Jungle Book Remake: Same Ol' Same Ol'

Disney loves to shine up something old to make it new again (which I've been ranting about on here continually).  Now they are working on remaking their 1967 version of the "Jungle Book," starring Bill Murray as Baloo, and co-starring Scarlett Johansson and Christopher Walken.  Jon Favreau is set to direct.  If you remember, just 10 years ago in 1994 they made a live-action version of the classic story, and the reviews were average.  Then you had the straight-to-video "Jungle Book 2" sequel, which was even worse.  What makes Disney think they can do better this time?  Well because it's being described as a "live and animated hybrid," which sounds so much better than "remake," right?

Oh, and because Disney can't even think of anything new, why should any other studio?  Warner Bros is coming out with their own version of the story exactly a year later.

Wednesday's This & That

Happy Windsday! While I deal with this unusual weather, here's what's happening around the internet...

Slater, Missouri's fourth annual Steve McQueen Days begin April 24! Slater is the childhood home of actor Steve McQueen, and the annual event last two days. The schedule includes a Happy 80th Birthday Dinner Buffet, a car show and bike show, wine tasting, bike rodeo, and a Steve McQueen Memorial Highway Dedication. Learn more at www.cityofslater.com.

And eerily timed with the recent findings of what is believed to be Sean Flynn's remains, a movie based on Errol Flynn's son Sean will premiere at the Cannes Festival, entitled "The Road to Freedom." The remains found in Cambodia, where Sean last was seen, are still being verified by scientists.

And pictures have surfaced of Kate Winslet shooting the HBO remake "Mildred Pierce," the role originated by Joan Crawford.

Hopefully these news items send a chill up your skirt!

Monday's This & That

As I enjoy the nice Spring weather, let's take a peek at what's around the 'net.

HBO is casting for their mini-series Mildred Pierce, that will star Kate Winslet in the role that won Joan Crawford a Best Actress Oscar. HBO did really well with the 're-imagining' of Grey Gardens starring Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore. Let's hope this one does Ms Crawford justice, as well. Not familiar with Mildred Pierce? See a (hilarious) dubbed over part of the film featured in a previous post.

And speaking of unnecessary remakes, Dermot Mulroney is in talks to star in a 'reboot' of The Rockford Files TV series, taking over James Garner's famous role. Also to star is Beau Bridges. House creator David Shore will be a part of the 70s remake, and Steve Carell will executive produce.

Apparently Disney is making their newest fairytale flick "less princessy." They've changed the title from the classic "Rapunzel" to Tangled in an attempt to attract more boys to theaters. We'll see if it works. Critics speculate that its animation will be the real test, as the film is being done using traditional hand-drawn style animation, and critics say the style is of something that this generation of kids may not be accustomed. A teaser trailer is appearing on The Princess and the Frog DVD for the Fall release, but you can see it here, as well.

And the role previously thought to be taken by Keira Knightley may now be going to Carey Mulligan. The role? In another remake, of course. This one being My Fair Lady. The role Mulligan is close to signing was originally perfected by Julie Andrews on stage and Audrey Hepburn on film.

Got any NEW ideas, Hollywood?

Today is Friday the 13th!

Are you gonna watch the new Jason movie coming out tomorrow aptly titled Friday the 13th? Here's a sneak preview...Check back with us tomorrow for our special Valentine's Day post!

"Race to Witch Mountain" Trailer Released

One of my previous rants has been about the remake -- or "reimagining" as the producers like to call it -- of "Escape to Witch Mountain," called "Race to Witch Mountain." Starring The Rock, here's one of the first trailers for the film. See what you think of this 'modernization' of a Disney classic.

I Am Big. It's The Pictures That Got Small.

How could anyone remake this?? William Holden is just too adorable.

Good God, It's Another One

I just found out about another remake, and this one's a doozy. They're making a remake of Sunset Blvd. One of my favorite movies of all time, starring one of my favorite actors, William Holden... being regurgitated.

When the movie had been redone in to a musical stage version, I was disappointed. But now it's going to be turned back again in to a musical movie.

Another remake!

