, and the movie will absolutely come out with an R rating. Sources say it will most likely be a "hard R," in fact," is what we're being told. Twitchfilm responds with much skepticism: "If Gens is still in control why was an outside 'consultant' brought in to go over the edit of the film at all, and which of the two actually has more power considering that Gens is currently not even on this continent while [ film editor Nicholas] De Toth is working away?"
So here's what I'm guessing, not that any of this matters one whit: The R rating was always a certainty, but Fox probably had other "creative differences" with their young director. All I care about is this: Does Hitman kick ass? The early marketing push is certainly slick enough, but I've been burned on enough video game movies by now. Guess we'll find out what's up when the flick hits on November 21.
You thought that with all the love we've been throwing at Austin's Fantastic Fest we'd probably forget all about good ol' L.A. Screamfest. Not with me on horror watch! The event runs from October 12 to 20, and if you happen to be located anywhere near the legendary Mann's Chinese Theater -- you just might want to duck inside to see what sort of murderous mayhem is going on.
And the Screamfest looks to be starting off on the right foot this year: Last night's opening night film was George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead! After much praise from the audiences at Toronto and Fantastic Fest, the master's latest zombie opus will hit the west coast with much excitement and gore. And the fun doesn't stop there. The festival will also offer Robert Rodriguez's director's cut of Planet Terror (which is awesome) and a 25th Anniversary screening (and cast reunion) of Friday the 13th Part 3. Yes, in 3-D!
Attendees will also get to check out the long-awaited DVDquel Return to House on Haunted Hill, a screening of the great-looking 30 Days of Night (and the video prequels Blood Trails), David Arquette's festival fave The Tripper, and a variety of genre titles of various shapes, sizes and nationalities. Of the Screamfest flicks we've seen, we've already given a strong seal of approval on the quiet but creepy Alone, the robust zest of Wrong Turn 2, the Pakistani lunacy known as Hell's Ground, , the freakishly ferocious Inside, and the apocalyptic awesomeness that is The Signal. Plus I keep hearing that Shrooms is pretty amusing, Buried Alive is gruesome, and Storm Warning is really solid.
Last week I was rather formal with my inaugural installment of "The Exhibitionist." So, now, let me introduce it properly: this is a new column devoted to movie theaters and why they're still worth your time and money. This is also a place to discuss the movie-going experience, with detailed stories and observations, in addition to being a discussion of the theater industry. Sometimes it will be a rant about what needs changing; other times it will be a recognition of great ideas already in place -- such as last week's comparative look at two examples of incentive opportunities. Hopefully "The Exhibitionist" will also generate more discussion from you, the reader; feel free to tell me what needs to be examined or why you think my suggestions are bad by using this as your own outlet for better solutions.
Now that I've gotten that out of the way, let me get to the topic you all seem to be most interested in: movie theater etiquette. Everyone has their complaints about why the movie-going experience is so terrible these days and about how much of it has to do with the behavior of the rest of the audience. But I don't need to go into a list of things that are wrong about our fellow moviegoers. Nor do I need to list the proper etiquette that should be followed when one goes to the movies. Instead, I'd like to offer up the notion that this etiquette stuff is a bunch of baloney. Personally I think many of our complaints are unfounded and worthless.
First of all, the things we complain about are for the most part nothing new. Take the problem with talkers, for instance. I asked a number of people this week about the earliest experience they had with such an annoyance, and plenty responses included incidents that occurred as early as the ' 60s. And I'm sure that's only because I didn't talk to people old enough to relate anything prior to that time. One person did tip me off to an example in print: In Renata Adler's review of 2001: A Space Odyssey for the New York Times, she pointed out that, "the uncompromising slowness of the movie makes it hard to sit through without talking-and people on all sides when I saw it were talking almost throughout the film. Very annoying."
As I pointed out in my Poltergeist review, I didn't watch much horror as a boy. That's probably a good thing, as even the non-horror flicks I enjoyed often scared the bejesus out of me. You kids today don't know how lucky you have it with your wussy Shreks and your lamewad Pikachus! Children of the 1980s are still in therapy over what Hollywood deemed "family films" back then. The following non-horror mind-screws should prove my point.
In high school, I brought Return to Oz to a Halloween movie marathon. I hadn't seen it since I was a kid. Everyone scoffed. "A Wizard of Oz sequel? That's supposed to scare us?" I didn't hear a lot of mockery after the movie started. In fact, nobody said a word until about halfway through, when a friend of mine whispered "Can we please turn this off?" I'm not sure who thought this movie was appropriate for children. It gave me nightmares for nearly a decade.
Dorothy finds a key with an Oz symbol on it, shows it to Auntie Em and Uncle Henry as proof that Oz exists, and is sent to an insane asylum!An evil insane asylum where they give our young heroine electro-shock therapy! That's how this "childrens' film" starts! Once Dorothy gets to Oz, it's a speeding night train of horrors. How about that Nome King? Good LORD! Winged monkeys aren't scary enough anymore, let's give the kids The Wheelers -- sadistic shrieking psychopaths with roller skates instead of hands and feet! Kids today won't be satisfied with just a standard wicked witch, let's really ramp that up too, and ruin their lives! The sequence with the witch's cabinets full of human heads easily rivals anything in the Nightmare on Elm Street series for sheer terror. "Dorothy Gaaaaaale!!!!"
