Top Ten Tuesdays

[keirarts]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

It seems that is a recurring issue with movies from the Platinum Dunes production company, with executives seemingly preferring overly muted pallets and 'subtle as a brick' storytelling for their rebooted franchises.

My issue with nightmare was that there was scope to do something interesting. Had they found some talented, left-field director like Michel Gondry, Tarsem Singh (ok, ok, a lot of his films are shit but he can create interesting visuals) and bothered to make a decent script, utilising the idea of being trapped in dreams then something interesting could have been made. Instead they did the film making equivalent of shitting on a carpet, looking at it and saying 'good enough'

[Justin101]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

I have enjoyed both versions of Freaky Friday, and would happily watch them again. The more recent version is slightly better for having a bigger budget and possibly bigger stars, even though Jodie Foster was a big-name actress for having been in Taxi Driver and Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore at that time, with probably only Bugsy Malone (1976) as Foster's only 'family friendly' movie with a lead role. There is a possibility that the 1977 film has not dated as well as the one from this century so, if I was only going to rent one of them (or pick it up as a 'blind buy), I'd go with the more recent version of the story.

I agree with all of this, I have a soft spot for the original because it's so 70's but the newer version is undoubtedly a better film.

[Susan Foreman]

Remakes better than or equal to the original

• Cape Fear (1961/1991)
• Some Like It Hot/A Couple Of Beauties (1959/1971)
• Dracula/Spanish Version (1931/1931)
• The Evil Dead/The Evil Dead 2 (1983/1987)
• Hairspray (1988/2007)
• Little Shop Of Horrors (1960/1986)
• Seven Samurai/The Magnificent Seven (1954/1960)
• The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert/To Wong Foo. Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar (1994/1995)
• The Fly (1958/1986)
• Dances With Wolves/Avatar (1990/2009)

Remakes that are inferior to the original

• The Amityville Horror (1979/2005)
• 2000 Maniacs/2001 Maniacs (1964/2003)
• Black Christmas/Black Xmas (1975/2006)
• Bedazzled (1969/2000)
• Cannibal Ferox/The Green Hell (1981/2016)
• Friday 13th (1980/2009)
• Halloween (1978/2007)
• The Italian Job (1969/2003)
• Carry On Constable/Police Academy (1960/1984)
• A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984/2010)

[J Harker]

Top Ten remakes in no particular order. This has nothing to do with comparison to the originals which in a few cases I've not even seen. That said I've * the ones I do think are superior.

The Fly.
Dawn of the Dead.*
The Thing.*
Escape From Precinct 13.
The Evil Dead.
True Lies.
13 Sins.
Cape Fear.*
The Ring.
Twelve Monkeys.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Susan Foreman

Remakes better than or equal to the original

• Dracula/Spanish Version (1931/1931)

Is the Spanish production a remake of Tod Browning's? I was under the impression they were made at the same time, more or less with one crew shooting during the day and the other at night, using the same sets and even costumes.

I suppose if they were making it that way, the Spanish crew, led by director George Melford, were doing almost the same scenes which Tod Browning's cast and crew had made during the day, so were 'remaking' and improving them as they went.

[Justin101]

I've purposely not included any Dracula's but they are all just re-imaginings of the book. Spanish Dracula was recorded on the same sound stage at the same time with a Spanish speaking cast so it's not really a remake, just a redone version for a different market.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by J Harker

Top Ten remakes in no particular order. This has nothing to do with comparison to the originals which in a few cases I've not even seen.

Just out of interest, which of the 'originals' haven't you seen?

[J Harker]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

Just out of interest, which of the 'originals' haven't you seen?

True Lies
Twelve Monkeys
13 Sins
The Ring

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by J Harker

True Lies
Twelve Monkeys
13 Sins
The Ring

I haven't seen La Totale! either, nor 13 Sins, but I have seen True Lies and 13 Game Sayong (which I saw as 13: Game of Death) and very much enjoyed them both. I don't think I have seen True Lies since the 1990s on VHS!

[Justin101]

Nobody has mentioned Cat People in either lists, good remakes or bad remakes. I've never seen it myself, I've listened to the soundtrack though I understand it's quite far removed from the original film but it is any good?

I just watched the original for the first time in ages, some of those scenes are really scary and tense!