Tag Archives: remake

‘Poltergeist’ remake appears to be a scary-good time

Movies, Video, , , ,

The classic 1982 supernatural spooker Poltergeist, directed by Tobe Hooper and produced by Steven Spielberg, is receiving a modern franchise reboot. The new Poltergeist, though it cleverly follows the original film’s plot and borrows many of the tropes, is not connected canonically to the ’82 flick or its two sequels. Gil Kenan (Monster House) takes the reigns this time, with Sam Raimi (Evil Dead, The Grudge) producing.

[Kenan and Raimi] contemporize the classic tale about a family whose suburban home is haunted by evil forces. When the terrifying apparitions escalate their attacks and hold the youngest daughter captive, the family must come together to rescue her before she disappears forever.

The dimensional closet? Check. The static TV screen? Check. A nightmare-inducing clown? Oh, you betcha. And with the advent of so many new technologies like cell phones and tablets, I can’t wait to see how the evil spirits take advantage of our myriad “black mirrors.” The trailer is a scary-good time so sit back, relax, and say it with me: They’re here.

Poltergeist, starring Sam Rockwell and Rosemarie DeWitt, opens in 3D on July 24.

Movie trailer round-up: ‘RoboCop’, ‘Neighbors’ & ‘Gravity’

Movies, Video, , , , , ,

Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 sci-fi classic is getting an action-packed and explosive remake. Brazilian director José Padilha helms the new RoboCop with The Killing‘s Joel Kinnaman as police officer turned cyborg Alex Murphy. Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Abbie Cornish, Jackie Earle Haley, Michael K. Williams, Jennifer Ehle, Jay Baruchel, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, and Samuel L. Jackson round out this surprisingly star-studded cast. The new RoboCop looks like good fun, but I’m not so sure it will capture the same satiric essence that the original did. If the trailer is any indication, this will be your run-of-the-mill popcorn flick set in a dystopian future; been there, done that. Padilha, surprise me. It’s out February 7, 2014. Synopsis below:

In RoboCop, the year is 2028 and multinational conglomerate OmniCorp is at the center of robot technology. Overseas, their drones have been used by the military for years – and it’s meant billions for OmniCorp’s bottom line. Now OmniCorp wants to bring their controversial technology to the home front, and they see a golden opportunity to do it. When Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) – a loving husband, father and good cop doing his best to stem the tide of crime and corruption in Detroit – is critically injured in the line of duty, OmniCorp sees their chance for a part-man, part-robot police officer. OmniCorp envisions a RoboCop in every city and even more billions for their shareholders, but they never counted on one thing: there is still a man inside the machine pursuing justice.

Jump after the break to view more trailers. Continue reading Movie trailer round-up: ‘RoboCop’, ‘Neighbors’ & ‘Gravity’ →

Capcom is working on a remastered version of ‘DuckTales’, get ready to sing-along

News, Technology, Video, , , , , , , , ,

Remember DuckTales, the classic and addicting NES platformer that released way back in 1989 and let players take control of Scrooge McDuck to collect gold and rare treasures from all around the world? The game’s original developer Capcom is joining with Disney and WayForward Technologies to produce a “remastered” version of the title to be released this summer for Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, and Wii U eShop. Though Scrooge and his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie are leaving the 8-bit world for today’s advanced graphics, the game’s animation style will still retain a 2D-like design and the original voice cast from the cartoon series that actually inspired the game is back to reprise their memorable roles. The game will feature the same levels from the original, with a few new surprises and challenged sprinkled in to keep things fresh.

Watch the reveal trailer for DuckTales Remasterd in the clip hanging above and sing-along to the unforgettable theme song from the ABC animated series that ran from 1987-1990.

‘Toy Story’ gets a live-action, shot-for-shot treatment that was made to impress

Entertainment, Movies, Video, , , , ,

You know that saying? If you put your mind to it you can accomplish anything. Well, here’s proof. Jesse Perrotta, 21, and Jonason Pauley, 19, created a live-action, shot-for-shot remake of the original Toy Story. After two years of hard work with real toys, marionette strings and wires and stop-motion skill, the boys uploaded to YouTube an 80 minute recreation of the classic Pixar animated film. To add authenticity they incorporated Randy Newman’s unforgettable soundtrack and they edited in the characters’ real voices from the movie.

