Just About The Worst Damn Thing I've Ever Seen...

[Lord Jim]

I have an enormous amount of respect for Hugh Laurie....

Both as a comedic talent, and in his portrayal of the morose, misanthropic, druggie Dr. House....

Top Drawer..

Yesterday, I am sad to say that I had the misfortune to see about ten minutes (there's no way I could have watched any longer without projectile vomiting) his performance in the remake of "Flight Of The Phoenix"....

There are a couple of problems I have with this, (which are not strictly speaking Laurie's fault, though he should have had the good judgment not to involve himself in a turkey of this double basted magnitude)

The first problem I have, is that the original movie, starring Jimmy Stewart, Richard Attenborough, Peter Finch, Ernest Borgnine, and the ever present smarmy, arrogant German -portrayed by Hardy Kruger (look at any WWII movie made in the 60's or 70's...Hardy was the go to guy for that role...."Okay, the part calls for an arrogant Nazi Officer...Blanche, could you get me Hardy Kruger's agent on the line please?") is one of my all time favorite films...

I defy anyone to watch the original Flight Of The Phoenix without having a cold six pack of beer on hand....

Ya just can't watch that movie without developing a powerful thirst....but I digress..

This brings me to my second problem...

Is there so much money floating around in Hollywood that they can make remakes of anything>?....(How about a remake of North By Northwest with Leonardo Dicaprio playing the Cary Grant role, and Queen Latifah as a "re-imagination" of James Mason's role...

Great green gobots up I throw...

[Crackpot]

Jim! Wilkommen!

Most remakes are poor A few are passable and it's a rare gem that are successful in either the retelling or the re imagining. (one I'd count for this rare feat is "The House On Haunted Hill")

Most of the problems with the Flight of the Phoenix were directors or producers choice. Actors didn't sweat, grow facial hair or show any general discomfort with the situation. THe bad thing was they actually assembled a cast that could have acted the shit out of that movie.

[Rick]

Without the old C119 there is no movie...

[loCAtek]

LJ! We tempt you with our wild ways, eh?

[loCAtek]

I forget who said it, might have been Roger Ebert (he's not dead yet?) who said;

"Why do they do remakes of old good movies and make them bad?

Why not remake old bad movies and make them good?"

[Big RR]

I avoid sequels like the plague--especially if I liked the original one. they're almost inevitably letdowns.

[Lord Jim]

Not every remake is hideous...(but most are)

"The Front Page" ...which was a remake of the classic "His Girl Friday", wasn't bad...

(It took a brave director to say, "I can remake a classic movie with Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell and turn it into a Walther Matthau Jack Lemmon vehicle and make it work"...it's not as good as the original, but it's a decent film....)\

But probably the best example of a well made remake is "Cape Fear"....

Nick Nolte is no Gregory Peck, but Bobby De Niro turns in a performance every bit as gruesome as Robert Mitchum....

[Gob]

I defy anyone to watch the remake of "The Wickerman," without experiencing the gamut of emotions from hysterical laughter, to an intense desire to work over everyone involved with a nail studded baseball bat.

"Why do they do remakes of old good movies and make them bad?

Why not remake old bad movies and make them good?"

Now that's a sentiment I can agree with!


C-P, which versions of "The House on Haunted Hill" are you talking about?

[Crackpot]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051744/ original
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0185371/ remake

are there others you know of?

[@meric@nwom@n]

Haven't seen it. Sort of on topic, has anyone see the Sherlock Holmes movie? I was really stuck by how much it resembled a souped up action/adventure episode of House MD. But of course we know Houses' producers freely admit that Holmes inspired House, but I wonder if Guy Ritchie is willing to admit House inspired Holmes this time.

Oh yeah and how do Jim, bout time you showed up.

[Gob]

C-P, I love the original, I have a couple of DVD versions of it, I've not seen the remake, and reading your links, not inspired to I'm afraid.

I was thinking of the two versions of ":The Haunting", the original which was a superb psychological terror, the remake which was a CGI wankfest and actually made me want to smack Catherine Z J.




