Remakes

Thirty years ago we were treated to Wes Craven’s deliriously entertaining socially-conscious horror roller coaster, The People Under the Stairs. When we talk about Craven’s oeuvre, the usual suspects are mentioned: the exploitation classic, The…

Ten years ago saw the release of remakes of The Thing and Footloose (Prequel, shmequel, you know damn well the 2011 The Thing is a remake really, but we’ll come back to that). Footloose made $63 million…

At one point in this 113-minute slog, Cinderella (Camila Cabello) asks another character with great distress, “But, but, but why??” And such is the question we all must ask ourselves after viewing what is nearly…

When a film is labeled as “classic”, there is a certain something about it. Entertaining and inspiring multiple generations of audiences, its success goes far beyond the initial response from moviegoers. Unfortunately, this sometimes inspires…

Is this article completely irrelevant and outdated? Absolutely. Am I writing it anyway? Of course. What is Home Movie: The Princess Bride? Remember fifteen-ish years ago, at the beginning of the pandemic, when all those…

Rebecca is an upcoming British romantic drama film scheduled to be released worldwide on October 21st by Netflix. The film is directed by Ben Wheatley and stars the likes of Lily James, Armie Hammer, Kristin…

On April 30, 2010, a remake of the classic 1984 horror film, A Nightmare on Elm Street was released. Many, including me, asked the burning question: “Why?” How could you tackle something so iconic, and why even…

Instead of talking to my loved ones during the current quarantine period we all find ourselves in at this moment in time, I’ve been doing the sensible thing and trying my best to fill in…

I wasn’t planning on seeing The Call of the Wild (2020) this year. Harrison Ford seemed out of place and the CG dog seemed like an abomination. Plus, I’d seen behind-the-scenes shots of Harrison Ford petting a…

Title pun aside, it was only a matter of time before Hollywood remade Ruben Östland’s Force Majeure. The premise is just too good to pass up, being both a high-concept, attention-grabbing jumping-off point for marketing…

Dear Hollywood, Please stop with the reimaginings, reboots, retellings, sequels, prequels, or any other “quel” involving beloved franchises. If you feel the need to go back to any well that was thought to be empty,…

“Women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they’ve got ambition, and they’ve got talent, as well as just beauty. I’m so sick of people saying that love is…

Sexual assault inflicted upon women in the United States of America is a national epidemic. The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) reports that 23.1% of undergraduate female students aged 18-24 experience rape or…

Ben-Hur hails from a cinematic era as obscure and seemingly obsolete to us today as the ancient Romans have been to us for centuries. Released in 1959, Ben-Hur came at a time during which many…

Every so often, I watch a movie and am immediately filled with dread afterward because I have no idea how to discuss it. Any critic will tell you that the hardest reviews are those you…

I had no intention of seeing Charlie’s Angels. I’ve never seen a full episode of the original TV show nor have I seen any of the movies. It’s not the type of movie that appeals to me.…

It was merely five years ago when the one-and-done Maleficent arrived in theaters to great box office success. But outside of financial statements, the film didn’t make an impact and has been long forgotten ever since.…

Praise the heavens! July was actually a solid month for film. With Quentin Tarantino debuting a new work and plenty of smaller releases which resulted in a wave of support from Film Twitter, one really…

Hollywood has made a habit of repurposing buzzy foreign films into English-language stories. (Look no further than The Upside from just a few months ago.) Some Most of these attempts are worthless, acting as soulless retreads in…

Disney’s remake of The Lion King roared(?) into theaters last weekend. And while it had an incredibly impressive opening at the box office for an animated film — the best ever, in fact — it…

The fact that I’m reviewing Child’s Play proves that I’m a horrible sell-out. When I first heard about this movie, I flat-out refused to see it. Not just because it’s a remake of one of…

I remember hearing about a potential upcoming remake of The Wild Bunch, starring Will Smith. Without a doubt, Will Smith’s involvement made the prospect even more grotesque. Remember, this is the same guy who asked…

The latest in Disney’s line of live-action remakes, Aladdin, soared to a $100+ opening weekend over the Memorial Day weekend. The film opened amid continued competition from John Wick: Chapter 3 and Avengers: Endgame —…

With the remake of Pet Sematary in cinemas, it’s more than appropriate to take a look at the original film version on its 30th anniversary. In case you’ve forgotten, Doctor Louis Creed, and his family — his…

Shazam! opened to a well-earned $150+ million weekend worldwide. The Zachary Levi-helmed movie is a hit with critics and fans alike, bringing much-needed heart into the DCEU. In other corners of the market, Pet Sematary…

Adaptations that emerge from Stephen King source material are either a hit or a miss. We had IT in 2017 that succeeded in making us fear clowns for the rest of our lives, and The Green…

Dating is so, so tough. Showing vulnerability in the face of possible rejection is one of the more harrowing experience the common single person can encounter. Now add to the mix that the single person…

I never expected Dumbo to ever appear on the roster of Disney’s live-action remakes rolling out since 2010. Like so many, I questioned this decision. The announcement that Tim Burton would be directing only added…

So, The Upside is a thing. In its first weekend The Upside gross over $20 million in the United States, opening at the number one spot ahead of Aquaman. Whether or not this is all a good or…

On the surface, rebooting a classic and beloved film seems simple. The narrative, characters and fan base are already there, it is just a matter of updating the individual pieces that are outdated. But there…