Enough with the remakes!!!

S.D. wrote:

Boris2008 wrote:

Story of Danny Boyle's career! I can still watch Sunshine or The Beech and spend all of my time going Oooohhh!! at the visuals before I realise that the films aren't very good in any other way!

I love Sunshine, not sure if the "villain" in the film is really necessary but overall I think it's one of the better intelligent sci-fi films of the past 10 years.

Sunshine was a MAJOR disappointment for me, being a sci-fi fan (my favorite film has always been 2001 and God forbid they ever attempt a remake of that). The villain and ADHD final act was way too much. Worse than that though, the movie had zero new ideas to present with all the pondering. But it did look pretty.

Honestly, it's been far too long since I've seen an authentically intelligent sci-fi film, which is a sad thing indeed.

corplhicks wrote:

Honestly, it's been far too long since I've seen an authentically intelligent sci-fi film, which is a sad thing indeed.

Moon (2009)

Good call, SD. When's that sequel supposed to come out?

I liked Moon, better than Sunshine in fact, but I'm of two minds about it. The biggest problem is its story-killing plot hole, that clones carry the memories of their host, which is actually implausible. Other than that, I did appreciate the effort, but I think the bar has just been set so high with 2001 and Solaris.

Back on the subject of remakes, I will say I enjoyed Soderbergh's remake of Solaris. It wasn't as dense or complex as the original but managed to raise some very pensive questions. And let's not forget the redux of Battlestar Galactica.

corplhicks wrote:

but I think the bar has just been set so high with 2001 and Solaris.

If you are waiting for a film to come along that unseats 2001 or to a lesser degree Solaris in the mind-bending field then get comfortable because it hasn't happened for 40 years and probably never will.

They have never released the full-length cut of Soderbergh's Solaris, the original cut was 3 hours but he trimmed it prior to theatrical release...originally it was reported that a special edition would come out on DVD but it never materialized.

Wanting every sci-fi film to stand up to 2001 isn't really fair or practical, you'll miss out on tons of other great entertainment doing that. Plus sci-fi is a very broad genre, I can find enjoyment in many different approaches.

S.D. wrote:

corplhicks wrote:

but I think the bar has just been set so high with 2001 and Solaris.

If you are waiting for a film to come along that unseats 2001 or to a lesser degree Solaris in the mind-bending field then get comfortable because it hasn't happened for 40 years and probably never will.

They have never released the full-length cut of Soderbergh's Solaris, the original cut was 3 hours but he trimmed it prior to theatrical release...originally it was reported that a special edition would come out on DVD but it never materialized.

Wanting every sci-fi film to stand up to 2001 isn't really fair or practical, you'll miss out on tons of other great entertainment doing that. Plus sci-fi is a very broad genre, I can find enjoyment in many different approaches.

I don't disagree here at all, but there's one thing Clarke did with 2001 that should be considered by other filmmakers: the expression of ideas through imagery rather than dialogue. I appreciate dialogue in film greatly i.e. Before Sunrise, but sci-fi tends to work best when prioritizing the aesthetic as a transcendent technique. Moon did this to some degree and I'm hoping others will follow to an even greater extent. But no, I doubt we will ever see an equal to 2001, nor would I want to. It should remain untouchable. Also I enjoy almost any sci-fi (Star Trek FTW), it's just that my desire has been greatest for something deeper and provocative, which is rarely seen today because it's not in popular demand.

Pretty cool about Solaris, though. I hope we see the full version someday, but we're also waiting for the full cut of Event Horizon...

corplhicks wrote:

but we're also waiting for the full cut of Event Horizon...

There will never be a full cut, all unused footage was accidentally destroyed by the studio. Now that's definitely *not* an intelligent sci-fi film...though it is lots of fun.

S.D. wrote:

corplhicks wrote:

but we're also waiting for the full cut of Event Horizon...

There will never be a full cut, all unused footage was accidentally destroyed by the studio. Now that's definitely *not* an intelligent sci-fi film...though it is lots of fun.

Agreed, stupid as hell, but very enjoyable. Destroyed by the studio? Damn...time for a remake!

'Moon' disappointed me as someone who knows '2001' inside and out. There is just too much reliance there. Some very excellent scenes, good ideas, obviously Rockwell is excellent, but the film would not make my top sci-fi list at all.

Wasn't too big on the 'Solaris' remake and actually have not seen 'Sunshine' yet.


I'd like the rarest of rarities in the sci-fi world; a Lynch-approved extended cut of his 'Dune' adaptation...try making that one happen.

Orion Crystal Ice wrote:

I'd like the rarest of rarities in the sci-fi world; a Lynch-approved extended cut of his 'Dune' adaptation...try making that one happen.

THIS..... is what I would like to see!

Uh-oh...don't get me started on Dune. I'll be all .

I'd enjoy a flick or two or three in the prequel department of the original Dune stories. They were done well and serve justice to the original concept quite convincingly.

