Bill O'Reilly has a review/comparison column of the two movies here. In short, he liked them both but prefers the original.
As for me, I'm really tired of remakes. I haven't been to the theater to see a movie since...I guess The Dark Knight.
I've heard they're remaking The Great Gatsby
! Horrors! Mia Farrow was the perfect Daisy! Even worse, Robert Zemeckis wants to remake The Wizard of Oz. Forget about it.
That's like remaking Gone With the Wind.
Sacrilege. It seems there aren't very many original ideas in Hollywood anymore, what with all the remakes and sequels. Perhaps that's why there was a decline in box office receipts for 2010, although the economy certainly could play a factor. Maybe I'm just getting old and cranky.
I have heard, however, that The Black Swan is excellent and I did mean to catch Secretariat
which I suppose is on DVD now.I'll make a prediction, though. I'll bet it's not long before talks are underway for Hillenbrand's Unbroken
to be adapted into a movie. You couldn't make up a story like that one.So. I know I'm cranky about movies. But what about True Grit? Have you seen it? I might give it a shot...
I liked the original and the remake. The original has been a favorite with me for many years - but I think that the remake was well done and give it high marks.
ReplyDeleteI will not see the new one although I really like Jeff Bridges and think he's an excellent actor.
ReplyDeleteBut no one but Duke does this:
Rooster confronts the four outlaws across the field
Ned Pepper: What's your intention? Do you think one on four is a dogfall?
Rooster Cogburn: I mean to kill you in one minute, Ned. Or see you hanged in Fort Smith at Judge Parker's convenience. Which'll it be?
Ned Pepper: I call that bold talk for a one-eyed fat man.
Rooster Cogburn: Fill your hands, you son of a bitch!
And yes, Hollywood is showing how worthless it's become. Let's see...we have Tron, Arthur…Karate Kid…Clash of the Titans…The Pink Panther, Independance Day (a remake of War of the Worlds) and War of the Worlds.
To think Hollyweird used to be the place for originality...
Hollywood hasn't made an original decent flick in decades. If you look at them closely enough, almost all the successful movies (or just ones that I have liked) made since 1950 have been remakes of earlier versions that go back even as far as the silent era. Some just have new names, badly re-written scripts, and maybe some character changes.
ReplyDeleteIts' pretty dismal. I haven't been to a feature film since sometime in the 70s when I lost any desire to sit in a theater with the public.
Better to spend all that money on kick butt home entertainment rigging, get the VCR or DVD and make my own bloody popcorn.
Oh Mike, that's Steve's favorite scene. He once quoted that scene in his best John Wayne voice all the way from Winterset IA (John Wayne's birthplace) to the Missouri state line. No lie. Of course, there was a young kid in the backseat who thought it was hilarious and kept encouraging him.
ReplyDeleteThat is one of the all time top 10 movie scenes in my book!
ReplyDeletePat I haven't seen the new version yet but one of our friends who is quite a bit older than us said it is the best movie he has ever seen. What I have not heard is whether the new version is true to the spirit of the story (always a concern in remakes).
Heh. About remakes and John Wayne movies. Paul's two faves are Rio Bravo and El Dorado - he switches out between them. It's the same movie! There's a rumor that when asked about it, Wayne said something to the effect that a great story is worth telling again. ;-)
My husband refuses to go see it, he's such a John Wayne fan, darn it! Some friends from work went during the holidays and liked it, but say that its not as "entertaining" as the original (John Wayne did know how to entertain!), and no humor -- all gritty realism. Another point they made was that the Mattie in this one is a lot younger looking, and the semi-flirting that Matt Damon's character does with her came across as kind of creepy to them.
ReplyDeleteHollywood is in trouble. Their stuff isn't doing so hot domestically, and foreign box office and DVD sales aren't making up the difference.
ReplyDeleteSo the natural response is to make sequels and remakes. They figure on a built in audience and they can sell the $100 million+ pricetag more easily.
The real problem will come when companies realize that celebrity endorsements are usually financial losers. When that money leaves Hollywood, it'll be amusing to watch the fallout.
Pat
ReplyDeleteI found these links on YouTube you may like..Wayne winning the Oscar in 69
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qQhODwivLU&feature=related
And his list appearance at the Academy Awards in 79.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ob0JBcfaDgk&NR=1
And to add to what yukio ngaby comment, Hollywood is paying actors 10-20 million before a single ticket is sold and that is a major part of the cost of a 100 million dollar (plus) production...and for what. They don't have a decent plot, script, character development, they use special effects to make up for true movie making...and then theaters expect me to pay 10-15 dollars for a ticket. (Beth and I went to a matinee...two check tickets, two drinks and a popcorn was 32 dollars) It just ain't worth it).