2010 Was A Year Of Decent Remakes

The other day, I was trying to figure out what stood out about Cinema 2010. Let’s face it, the year started on a low note, even the summer opener, Iron Man 2 was disappointing but this Oscar race fall season has been filled with one great quality film after another.
One thing I noticed though, was that the remakes released this past year actually weren’t that bad. I know, I know, I shouldn’t be supporting remakes. ‘It’s not necessary’ or ‘leave it alone’ and so on and so forth. Hollywood has been nothing but remakes and sequels, right?! But I’m not one to ignore decent works if they existed. That said, some of these were more of a guilty pleasure type of deal. I think these particular remakes worked because they did more than enough to reach out to today’s audience, today’s generation that never got to see the original. If you begged to differ, feel free to express your opinions in the comment section..

PIRANHA 3D

Based on 1978′s Joe Dante-directed film.

When I saw the footage of the remake, directed by Alexandre Aja back at Comic-Con ’10, I thought ‘man, this is the latest sickest, most F*ing insane movie and I can’t seem to keep my eyes off of it’ and ya know what, the movie was all that and so much more. Perhaps it was Kelly Brooks naked or the amount of blood or Ving Rhames being all badass as he got eaten by a bunch of mean ancient fish, but everything about that Piranha 3D was ridiculous.. ridiculously fun.

TRUE GRIT

Based on Charles Portis’ book. Originally adapted in 1969 starring John Wayne.

Rama’s SCREEN reader moviebuff thinks the Coen’s take was more about the actors’ outstanding performances because everything else was pretty much similar to the Wayne version. Be that as it may, I saw much of Coens’ typical clusterf*ck humor in this film, so that’s an attraction in itself. I don’t think the Coens’ wanted to prove to anybody that their version is the better one, they just wanted to retell the story using their filmmaking style. Plus Deakins’ cinematography is one that nobody should miss out on.

THE CRAZIES

Based on 1973′s George A. Romero-directed film

I wasn’t too crazy (no pun intended) when I first saw this remake, I thought it was just average but after 2nd viewing, I could see why the fans found it merciless and devastating and it did have a lot of surprises around each corner. And the highlight has got to be the small town feel to it. This wasn’t Emmerich’s disaster movie in New York City. The Crazies was set in a small town where the Sheriff knew everybody’s name and neighbors helped each other out, so there’s something more harrowing when that type of environment suddenly turned into a kill or be killed situation.

LET ME IN

It still upsets me that this remake happened way too soon, especially after the Swedish adaptation was a masterpiece in my book.
But for the most part, director Matt Reeves did stay faithful to the material, he didn’t go astray or inject too much distraction, as a matter of fact, it may have been one of the most beautiful, hypnotic horror films in recent years. It was beautifully shot. Reeves kept it dark with so little time for humor, which was significant in Alfredson’s version.

I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE

A remake that was as brutal and disturbing as the original. Definitely not for the faint of heart.
Sara Butler’s daring performance was unbelievable. And her character’s revenge was diabolically clever and satisfying. Watch with caution

THE NEXT THREE DAYS

Based no 2008′s French movie Anything For Her

Never got to watch the original but the Paul Haggis-directed remake had the misfortune of opening on the same weekend as Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1.
The Next Three Days was a clever, pulse-pounding prison break movie that was mostly not. Russell Crowe’s character managed to think 2 and 3 steps ahead of his pursuer. The movie at first made it seem like he was in way over his head but halfway through, you’d be left impressed.