Repackaged Media

[BEDROCK 10]

Is it just me or my age but is anyone else sick of the constant stream of remixes, remakes and reworks?

 

I am talking mainly about films and music here, films mostly.

 

I mean there is very little ideas and creativity any more to push new innovations, there is very little risk taking.

 

It seems that film and music makers are more happy to jump on any bandwagon instead of creating new waves.

 

It seems that every year there is a slew of remakes in the cinemas, reworks to tried and tested formulas and the remakes are often of much poorer quality meaning boring flat actors, directors who are only out for the money and the death of the great film music score, we just don't have memorable film scores any more why is that?

 

In the 80's and 90's when I grew up, there were very little remakes, new stuff was being released all the time and the quality was usually very high, maybe too high, yes there was stinkers and **** poor efforts, goodness the music charts were full of cheesy artists all trying to out-cheese the next artist to appear on the next pop party album at that time.

 

In the 00's it seems the industry as a whole has had to reset itself, like looking in the history books and raking even more money from past glories. The X Factor was born out of Pop Idol and that was born out of Stars in Their Eyes that was born out Opportunity Knocks, it's a vicious circle, I wonder what will follow X Factor in a few years, please to god not Louis Walsh, Sharon Osbourne, Cheryl Cole and for the love of all that is holy,

Simon Cowell thinks he is the next coming of Christ.

 

Regarding films, it seems that horror and action films seem the be the main culprits of remakes, like taking something so perfect as Halloween and remaking it giving The Shape a back story to enforce his evil nature to kill his family, as John Carpenter says: "bad guys with no back story are far more scary and disturbing" he has a point.

 

The Expendables films are admittedly a lot of fun, but they have missed a trick with these films, instead of senseless blowing stuff up, they should have spin off films with action stars that aint muscle bound heroes. In Expendables 2, they had Chuck Norris and Jean Claude Van Damme in the same picture yet they never had them both on screen doing the most epic martial arts scene ever, they just missed all sorts of tricks, they should play to their strengths not give them some ego trip narrative that makes you wanna scream.

 

Also, regarding Michael Bay, the man responsible for ruining adult's childhood memories with the dead hand approach to Transformers, he is helming the forthcoming Ninja Turtles film with real life actors, palease... the films in the 90's were perfectly fine, why spoil them, he should stick to soft core porn as that is where his sensibilities reside, he is a film making cluster ****

 

Anyway enough guff, what are your opinions?

Edited November 16, 2013 by BEDROCK

[Hal Jordan 10]

I'd say that you're totally wrong, there's an abundance of new & original media out there, but people are unwilling to seek it out.

[melthebell 862]

they sell, they make money, why take risks when you dont need to?

[Guest]

Remakes re-imaginings and reboots are tiresome for many of those familiar with the originals and many of the films and TV series have indeed been stinking great piles of dung.

 

Remember, though, that the eighties were a very long time ago and that mass entertainment is, mostly, aimed at youth; what were great ideas back in the 80s are still great ideas, except that today's youth aren't going to be too interested in actors running around on screen in 1986 with big hair and mum jeans, hence the remake.

 

Remember, too, that very few performances are definitive (I'd argue for David Suchet's Poirot, John Thaw's Morse and Joan Hickson's Miss Marple) and that we've been updating classics for a very long time: Basil Rathbone's Sherlock Holmes fought the Nazis in the 1940s, and while Benedict Cumberbatch's Holmes might be throughly modern, few would disagree that the BBC has taken a well-loved character and set of tales and given them an ingenious and creative twist.

[BEDROCK 10]

Remakes re-imaginings and reboots are tiresome for many of those familiar with the originals and many of the films and TV series have indeed been stinking great piles of dung.

 

Remember, though, that the eighties were a very long time ago and that mass entertainment is, mostly, aimed at youth; what were great ideas back in the 80s are still great ideas, except that today's youth aren't going to be too interested in actors running around on screen in 1986 with big hair and mum jeans, hence the remake.

 

Remember, too, that very few performances are definitive (I'd argue for David Suchet's Poirot, John Thaw's Morse and Joan Hickson's Miss Marple) and that we've been updating classics for a very long time: Basil Rathbone's Sherlock Holmes fought the Nazis in the 1940s, and while Benedict Cumberbatch's Holmes might be throughly modern, few would disagree that the BBC has taken a well-loved character and set of tales and given them an ingenious and creative twist.

 

Exactly, if there is enough love and care put into things then they can be very successful.

 

Like the modern Doctor Who, very enjoyable and far superior than the olden days versions.

 

I will say this, that remakes done well can only make a franchise better.

 

Remakes done badly can taint the series no end.

 

Like the remake of The Railway Children featuring Richard Attenborough was arguably better than the original.

 

The remake of The Thing was awesome and the remake of The Fog made more sense in terms of story than the original even though the original with its dodgy plot was far more creepy and atmospheric.