ANOTHER REMAKE! Who in their right mind thinks that this is a good idea? It's one thing to put something onstage, but putting it right back on the big screen is absolutely absurd.

For petesake, Gloria Swanson is being replaced with Glenn Close! Argghhhh....

Attack of the Remakes!

If you're getting that feeling of deja vu, it's because there's more of Hollywood's lack of originality on the way. Besides the ones we've previously mentioned, expect these additional regurgitations coming soon to theaters near you:

The Day the Earth Stood Still, an update to the 1951 classic, this time starring Keanu Reeves.

1984, updated from the 1965 version, which doesn't even make sense. It's supposed to be about the future, yet it's titled 1984 and its expected release is 2009??

Barbarella, this time starring Rose McGowen as the title character.

Land of the Lost, a remake of the popular 1974 TV series.

Star Trek, directed by J.J. Abrams.

The legendary cult fave The Rocky Horror Picture Show is in the works, much to the chagrin of Susan Sarandon.

The Birds starring Naomi Watts.

The Wolf Man, a remake of the 1941 classic.

Friday the 13th, called a 'reboot', not a remake -- but the lack of originality is still there.

The A-Team, in production since the mid-1990's, is finally set to be released in 2009.

Robocop, which is being kept hush-hush as to whether it will be a "re-imagining," a sequel, or a remake.

There's also talks about remakes of "Dune" and "Nightmare on Elm Street." And don't forget all the sequels!

Jurassic Park IV
Lethal Weapon 5
Pink Panther 2 (which is a shameful sequel to a remake of the original Peter Sellers comedy)
Night at the Museum 2
Fast and the Furious
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Toy Story 3
Alvin and the Chipmunks 2
Iron Man 2
Shrek Goes Fourth
Beverly Hills Cop IV
Cars 2
...and more Spiderman movies...
The list goes on and on as the years go by...Anyone heard of any others??

"My Fair Lady" Remake Planned

The Fabulous Audrey Hepburn blog has reported that there will be yet another Hollywood remake, this one taking the classic My Fair Lady and casting Keira Knightley in the Audrey Hepburn role of Eliza Doolittle. Daniel Day-Lewis is on the producers' wish list to play the role of Henry Higgins.

I know the 1964 film was a remake of a Broadway play that was based on a Greek myth, but this is ridiculous. Must Hollywood make another remake?? Are there no original ideas out there anymore? I mean, why did the writers strike when all it seems like they're doing is recycling old ideas?

And once again a classic film is being "updated." Please, we're not that stupid that we can't interpret old movies to our time period.

Update: Speaking or remakes (especially ones we've already harped on), as for recent news on Race to Witch Mountain, the producers announced who the kids will be: AnnaSophia Robb and Alexander Ludwig. My favorite part...they're calling it a "modern reimagining" of the earlier film. It's called a remake, people!!

Must-See Movie: Paris - When it Sizzles

Paris - When it Sizzles (1964)
Playboy screenwriter Richard Benson (played by William Holden) has been paid to write a screenplay for his boss. In his arrogance he's squandered his time in Paris drinking, tanning, and doing just about anything but writing a screenplay. Two days before the script is due he hires Gabrielle Simpson (the adorable Audrey Hepburn) to type the script. Richard and Gabrielle come up with various off-the-wall scenarios for his screenplay, called The Girl Who Stole the Eiffel Tower. As the screenplay they write slowly develops, romance blooms between them.

This movie was filmed a decade after Hepburn and Holden's affair (during the filming of Sabrina) and apparently Holden wanted to pick things up where they left off. However, there is still visible chemistry between them.

The movie was later remade as Alex & Emma, starring Luke Wilson and Kate Hudson.

Here's the TCM trailer:

Remake of "The Women" Premieres this Year

Never one to think of an unusual idea, Hollywood has decided to remake the 1939 George Cukor classic "The Women." The original starred the complete roster of MGM queens: Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell... Well this movie is trying to one-up the past with it's own star power. But will it be as good (or better) than the original? Doubt it.

