August 2005 – Best Remakes

The Fly(1986) – David Cronenberg made a winner out of the 1958 Vincent Price original.

Scarface(1983) – Brian de Palma took the 1932 original and, together with screenplay author Oliver Stone and star Al Pacino, made it one of the greatest and most violent crime epics ever.

Ocean’s Eleven (2001) – Steven Soderbergh packed major star power into this remake the 1960 “Rat Pack” original. Clooney, Pitt, Roberts, Damon and the rest all seem to be having the time of their lives on this one.

Planet of the Apes (2001) – Tim Burton’s film is a remake of the 1968 Charlton Heston classic and stars Mark Wahlberg as human Astronaut Taylor.

The Ring(2002) – Gore Verbinski released his version of Hideo Nakata’s 1998 chiller, saving the best scares for the final few scenes.

The Italian Job (2003) – F. Gary Gray updated the original, which starred Michael Caine, with a talented young cast – and in the process did more for the sale of Austin minis than any ad campaign could have.

Shaft(2000) – Shaft (and Samuel L. Jackson) was “Still the Man” in John Singleton’s remake of the 1971 “blacksploitation” favorite.

Cape Fear (1991) – Robert De Niro nails the creepy role played back in 1962 by Robert Mitchum and Juliette Lewis gives a performance that is both disturbing and arousing. “Come out, come out, wherever you are!”

Dawn of the Dead (2004) – Zack Snyder remakes the second installment of George A. Romero’s “…of the Dead” trilogy from the ‘70s. Mekhi Phifer heads up the new zombie-plagued cast.

The Manchurian Candidate – (2004) – Denzel Washington and Meryl Streep head up the remake of the chilling 1962 psychological thriller that starred Frank Sinatra and raised some interesting questions about how far our government is willing to go.

And what fun is a list of Bests with a mention of Worsts?!

Worst Remake of All Time …It’s a three-way tie!

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre – This slasher remake would make even a Leatherface hide his face!

The Blob – Irvin S. Yeaworth, Jr’s. 1958 version starring Steve McQueen was bad enough ~ then came the sequel, “Son of Blob,” in 1972, followed by a remake in 1988. And as if we haven’t been punished enough, Paramount Pictures is in pre-production on still ANOTHER remake!

Psycho (1998) – Gus Van Sant took a stab at Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 horror masterpiece…and missed by a mile! And the Top Three Most Anticipated Remakes?

War of the Worlds – Steven Speilberg teams with Tom Cruise and Tim Robbins in a special-effects bonanza that updates Orson Wells’ 1953 film that terrified an entire nation.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Tweaking the title of the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and replacing Gene Wilder, star of the 1971 cautionary tale, with Johnny Depp, Director Tim Burton takes us back to the land of the Oompah- Loompahs.

King Kong – Fay Wray starred opposite the big ape and the Empire State building in the 1933 thriller. This time around, Hobbit-friendly Director Peter Jackman cast Naomi Watts as the lucky blonde.