2012movies.net

Fox decided to cut the price on catalog Blu-Ray titles by $10. Those price are even lower on Amazon(between $14.49 and $19.95 each).

28 Days Later

Rising Sun

The Sentinel (2006)

Behind Enemy Lines

Speed

The Transporter

Transporter 2

Broken Arrow

Cast Away

Chain Reaction

The Devil Wears Prada

From Hell

Edward Scissorhands

Flight of the Phoenix (2004)

The Fly (1986)

Entrapment

Fantastic Four

Kiss of the Dragon

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

Men of Honor

The Omen (2006)

Planet of the Apes (2001)

If you care about HD movies and the format war, please read this on my other blog:

Why I won’t go see movies in theater made by Universal, Paramount and Dreamworks

This year, a freighting number of remakes started to be talked about. I wrote that the 80’s were next in Does Hollywood lost some of it’s imagination?. It seems I was sadly right.

Here a list of planned remake of 80’s movies:

Scanners (2008)
Escape from New York (2009)
Footloose (2008)
Revenge of the Nerds (in the news)
Prom Night (2008)
All of Me (2009)
Further Adventures in Babysitting (2008) (not a sequel)
Clash of the Titans (2010)
The Warriors (2008)
Cannibal Holocaust (2009)
The Long Good Friday (2009)
The Evil Dead (2008)
The Thing (2009)
Conan the Barbarian (2009)
Magnum P.I. (2009) like Miami Vice based on a TV series from the 80’s

That’s not counting the already out in 2007 and before:
The Hitcher (2007)
The Hills Have Eyes II (2007)
Hairspray (2007)
The Invasion (2007) (1956, 1978(close enough) and 1993) It’s the third Remake but none in 1980.

This is only a small list just my searching “remake” in the news section of Zap2it for 2007. It still took a few hours of digging first. I can’t imagine what the rest of the year will be like. I found, after that, a “remake of cult classic” tag on imdb.com with only 30 movies. Most movies above did not have the tag but will be very soon.

I was too young for some of the early 80’s movies to see them in theaters and appreciate them. I might go see them but then again, I might not.

At that rate, the 90’s won’t be far out.

Is Hollywood wrong of remaking those? Should they expect blockbuster numbers or should they release them directly to Blu-Ray instead

Last year, Michel Lauzière made a rollerblade presentation for the David Letterman Show. It was a great thing for a local man. 8 months later, the car company Audi copied it but with a car, of course, and without paying for the rights.

“It maybe peanuts for them but it’s cashews for me” he said on TV tonight. Funny but he has a point.

Now, Audi should be fair and pay him and without the lawyers!

You be the judge:

Michel Lauzière:(top)
Audi commercial:(bottom)

Video below

In the last years, the studios gave movie fans great movies but also a lot of sequels and remakes. Don’t get me wrong, those, from time to time, are fun to watch but it’s the dangerous growing trend that don’t like. Are movie goers responsible? Are studios playing safe? Are actors paid to much? Let’s take look at the 2003 to 2006 top 10 grossing movies and try to answer those questions.

S = Sequel
R = Remake
Source: Lee’s Movie Info

2006

1. Pirates of Caribbean 2 (S)
2. Night at the Museum
3. Cars
4. X3 (S)
5. The Da Vinci Code
6. Superman Returns (S)
7. Happy Feet
8. Ice Age 2 (S)
9. Casino Royale (R)
10. Pursuit of Happyness

2005

1. Revenge of the Sith (S)
2. Chronicles of Narnia
3. Goblet of Fire (S)
4. War of the Worlds (R)
5. King Kong (R)
6. Wedding Crashers
7. Chocolate Factory (R)
8. Batman Begins (S)
9. Madagascar
10. Mr. and Mrs. Smith

2004

1. Shrek 2 (S)
2. Spider-Man 2 (S)
3. The Passion
4. Meet the Fockers (S)
5. The Incredibles
6. Prisoner of Azkaban (S)
7. Day After Tomorrow
8. Polar Express
9. Bourne Supremacy (S)
10. National Treasure

2003

1. Pirates of Caribbean
2. Return of the King (S)
3. Finding Nemo
4. Matrix Reloaded (S)
5. Bruce Almighty
6. X2 (S)
7. Elf
8. Terminator 3 (S)
9. Matrix Revolutions (S)
10. Cheaper by…Dozen

In 2003, we see the start of this trend when 5-6 top movies/year are sequels or remakes. In the previous year, it was 2-3 movies.

Are movie goers at fault?
Yes but I think part of it is the price of tickets. Why pay $12 and take a risk on a movie? But when you know the characters and like the premise in advance, it’s a safe way to get entertained with your hard earned cash. If the price would be cut by half, I’m sure that most people would see more movies and take the risk. I know because I go when prices are lower(not half yet) and I see a lot more movies than in previous years. And yes, I’m guilty, I also go see the sequels or remakes.

Are studios playing safe?
Yes and we can blame the higher cost of big budget movies. I can understand them for playing safe because they loose more often than they gain. It’s a business after all. But if a sequel can bring box office numbers while recycling stuff from the previous movie, why not? It let them pay for the other movies.

I don’t mind a remake like War of the World(2005) because the original was made in 1953. I don’t like those made in the 70′. It is a trend seen in horror movies lately like Black Christmas(1974, 2006), The Hills Have Eyes(1974, 2006), Texas chainsaw Massacre(1974, 2006)… Instead, they could make a prequel or sequel if none was created before. A Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970) sequel is something I would look forward.

It will also mean that the 80′ will be next soon and we could get remakes of Ghost Buster(1984), E.T.(1982) or even Scanners(1981). Incidentally, a remake of Scanners is scheduled for 2008.

Apart of remakes, they could look into books. Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings are 2 good examples. I’m sure they are other books that can be adapted. I don’t read books and I always say: “If a book is good then I will wait for the movie“.

Last week 300, based on a graphic novel by Frank Miller, is good example of an adaptation. It made 70 Millions the first weekend on a 60 Millions budget.

One other source for Hollywood could be foreign movies. The best example is this year Oscar winner The Departed. This movie was based on Infernal Affairs(Hong Kong).

Are actors paid to much?
Yes but who can blame them for taking the offer. One way for studios to lower the cost is more profit sharing with actors. Instead of a 10-20 Millions payday, they could get just 1 or 2 Millions and have an higher percentage. If the movie bomb at the box offices both parties looses but it’s mostly the studios. But if it’s a major blockbuster, then everybody wins.

Upcoming sequels/remake for 2007

Are We Done Yet?, The Hills Have Eyes II, Shrek 3, Spider-Man 3, Pirates of Caribbean 3, 28 Weeks Later, Hostel: Part II, Ocean’s 13, Fantastic Four II, Die Hard 4, Nancy Drew, Rush Hour 3, The Bourne Ultimatum, Halloween,The Heartbreak Kid, Resident Evil 3, Saw IV, AVP 2, National Treasure 2

Who will be in the top 10 this year? Time will tell.