BookSmarts Redux – Red Riding Hood Returns
By Tom Racine on July 28th, 2010Posted In: blog, booksmarts
I’m certainly not the first artist to do this sort of thing, but this was among my first “BookSmarts,” and it started a fairly common theme that wound its way through my work. Essentially, “Hollywood Sucks.” Now, that’s a gross overstatement of course. Not all of Hollywood sucks…there are certainly shining examples of how good movies can be made from time to time. (Those times being 1939 and 1962, apparently.) But usually, when Hollywood gets a hold of a classic piece of literature or at least a decent story, they seem to drop the ball on a fairly regular basis.
Can’t you just see Michael Bay (who is, by the way, a demon of some sort sent here to dull our minds and spirits…beware him) pitching this idea? “It’s “Little Red Riding Hood,” but this time she’s pissed and has big guns. And there’s this big thing…a robot maybe…and it goes VRROOOMMM! And then it explodes…and…” Well, you get the idea.
Now, I’m all for interesting takes on old stories, and the word “reboot” doesn’t immediately send me running for the hills. I’m a case-by-case basis sort of guy. Some ideas are worth re-examining. I’m personally calling for someone to finally make a good “Logan’s Run.” I think that movie has a great premise and just needs a little updating. Some ideas on the other hand, not so much. “Planet of the Apes,” anyone?
So…I just gave you $150 million bucks and challenged you to find a movie you could remake or reboot…what do you choose?
I’d grab the 150 Mill, buy some cheap camcorder, a miniature of the Statue of Liberty and remake Planet of the Apes (again) in a zoo with some chimps and the statue held closely for perspective reasons (that’s filmmaker-mumbo-jumbo you don’t need to concern yourself with). I would then buy and move to some tiny island near the international dateline to live happily ever after.
Please wire the money asap, so we can start with the filmings soonishly. Thx.
-D.
still would go with “vanishing point.” one man,one car and three thousand miles of driving in 2 days!
I’d like to see HG2G done again. I really liked the cast of the latest film, and I like Marvin a LOT, but I really wish they would have stayed closer to the book. There’s a lot of things I would have liked to have seen. Although, at this moment in my exhaustion, I can’t name one of them…
Love Booksmarts. More Booksmarts, please!!!!
As for the chewing-up and spitting-out of perfectly good literature into mindless summer distraction, I can only join you in shaking my head ruefully.
*shake*
*shake*
Ruefully.
awesome … and yes, I could see Hollywood doing this very concept. shoot me now.
I have no idea what movie I’d remake…. probably one that Hollywood already screwed up. I’d do it right. or, at least.. better. and that’s not saying much.
hmmm.. how many more times can I slam Hollywood in one paragraph?
“Hollywood Sucks” has been my mantra since 1992, but I’m a hypocrite. I loved this and many, many years ago did a panel cartoon that was somewhat similar. I think Scarlet Letter was out at the time. My “remake” was The Death Of Socrates, by Plato. Of course, it had half-naked babes, action, adventure and everything you won’t find in a philosophy class.
My favorite was the Disney version of Hunchback of Notre Dame. I didn’t watch it, but I still remember the New Yorker review that said (I’m paraphrasing) “any movie with two cute gargoyles named Victor and Hugo can be deemed a ‘lose interpretation’ of the book”.
I would remake “The Guns of Navarone”. Simply to make it follow the book more closely.
As this would be a quality movie, it would never be green lit, and sit shelved in a dark hollywood basement somewhere for all of time.