Chris Hurd
January 29th, 2014, 10:49 PM
It's just a drive-in B-movie from 1979, but I'm particularly fond of it for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, it's a Walter Hill film -- I'm a big fan of his, and his mentor, Sam Peckinpah -- and second, I got to see it about 50 times when I was working as a projectionist during my high school and early college years and we had it at our theater. So, it's kind of like sacred ground from my point of view.
Maybe it's just me, but I can't help the feeling that some movies just shouldn't be remade. Maybe it's for the sake of nostalgia, or the pessimistic attitude that some movies just can't be improved, I don't know. Not all of them though. Some are fair game for remakes. For example, "A Star Is Born" has been made three times over (Janet Gaynor, Judy Garland, Barbara Streisand). The mighty stage production "Ben Hur" has gone to film three times as well, in 1925, 1959, and as a surprisingly good mini-series in 2010. "The Great Gatsby" has gone to film no less than five times.
Sometimes a remake tells the same story in a completely different way... compare the 1965 comedy "The Amorous Adventures Of Moll Flanders" with Kim Novak to the 1996 drama "Moll Flanders" with Robin Wright. But then there the real head-scratchers such as the 1998 shot-for-shot remake of Psycho. I just don't get why anyone would do that. There's lots of old movies that can be improved upon or told a new way. But a color copy of a B&W Hitchcock classic? What can be gained?
Which leads me, sort of, to wondering out loud why or how anyone would dare go after our cult classic here, "The Warriors." Check out the original trailer, with all its late-70's New York City grit and grime:
The Warriors Trailer - YouTube
And here's the remade trailer (I should point out that this appears to be a fan effort, not a studio project -- yet -- and right now it's only a trailer... but still):
WARRIORS Trailer (2014) HD - YouTube
The cranky old curmudgeon in me says bah, that without Walter Hill's touch, it pales in comparison. And without James Remar or any new young actor that has what he's got, if there is such a person these days with that kind of talent on screen.
Warriors, moving to L.A.? Hell no, I won't come out to play-yay.
Maybe it's just me, but I can't help the feeling that some movies just shouldn't be remade. Maybe it's for the sake of nostalgia, or the pessimistic attitude that some movies just can't be improved, I don't know. Not all of them though. Some are fair game for remakes. For example, "A Star Is Born" has been made three times over (Janet Gaynor, Judy Garland, Barbara Streisand). The mighty stage production "Ben Hur" has gone to film three times as well, in 1925, 1959, and as a surprisingly good mini-series in 2010. "The Great Gatsby" has gone to film no less than five times.
Sometimes a remake tells the same story in a completely different way... compare the 1965 comedy "The Amorous Adventures Of Moll Flanders" with Kim Novak to the 1996 drama "Moll Flanders" with Robin Wright. But then there the real head-scratchers such as the 1998 shot-for-shot remake of Psycho. I just don't get why anyone would do that. There's lots of old movies that can be improved upon or told a new way. But a color copy of a B&W Hitchcock classic? What can be gained?
Which leads me, sort of, to wondering out loud why or how anyone would dare go after our cult classic here, "The Warriors." Check out the original trailer, with all its late-70's New York City grit and grime:
The Warriors Trailer - YouTube
And here's the remade trailer (I should point out that this appears to be a fan effort, not a studio project -- yet -- and right now it's only a trailer... but still):
WARRIORS Trailer (2014) HD - YouTube
The cranky old curmudgeon in me says bah, that without Walter Hill's touch, it pales in comparison. And without James Remar or any new young actor that has what he's got, if there is such a person these days with that kind of talent on screen.
Warriors, moving to L.A.? Hell no, I won't come out to play-yay.