Even the heroes are horrifying! Jack Pumpkinhead? A hybrid stick n' pumpkin creature who calls Dorothy "Mother"? That's your good guy? Not cool, Return to Oz. Not cool.
Along the same lines as Return to Oz, The Neverending Story feels way too dark, weird, and just...wrong to be a kids' movie. I feel my eyes welling up now remembering Atreyu's horse slowly sinking into quicksand and dying. I can't even talk about the Gmork, that big wolfy vampire thing. And a storm called "The Nothing?" Sweet fancy Moses! Also, again, the heroes should not be scarier than the villains! The racing snail? The Rockbiter? That bat-dude? And Falkor? A big flying dog/dragon mutation with disgusting scaly eggs on his skin? We were supposed to root for this hellacious beast?
Another scream-inducing aspect -- one of the worst theme songs in all of 80's film. And that's saying a whole lot!
If you think about it, movies are kind of like ghosts; they can fade from our view, disappear from our sight, and yet still linger in the air like an unexpected chill or lurch from their graves clutching at our memories and minds. That's what happened with Carnival of Souls, a 1962 black-and-white horror film that was made by director "Herk" Harvey and a like-minded group of first-time, last-time film makers taking a break from their day jobs at Centron, a studio devoted to industrial films and educational shorts. Carnival of Souls played a few drive-ins at the time of its release, but truly found an audience as late-night re-run material, popping up in the wee small hours of the morning to haunt and tease viewers with its slow, dreamlike sense of isolation, knockout cinematography, eerie score and the ripe and vital power of the lead performance from Candace Hilligoss. David Lynch and George A. Romero both cite Carnival of Souls as an influence on their work, but Carnival of Souls isn't just influential; it's worth seeing on its own as a very different kind of horror film, one that works as a dream-like slow poison as opposed to the short sharp shocks of modern horror films.
Carnival of Souls begins like a '50s youth-gone-wild film, as a group of joy riders careen down a dusty road; when one of the cars goes off a bridge, though, the fun is over. Mary (Hilligoss) staggers from the river muck like Ophelia saved from drowning, dirty and dazed; we follow her as she goes back to her life, working as a church organist in a small Kansas town. She's taking a job in Salt Lake City, and drives there with a faintly desperate air of aspiration in her gaze; she seems desperate for a new start. But her journey's haunted and troubled; faces materialize in the darkness, and a bizarre pavilion manifests itself out of the flat heartland, calling to her. She takes a room in a boarding house, trying to settle in and fending off the attentions of her boozy, woozy neighbor. But Mary's every effort begins to unravel; she's still followed by specters, troubled when a simple shopping trip descends into a nightmare where no one can see her, drawn over and over to the striking and spooky 'fun fair' she drove past on her way to town. The ultimate revelation of Mary's fate isn't shocking ... but the way Carnival of Souls reaches that destination is full of bizarre visions and troubling sights.
300 fans (and if the Cinematical reader comments are any indication, that would be all of you), take note. Variety is reporting that much of the creative team behind that "abs n' stabs" action extravaganza is reuniting for a new film called The Last Photograph. Photograph is based on an original idea by 300 director Zack Snyder, and is billed as a drama about "a photograph that becomes the catalyst for a journey two men undertake through war-torn Afghanistan." 300 co-screenwriter Kurt Johnstad will write the film for Snyder to possibly direct. The producers of the film intend to develop the film and then put it up for auction.
Reading between the lines of the Variety article, it seems like Snyder wants to direct the project, but doesn't know if he'll have time. And he doesn't know if he'll have time because he's involved with, like, everything! He's currently shooting the highly anticipated Watchmen(check out an update from Snyder on the film's progress here). He intends to direct an adaptation of Ray Bradbury's The Illustrated Man (read more about that project here). He may direct Army of the Dead, a "zombies in Vegas" flick you can learn more about right here. And he's co-writing and might direct an action fantasy film called Sucker Punch (which you can read more about here). Though I admired the look of the film, I was no fan of 300. On the other hand, I really loved Snyder's remake of Dawn of the Dead. So consider me cautiously optimistic about all the Snyder in our future.
Good ol' Al Gore has some such a very long way. After being Bill Clinton's Vice President, he "lost" to George Dubya Bush in his own Presidential bid and slipped off the radar. Who would have ever imagined that a few years later, he'd make waves with a Power Point presentation-turned-super-popular documentary called An Inconvenient Truth, win an Emmy, and Oscar, and now, the Nobel Peace Prize. Yes folks, The Age reports that his Nobel nomination came through with a co-win that he shares with IPCC chairman Dr. Rajendra Pachauri.
He is, of course, "deeply honored" to win the $1.5 million prize, and will be giving his share to the Alliance for Climate Protection, which is a non-profit organization he founded last year. Gore says: "We face a true planetary emergency. The climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity. It is also our greatest opportunity to lift global consciousness to a higher level."
