The Screenwriter And The First Screening: Black Cab Diaries…

It feels like an age has passed since I turned in the final draft of the screenplay for my short film Black Cab, but the other day I finally manged to get my first look at the final finished film, in all it’s sound mixed, colour graded festival circuit ready glory. Yes, after months of scripting, production delays, funding issues yadayada ya, Black Cab, the short film which I wrote and my good friend Leopold Hughes directed, has finally been completed.

Finally, seeing the whole completed movie for the first time was a strange, nerve wracking experience. You see, apart from writing the thing, I had missed out on everything else. As soon as I handed in the final draft to Leo, that was it, I packed up my things and buggered off to New York and to Tisch. It was the first of my short films to get a full on proper professional production with a proper sizable budget and craft services and everything; and I had just buggered off to New York. Kudos to Leo and the rest of the team for working their arses off to get this film off the ground while I was swanning around in New York. I know that it’s not proper practice for a writer to be on set during production and whatnot, but still… I would be lying if I said that I didn’t want to be there.

I had written scripts before that had produced before but not on a professional level such as this. Those other scripts, including a few shorts and a feature I co-wrote, was butchered and produced in such an unprofessional and haphazard manner that they never really counted as anything but learning experiences. Black Cab was the first script of mine that was produced to a high professional standard. No student directors who hadn’t read the script properly this time around, no lackluster production methods, no no no… This one had funding and everything; including a level of professionalism that hadn’t existed on those previous productions.

And I had missed all of it…

I had only reread the script once since handing in the final draft. To say that I wasn’t cringing all the way through as I read would be a huge understatement. I couldn’t help but see glaring flaws in the narrative, cursing myself at every single line of dialogue, second guessing every single one of my decisions, coming up with better ideas in my head, belittling myself at every opportunity, condemning myself as a failure and that I would never achieve anything as a writer and blah blah blah whine whine whine oh woe is me and all that malarkey. But it was too late. Nothing I could do now. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was. I mean, Leo said he was happy with the script. He believed it was strong enough to go into production with it and numerous third parties who had read the script had said they liked it. I trusted Leo. I knew that if he wasn’t happy or if he thought the script wasn’t all it could be then he would have said so and asked me to make some changes in that ever so nice friendly and polite manner he has. But he didn’t. He was happy, therefore I was happy. I could forget about it, finally put Black Cab aside and focus on my other projects. Which is exactly what I did. But what if Leo was stupid? What if I had been fooling myself all along and he had no idea what he was talking about? Luckily he knew exactly what he was doing but that’s not the point. The point is, that I was very very nervous about everything. But I put it out of my mind and went off to New York and let Leo do whatever it was he needed to do to make this thing.

Leo went off and assembled the crew, acquired funding and in October 2012, went into production of Black Cab. Leo had been great it giving me updates as production progressed and I knew that the project was in very safe, secure, capable hands. Hell, it was Leo’s story. Of course it would be in safe hands. He had sent me details of the crew, audition tapes of the cast etc. Everything was moving along nicely. I felt safe in the knowledge that Leo had this thing nailed to the ground and I could sit back and worry about all the other projects that I had impending deadlines for.

But as production neared, a longing had invaded my heart. I wanted to be there. I wanted to be there on the first night of shooting as the first AD called action, as the camera and the lighting team set up shots, as the cast went over their lines and prepared for their roles. Hell, I just wanted to meet the cast and the crew. To this day I’ve only met a couple of members of the crew. I haven’t even met the wonderful two actors who played these characters I had lived with in my head for several months over numerous painstaking drafts.

It was probably best that I wasn’t there in all honesty. As a screenwriter, it’s important to let go. As writers, it’s easy to get tied down and protective of the words you’ve slaved over for months on end, but like any other collaborative medium, especially film, you have to trust your director, trust your crew to do the damn best job they can. Luckily Leo is a very collaborative director and kept me in the loop throughout the process, trusting me to deliver and do my job to the best of my ability. I had to put trust in his ability, had to trust him to do his job to the best of his ability and I knew that he would. In all honesty, if I was there on set during production, I probably would’ve added unnecessary tension and pressure, acting as backseat director without meaning to. Maybe, but who knows for certain. I wouldn’t do that. Well… I might but I wouldn’t. Who knows. I know I wouldn’t.