Here are how the stars compare -- here's a list with the new star, then who previously played the same role, then the character's name:

Eva Mendes/Joan Crawford - Crystal Allen
Meg Ryan/Norma Shearer - Mary Haines
Jada Pinkett Smith/Paulette Goddard - Miriam Aarons
Carrie Fisher/Florence Nash - Nancy Blake
Debra Messing/Phyllis Povah - Edith Potter
Annette Bening/Rosalind Russell - Sylvia Fowler
Bette Midler/Mary Boland - Flora DeLave

Other actresses pitching in to the remake are Cloris Leachman and Candice Bergen.
Now, these actresses are good, but they're nothing like the original. Guess we'll have to see...

Return of the Escape to the Race to Witch Mountain

That's right, Disney once again cannot come up with an original feature film idea to save their life. Instead of coming up with something new, they keep cracking open the vault and redoing a movie from the past. They've redone "The Shaggy Dog," "The Absent-Minded Professor" ("Flubber"), "Parent Trap," "Freaky Friday," "That Darn Cat"...I've touched upon this in a past post about Disney sequels, but these remakes are getting out of hand, too.

Well the latest news is that they're remaking "Escape to Witch Mountain," the 1975 classic with the flying Winnebago, and calling it "Race to Witch Mountain." The copycat film will star former professional wrestler “The Rock,” as well as Cheech Marin. No news on who the kids will be yet, but I'm guessing they'll be some hot teen wanna-be's whom with Disney wants to create a signing career.

Lemme guess: In order to get Tia out of jail Tony will play an electric guitar instead of a harmonica, performing a new pop hit to make the broom and raincoat beat the guard up? Hey! I could be a Disney writer!!

C'mon Disney, seriously? You can't think of any new stories? Instead you have to rip off old movies and remake them until they're just teenie-bopped and commercialized carbon copies of the classic originals. Hire some better writers, guys. Hell, hire me! I'll regurgitate old stories better than "Flubber."

Tuesday's This & That

Sorry we've been distant for a while. But let's look into the crystal ball and see what's going on around the internet...

Disney is going to be expanding their web content, featuring some of their vintage television shows for full viewing on their site. Chief executive Robert Iger didn't reveal which shows in particular, but they own the rights to shows like "Zorro," "Davy Crockett," and "The Mickey Mouse Show." They've already provided some of their shows from ABC and Disney Channel to iTunes for purchase, but this would make them accessible for free!

Also in Disney news, the Pixar movie "Toy Story" will be made in to a musical, featured for now only on the Disney cruise line. This is after turning their other movies in to musicals ("Lion King", "Beauty & the Beast," "Mary Poppins," and the latest "The Little Mermaid"). What's even funnier (or stupider) is that besides re-releasing old movies "from the vault," Disney has begun making their stage musicals back to a feature film live-action musical. (There have been hints that Disney is making the stage musical of "Beauty and the Beast" in to a live-action version, featuring Anne Hathaway as Belle.) Okay, Disney, are you ready for any original ideas yet?

Enough about Disney. Target has some great Audrey Hepburn items for sale to decorate your home. Some cheap, some not-so-cheap. But you can't beat Target prices, right?

And the Joan Crawford Collection, Vol. 2 is now available, featuring five discs of our favorite diva. The set also comes with a couple of documentaries, cartoons, and vintage shorts.

WTF is with Disney and Sequels??

I just finished a biography of Walt Disney entitled: Walt Disney: An American Original, by Bob Thomas. Probably what stood out to me the most was Walt's philosophy in making movies.

In 1933 Walt Disney produced the cartoon Three Little Pigs. It was a hit. Though cartoon shorts usually lasted only briefly in theaters, it was shown longer than most feature films. Millions bought records of the song "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" feeling that it was a sort of anthem for optimism in the wake of the Depression. When theater owners clamored for more pigs, Walt resisted. He didn't want to duplicate; he was always looking towards the future, trying to push the boundaries of animation and art itself. He didn't want to do more of the same. And so he was quoted as saying, "You can't top pigs with pigs."

Disney did his best not to duplicate; he constantly attempted new animation techniques and styles, and tried not to belabor ideas. But after his death, it looks as if the Disney company has forgotten Walt's beliefs.

