American remakes of foreign movies that aren't incredibly fucking terrible

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I can barely think of any, though there must be some. The Birdcage is pretty funny. Does Stalag 17 count as a remake of The Grand Illusion?

― antexit (antexit), Sunday, 17 October 2004 13:26 (twenty-one years ago)

The Hollywood remake of The Ring, while not as good as the original, was far better than it could have been.

― Jason J, Sunday, 17 October 2004 13:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Vanilla Sky is quite watchable, and most of it's flaws come from the original.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Sunday, 17 October 2004 13:42 (twenty-one years ago)

no, everything that is wrong with vanilla sky has to do with cameron crowe and that bob dylan bit.

i will get flamed for saying this, but I think city of angels (hollywood Wings of Desire) is pretty good. It's more a sappy melodrama version of the same story, but on that level, it works

― kyle (akmonday), Sunday, 17 October 2004 13:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Hmm, to me the basic flaw in both Vanilla Sky and Abre los ojos was the ending, which felt kinda flat, clichéd and too explanatory. Admittedly, Crowe spelled the whole thing out even more loud than Amenabar, but besides the pop culture references there isn't that much difference between the two films.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Sunday, 17 October 2004 13:50 (twenty-one years ago)

the remake of Solaris was ok.

― zappi (joni), Sunday, 17 October 2004 13:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Is "watchable" and "ok" the best you guys can come up with? I thought Vanilla Sky was godawful, as well.

― antexit (antexit), Sunday, 17 October 2004 14:48 (twenty-one years ago)

sorcerer (the wages of fear remake) is pretty good

― jones (actual), Sunday, 17 October 2004 14:58 (twenty-one years ago)

everything IS wrong with vanilla sky

― s1ocki (slutsky), Sunday, 17 October 2004 21:29 (twenty-one years ago)

ummm good question, though. i am racking these brains.

― s1ocki (slutsky), Sunday, 17 October 2004 21:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Christopher Nolan's Insomnia is really good.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Sunday, 17 October 2004 21:46 (twenty-one years ago)

the magnificent seven!

― zappi (joni), Sunday, 17 October 2004 21:49 (twenty-one years ago)

I fucking hated Vanilla Sky, and I liked Abre los Ojos quite a bit. My reasons for this are deep and varied, and have everything to do with hating Cameron Crowe. And they have a great deal to do with the pop culture references.

The Ring was the first response I thought of to this thread.

― Smokin' funk by the boxes (kenan), Sunday, 17 October 2004 21:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Does Fistful of Dollars count? Even if not, Last Man Standing is good.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Sunday, 17 October 2004 22:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Magnificent Seven OTM.

― Smokin' funk by the boxes (kenan), Sunday, 17 October 2004 22:03 (twenty-one years ago)

I gotta say The Grudge remake looks pretty freaky. I wouldn't be shocked if it was pretty good.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Sunday, 17 October 2004 22:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, I was just saying that I have to see that if only for the effects.

― Smokin' funk by the boxes (kenan), Sunday, 17 October 2004 22:08 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah!! scary commercial!!

― s1ocki (slutsky), Sunday, 17 October 2004 23:08 (twenty-one years ago)

The first time I saw that commercial, I though it was a butt coming out of the back of her head.

― Smokin' funk by the boxes (kenan), Sunday, 17 October 2004 23:09 (twenty-one years ago)

it's a critter! (remember "critters"?)

― s1ocki (slutsky), Sunday, 17 October 2004 23:11 (twenty-one years ago)

When I saw The Grudge commercials my first thought was "My god, this will be SO much worse than The Ring ever dreamed of being"

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Sunday, 17 October 2004 23:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Insomnia.

― j.m. lockery (j.m. lockery), Monday, 18 October 2004 00:52 (twenty-one years ago)

The Vanishing, maybe. Only maybe.
The orig Solaris is one of my favourite movies ever and I detested the remake. I only saw the original (for the first time, but on the big screen) just after the remake came out and I'm SO SO SO relieved I didn't see the shitey shite worst ending ever Clooney one first.

― cuspidorian (cuspidorian), Monday, 18 October 2004 01:47 (twenty-one years ago)

WTF Insomnia and ESPECIALLY The Vanishing remakes are awful.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 18 October 2004 01:49 (twenty-one years ago)

was back to school a remake of the wild child?

ahem well... is the release of the grudge some kind of precedent? same director (right?), same story, two countries-of-origin, released at the same time? the trailers are nearly identical too, right down the ass-head shower dealio.