I wouldn’t. Just so everyone is aware. Can I emphasize that point any more?

As the first set of production stills came in, a wave of sadness passed over me. My first professional production… And I missed it. I would’ve been happy with one day, hell even an hour on set. Just to be there. It’s only a short film but still, it was a short film that I was passionate about, a short film with a proper budget, a professional cast and crew, and I wasn’t there. Shame. But it was amazing to see this project finally go into production, to actually go in front of the cameras, to hear people say they liked it enough to actually put money towards it, something that at one point I thought would never happen.

I followed along with the twitter and facebook updates and email updates from Leo right up until the final announcement of “THAT’S A WRAP ON BLACK CAB”. It was a surreal feeling considering I had not met most of these people who were bringing my script to life and more surreal in the fact that I had not been there and only seen a few production stills of the shoot itself. I think I was just happy that the movie actually got made.

Then… Trepidation began to set it.

The updates became sparse as the film went into post production. At first I didn’t notice as I was so inundated with my own shit, and plus I had such trust in Leo that I didn’t much worry at first.

But then I had a Skype conversation…

Leo was giving me an update and telling me about how great everybody had, how chilled out the shoot was and how professional and terrific the whole experience had been. From what I was hearing everything had gone swimmingly, everything had been great… But then Leo mentioned that he had cut out two pages of the script. My stomach lurched a little. He said he had cut out two pages of script as they were just… “waffle”. Waffle? WAFFLE? Not very tactful, Leo. Well, he knows better now, as I had a word, but at the time I found myself rather annoyed. If you’re  a director don’t tell the writer that the words you had slaved over for several months and every single line had a reason for being there, were nothing but “waffle”, after you yourself had signed off on it and shot the film already. Tell the writer during writing or delete those scenes later after you’ve shot them. This was my thinking at the time. I was annoyed by this revelation and Leo then showed me a few of the rushes and I would be lying if I said viewing these rushes managed to settle my nerves. They didn’t. It definitely didn’t look like the film that I had had written and had already directed in my head.

But this wasn’t my film. This was Leo’s. He was the director. It was his vision. We were all part of a greater whole. That whole was Black Cab.

I was nervous, but I trusted Leo. From the start Leo knew what film he had wanted to make and I had to trust in his vision as he had trusted me with his story, as he had trusted me to turn in the best damn script I could. So I kept quiet, trusted Leo and let him get on with things.

And so he did. Then came the screening. Unfortunately I couldn’t make the screening as I was stuck in New York, which meant I would miss the big cast and crew party and therefore not meet anyone who had worked on this film once again. So I missed my own premiere. Cheers.

Then the other day, I finally got a chance to see the film. I had just gotten back from New York and was visiting Leo who was putting on a very lovely Sunday roast for a few friends and now I finally had the chance to sit down and see the finished product. To say I was nervous would be an understatement. A part of me was terrified. So much so in fact that I asked to be left alone to watch the film before anyone else.

I tried to relax, calm myself, threw back a couple of beers, had a nice chat and waited for the moment to arrive. When I finally sat down to watch the movie, I was a lot more relaxed than I had been. This was probably due to the beers in my system but still, I was in a far better place to see this film then I had been when I first arrived.

And so it started… and fourteen minutes later, it ended.

It was a weird feeling. Strange at first. A weird mixture of… I don’t know. Pride? Closure?

When the end credits began to roll on Black Cab, I felt… proud. I was actually happy. This son of a bitch had turned out fricking great. Better than that little shitty voice inside my head was telling me it would.

Leo has done a tremendous job with the film. Truly fantastic. It was his vision, through and through. He had made the film his own and created a truly tense and gripping experience. I actually didn’t miss the two pages he cut. In fact it probably improved upon things. It made things tighter, added tension to the situation. Leo imparted his own vision on the project. The photography was fantastic and the performances more than matched what I had in my head. In fact, towards the end I had forgotten I had actually written the script myself and found myself just watching the actual movie.

