Remakes that are better than original

[superjohn]

The original The Thing (John Carpenter's) is one of the best horror slash sci fi movies of all time.

Watched it again recently, I think it's one of my all-time favorite films.

 

[intlzncster]

Watched it again recently, I think it's one of my all-time favorite films.

Amazing how well it holds up.

 

[storrsroars]

Gone Baby Gone sucked. It was a pretentious and predictable thriller that was not nearly as smart as it thought it was.

Gone Baby Gone was a disappointment to me in that it left out huge swaths of stuff that happened in the book, especially dealing with the moral dilemma of the natural mother. The movie basically started at the quarry, which was more than a third of the way into the book, IIRC. But I thought Casey Affleck did a good job with the Patrick character and the film did have Amy Ryan with the best Southie accent in cinematic history.

The book was a great read and one of my fave Lehanes, probably best of the Angie & Patrick series.

Btw, you sure you're not thinking of "Gone Girl"?

Now that I think about it, GBG would be in my top 10 "most depressing" list. That scene at the end was just heartbreaking.

 

[storrsroars]

I never saw 2011 version. I assume it sucked.

Pretty good sfx and Lucy McClane looked great.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Gone Baby Gone was a disappointment to me in that it left out huge swaths of stuff that happened in the book, especially dealing with the moral dilemma of the natural mother. The movie basically started at the quarry, which was more than a third of the way into the book, IIRC. But I thought Casey Affleck did a good job with the Patrick character and the film did have Amy Ryan with the best Southie accent in cinematic history.

The book was a great read and one of my fave Lehanes, probably best of the Angie & Patrick series.

Btw, you sure you're not thinking of "Gone Girl"?

Now that I think about it, GBG would be in my top 10 "most depressing" list. That scene at the end was just heartbreaking.

I am thinking of Gone Girl.

 

[Dogdeacon]

I don't know that I've ever met anyone who's seen both versions of "Arthur".

I didn't even know there was a remake. Chalk this up to an incredibly dated movie, Gielgud's sarcasm was appropriate and funny. Somehow at the time Dudley Moore was also funny - I think in an aspirational way, he could say or do things that everyone wishes they could if they had the money or balls to not give a crap.
I agree with the analysis of Liza, in terms of why he picked her (& did think of that way back when watching the movie)...nevertheless.... ummm ... HE WAS DRUNK!!

In a related story, I think A Star is Born can't help but be better than the Kristofferson-Streisand pairing. Kris was the perfect self-sabotaging drunk & Babs a great voice ugly duckling (but mostly a look at me presence in films ala Liza), yet somehow the movie itself is un-watchable. However it was a huge hit, probably one of the most successful soundtracks ever at the time. I think Lady Gaga is perfect/better for the role and it'll be interesting to see if Bradley Cooper can direct.

 

[dbmill]

I didn't even know there was a remake. Chalk this up to an incredibly dated movie, Gielgud's sarcasm was appropriate and funny. Somehow at the time Dudley Moore was also funny - I think in an aspirational way, he could say or do things that everyone wishes they could if they had the money or balls to not give a crap.
I agree with the analysis of Liza, in terms of why he picked her (& did think of that way back when watching the movie)...nevertheless.... ummm ... HE WAS DRUNK!!

In a related story, I think A Star is Born can't help but be better than the Kristofferson-Streisand pairing. Kris was the perfect self-sabotaging drunk & Babs a great voice ugly duckling (but mostly a look at me presence in films ala Liza), yet somehow the movie itself is un-watchable. However it was a huge hit, probably one of the most successful soundtracks ever at the time. I think Lady Gaga is perfect/better for the role and it'll be interesting to see if Bradley Cooper can direct.

The Kristofferson-Streisand version of "A Star is Born" is itself a remake. There were versions of this movie with the same name made in the 1930's (starring Fredric March & Janet Gaynor) and the 1950's (with James Mason and Judy Garland). I haven't seen either of them, but both are well regarded. My wife has seen the Mason-Garland version, and she says it is very good.

 

[AreBee1969]

Casino Royale (2007). Not just a great Bond movie, but a great movie.

Daniel Craig is a fantastic Bond and his character is much more true to the character in the books. The original movie was more of a spy spoof comedy with David Niven as James Bond.

 

[storrsroars]

Not actually a remake, just a scene, but figured I'd throw it out there as I don't recall a specific instance where the same actors have basically done the same thing in different movies...

Was watching Raging Bull for first time in ages. When it got to the part where Frank Vincent dissed Joe Pesci and then Pesci blindsided him outside and beat the crap out of him, I couldn't help but think, "Pesci did it better in Goodfellas, as Vincent didn't come back from that one."