― g--ff (gcannon), Monday, 18 October 2004 06:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Just Visiting is fucking hilarious.

― Adam Bruneau (oliver8bit), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 15:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Not sure if this one counts: I think "La Jetee" is cool, but I think "12 Monkeys" is totally excellent. It's not a straight remake, of course...

― Clusterfuck at the Baja Fresh Salsa Bar (Ben Boyer), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 19:36 (twenty-one years ago)

"Blow Out"

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 20:00 (twenty-one years ago)

'Last House on the Left'

― dave q, Tuesday, 19 October 2004 20:10 (twenty-one years ago)

'Last House on the Left'
-- dave q (scrape10...), October 19th, 2004.

haha, i love it. this supposedly is a remake of "the virgin spring", right?

WTF Insomnia and ESPECIALLY The Vanishing remakes are awful.
-- Alex in SF (clobberthesauru...), October 18th, 2004.

but are they incredibly fucking terrible?
personally, i agree that both of these remakes are not as good as the foreign originals, but i think insomnia stands on its own pretty well. the vanishing remake is bad, it reduces a truly chilling film into typical movie-of-the-week pathos dreck.

― j.m. lockery (j.m. lockery), Wednesday, 20 October 2004 00:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Well The Vanishing remake is incredibly fucking terrible. But you're right, Insomnia is just mostly fucking terrible.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Wednesday, 20 October 2004 01:30 (twenty-one years ago)

De Palma is no Antonioni, but Blow Out is pretty good De Palma, dood.

― Lifted, or, the story is 'neath my ass (kenan), Wednesday, 20 October 2004 01:37 (twenty-one years ago)

the vanishing remake is incredibly fucking terrible and, in a precedent that don't bode well for the grunge, was directed by the same guy who did the original.

― cinniblount (James Blount), Wednesday, 20 October 2004 01:40 (twenty-one years ago)

blow out isn't really a remake.

― cinniblount (James Blount), Wednesday, 20 October 2004 01:41 (twenty-one years ago)

no. And I just realized that he was saying that it's *not* terrible. My bad.

― Lifted, or, the story is 'neath my ass (kenan), Wednesday, 20 October 2004 01:42 (twenty-one years ago)

It was wishful thinking, really. This thread would be much longer and much more fun if it was about movies that *are* really fucking terrible.

― Lifted, or, the story is 'neath my ass (kenan), Wednesday, 20 October 2004 01:45 (twenty-one years ago)

And how much you wanna bet all the same ones would be mentioned?

― Lifted, or, the story is 'neath my ass (kenan), Wednesday, 20 October 2004 01:47 (twenty-one years ago)

I've heard that True Lies is much better than La Totale!.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 20 October 2004 01:50 (twenty-one years ago)

i can believe that

― cinniblount (James Blount), Wednesday, 20 October 2004 02:31 (twenty-one years ago)

True Lies has Tom Arnold!

― Lifted, or, the story is 'neath my ass (kenan), Wednesday, 20 October 2004 03:05 (twenty-one years ago)

(make of that what you will. I like it.)

― Lifted, or, the story is 'neath my ass (kenan), Wednesday, 20 October 2004 03:06 (twenty-one years ago)

george lucas has claimed that "american graffiti" was a remake of fellini's "i vitelloni."

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Wednesday, 20 October 2004 03:35 (twenty-one years ago)

the only thing that george lucas does is steal from great directors and then make crappy

― todd swiss (eliti), Wednesday, 20 October 2004 03:36 (twenty-one years ago)

the only thing that george lucas does is steal from great directors and then make crappy movies

― todd swiss (eliti), Wednesday, 20 October 2004 03:36 (twenty-one years ago)

the only thing that george lucas does is steal from great directors and then make crappy movies awesome by putting harrison ford in them

― cinniblount (James Blount), Wednesday, 20 October 2004 03:40 (twenty-one years ago)

is the first american remake of foreign movie, same director the man who knew too much?

― cinniblount (James Blount), Wednesday, 20 October 2004 03:40 (twenty-one years ago)

haha

I think "make crappy" is good, too though. It's like he's being potty-trained for the public taste.

― Lifted, or, the story is 'neath my ass (kenan), Wednesday, 20 October 2004 03:41 (twenty-one years ago)

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