Obviously there were moments where I was cringing as I heard my dialogue spoken out loud but that’s natural for any writer. The point is, Leo, along with his fantastic cast and crew had crafted something that worked. I had been part of something that I could be proud of for once. Gone were the memories of that shambles of a feature that will never see the light of day, all those shorts that I had written that had fallen flat on their faces. Leo has done a grandstanding job with the film, more than I could have asked for.

It didn’t matter that he had altered some things, cut some things, rearranged things. In film or anything collaborative, a writer should not be a slave to their own material. Everything in film and even in theatre is a process. Art is something that is always in flux. It’s a process. As writers, we have to let go and learn to trust the people we are working with. We can moan about how our words are changed blah blah blah, but in the end that doesn’t help anybody. We’re creating something together. I wrote my version of Black Cab and then Leo took it a stage further and imparted his vision upon the project making the best damn film he could with the best damn script I could deliver at the time.

I didn’t expect to be as happy with the final product of Black Cab as I am. There’s a thrill you get when you watch something that you contributed creatively to which you feel genuinely proud of. It’s a good feeling. It’s the first time this has happened. A feeling I hope to repeat long into my career as a writer.

Overall, this Black Cab experience has been a truly remarkable one. We’ve had ups, we’ve had downs, I was even worried that I would be replaced as the main writer on the project but luckily that was my own paranoid delusions setting it, but overall this has a tremendous experience. My best so far in working in film in any capacity that wasn’t just me writing my spec scripts and plays alone in my room.

Now, we are about to do the rounds on the festival circuit. Here’s hoping.

Onwards… into that night sky, towards those glorious stars…

Man of Steel Trailer 3: We Will Join You In The Sun…

I’d never thought I would say this, but I am actually looking forward to seeing a Zack Snyder film. Yes, I can scarcely believe it myself. After a grainy video of General Zod (as played by Michael Shannon), we now have this third, epic three minute trailer for Snyder’s Man Of Steel and suffice to say, it’s pretty damn incredible. As if you needed any more convincing.

While the first couple of trailers seemed to be more of the melancholic and moody variety, highlighting the level of emotion that Snyder is going for (I know right, emotion in a Zack Snyder film, who would have thought), this latest trailer goes all out epic on us, giving us just the right amount of glimpses at the awesome looking action and epic scope that Snyder is going for.

The story seems to follow the origin formula, opening with Russell Crowe’s Jor-El as Krypton is being laid to waste in what promises to be a truly epic opening, before showcasing a younger Supes on Earth with Kevin Costner’s Pa Kent, being all father/son kind of thing, before things really get kicked up a notch and the trailer just goes insane with the epicness and the awesomeness, complete with Hans Zimmer (?) epic score. Boy, I hope that is a sample of Hans Zimmer’s score for this thing.

Along with Star Trek Into Darkness, this looks to be one of my most anticipated movies of the year. Hopefully, it will not disappoint.

Check it out.

Man Of Steel released on June 14 and stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon and Russell Crowe.

Movie Revisit: The Great Debaters (Denzel Washington, 2007)

There have been many great actors-turned-directors in the pantheon of film history. From the joys of Keaton and Chaplin, to Laughton, Eastwood, Clooney and Affleck, these actors have have firmly crystallized their place as well accomplished directors in their own right. While these actor/directors are somewhat more prolific in their directing (apart from Laughton who only made his one classic) some of these actor/directors select more personal projects to make in between big time acting gigs.

Such an actor/director is Denzel Washington.

There is no doubt that Denzel Washington has already cemented his place in film history as one of his generation’s finest stage and screen actors, having won a garage load of awards over the years, including two Academy Awards and more recently a Tony Award for his efforts. Granted, some of his choices have been questionable over the years, but there is no denying that no matter what project he is in, Washington always manages to light up the screen and make even the most turgid of projects (I’m looking at you Pelham 1 2 3), at least remotely watchable.

But one aspect of Washington’s career that may somewhat go unnoticed when history looks back, is Washington’s career behind the camera. Yes, for those of you who didn’t know, Denzel Washington has in fact, dabbled in the world of directing, having directed two movies since 2002. Both are little seen (at least globally anyway), more personal works that are a far cry from Washington’s more mainstream blockbuster acting efforts.