And I'm thinking of poor Frank Vincent pleading to Scorcese after reading the Goodfellas script, "Marty, c'mon, not again! I could take that shrimp with one hand tied behind my back..."

 

[the Q]

Count of Monte Cristo - I was never a big Richard Chamberlain fan, and thought he chewed the scenery in the original. This story is so good it is almost impossible to screw up.

Caviezel version might be my favorite movie.

It’s also a book/story that is so good that you can miss the mark from the book and still make a great movie. Simply incredible.

 

[8893]

Kim Darby was too old for the role, but she does a great job with the quirky cadence of the dialog. After seeing Steinfeld's admittedly good performance, I came to appreciate Darby's performance.

I suggest you have your daughter the book. It was high school assigned reading prior to the original movie. It really embraces the coming age aspect of the story from the opening two lines foward:

“People do not give it credence that a fourteen-year-old girl could leave home and go off in the wintertime to avenge her father's blood but it did not seem so strange then, although I will say it did not happen every day. I was just fourteen years of age when a coward going by the name Tom Chaney shot my father down in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and robbed him of his life and his horse and $150 in cash money plus two California gold pieces that he carried in his trouser band.”​

Yep, Again after seeing Matt Damon's performance, I appreciate Campbell's more so.
Agreed
Same. The remake wasn't bad, but the original was better.

On the drive into Telluride last week we passed through Ridgeway, CO, where our driver reminded us that the original True Grit was filmed. The condo we were staying in had no wifi and no TV other than a Blu-ray player, so we took movies out of the library, including the original True Grit because we were inspired by being in the area. Darby was amazing in that role; better than I had remembered.

100% coincidentally, the next night we watched Better Off Dead, starring John Cusak...and Kim Darby as his mother some 15+ years after True Grit. Had no idea.

 

[ZooCougar]

On the drive into Telluride last week we passed through Ridgeway, CO, where our driver reminded us that the original True Grit was filmed. The condo we were staying in had no wifi and no TV other than a Blu-ray player, so we took movies out of the library, including the original True Grit because we were inspired by being in the area. Darby was amazing in that role; better than I had remembered.

100% coincidentally, the next night we watched Better Off Dead, starring John Cusak...and Kim Darby as his mother some 15+ years after True Grit. Had no idea.

Damn this thread is old.

I said this earlier, I don’t consider the latest True Grit to be a remake but another adaptation.

Both movies are fantastic.

I don’t even consider the new Dune to be a remake. It’s just another adaptation.

The Magnificent 7 is just a reimagined 7 Samurai. Same with Fistfull of Dollars which is a reimagined Yojimbo. There was also poor reimagine of Yojimbo with Bruce Willis “last man standing”?

Watch Kurosawa’s “The Hidden Fortress” and then read “Dune”. You’ll be cured of Star Wars for the rest of your life.

The best remake of all time is also the greatest movie of all time and that would be Michael Mann’s “Heat”.

Heat was a remake of Mann’s TV Movie, LA Takedown. Which is also a pretty decent movie.

 

[dbmill]

I said this earlier, I don’t consider the latest True Grit to be a remake but another adaptation.

Both movies are fantastic.

No question both True Grit movies are good. The difference in the adaptation of both films is that their primary focus is on different characters.

If you have John Wayne in a movie late in his career, most likely you want the story focused on him. So that is what happens in this version of the story.

In the Coen Brothers version of the movie, the focus is more on the girl and how her actions drive the story. While I have never read the source the material, I have an odd feeling that in this way this movie is a bit closer to the original story as it was written.

 

[Kolumbo]

I wouldn't say better, just different. I haven't seen some of the originals but different time, different technology. I recently saw the newer Magnificent 7 which was, what, magnificent. But different. I remember watching the new King Kong but the original was classic.

 

[CL82]

Damn this thread is old.

I said this earlier, I don’t consider the latest True Grit to be a remake but another adaptation.

Both movies are fantastic.

I don’t even consider the new Dune to be a remake. It’s just another adaptation.

The Magnificent 7 is just a reimagined 7 Samurai. Same with Fistfull of Dollars which is a reimagined Yojimbo. There was also poor reimagine of Yojimbo with Bruce Willis “last man standing”?

Watch Kurosawa’s “The Hidden Fortress” and then read “Dune”. You’ll be cured of Star Wars for the rest of your life.

The best remake of all time is also the greatest movie of all time and that would be Michael Mann’s “Heat”.

Heat was a remake of Mann’s TV Movie, LA Takedown. Which is also a pretty decent movie.

How do you distinguish a “remake”from “another adaption”? Is it as simple as following the original script? I kind of view it as if you are remaking the same property, , e.g., the same novel, even if you were highlighting different elements of it, it’s a remake.

 

[CL82]

No question both True Grit movies are good. The difference in the adaptation of both films is that their primary focus is on different characters.