Not only have they made remakes of classic live-action movies ("The Shaggy Dog," "Freaky Friday," and "That Darn Cat" to name a few) but also sequels of classic animated features. Why make "Bambi II," "Lady & the Tramp II," "Fox and the Hound 2," "Cinderella II," & "Jungle Book 2"? And even their newer movies have been sequelized: "The Lion King 2," "The Little Mermaid II," and "Kronk's New Groove." It's as if any time there's a hit, Disney sees dollar signs and churns out another. None of the sequels or remakes have done nearly as well as the original; none have surpassed the quality of the classic. (The only exception seems to be Pixar movies, with their dual hits of "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2" -- and now "Toy Story 3" is in the works.)

So please, for the love of God...for the love of Walt!...don't take a classic and make a sequel out of it -- even if it's just for video. No amount of money is worth butchering a classic. Just remember the wise words of Walt: "You can't top pigs with pigs."

Pitt to Play Bullitt

According to internet reports, Brad Pitt will play the iconic role, immortalized by Steve McQueen, in a remake of the 60's movie.

Why anyone would want to remake this movie is beyond me. Are they going to do it shot-by-shot like in Psycho -- which is pointless? Or are they gonna mock the time period like Starsky & Hutch -- which is stupid? At any rate, it won't be the same without the King of Cool...and this car chase can't be duplicated, nor should it be.
And lastly...can't anyone think of any ORIGINAL ideas for movies?

Must-See Movies: My Favorite Wife & Move Over Darling

For the first time in Lounge history (add pompous fanfare here) I'm endorsing two movies at once:

• My Favorite Wife (1940) with Irene Dunne and Cary Grant, and
• Move Over Darling (1963) with Doris Day and James Garner.

If you mention one movie, you have to mention the other, because the the 1963 flick is a remake of the 1940 film -- and both are excellent.

In both movies, Ellen Arden (Dunne and Day) arrives 7 years after being given up for dead in a shipwreck, to find her husband Nick (Grant and Garner) just remarried. Ellen decides to crash the honeymoon before the marriage can be consummated (ah, the 40's and 60's!) and to surprise her husband. But that's not even the half of it. Nick finds out that while Ellen was stranded on an island for 7 years, she was not alone. As Ricky Ricardo says, "She's got some 'splaining to do!"


I do tend to lean towards the 1963 version of this story for three reasons: 1) the comedy is higher with more pratfalls and slapstick, 2) the supporting roles played by Don Knotts (the shoe salesman), Edgar Buchanan (the judge), and Thelma Ritter (the mother-in-law), and 3) I could watch James Garner in any movie he makes.

Some interesting trivia: The 1963 film was originally titled "Something's Got to Give" and was to star Marilyn Monroe in the lead role. Monroe died before completion and so the movie was reshot entirely and released a year later than originally planned. Also just a year before, Day and Grant starred together in That Touch of Mink. I wonder if in between takes she asked his advice about doing the remake?

Must-See Movie: The Magnificent Seven

The Magnificent Seven (1960)
I've been holding back on presenting this review, because this is my absolute, number one, ultimate favorite movie of all time. Not only does it star Steve McQueen, but the film is chock-full of more tough guys of the time period: Yul Brynner, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, James Coburn, and Eli Wallach. And they're all presented with the score that has been acclaimed as one of the finest in the industry, composed by Elmer Bernstein.

The premise is simple: A small town in Mexico is being bullied by a group of banderos, led by Calvera (Wallach), and the villagers hire seven gunman (led by Yul Brynner) to help them fight back. Sound familiar? Maybe because this movie has been parodied by many other movies: Three Amigos and A Bug's Life to name two.

And although this is a remake itself of the Akira Kurosawa film Seven Samurai [Shichinin no samurai (1954)], it is the quintessential western movie. It has everything: gunfights, a little bit of wit and comedy, heroism, amazing knife-throwing, fabulous horse riding stunts, key dramatic moments, a small romantic subplot...and did I mention Steve McQueen?