Antwone Fisher (2002) is an intimate, sort of Good Will Hunting-esque story of a young naval seaman with anger issues who is ordered to Washington’s psychiatrist to work out some traumas from his past. It’s a fine piece, with a decent lead performance from Derek Luke who plays Fisher and Washington who takes a supporting role as the psychiatrist. It’s nothing special, but it is an assured and confident debut that promised bigger and better things from the man.

But alas, all went quiet for Washington on the directing front. It seemed that he had a taste for it, told the story that he had wanted to tell and moved on. Indeed it seemed that Washington would fall into that category in which, if he was ever to direct again, then it would have to be a story worth telling, a story that needed to be told by no-one other than Washington.

That story emerged five years later when Washington directed the film that in my mind, truly marked him out a s talent behind the camera. That film was The Great Debaters (2007).

Set in the American south of 1935, this true life tale tells the story of  Melvin Tolson who set out to bring the Wiley College debate team, on equal footing with white colleges and universities around the country, and eventually took his debate to challenge the might of Harvard. A period piece, Washington directs as if he’s been directing for years, with a skill and confidence that most so called experienced directors only wished they had.

I didn’t manage to see this film until recently as it failed to score a UK theatrical release and has only just been released on DVD, which in my mind is a crime to this great story, expertly told by Mr. Washington and Co. This could’ve easily been another story of racial segregation and social injustice, and yes, about the injustices of that time, but what Washington does is that he doesn’t pepper the film with preachy sermonizing, but instead tells a story and a human story with real heart at it’s center. This is mainly thanks to it’s superb young cast, especially young Denzel Whitaker who plays James Farmer Jr. Showcasing an innocence and a strength, Whitaker is the heart of this film and illicits our sympathies incredibly well. His scenes with his on screen father (an on form Forest Whitaker) are some of the best in the film, Washington getting the most out of his actors as he possibly can.

The political angle that the film aspires to, mainly involving a subplot with Washington’s  Tolson’s farmer’s union aspirations, falls a little flat on occasion and doesn’t quite hit home as well as it would like to, but this doesn’t take away from the fact that there are some truly powerful moments in the film, most notably a scene in which our group stumble upon a lynch mob having just burned a black man alive on a wooden cross. It’s a haunting image and ultimately the catalyst that drives the remainder of the narrative forward to it’s emotionally rewarding and uplifting conclusion, highlighting the fact that words can be far more powerful an stirring than any form of protest in this world.

The late, great film critic Roger Ebert ranked this film as the ninth best film of 2007 and it’s easy to see why. Stirring performances, a rich world, beautifully photographed by Philippe Rousselot, all contributing to bring to life a inspiring true story.

It’s now been six years since The Great Debaters was first released and Washington has yet to direct another film in that time. Hopefully he doesn’t call it a day on the directing front as Washington has more than proved that he is a perfectly adept at handling the reins of a movie. Luckily news came a few months back that Washington was aiming to adapt August Wilson’s magnificent play Fences, of which Washington starred in a revival back in 2010 alongside Viola Davies. Hopefully he can get the project off the ground soon as I wouldn’t mind seeing what Washington the director can give us in the future.

If you’ve not seen The Great Debaters, then I highly recommend it. A great story, superbly told.

Movie Revisit: What Dreams May Come (Vincent Ward, 1998)

One of the great pleasures about being a cinephile, such as I am, is discovering a movie for the very first time, whether good or bad. Preferably good, but sometimes, you know, you can have a lot of fun with bad cinema. So I’m starting a new segment on this blog in which I write about movies that I’ve only just seen for the first time, that aren’t new releases.

The first mention of this new segment is a movie from 1998, that I loved the look of it when I first saw it advertised, but never got a chance to see until a couple of days ago. That film is Vincent Ward’s What Dreams May Come.

I remember seeing trailers and TV spots back in 1998, when I was but only eleven years old and being completely fascinated by the images that were playing out on the screen before me. The colours, the visuals, the idea of one man fighting across heaven, hell and everywhere in between to find his soulmate. Yes, I was something of a sappy romantic back then. It was all so fascinating to me. But of course, due to circumstances which I can’t remember I never got around to seeing it on the big screen. But it was one of those films that I wanted to see, despite reading critics mixed reviews. Even more so in fact, when I grew up and learned more about the film’s director Vincent Ward, particularly his fascinating vision for his unmade Alien 3 movie. Seriously, if you’ve not read about it, google it.