If you don’t have an hour and twenty minutes to take it all in, you can still appreciate their inspired effort by scrubbing around the clip that has amassed over 3.6 million views since hitting the ‘Net just three days ago. The Toy Story junkies brought a DVD copy of their movie to Pixar and although the company hasn’t offered any official comments, Toy Story 3 director Lee Unkrich tweeted a link to the video and called the creators “VERY dedicated guys.”

Take a trip down memory lane and watch in awe as Toy Story comes to (real) life.

‘Evil Dead’ remake trailer is red-band, as in blood red

Movies, News, Video, , , , , , ,

Cult classic horror film Evil Dead (1981) is getting a remake. Though a new director Fede Alvarez is steering the 2013 reboot, original helmer Sam Raimi and star Bruce Campbell have expressed their faith by contributing as executive producers. Raimi, along with Diablo Cody and Rodo Sayagues, also helped pen the screenplay. The synopsis should read familiar:

In the much anticipated remake of the 1981 cult-hit horror film, five twenty-something friends become holed up in a remote cabin. When they discover a Book of the Dead, they unwittingly summon up dormant demons living in the nearby woods, which possess the youngsters in succession until only one is left intact to fight for survival.

Campbell’s Ash Williams is no longer the protagonist. He is replaced by Suburgatory star Jane Levy and she is surrounded by Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jessica Lucas, and Elizabeth Blackmore.

Watch the extremely gory, violent, and quite terrifying red-band trailer. Nothing seems campy about this one. Jump after the break to see the trailer teaser (released yesterday) featuring commentary from New York Comic Con that’ll amp anticipation guaranteed.

Evil Dead rises again this spring on April 12, 2013. Continue reading ‘Evil Dead’ remake trailer is red-band, as in blood red →

Trailer: Footloose

Movies, Video, , , , , ,

Reboot time! The 1984 classic Footloose is making a comeback with a brand new cast. Newcomer Kenny Wormald is ready to step into the big shoes once filled by a young Kevin Bacon to star as the rebellious Ren MacCormack. Country singer Julianne Hough plays the minister’s daughter Ariel, Dennis Quaid is her father, and Miles Teller is Ren’s friend Willard. Need a recap on the story? Here it is:

Ren MacCormack is transplanted from Boston to the small southern town of Bomont where he experiences a heavy dose of culture shock. A few years prior, the community was rocked by a tragic accident that killed five teenagers after a night out and Bomont’s local councilmen and the beloved Reverend Shaw Moore responded by implementing ordinances that prohibit loud music and dancing. Not one to bow to the status quo, Ren challenges the ban, revitalizing the town and falling in love with the minister’s troubled daughter Ariel in the process.

Footloose is a timeless classic. Is a remake necessary? Probably not. But the music and dancing entwined in this love story is so fantastic that I wouldn’t mind watching it all over again in a slightly altered modern form. Dig the trailer above and get ready to snap in the aisles when Footloose circa 2011 hits theatres this October.

Short film: Mortal Kombat (A MUST WATCH)

Movies, News, Video, , , , , ,

On Tuesday this viral video hit the ‘Net and quickly garnered critical acclaim.  After watching this extremely well produced short film based on the classic video game Mortal Kombat people everywhere began to speculate.  Was this a teaser trailer for a reboot of 1995’s Mortal Kombat film or was it just a fan-made work of art?  Shortly after its arrival it was discovered that the seven-and-a-half minute short was directed by Kevin Tancharoen (director of 2009’s Fame) and it was produced in an attempt to pitch Tancharoen’s vision for a reimagined Mortal Kombat movie to Warner Brothers (as confirmed by actress Jeri Ryan’s Twitter feed).  Mortal Kombat: Rebirth was Tancharoen’s way of saying, “Hey WB, check out this video, see what I can do, and let’s talk about making a new Mortal Kombat flick.”

This mini-movie is nothing short of fantastic.  Though it takes place in the MK universe, the characters’ origins are based in reality.  Instead of attributing their abilities to the supernatural, each villain transforms into their malaligned selves due to psychotic breaks or hereditary disease.  These characters have mental and physical “issues” and they know martial arts.  That’s Tancharoen’s spin on the MK universe.  And obviously he retains the overall plot which revolves around the tournament.  From the intense fight sequence to the stunning camera shots and visuals, Tancharoen’s short deserves WB approval.  As Jackson Briggs was trying to convince Hanzo Hasashi/Scorpion to enter the tournament to kill Baraka, Reptile, and the other villains I was instantly imagining and anticipating how the story would continue.  And then I remembered I was only watching a short clip on YouTube.  I have no doubt this masterpiece of a short will lead to a feature-length MK movie sometime in the near future.