If you have John Wayne in a movie late in his career, most likely you want the story focused on him. So that is what happens in this version of the story.

In the Coen Brothers version of the movie, the focus is more on the girl and how her actions drive the story. While I have never read the source the material, I have an odd feeling that in this way this movie is a bit closer to the original story as it was written.

I have read the original novel, and enjoyed it. It’s a very good read.

To a certain extent I agree with you in that Maddie Ross is the first person voice of the novel. But both of the original version and the new version merely just choose to highlight different vignettes. The end of the Cohen version does pick up the end of the novel, which was interesting to see on screen. On the other hand the end of the original version, though not in keeping with the novel, is a satisfying “feel good“ ending to the movie. Maddie Ross‘s character in the book is a little darker and sadder than in either of the movie versions.

 

[Kolumbo]

remake Days of Thunder was good but original Top Gun was better.

 

[8893]

No question both True Grit movies are good. The difference in the adaptation of both films is that their primary focus is on different characters.

If you have John Wayne in a movie late in his career, most likely you want the story focused on him. So that is what happens in this version of the story.

In the Coen Brothers version of the movie, the focus is more on the girl and how her actions drive the story. While I have never read the source the material, I have an odd feeling that in this way this movie is a bit closer to the original story as it was written.

As I said, it had been a long time since I had seen the original; I was surprised at how much the focus was on Maddie (played by Darby) and felt that she clearly outshone Cockburn.

 

[dbmill]

As I said, it had been a long time since I had seen the original; I was surprised at how much the focus was on Maddie (played by Darby) and felt that she clearly outshone Cockburn.

I've seen the John Wayne/Kim Darby "True Grit" plenty of times (my wife is a big fan of John Wayne westerns). No question that Maddie's role is substantial in this movie, I agree with you on that. Still, John Wayne casts a strong aura of his stardom in his role as Rooster Cogburn. I think this aura changes the focus of the film, and I think it would be safe to say most people consider this a John Wayne movie. And remember, "True Grit" is the movie where Wayne won his Best Actor Oscar.

The Coen Brothers version of "True Grit" is quite a different movie, as the focus is so much more on the Maddie character. It's hard to envision John Wayne being in this version of the movie, or playing this variation of the Rooster Cogburn character. Whatever the case, it is still a quality movie.

 

[Kolumbo]

many have followed but none compare to the original

 

[8893]

And remember, "True Grit" is the movie where Wayne won his Best Actor Oscar.

I didn't remember that. Good point. Gotta say I didn't think it was a tour de force performance from him. I'm guessing it was more of a lifetime achievement award under the guise of an Oscar.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

The best remake of all time is also the greatest movie of all time and that would be Michael Mann’s “Heat”.

Heat was a remake of Mann’s TV Movie, LA Takedown. Which is also a pretty decent movie.

That movie would have been a lot better if Mann had left in the fact that Vincent Hanna (Pacino's character) was wired the whole movie. The movie was already almost 3 hours long, why not just fill in all the holes at that point? Pacino's acting was distracting the whole movie, but it would have made a lot more sense, and made the character more interesting, if the audience knew just how out of control Hanna was.

I watch the movie now through the lens of Hanna on coke. The movie just works better.

 

[ZooCougar]

How do you distinguish a “remake”from “another adaption”? Is it as simple as following the original script? I kind of view it as if you are remaking the same property, , e.g., the same novel, even if you were highlighting different elements of it, it’s a remake.

When you make another adaptation of a source material then it’s a remake.

You can remake an adaptation if you adhering to the interpretation of that adaptation.

A reinterpretation is just another adaptation.

Let’s say JJ Abrams wanted to make Moby Dick but base it on the book. That’s not a remake.

If he wanted to remake one of the old Moby Dick movies, then that’s a remake.

The best most recent example is Dune which is another cinematic interpretation of the book. Not a remake of David Lynch’s film.

 

[dbmill]

I didn't remember that. Good point. Gotta say I didn't think it was a tour de force performance from him. I'm guessing it was more of a lifetime achievement award under the guise of an Oscar.

It would hardly be the only time that someone got an Oscar that was basically substituting for a lifetime achievement award, that's for sure.

 

[8893]

It would hardly be the only time that someone got an Oscar that was basically substituting for a lifetime achievement award, that's for sure.

Agreed. I was just surprised that it didn't appear to be a great performance by Wayne. I grew up a John Wayne fan so I may have a skewed memory of the quality of his performances, but when I think of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, which is one of my favorite movies of all time, I remember it as a much stronger and better performance by Wayne. And also nuanced in a way that was very interesting. I remember The Quiet Man--a St. Patrick's Day tradition when I was growing up--as a better performance, too.