OFFICIAL: Hollywood is out of original ideas!

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

If we see a Hollywood film these days it's most likely to be 'based on a true story', or a sequel, or a 're-imagining' or a remake of a fantastic / good / average foreign film.

Ringu's remake was pretty poor.

Taxi's remake was awful.

Italian Job's 're-imagining' missed the magic of the original.

And now, two of my favourite films from Korea and Hong Kong are set to be remade.

The magnificent Oldboy is getting a Yank remake with Mel Gibson set to play the lead role of a man imprisoned without reason for fifteen years, while the director of Fast and the Furious 3 is set to direct.

The slick and stylish Infernal Affairs is getting remade by Martin Scorcese with an all-star cast including DiCaprio, Damon, Nicholson, Martin Sheen and Mark Wahlberg. (DiCaprio and Damon aren't even fit to lick the boots of Andy Lau and Tony Leung)

Now I guess if there's a market for such things, they'll be made, and I know plenty of westerners hate reading subtitles and other Eastern 'quirks' of cinema....But this makes my blood boil.

Any remakes you hate?

[GoGo Yubari]

I'm actually really looking forward to the International Affairs remake. I really like Damon and DiCaprio seems to inexplicably have taken acting pills a few years ago, completely negating his terrible stuff like Titanic. Plus, Nicholson. Plus, Scorcese.

I have nothing against remakes if they're good, and this one looks good.

That being said, the Oldboy remake looks decidedly less good.

EDIT: INFERNAL Affairs. BAD SLEEPLESS GOGO.

Edited January 17, 2006 by GoGo Yubari

[gunnar hendershow]

A good remake is a good remake. The Oldboy remake I lack confidence in. Hollywood has a bad track record with remakes to be fair. But they've been able to make some good ones... here and there.

[Guest muddatrucker]

I think the Ring was much better than the original, but as a whole, both films were shit, the Japanese one was just shitter, the fact is, they're too similar but at least the American didn't have the really unscary 'lets have a freezeframe when someone dies' ooooooohhhhhh im shivering in my boots.

If a remake is good then great, but I don't see the point in remaking a film if the lastone was good or unless its something that can be improved with current technology that wasn't available at the time.

I've heard they're remaking the warriors with the proper gangs, which completely sucks, the original is great and the whole blatant comicbookness of the gangs was 50% of everything. I'm just glad that the superhero movies have ended for a while.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

That's my problem. Oldboy came out in 2003 and Infernal Affairs was 01/02 sometime.

Still, I liked the remake of Open Your Eyes (which became Vanilla Sky) so I guess I can't be too hypocritical!

[zero]

I don't find anything wrong with Americanizing a foreign film. Until the Ring remake (which was ridiculously superior to Ringu), American audiences did not have access to original Japanese films. I'm sorry, but your average American consumer won't care about Ju-On until they hear about The Grudge.

What does bug me though, is when they slap the name of an old movie onto a new movie when it has little to nothing to do with the original. I also hate unnecessary remakes, movies that are perfect just the way they are get remade. Take for example, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, no reason to remake that, especially that poorly.

[NobBe Nobbs]

I've got to say that any other day of the week, I would wholeheartedly agree with you on the DiCaprio thing, but I recently watched Catch Me If You Can, and that was surprisingly good. It could well be that it was down to the presence of Tom Hanks (who is the Chris Benoit of the film world), but nonetheless he wasn't bad at all.

[K]

Who cares, they fucked up the Italian Job, they'll do anything.

[Silent C]

If the Oldboy remake comes out, I'll... lariat a cat. Or an unsuspecting guy-in-a-cat-suit, or something.

Infernal Affairs, on the other hand, I haven't seen, and Scorcese/DiCaprio/MOTHERFRIGGIN' JACK always sounds interesting at the least.

[Carnage]

So does this mean that Mel Gibson is going to fuck his daughter in the movie?

Edited January 17, 2006 by Benji Mishima

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

So does this mean that Mel Gibson is going to fuck his daughter in the movie?

That's one of the main debates on imdb.com

People have decided that it's highly unlikely a Hollywood version of the film would have that.....It's also impossible for him to eat a live octopus (due to Hollywood harming animal restrictions) and he probably won't be cutting his own tongue out either....

Edited January 17, 2006 by Benji Mishima

[ROC]

To be fair, the Oldboy remake's director, Justin Lin, did direct Better Luck Tomorrow...but I'll be surprised if it's any good, seeing the direction of films Lin looks to be heading towards now. (Don't get me started on why Annapolis will be weak.)

[Guest muddatrucker]

He fucks his own daughter?

Edited January 17, 2006 by muddatrucker

[Kaney]

The story in Oldboy centres around incest as a plot device for revenge. So yeah, he fucks his daughter.

Edited January 17, 2006 by Kaneanite

[Benji]

Hooray for spoiling major plot arcs, time to add spoiler tags methinks.

[Guest muddatrucker]

Hes not spoiling anything, I've read the plot summary on IMDB, but how is fucking family revenge?

[Kaney]

The bad guy in the film used to fuck his sister in high school. The main character walked in on it, and told everyone at school. As a result of the rumours, the sister commited suicide, and the bad guy blames the main character. So he locks him away for about 15 years I think it was, messes with his memory through the process of hypnotism, and makes him fall in love with his own daughter.

They have sex, bad guy reveals all, main character is repulsed etc.

[Benji]

Hes not spoiling anything, I've read the plot summary on IMDB, but how is fucking family revenge?

He was to others though.

[Guest muddatrucker]

Benji, be sure not to read the back of a DVD case, you may feel spoiled.

[Benji]

Benji, be sure not to read the back of a DVD case, you may feel spoiled.

Wouldn't know, didn't read anything of it and it was a mates copied DVD he brought round raving, so no blurb (Y)