Finding the film on Netflix the other day, I decided to check the movie out. I knew deep down that I was bound to be disappointed with the overall result, but being a cinephile, I have to watch everything so I dived right in…

And… Yes, Yes I was ultimately disappointed.

Based on the novel by Richard Matheson, What Dreams May Come charts the journey of Robin Williams’ Chris Nielsen who ventures through heaven and into the bowels of hell itself, to rescue his wife who took her own life herself following the tragic and untimely death of their children and then Chris himself. The story should’ve been a romantic epic about a man venturing into hell to find his one true love and for the most part, we get exactly that. For the most part, this is pure cinema. It’s ambition is admirable. The production design and the visual effects, depicting the afterlife are breathtaking to behold, particularly the incredible visions of Nielsen existing inside his own wife’s paintings. It’s strange, surreal and magnificent to look upon.

Likewise the designs of hell are grotesquely gorgeous and terrifying to behold, where faces populate an entire floor, buried int he earth, looking up, screaming in pain at their own misfortunes, unable to forgive themselves for their own past transgressions. To my surprise we even get a strange little cameo from Werner Herzog which is always welcome in my book.

The film is a visual feast and I can only imagine what this must have looked like on the big screen. The film was justly awarded an Academy Award for it’s special effects.

Unfortunately if as much attention was paid to the script as it was to the special effects then this could’ve been a classic. This should’ve been an epic love story, something worthy of Doctor Zhivago or Brief Encounter (easily the most heartbreaking and romantic film ever made), instead everything is just so damn… schmaltzy.

Seriously, I felt like I wanted to vomit halfway through this. Probably would’ve done if it wasn’t for the sumptuous visuals on display. Kudos to director Vincent Ward for wanting to go with a far more emotional story than the book, in which the love affair is a limited presence. Unfortunately everything here feels a little too soapy to have any real emotional impact for me. It felt incredibly baggy midway through, and almost lost my interest towards the end but I stayed with it.

Don’t get me wrong, this film has grand ambitions and the filmmakers should be applauded for their intent. And they almost succeeded but for the lacklustre plotting and soapy schmaltz. There’s only so much hugging and crying I can take in a movie before I start getting annoyed. Call me cynical but it’s true. No doubt there are many who would be swept up in this story and it’s easy to see why. The cast give passionate performances, particularly Williams who holds his own against the imaginative scenery.

You know the visuals are what make this film, when the only pictures I can find to fill this post are mostly populated with long shots of the film’s scenery. But alas, as I’ve said many many times over the years, luscious visuals do not a film make. You need more that great effects and great cinematography to make a great movie. Unfortunately this film lacks in all other areas.

The insubstantial plot and constant, sombre and sappy tone of the piece, drain any form of life that there was in this effort. It’s a shame really, because this really could’ve been a true epic.

I’m still holding out for a Vincent Ward Alien movie.

Remake, Reimagining, Reboot… Who Cares As Long As It’s Good.

Whenever one of the major studios announces that a new remake, reboot or reimagining of a classic or much loved movie or stilted and supposedly dead movie franchise is in the works, there are many of us who can’t help but feel a slight wave of trepidation and annoyance creep over us before flowing out of our fingers to the keyboard of our computers to vent our anger on the nearest blog or forum. Naturally this depends on the project of course, with such properties demanding to be rebooted such as the Batman franchise following from those nipple happy Joel Schmacher efforts…

But when it comes to a film such as Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead, a much loved cult favorite and all round horror classic, the internet is suddenly abuzz with cries of “Why? Why do this? Leave these films alone! Come up with something original Hollywood!” or something to that general effect. Probably with a lot more swearing.  I remember when Fede Alverez’s remake (or reboot, or re-imagining or spinoff or continuation or whatever the hell they’re calling it), the internet was ablaze with such comments and fa fury, with fans of the original already denouncing the effort before anything had even been filmed. And that was even after it was announced that Sam Raimi himself was on board as one of the producers.

