Thursday Movie Picks: Good Remakes
1) The Ring
This is hands down the best PG-13 horror movie ever made in my opinion. It was actually frightening. I didn't see the original, Ringu until after watching this, and while that one was good too, The Ring was far superior for me. It helped having a fun theater experience. People were losing their damn minds when Samara started crawling out of that TV.
2) Dawn of the Dead
I've talked about this film so many times. I straight up hated the original Dawn of the Dead/Night of the Living Dead movies. They're so dated, and I'm apparently too extra to appreciate dated zombies. This film was the perfect balance of fun, camp, and gore. "Fuck me harder, Steve!"
3) Godzilla
Y'all....I liked the Godzilla remake, okay? I LIKED IT.
The Ring totally freaked me out and I still don't like hearing "snow" on the tv. My friend and I thought it was excellent but that demon child coming out of the TV scared the S&%$ out of me. I am not into zombie flicks although I liked the one with Woody Harrelson (Twinkie Boy). I love Godzilla and have seen all the old Japanese flicks and even the one with Matthew Broderick which I find entertaining even though it is stupid. I still have to see the newest one. welcome back!
ReplyDeleteThe new one was so much better than that version they put out in the 90's.
DeleteI haven't seen any of these but I'm really interesting in seeing the Godzilla remake. I'm sure I'm gonna hate it, but I still want to see it.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of people hated it but I thought it was just fine.
DeleteI still haven't got the guts to watch The Ring!
ReplyDeleteIt's so nice to see that someone liked Godzilla, I don't have a strong opinion on it either way but it seems to be so hated I'm scared to admit that I liked it...
I don't really understand why it is so hated either. It was far better than the 90's version. I thought it did just fine.
DeleteTHE RING IS SO GOOD. I also remember everyone losing their damn minds when Samara started crawling out of that TV. It was especially bad for me because a recurring nightmare I had for YEARS involved a TV that wouldn't turn off/would turn on by itself.
ReplyDeleteI still haven't seen Dawn of the Dead, but I did like the new Godzilla - didn't love it, but really liked it.
It's funny to watch that Samara scene now. It's creepy but I haven't felt the same way about it that I did when I first saw it. That really freaked people out.
DeleteThe Dawn of the Dead remake is awesome. Gory and campy. Can't go wrong there.
Unlike every other person on the planet apparently I've yet to see The Ring, I keep meaning to than forget about it. I'll never watch the second, just that shot alone is enough to tell me it's not for me. I have seen Godzilla and yeah I hated it.
ReplyDeleteThere are SO many bad remakes but fortunately there were quite a few decent ones I found when I started poking around including these three.
Ocean’s Eleven (2001)-Freshly released from prison Danny Ocean (George Clooney) has a plan to pull off an elaborate heist of several Las Vegas casinos. He looks up his old pal Rusty (Brad Pitt) and together they gather a group of con men with various skill sets to pull it off. Excitement and merriment follow. The original Frank Sinatra/Dean Martin Rat Pack version has the germ of a very good idea and a very lackadaisical execution, the sequel improves on that idea in every aspect….well I wouldn’t say Julia Roberts is the equal of Angie Dickinson but otherwise it’s golden.
3:10 to Yuma (2007)-In the Old West impoverished farmer Dan Evans (Christian Bale) hires on with Pinkerton men to transport outlaw Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) through the hardscrabble trip to Contention to be put on the 3:10 train to Yuma and prison. Through the many hardships on the trail the two men form a grudging respect for each other which is sorely tested when Wade’s gang is waiting at the end of the journey. Hard, tough minded Western is based very closely on the excellent 50’s version of the same name that stars Van Heflin & Glenn Ford in Bale & Crowe’s roles. Both very entertaining films the ’07 version benefits from the flashy supporting turn of Ben Foster as unhinged henchman Charlie Prince.
Enchanted April (1992)-In 1920’s London upper middle class housewife Lottie Wilkins (Josie Lawrence) is neglected by her business minded husband and yearns to escape the constant rain and gloom of the city. Sensing her church acquaintance Rose Arbuthnot (Miranda Richardson) is in the same fix she proposes they rent an Italian villa for the month of April. Realizing they can’t quite afford it themselves they advertise for other ladies who might be interested. They receive only two replies, Caroline Dester (Polly Walker), a beautiful socialite seeking refuge from an endless string of facile admirers and Mrs. Fisher (Joan Plowright) a crusty, closed off lady who lives in her memories. After a hellious journey and a bumpy start the four women come under the spell of the beauty of the Italian villa (the cinematography is amazing) and surrounding grounds leading to a life changing experience. Based on a bestselling novel and originally filmed in a staid 30’s version (though with a good cast including Frank Morgan and Ann Harding) this adds a half an hour to the running time and vivid color to flesh out the story.
I've seen your first two picks. The 3:10 To Yuma remake is one of the few Westerns I actually enjoy. I don't think I could stomach the original though.
DeleteThe Ring still holds up! Such a fantastic movie. A shame Verbiski doesn't really direct anymore, Cure for Wellness was pretty bad but at least it had great atmosphere
ReplyDeleteUgh, Cure For Wellness was such a letdown. It had so much potential.
DeleteThe Godzilla remake was really good. :P
ReplyDeleteYes. Yes it was.
DeleteYou kind of have a theme going with your remakes!
ReplyDeleteAside from them being watchable? lol
DeleteI've seen your first 2 picks as those are good remakes though I haven't seen the original version of The Ring. I still haven't seen the recent version of Godzilla though I'm sure it's way better than the 1998 version.
ReplyDeleteIt's far better. Ringu is good, but I liked The Ring's atmosphere better.
DeleteI'm one of the few who didn't love The Ring. It was okay, but didn't knock my socks off. It's a lot better than the sequel, though. And I haven't seen the original.
ReplyDeleteAlso haven't seen either Dawn of the Dead. Not sure how this happened.
I'm already on record with my hatred of 2014's Godzilla. I'm very cautiously optimistic about King of Monsters.
I'm surprised you haven't seen Dawn of the Dead. I think you'd really enjoy the remake.
DeleteDude....the Ring. When I saw it in theaters, I almost left when creepy girl crawled out of the television, but my friend forced me to stay. That movie IS the best PG-13 horror film...i'm scared just thinking about it!
ReplyDeleteI agree!
DeleteThe Ring - yes that scene was scary even when I knew it was coming.
ReplyDeleteI have only seen the original Night of the Living Dead...I didn't find it too bad just that the acting was bad. Since I haven't seen the original Dawn of the Dead, I did look at the stills on IMDB and it does look pretty bad, having it in color, unlike Night of the Living Dead, makes it look worse.
The acting was horrendous, but I think that was common in old horror movies.
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