Not everyone agrees, and Australian Age includes a rather amusing run-down of their own country's political responses. Prime Minister, John Howard refused to watch the documentary and wouldn't take policy advice from films. Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane said: "There are three places I do not go for advice on climate change," and proceeded to list the Labor Party of Australia, the movies, and "unsuccessful candidates for the US presidency." Obviously, not everyone shares their opinion, and it's pretty impressive to see continued recognition coming from one small film. So, how long will it take for the next round of presidential hopeful buzz to fade, or will this actually convince him to try again?
After running around for what seemed like forever today, I finally arrived home to the Transformers two-disc special edition lying on my desk. I had missed the Fed Ex guy all week long, but someone was finally home today to receive the package and now I'll have to devour the movie (for the second time), as well as all the nifty special features so that I can provide you readers with a sweet DVD review come early next week. In the meantime, I've provided a little gallery below with crappy pics (what can I say -- I'm a writer, not a photographer) of the DVD -- front and back -- and the inside sleeve ... that fell out as I opened it. But in case you're wondering ... yes, I'm getting a new digital camera for Christmas. No, actually, in case you're wondering, here is what comes with the two-disc set:
Disc 1
Commentary from Michael Bay
Disc 2
Our World: Explore the world of Transformers through interviews with the cast and crew, stunt training footage, and exclusive access to the on-set locations.
Their World: Learn more about the Autobots and Decepticons with exclusive access to production design, military advisors, and digital special effects.
More Than Meets The Eye: An in-debth featurette on the making of the Skorponok Desert Attack scene and concept boards.
Added bonus: Peter Cullen just announced at a press conference that he believes there will be two more Transformers films, and he is attached to voice Optimus Prime. The gallery is below, the DVD comes out on Tuesday and the first sequel is already in the works. Enjoy.
What do films like Serpico, Forrest Gump and Batman have in common? Like the trailers we're looking at this week, they place the main character's name right in the title, letting you know immediately who the film is about. What's in a name? Let me show you...
Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins Martin Lawrence stars as a successful talk show host who brings his fiance to meet the family from whom he has spent years trying to distance himself. There won't be any surprises here for members of Lawrence's fan base. The trailer consists of the type of broad slapstick humor he is known for, with one of the big jokes being that he's forced to wear a ridiculous looking pair of pants. Suffice it to say, it doesn't work for me. I asked myself what the heck Michael Clarke Duncan was doing in this mess, then I realized James Earl Jones was in it too, and suddenly the world just didn't make sense anymore.
Mama's Boy OK, "Mama's Boy" isn't exactly the character's name, but this new comedy that stars John Heder looks like it could be fun, and it seems like a return to Napolean Dynamite country. Heder plays a twenty-nine year old geek who is perfectly happy to still be living with his mother, who is played by Diane Keaton, but mom has a new boyfriend and the titular Mama's Boy is cramping her style. Anna Faris also stars as the object of Heder's characters affections. The scene in which Keaton gushes to the point of embarrassment because her son has finally brought a woman home was particularly memorable. Looking forward to this one.
At one time, before Brandon Routh put on his best Superman, Nicholas Cage was looking to don the tights. While it may seem weird, there was just something about it that appealed to me. Now, while he isn't getting to be a world-famous superhero, Cage will be throwing on a pair of tights, or some other form of spandex. The Hollywood Reporter has posted that the actor is in talks to star in an upcoming indie drama called The Wrestler, which will come to us from Darren Aronofsky's Protozoa Pictures.
It's not some sporty tale of school wrestlers and their coach, but rather, and wonderfully, the world of pro wrestling. Cage will, hopefully, star as "a 1980s-era star pro wrestler who has become a burnt-out shell of his former self. After he has a heart attack during a small-time match, a doctor tells him he could die if he fights again." So, in the attempts to start a new life, he gets a job at a much-less-exciting deli, and gets sweet on an aging stripper and her son. "But the prospect of a rematch with his old nemesis the Ayatollah proves too tempting to resist, even if it means risking his life."
All of my little-kid WWF (pre-WWE) memories are bubbling up at the thought of this! Even though I think Cage would probably be better suited to something like the Mouth of the South Jimmy Hart, I'll bite. Now, I can only hope that this is filled with cameos from all those wrestlers of yester-year. Some, like Andre the Giant and the Von Erich clan, are no longer with us, but what about a little Jesse The Body Ventura, Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Hillbilly Jim, Jake The Snake Roberts, Macho Man Randy Savage, King Kong Bundy, and on, and on, and on!
Lots of pictures were taken of 
As quite possibly the whitest man alive, I feel compelled to tell you about a new documentary called Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy. The film will be produced and directed by stand-up comic 
Just a few days ago I shared a report from Twitchfilm, and in that report it was stated that Fox was planning to "tame" their video game adaptation 
300 fans (and if the Cinematical reader comments are any indication, that would be all of you), take note. 
Good ol' 
At one time, before Brandon Routh put on his best Superman, 