@-W I've not watched house so cannot comment on that, but as an avid Sherlockian of some 25 years standing, I valued the movie for it breathing life into the canon.

[Lord Jim]

What goes through the mind of a producer who looks at a well crafted, classic film with a cavalcade of stars like Flight Of The Phoenix that leads him to conclude:

"Hey! I can do better than that!"

The next thing that ought to go through the mind of a person consumed with such hubris is a bullet....

I hope I'm not being overly harsh....

(BTW, nice to see you're still around kickin' asses and takin' names, @W)

[Sean]

Doyle would probably have described the new Holmes as a "singular" movie...

Welcome LJ! Good to see you mate.

[Reality Bytes]

If they ever try to remake ZULU I suspect either hubby, myself or our son will be out buying rope and organising a lynching on the other hand if someone would like to take a crack at remaking Zulu Dawn thats fine with us

[The Hen]

I have never seen a remake that was worth the film they wasted on it.

[Lord Jim]

If they ever try to remake ZULU I suspect either hubby, myself or our son will be out buying rope and organising a lynching on the other hand if someone would like to take a crack at remaking Zulu Dawn thats fine with us

Now that would be inexcusable....

Welshmen will not yield!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjvKZHJe ... re=related

[Gob]

Too fucking right!

Typical Welsh, rather be killed than give an inch...

Men of Harlech! In the Hollow,
Do ye hear like rushing billow
Wave on wave that surging follow
Battle's distant sound?
Tis the tramp of Saxon foemen,
Saxon spearmen, Saxon bowmen,
Be they knights or hinds or yeomen,
They shall bite the ground!
Loose the folds asunder,
Flag we conquer under!
The placid sky now bright on high,
Shall launch its bolts in thunder!
Onward! 'tis the country needs us,
He is bravest, he who leads us
Honor's self now proudly heads us,
Freedom, God and Right!

Rocky Steeps and passes narrow,
Flash with spear and flight of arrow
Who would think of death or sorrow?
Death is glory now!
Hurl the reeling horsemen over,
Let the earth dead foemen cover
Fate of friend, of wife, of lover,
Trembles on a blow!
Strands of life are riven!
Blow for blow is given
In deadly lock, or battle shock,
And mercy shrieks to heaven!
Men of Harlech! young or hoary,
Would you win a name in story?
Strike for home, for life, for glory!
Freedom, God and Right!

----

Men of Harlech stop your dreaming
Can't you see their spear points gleaming
See their warrior's pendants streaming
To this battle field.
Men of Harlech stand ye steady
It cannot be ever said ye
For the battle were not ready
Stand and never yield.
Through the hills surrounding
Let this war cry sounding
Summon all to Cambria's call
The mighty force surrounding.
Men of Harlech onto glory
This shall ever be your story
Keep this fighting words before ye
Cambria (Welshmen never) will not yield.

[Gob]

Here's a thought...

In today's Hollywood culture, rather than fight and be massacred by the Zulu, the Welsh would have to sit down in an encounter group with them, and try to come up with a multicultural, holistic, gender neutral way of addressing the oppression of the blacks, and racism inherent in the Welsh flag. The final scene would be the gay wedding of the Zulu chief to Stanley Baker.

Or some such shite.

[Lord Jim]

My favorite lines from that flick:

From the Sergent Major, to the drunken minister:

"Sir, you're scaring the lads...calm down; there's a good gentleman"


Was it the same way for you....

The first time?

The first time?

I came here to build a bridge....

[Lord Jim]

In today's Hollywood culture, rather than fight and be massacred by the Zulu, the Welsh would have to sit down in an encounter group with them, and try to come up with a multicultural, holistic, gender neutral way of addressing the oppression of the blacks, and racism inherent in the Welsh flag. The final scene would be the gay wedding of the Zulu chief to Stanley Baker.

Are you good with that?

Do you feel personally validated expressing your Welsh anger?

I'm sensing a lot of hostility here....