Slog - Comments on Hollywood Giveth and Taketh Away

Comment by N

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:09:25 -0800

While RoboCop is great and all, it's terribly sad to see Darren Aronofsky wasting his talent with crappy remakes. The Fountain was wonderful, and we need more original films. No more talent filmmakers wasting time with remake after remake after remake.

Comment by Dougsf

Dougsf — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:23:36 -0800

Robocop needs to be left alone because it was awesome. It was near-camp to be sure, but it also nailed it's subtext brilliantly (like the perils of privatizing the public sector, and junk). It sounds like the focus of the remake will probably eschew any of that and just throw some CGI on the screen.

Comment by Judah

Judah — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:24:39 -0800

Requiem for a Dream was terrible, The Fountain was terrible, and Pi, the movie that got him started, was really only interesting. Not wonderful, not particularly well-made: just interesting. The only thing Darren Aronofsky's ever done that impresses me in any way was getting into Rachel Weisz's pants.

Robocop, on the other hand, was a perfect movie all on its own, and a remake can only aspire to inadequate mediocrity.

Comment by Bub

Bub — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:28:44 -0800

RoboCop was a really brilliant satire, and seems to have foreseen the rise of corporate police forces and armies. I'm looking forward to what Darren Aronofksy will put together. The Fountain was ultimately a letdown, but I LOVED the on-the-cheap special effects using illuminated microorganisms. Of course, Requiem for a Dream continues to haunt me to this day.
You think Aronofsky will cast Jared Leto as his RoboCop? And that Jennifer Connelly will have to negotiate a double-dildo again?

Comment by Zander

Zander — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:29:11 -0800

Instead of crappy remakes, why don't they remake crappy movies and make them good.

Comment by COMTE

COMTE — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:45:38 -0800

At this rate, I estimate that in about 20 years Hollywood will be making "remakes" of films that haven't been made yet.

Comment by Greg

Greg — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:47:19 -0800

Isn't it a bit early for a remake? Why don't they go and redo Total Recall, Demolition Man, and Judge Dredd while they're at it?

Comment by Jonah S

Jonah S — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:53:04 -0800

If anything's ever begged to be remade, it's Judge Dredd. I watched that shit the other day on On Demand and HOLY FUCK! It's like Stallone and Armand Assante are both going for the Al Pacino Overacting Award. Oh, and Rob Schneider�a pustule of a human being�is, well, ugh.

Comment by Mike

Mike — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:55:07 -0800

I can hardly wait until Hollywood "re-imagines" other classics like Mandingo or Towering Inferno.

Comment by flamingbanjo

flamingbanjo — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:11:23 -0800

Zappa was right: The Nostalgia Loop gets shorter with every cycle. Soon we will be incapable of taking a step without being nostalgic for the step we just began, the step we are now taking. Complete cultural paralysis. Death by nostalgia.

No doubt somewhere somebody is green-lighting a remake of Snakes on a Plane.

Comment by Josie

Josie — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:13:21 -0800

The Fountain ruled.

Requiem horribly ripped off Pi, which ruled.

You suck.

Comment by keshmeshi

keshmeshi — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:28:19 -0800

@8,

Assante always wins the Al Pacino Overacting Award. Always.

Comment by kebabs

kebabs — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:49:26 -0800

@10

It's already happened. Exhibit A: I Love the New Millennium.

Comment by chops

chops — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:56:46 -0800

i guess if i love the 00s is on VH1 (remember iPods?!), then it means the first robocop is ancient history. is starship troopers far behind?

Comment by max solomon

max solomon — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:02:29 -0800

entirely unneccessary.

what we really need is part 2 of Buckaroo Banzai. it's as overdue as jetpacks.

Comment by Will in Seattle

Will in Seattle — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:13:06 -0800

Having seen the Harold and Kumar and the Robocop movies, I'd far rather watch the Harold and Kumar ones.

The societal insights in the former far outweigh the mealy-mouthed "insights" in the latter.

But I agree, we need part 2 of Buckaroo Banzai.

Comment by Matt from Denver

Matt from Denver — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:25:36 -0800

Oh Will, go design a 100-story low-income housing tower.

Comment by COMTE

COMTE — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:49:51 -0800

@15 & 16:

Agreed. The World Crime League has been let off-the-hook for far too long.

Comment by Reverse Polarity

Reverse Polarity — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:56:26 -0800

The original RoboCop is perfection as it is.

A remake will likely skip most of the fun irony, and drown us with CGI.

No thanks.

Comment by Just Sayin'

Just Sayin' — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:09:42 -0800

More awful remakes coming: The Day The Earth Stood Still, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, The Birds, Red Sonya, Warriors, The Thing

Awful sequel/prequel/reboots coming: Punisher, Terminator, Wargames, Tron

I'm forgetting a bunch

poor Aranofsky -- I hope he got a huge check up front at least

Comment by Will in Seattle

Will in Seattle — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:29:42 -0800

The first step, @17, is to admit you are powerless over Harold and Kumar.

The second step is to realize that Paul V is the anti-christ.

Comment by PopTart in Denver

PopTart in Denver — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:30:57 -0800

@7 Don't you DARE even suggest re-making Demolition Man. Anyone who does should be MDK'ed. Or forced to eat at Taco Bell forever.

I believe, however, they could easily re-make the Towering Inferno and set it in any of today's lovely mixed use buildings, like say Lincoln Square in Bellevue...