Much to everyone’s surprise then that now the new Evil Dead film has finally hit cinemas, the movie has actually turned out to be rather good. Scoring decent reviews from critics and fans alike (well, better than expected anyway), Evil Dead has proven once again that with the right amount of care and professionalism, and in the hands of the right people, remakes can actually turn out to be… actually not so bad after all. Most of the time, we tend to focus on the bad ones (and yes, there are a lot of them) but just some of the time, a remake can get it right. They can take a property and improve on it, or simply make it their own whilst staying true to the original.

So in honor of this week’s Evil Dead here is a list of what I believe are the best remakes ever made.

Note: I am strictly sticking to a list of remakes and not reboots of franchises such as Nolan’s Batman series which is not a remake but a reboot or re-imagining of the character from the DC comics. You get the point.

10. 3:10 To Yuma (James Mangold, 2007)

Out of all the pantheon of films to remake within the western genre, director James Mangold opted for Delmer Daves tale of Van Heflin’s down on his luck farmer, charged with escorting dangerous outlaw Glenn Ford to the titular 3:10 train to Yuma prison. Stepping into Glenn Ford’s shoes for the remake is Russell Crowe, a actor far more imposing then Glenn Ford could ever hope to be, while Christian Bale is equally effective as Dan Evans the man charged with getting Wade on that damn train. Mangold’s film moves briskly along, building great tension all the way to a thrilling final shootout with Bale and Crowe’s interplay a highlight. Featuring a great supporting cast including Ben Foster on particularly chilling form, Mangold’s film is one of those remakes that vastly improves on the original in every way.

9. Insomnia (Christopher Nolan, 2002)

The film that Christopher Nolan made after Memento and before Batman Begins, this remake of the Scandinavian thriller of the same name, features Al Pacino on thrilling form as he trails Robin William’s killer in a sleepy Alaskan town. While the original is effective thanks to a great performance from Stellan Skarsgaard, it’s incredibly distancing thanks to a bizarre visual and editing style that takes removes you completely from the film. Nolan’s film on the other hand draws you in from the get go, with it’s taut screenplay by Hillary Seitz and stunning cinematography from frequent Nolan collaborator Wally Pfister, while Al Pacino gives a tremendous central performance as Will Dormer, struggling with his conscience in the seemingly never ending daylight that is the town of Night Mute. A wonderfully intelligent thriller, that is unfortunately slightly overshadowed by Nolan’s far more grander works.

8.  The Magnificent Seven (John Sturges, 1960)

Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, made three years before Sturges’ film, is an absolute masterpiece.  No question about it. If you haven’t seen then you really should get on that asap. One of the greatest films ever made, the story so successful and influential in fact, that the film and basic plot has served as a model for many many movies over the years. Only Sturges’ film however is worthy of mention. As I’ve said elsewhere, the western and samurai genres almost go hand in hand with each other, featuring common themes and elements, while the eponymous figure of the cowboy and the samurai become almost interchangeable, with their set of codes and ethics, which is probably why the story of seven warriors defending a village from a bunch of ruffians is so easily transported from feaudal Japan to the American west. Sturges honored Kurosawa’s superb movie while also making it his own, creating one of the most enjoyable and thrilling westerns of all time.

7. Ocean’s Eleven (Steven Soderbergh, 2001)

The original Rat Pack movie of the same name, starring Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra, was supposed to be the movie that defined the sixties era of cool and suave. What we got however was a dull, mess of a film that consisted of the crew merely swanning around in expensive looking suits rather than actually doing anything worth of interest. For the 2001 remake, Soderbergh assembled an equally stellar cast of cool cats to rival the original, including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, Bernie Mac, Carl Reiner, Elliot Gould, Don Cheadle and Andy Garcia. What we got was a pure popcorn movie through and through. Yes, they were still swannning around in expensive looking suits but hell, at least what we got was incredibly entertaining. A wonderfully witty and smart script that zipped along, a cool as ever cast on thrilling form, makes this lot one of the best looking and coolest bunch of thieves this side of Vegas. Unfortunately it was followed up by two lesser sequels but this still remains one of the best heist movies of the noughties.