MK: Rebirth stars Michael Jai White as Jackson Briggs, Matt Mullins as Johnny Cage, Ian Anthony Dale as Hanzo Hasashi/Scorpion, Richard Dorton as Reptile, Lateef Crowder as Alan Zane/Baraka, and Jeri Ryan as Sonya Blade.  The fight sequence was choreographed by Larnell Stovall. Continue reading Short film: Mortal Kombat (A MUST WATCH) →

Gilligan’s Island is being remade for the big screen

Movies, News, ,

Warner Bros. and Atlas Entertainment are bringing back the seven castaways of Gilligan’s Island, the highly popular and successfully syndicated show that originally aired on CBS for three seasons between 1964 and 1967.  For you younglings, Variety does a fine job at summizing the premise of the show: “[It] centered on the wacky misadventures of seven castaways — two crew members, a millionaire couple, a professor, a movie star and a girl-next-door type — on an uncharted and uninhabited island in the Pacific.”  Details about the movie’s plot are undisclosed since it has yet to be written.  Sherwood Schwartz (original show producer and composer for “The Ballad of Gilligan’s Isle,” the iconic theme song) and son Lloyd Schwartz are the executive producers with Charles Roven (The Dark Knight, Scooby Doo, The International) and Richard Suckle (Scooby Doo, The International) as producers.  Brad Copeland (Wild Hogs) will pen the script.  Production could start as early as next year, but that all depends on when they find a director and when the script is finalized.  Roven on the remake: “The characters are so good.  We think it’s going to be a great story to transport these cultural icons to the modern day.”

Sherwood Schwartz said he envisions Michael Cera cast as the iconic lead character Gilligan.  Do you think that’s a good choice?  What about the others…

The ship set ground on the shore of this uncharted desert isle, with Gilligan, The Skipper too, the millionaire and his wife, the movie star, the professor and Mary Ann, Here on Gilligans Isle.

[Via Variety]

Trailer: The Karate Kid

Movies, Video, , ,

Here’s the trailer for the remake of the original Karate Kid (1984).  It stars Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan as his martial arts trainer.  Harald Zwart is directing, Jaden’s dad Will Smith is producing with wife Jada Pinkett, James Lassiter, Ken Stovitz, and Jerry Weintraub (he launched the original franchise).

According to Variety, “While the new film will be set in that exotic locale, it will borrow elements of the original plot, wherein a bullied youth learns to stand up for himself with the help of an eccentric mentor.”  The Karate Kid opens in theaters June 11.  The trailer looks fun, but will it live up to the original or Parts II, III, and The Next Karate Kid?

[Via TrailerAddict; Variety]

Zemeckis finds his Fab Four for ‘Yellow Submarine’ 3D remake

Movies, News, , , , ,

Director Robert Zemeckis (A Christmas Carol (2009), The Polar Express), in collaboration with Disney, is remaking The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine feature film.  In 3D.  The original 1968 movie was animated and trippy and featured a soldier named Old Fred, the Blue Meanies, and of course The Beatles and their brilliant soundtrack.  Zemeckis will be using  3D performance-capture technology for the remake.  And the (new) Fab Four are: Cary Elwes, Dean Lennox Kelly, Peter Serafinowicz and Adam Campbell are George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr, respectively.  Look after the break to compare the actors to the real fab four.

Not so sure how all this is going to turn out.  But I’ll give it to the casting crew: all four selections are British and Serafinowicz was raised in Liverpool.  And I love Beatles music.

[Via EW-MusicMix; TheHollywoodReporter]

Continue reading Zemeckis finds his Fab Four for ‘Yellow Submarine’ 3D remake →

Highlander remake is in the works

Movies, News, , , ,

Fast & Furious alums director Justin Lin and producer Neal Moritz are set to remake the classic 1986 cult film Highlander.  Peter Davis, one of the producers from the original Highlander series, is also on board to produce.  Art Marcum and Matt Holloway (of Iron Man success) will pen the script.  The original Highlander starred Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Clancy Brown and Roxanne Hart.  Casting for the remake has not been decided yet.

Details are small on the direction of the film.  According to insiders, “Summit’s plans to expand on the original Highlander premise of immortals battling amongst us and hunting each other through the ages. The new pic will center on an immortal Scottish swordsman who must confront a murderously brutal barbarian who lusts for a fabled prize.”

“THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE.”

[Via IGN]