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Everything old is new again...



Hey, folks- Mike S here.  While Jay is away working on a super big, delicious, boomtastic project (which I'm sure you'll hear more about here as things develop),  I'm going to be the one responsible for bringing you all the movie news goodness over the course of the next SIX weeks.

Boy... are you people in trouble now. Hehehe...

For my first "command role" post, I want to do something a little different.  A couple of weeks ago on the radio show, Jay and Shawn discussed their "Top Five Movies That Deserve a Remake."  Well, I figured that for this post, I wiould quickly run through my own Top Five for the list.

And here they are:

5.  Scared to Death (1947)- A decently little suspense thriller with a lot of potential for exploring the characters war-time pasts, their loves, their betrayals, and revenge.  There are also lots of opportunities for building mood, suspense, and scares as part of an interesting storyline.

A director could probably fun playing with the pulp-fiction and film noir type elements to the story as well.

4.  Solyent Green (1973)- One of those films that is considered a classic- though not necessarily due to the movie's quality.  Great story and characters, but the look and feel of it is unfortunately, rather dated.  A remake now would be relevent  in light of both climate changes, economic changes, and the social upheavals that have taken place across the globe over the past couple of years.

Also, with the advances in technology that Hollywood has at its disposal, a studio and a decent director (Joss Whedon comes to mind) could really bring a cool, updated and interesting look to this story.  JJ Abrams would be good too... but he'll be busy with the new "Star Wars" movies...

3.  All Quiet on the Western Front (1979)-  I haven't actually seen this movie, but I have read the book... so this is more of a readaptation of the book than a remake of a movie.

This World War I story is a powerful one, having been written by a veteran of the war.  It is also an interesting book because of the fact that, rather than being from the perspective of Allied troops, it's from the point of view of German infantry in the the trenches.

I've always felt that Hollywood has neglected the First World War.  A remake of this would help rectify that.

2.  A Shot in the Dark (1964)-  A classic Peter Sellers movie- and one of my favorites.  Personally, I actually think of the Inspector Clouseau films, this one is probably the best of the lot.

There is a lot of potential for a remake to bring new humorous elements to this one- especially if they make the comedy more natural, rather than making it sillier (as was attempted with the Steve Martin "Pink Panther" movies).  There's potential for great comedy here... but also potential risk of sinking into the toilet humor.

If a director can bring smarts to this movie- and avoid vulgarity, I would be quite prepared to watch it.

1.  Dementia 13 (1963)-  This one would be at the top of my list (and naturally, it's a horror movie).  There is so much that can be done with this one now.  A remake could really explore the characters, the family dynamics, the castle, the family history and use it to build suspense, and scares.

Also, with advances in technology, someone like Francis Ford Coppola (who made his directorial debut with this movie) would really turn out a masterpiece of creepiness.  Also, with a larger budget, he could really up the more gorey parts while still bringing the same class he brought to "The Godfather" and "Bram Stoker's Dracula".

So, there you have it folks- my first "command role" post for the site, and possibly a view inside this movie watcher's brain processes.  Feel free to tell me your thoughts on my choices- and maybe what movies you feel deserve a remake.





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