6. The Fly (David Cronenberg, 1986)

In remaking The Fly (Kurt Neumann, 1958), David Cronenberg took everything that was wonderful about that original classic and amped everything up to eleven. Whereas the original squarely focused on the quest of the scientist to turn back to normal, Cronenberg focuses instead on the psychological breakdown of Jeff Goldblum’s Seth Brundle as his body slowly transformed into the awesomely grotesque fly/human thing at the end of the film. Featuring some of the most startling practical and make-up effects ever committed to celluloid, Cronenberg’s film is masterclass of intelligent bodyshock horror, anchored by one of Jeff Goldblum’s best performances. A masterclass in it’s own right, that people forget about the original movie.

5. The Man Who Knew Too Much (Alfred Hitchcock, 1956)

Alfred Hitchcock remade his own film from 1934, this time with a bigger budget and much more high profile cast in James Stewart and Doris Day to play around with. The original still remains something of a classic featuring a wonderfully sinister performance from the great Peter Lorre, but this remake is far more fun, with Doris Day stepping out of her more family friendly musical comfort zone and into a far more dramatic role and she does it rather well. It may not be one of Hitch’s best works in the pantheon of Hitchcock works but this is certainly one of the most entertaining and most enjoyable.

4. Scarface (Brian De Palma, 1983)

The original Howard Hawks Scarface from 1932 is one of my all time favorite movies. One of the greatest gangster pictures of all time and along with The Public Enemy (William A. Wellman, 1931) it set the benchmark for the genre in later years to come. De Palma’s film takes the basic narrative and specific elements pertaining to Hawks’ original and makes it relevant for the times in which it was set. De Palma’s grandiose and excessive visuals coupled with Oliver Stone’s brutal and violent screenplay, makes Scarface one of the most excessive movies on this list. Startling as it is brutal in it’s depiction, this is thrilling filmmaking with Pacino at his manic best in the role of Tony Montana.

3. The Departed (Martin Scorsese, 2006)

No other contemporary filmmaker has mastered the crime genre as well as Martin Scorsese. Scorsese proved once again why he is the master with this absolutely thrilling film that was somewhat based on the equally thrilling Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs,  about two “moles” working on opposite sides of the law. One working undercover with the criminals while the other works undercover in the police force. Here, Scorsese assembles a stellar cast for his tale of an undercover cop after an undercover criminal, while Jack Nicholson is ever wonderfully OTT as crime boss Frank Costello. The Boston setting along with William Monahan’s magnificent screenplay help remind us why Scorsese is one of the true Godfathers of this genre.

2. Solaris (Steven Soderbergh, 2002)

No doubt a controversial choice for this list, but in all honesty I found Tarkovsky’s original “masterpiece” to be incredibly ponderous and quite frankly… boring. It just drags on and on and on and on, while occasionally managing to catc my attention with a wonderful piece of cinematography or an special effect. Soderbergh’s movie is about an hour shorter than Tarkovsky’s original, but manages to maintain the key themes from the original and fashions a far more thought provoking and profound piece of cinema that unfortunately not everyone aspired to when it was first released. Soderbergh’s film is far more engaging and about a hundred times more accessible than Tarkovsky’s work. This is, in my humble opinion anyway, a highly underrated work.

1. The Thing (John Carpenter, 1982)

The original version of John W. Campbell’s Jr.’s story is in incredibly silly albeit enjoyable enough B-movie with a Frankenstein-esque hulk, running around an arctic station causing havoc. John Carpenter’s movie, is a whole different beast altogether. Featuring some of the best monster effects in film history, this is arguably Carpenter’s greatest achievement as a filmmaker. A terrifically gory horror and masterclass in suspenseful and paranoia filmmaking, you won’t have a nerve left,, what with all them having been fried from the sheer intensity of the film. From start to finish, you are never off the edge of your seat with nerves completely fried by only the midpoint of the movie. Mesmerizing stuff and one of the greatest remake ever made.

 

So there you have it. Remakes do not necessarily have to be a bad thing. They can be good. The can be fantastic and awesome and classics in their own right. It’s just a shame that we are subjected to a bunch of hack filmmakers taking a successful product and basically making the same movie again, only a hell of a lot worse. I’m all for remakes. Just not shitty ones.