Next up on the remake express is "Timecop" the 1994 film originally intended to be a series that never materialized. The goal with the new one is to create a new multi-film franchise.

Wtf? What purpose will that possibly serve? The only thing the original even served was being the most generically made sci-fi this side of the Guyver films.

Orion Crystal Ice wrote:

Wtf? What purpose will that possibly serve? The only thing the original even served was being the most generically made sci-fi this side of the Guyver films.

The studio owns the rights to the Dark Horse comic it is based on, they probably have to make a film or else lose the rights. That was why the Spiderman series was rebooted, solely to keep the license.

And 'Man of Steel'..same reason...(although that admittedly looks very good, despite Snyder only seeming to have a boner for characters that are not Marvel, while Marvel Studios churns out mediocre crap)..... ah. Well.... hope they enjoy their bomb.

Timecop was a decent movie. Peter Hyams, while terribly inconsistent, is one of my favorite genre directors. When he directs genre films, that is.

As for Man of Steel, it's hard to tell how it's going to go. Trailer looks good, but I never trust trailers. Snyder can be kick-ass with visuals, and you have Goyer co-writing, so there's a lot going for it. But CGI spectacle doesn't do it for me anymore. Remember Watchmen? Faithful retelling, perfect casting, and the CGI was damned perfect, but it was so heavy that, unlike the novel, it left me kind of cold.

At least we're getting an authentic Zod for once. Or at least that's what they're telling us.

If Hollywood ever remakes the Japanese masterpiece "Audition" I may just go postal. That movie is pitch-perfect to me and has a nicely ambiguous ending that lets the viewer decide what they've seen; an ending that Hollywood would find totally unacceptable.

tohostudios wrote:

If Hollywood ever remakes the Japanese masterpiece "Audition" I may just go postal. That movie is pitch-perfect to me and has a nicely ambiguous ending that lets the viewer decide what they've seen; an ending that Hollywood would find totally unacceptable.

Gah. I have a strong stomach but that movie will never be seen by myself again. But you're right, Hollywood can only go wrong with it.

corplhicks wrote:

tohostudios wrote:

If Hollywood ever remakes the Japanese masterpiece "Audition" I may just go postal. That movie is pitch-perfect to me and has a nicely ambiguous ending that lets the viewer decide what they've seen; an ending that Hollywood would find totally unacceptable.

Gah. I have a strong stomach but that movie will never be seen by myself again. But you're right, Hollywood can only go wrong with it.

Sorry. I'm a gorehound. But what I like about Audition is that it's actually a well-made film complete with character development/background and plot. Hollywood could only screw it up IMO.
"Audition" is the film I always recommend to people who are not familiar with the Japanese gore genre because this movie is actually a "movie" instead of a series of gross-out scenes.

When people say the term "Hollywood" they are basically lumping together all the major film studios with all the independent studios that exist in this town, not really a fair thing to do since they are often aiming for very different audiences.

Saying that "zero" films can come out of Hollywood that are well-made and have good character/development and plot is frankly incorrect and does a disservice to the many good filmmakers in this town.

A fair point.

Let me emend my comment to "major Hollywood studios" would screw up "Audition".

tohostudios wrote:

A fair point.

Let me emend my comment to "major Hollywood studios" would screw up "Audition".

They most likely would, of course a major studio would never produce a remake of Audition in the first place. If someone did a remake it would be a small indie film. Even movies like Hostel or Insidious are essentially indie films that get distributed by a major.

S.D. wrote:

tohostudios wrote:

A fair point.

Let me emend my comment to "major Hollywood studios" would screw up "Audition".

They most likely would, of course a major studio would never produce a remake of Audition in the first place. If someone did a remake it would be a small indie film. Even movies like Hostel or Insidious are essentially indie films that get distributed by a major.

I hope you're right. Thankfully the remake of "Hellraiser" appears to be dead. Remaking my favorite horror movies pisses me off no end!

corplhicks wrote:

Timecop was a decent movie. Peter Hyams, while terribly inconsistent, is one of my favorite genre directors. When he directs genre films, that is.

As for Man of Steel, it's hard to tell how it's going to go. Trailer looks good, but I never trust trailers. Snyder can be kick-ass with visuals, and you have Goyer co-writing, so there's a lot going for it. But CGI spectacle doesn't do it for me anymore. Remember Watchmen? Faithful retelling, perfect casting, and the CGI was damned perfect, but it was so heavy that, unlike the novel, it left me kind of cold.

At least we're getting an authentic Zod for once. Or at least that's what they're telling us.

I'll go see it - I am one that actually liked Superman Returns and think if they gave Singer another shot, he could have got it right (like he did with X-Men 2.) The third act of Superman Returns was the weak link that brought the flick down. I don't like that the new one is a "re-boot." But, on the other hand, Nolan is producing, Goyer wrote it so it might be good.