Okay, the following is a bit of a departure from this week’s Talkin’ Books theme, but it’s so in line with my general philosophy that I thought it bore immediate repeating here. From a blog called Hooptyrides comes the Idiots Rule:
Everything you love, everything meaningful with depth and history, all passionate authentic experiences will be appropriated, mishandled, watered down, cheapened, repackaged, marketed and sold to the people you hate.
–Mr. Jalopy
Yep, that about says it all…
[Ed. note: Actually, on re-reading the source of this quote I see that the original entry was actually “Idiots Rule,” not “The Idiots Rule.” That puts a slightly different spin on things, doesn’t it? Oh well, I still agree with the sentiment…]
Exhibit A: Charlie and Chocolate Factory
Robert, you’re just not going to get over that one, are you? 🙂
One interesting observation is that what fits the definition outlined above — i.e., “everything you love, everything meaningful with depth and history, etc.” — varies according to individual. I was not troubled by the Willy Wonka/Charlie and the Chocolate Factory updating, but I’ve got major issues with the Star Wars Special Editions and the over-franchising of Star Trek. Funny what gets under people’s skin, eh?
That’s true. It just grinds my gears that Big Hollywood had to make an overhyped, yet grossly inferior, remake of what I think is a perfect and timeless classic. GRRRR!!!
Much like I get really annoyed at aging directors who become insecure about their 20-year-old masterpieces and think they need to be “fixed.” 🙂
Seriously, even though I didn’t dislike Charlie and the Choc Factory, I also didn’t see any real point to making it. I rarely do with remakes. For instance, was the world really clamoring for a new version of The Poseidon Adventure? The old one, while definitely an exercise in cheese and scenery-chewing, remains perfectly entertaining for those who are willing to see it for what it is…
The problem, I suppose, is that there is a large segment of the population that is utterly indifferent to and ignorant of any film made prior to about ten years ago. Cynical producers know this, and also know that it’s easier to rework an existing story than come up with a new one…
You’re right on all counts.
By the way, in a further effort to avoid work, I watched Poseidon the other day. I’d never seen the original. I like this one as far as it went: as a fast-paced disaster movie with almost no pretense of characterization or context. It killed a couple of hours and I was happy.
And it’s always a pleasure to watch Emmy Rossum. Prrr.
Haven’t seen the Poseidon remake yet, and I’m not overly interested in it, despite the presence of Kurt Russell (who I most always enjoying watching) and the lovely Ms. Rossum (who I feel guilty watching because I’m literally old enough to be her father).
The original isn’t a great movie, but it is a very entertaining one (from what I understand, the remake follows it pretty closely). The biggest problem with it is that it’s very much a product of 1973, with the limited visual effects of the time and some dated dialogue and characterization. Gene Hackman’s character, for instance, could only have been written in the early ’70s: he’s a hip, turtleneck-wearing, anti-Establishment preacher who’s filled with self-righteous anger at the injustice of it all. Despite these flaws, however, you could do a lot worse on a Friday night…