Not exactly a remake per se, but based on the concept of the original 1969 film starring Michael Caine, “The Italian Job” is a fun popcorn action flick. The filmmakers play it smart by comprising an all-star cast of actors that play their roles well; there’s a round up of charismatic and memorable actors who all play some great characters. Mark Wahlberg leads the cast as Charlie the gifted thief and leader of the group, Charlize Theron is Stella, the daughter of John who is a legitimate safe cracker for the police. Edward Norton plays the slimy and sneaky Steve.
Tag Archives: Remake
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
In this remake — I mean “re-imagining” of the shocking cult horror classic directed by Tobe Hooper, in 1973 five teens on their way to a rock concert find themselves on a deserted road where they pick up a hitchhiker (Laura German) who seems to have been in a traumatic ordeal, when they attempt to comprehend her condition, she commits suicide. The teens attempt to seek help at a large house and wind up entering a horrifying nightmare none of them can escape. Though the film has its flaws it also has a lot of good stuff in it; the filmmakers attempt to stick this so close to the original that comedian John Larroquette who narrated the original, returns to narrate this one; it’s a great tribute. One of the biggest aspects of the original film was the shock of finding that Larroquette (who is a comedian and starred in “Night Court”) narrated such a horrifying film, and the filmmakers don’t skimp out on the fans.
Red Dragon (2002)
I was very skeptical as to whether this would work; first off I really enjoyed the first film and the second film was completely violent and senseless, but inevitably, I was surprised with the end-result. To any one who has thoroughly reviewed this website and inspected its contents, I am a big fan of Edward Norton. He is a great asset to this trilogy and really manages to absorb his role. His character is naive and ultimately shy in the beginning and manages to evolve into a tougher and cooler person by the climax. I assumed he would end up being just a Clarise Starling character clone, but I was glad because he ended up being a much better antagonist towards Lecter. I enjoyed the way he had a special ability to see things on a crime scene but the writer’s never truly put a lot of emphasis on it and it never truly became the basis for his character which made him a lot more interesting.
Rollerball (2002)
Now, granted, I’ve never seen the original “Rollerball” starring the great James Caan, but I think I can assure you, that it might have been better than this fiasco. The movie force-feeds us predictable and uninspired action scenes of people rolling around on their amped up blades and motorcycles as different growling and hooting players wearing ridiculous costumes and helmets bash each others skulls in etching to grab a hold of the rollerball attempting to score a point for a specific country as different announcers from the countries broadcasting the games holler at us through the screen play-by-play.
The Ring (2002)
After the mysterious death of a loved relative, reporter Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) discovers the source behind the death and begins to investigate. What she begins to discover will be a descent into darkness and evil that will forever change her life. This was based on the original Japanese horror series of movies that took Japan by storm and became a classic. The execs at America took notice and decided to remake it hoping to spawn an equally engrossing hit. What is spawned by it is a truly horrific movie that has the makings of a masterpiece. The one thing that stood out from this movie is the incredible cinematography.
Top 10 Movie Rules (For a Better Life)
1. If you have to constantly explain to others why it’s not a bad movie, and start each defense with “I don’t care what anybody says”, and cite rental estimates, the chances are it’s indeed a bad movie. You’re defending a bad movie. Just admit it’s bad but you like it anyway, and move on.
Thirteen Ghosts (2001)
I have to say director Steve Beck’s treatment “Thirteen Ghosts” is not as bad as everyone says it is. Every movie buff knows that this is a remake of the cult-classic directed by famous director William Castle. I found this to be a very good horror flick and a fun ghost thriller. The premise and concept of the movie are basically the same. The family is trapped in a big house with ghosts you can only see with special glasses. There are different entities and personalities for each ghost, my favorite would have to be the Juggernaut.