The unnecessary reboot/remake of the week thread
- Thread starter Rowdy Roddy McDowall
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Make the reboot depressing:
Is that even iconic enough to warrant a remake? I never saw the original, which likely means I'm not the target audience, but it just seems an odd thing to be remaking.
The original is a pretty great movie with a fantastic cast.
*Though I will say the entire conceit of the film seems pretty rooted in the 90s, which in itself makes one question the reasoning behind remaking it.
*Though I will say the entire conceit of the film seems pretty rooted in the 90s, which in itself makes one question the reasoning behind remaking it.
All they care about is the name recognition. They're not trying to remake a bad movie into a good one, they want the title of a good movie where they either make a subpar version of it or make something that has nothing to do with it.
That's also why Universal has a division that makes random (usually unrelated) sequels to Jarhead, The Scorpion King, Dragonheart, Death Race, Kindergarten Cop, Inside Man, Undercover Brother, and the list goes on.
Jarhead is a true story about inactivity during war time, and now it has three fictional unrelated sequels about combat.
I'm having trouble selling my script about terrorists taking over a moon base. I'm gonna see if Universal will make it under the title Pitch Perfect 4.
That's also why Universal has a division that makes random (usually unrelated) sequels to Jarhead, The Scorpion King, Dragonheart, Death Race, Kindergarten Cop, Inside Man, Undercover Brother, and the list goes on.
Jarhead is a true story about inactivity during war time, and now it has three fictional unrelated sequels about combat.
I'm having trouble selling my script about terrorists taking over a moon base. I'm gonna see if Universal will make it under the title Pitch Perfect 4.
Yeah, I hadn't even thought of that aspect, which makes this an even weirder choice to remake it.
You're probably right. It really reminds me of the Roadhouse remake. It wasn't even Swayze's best movie, but it was the cast and the soundtrack that really made the movie memorable. Take those away, and all you have left is the name, which IMHO isn't really strong enough or iconic enough to stand on its own.
"White Men Can't Jump" should have only been brought back if they had gotten Woody and Snipes and Rosie Perez back and sort of show what they are doing with their lives today and make the plot basketball connected somehow. Got a perfect name for it as well. They could have called it "Old Men Can't Jump."
Bates is never less than excellent and the original wasn't exactly high quality drama, but this this is weird.
It’s a reboot of Matlock with a woman, but in the trailer she mentions that she has the same name as the character “from the old TV show.”
Also, it looks like she’s not solving crimes, but going after civil judgments. And it says it’s a drama but every scene in the trailer plays as a comedy.
As a cranky old man, I find this disturbing and off-putting.
It’s a reboot of Matlock with a woman, but in the trailer she mentions that she has the same name as the character “from the old TV show.”
Also, it looks like she’s not solving crimes, but going after civil judgments. And it says it’s a drama but every scene in the trailer plays as a comedy.
As a cranky old man, I find this disturbing and off-putting.
Yeah, I'm not sure what to make of this at all. It looks like all it's got in common with the older show is the name "Matlock," and they're both lawyers. But I'll tune in because it's Kathy Bates and at least give it a shot. I can almost guarantee my mom (who watches reruns of Andy Griffith Matlock every day) will turn this off in the first 15 minutes and want to know what the heck she just watched. 
I understand they wanted to capitalize on the old name, but the character is different enough it may have faired better with an original "title."Yeah, I'm not sure what to make of this at all. It looks like all it's got in common with the older show is the name "Matlock," and they're both lawyers. But I'll tune in because it's Kathy Bates and at least give it a shot. I can almost guarantee my mom (who watches reruns of Andy Griffith Matlock every day) will turn this off in the first 15 minutes and want to know what the heck she just watched.
As far as the trailer feeling more like a comedy than a drama, there was usually plenty of that on OG Matlock, especially during the years when Don Knotts played his neighbor. And honestly, some of the show's tropes end up becoming funny after you've watched it too many times (which happened to me during lockdown three years ago) — Ben being cheap, his investigator repeatedly getting his ass kicked (especially during Kene Holliday's time on the show), that sort of stuff.
Or even just doing a straight reboot with a female character named Benedicta "Ben" Matlock that doesn't go meta and maintains more of the original premise. Again, this isn't necessary going to be bad, I just find it a very curious set of creative choices for a new version of a show that, almost by design, is intended to appeal to an older group of viewers usually more interested in straight-forward "comfort food" genre programming.
Thing is... it is a "new generation" of old folk they are appealing to
That is true but I still suspect the members of that generation who watch CBS procedurals aren't overly interested in "metatextual Matlock."
I watched the first episode of that new Netflix Arnie show. It was okay. But the whole time I kept thinking that instead of that dumb as TL reboot, they could have done this but with Dushku and Cameron producing.
It takes a few episodes but Night Court is getting into the groove. Maybe not on the top of your list, but I think worth trying
I also like his helpful KARATE license plate.
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