SO? Did you watch the trailer for A Nightmare on Elm Street? Didja didja?
As you may know, I'm not a fan of Platinum Dunes' output thus far. The trailer for their take on Friday the 13th had me all pumped but the movie...not so much. By "not so much", of course, I mean I pretty much hated it. But lawd o lawd, this looks good! And so I will cast aside my dislike of the Dunes, I'll forget how F13 pooped on my heart, I'll stop reading about NoES, and I'll look forward to this one, so there. Cynicism be damned!
And they kept the iconic "glove between the legs" shot, so that's worth at least 10 nerd points, right?
This could be good, I mean they did at least get a good actor to play Freddy. I am going to reserve judgment until I see the film though. The trailer for F13 made it look half way decent and it was a piece of crap... so you never know. Here's hoping though.
ReplyDeleteI know its just the lighting, but in the trailer I thought that Freddy was wearing clown makeup.
ReplyDeleteI liked the trailer, especially the opening bits. I wonder if they'll take the tact that he was wrongfully accused and that's why he's back from the dead.
ReplyDeleteJaackie Earl Haley does a great creep. The makeup looks more like that of a real burn victim and the irish accent works for me.
The only "meh" for me is the disposable teen cast.
I'm probably reading too much into it, but in the trailer it seemed like they may have introduced the idea that Freddy was an innocent victim of mob justice - which would be a really interesting twist on the formula.
ReplyDeleteAgain - might be seeing stuff that wasn't there.
Jackie Earle Haley = big ball of fucking win!
ReplyDeleteI'm seeing it!
10 Nerd Points indeed. My friends are prepared to hear all my nitpicking come April 2010 so it's all good.
ReplyDeleteYeah...as apprehensive as I know I *should* be? I am so loving that trailer.
ReplyDeleteI like that clearly Haley is not trying to Mimic Englund's voice. Freddy looks and sounds creepy.
(We're all gonna be here the day after it opens weeping and gnashing our teeth in disappointment, aren't we?)
Come off it Stacey, trailers are SUPPOSED to make films look good.
ReplyDeleteClearly the Elm Street remake will not only be a pile of shit, but an unnecessary pile of shit too. Why remake possibly the most iconic horror film of its time? What the hell do Michael Bay & co think they're going to improve on?
Oh yeah, I remember... the box office.
Phhhhht.
(And why do all these remakes feel the need to throw in an "origins" scene...?)
Thom: At least we'll have a supportive place to go.
ReplyDeleteI will see it for JEH. But I want GOOD victims -- not the whiny plastic victims from the F13 remake. I want to worry about the characters. That's too much to ask for, isn't it?
You're right, Smogo, and I sincerely apologize for cautiously looking forward to this film. I have committed a thoughtcrime, and I should know better.
ReplyDeleteLet's bring on the two minutes' hate!
Sorry Stacie, I didn't mean to be insulting (or misspell your name, for that matter). But for me, My Bloody Valentine was the last straw; I will not be tricked into seeing one of these things again!
ReplyDeleteI finally saw the "Dawn of the Dead" remake and have to say that I am DONE with horror remakes. A remake of a film from an era when there were things they couldn't show might be okay because it might add something (like gore) but when the original filmmakers had all the elements at their disposal and created a classic, then the chance of lightning striking again is, essentially, zero. The "new improved" one will just be a rearrangement of the same elements, usually in an inferior or watered-down way, like in DotD. The original intricate survival story with explicit (and integral) gore becomes a mindless run-and-shoot with some rotted faces and a few bites.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I find myself crying 'uncle' with regards to remakes. At this point, I think they've remade all of my absolute favorite horror films made before...oh, '85! Really, when I think about it, the only one that's been spared so far is The Exorcist.
ReplyDeleteBesides that, virtually all the classics have been given a makeover. Some of them I may enjoy (I thought MBV was fun!), some of them...like Black Xmas...make me want to hurt myself and others. Either way, what difference does it REALLY make? They certainly don't tarnish the quality of the originals. Maybe sometimes they get the young'uns to seek out the source material.
If anything, remakes can actually be NOT TERRIBLE for us old farts because they're generally accompanied by a DVD release of the original film, sometimes all "deluxe" and whatever. Look at MBV- would THAT have gotten a second DVD with bonus footage and all if not for the remake? Or would House on Sorority Row? Black Christmas got a reissue with new features as well, and honestly, I think the remakes are the reason.
They're just not worth me getting upset over anymore. I can ignore them or give them a shot- and like I said, SOME of them I'll enjoy, and I'm always looking forward to...you know...enjoying horror movies, even if they're a rehash.
I hear ya... it's just that it's so depressing. I could deal with Hollywood being awful when it was all big stupid action and disaster movies (remember the Dante's Peak / Volcano / Armageddon / Daylight / Twister era?), because they didn't remotely appeal to me and I could ignore them.
ReplyDeleteBut when they turned their hand to horror remakes... well that's just like they've walked into my favourite holiday home and shit all over the carpet.
And while they don't tarnish the quality of the originals, they do seem to persuade the young'uns to think of the originals as not worth watching, what with them being all old and stuff, not like this shiny new version.
Case in point: I was browsing the sales racks in a DVD shop a few years ago, and saw a young couple pick up the Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake. "Is that the original or the new one?", asked the woman. "It's the new one", replied her boyfriend enthusiastically. "Look: it's in colour".
Man, I remember watching the classic BW TCM. Sometimes I wonder if people just saw these films on BW TVs and did not realize they were in color. Do they fondly remember old black and white shows like The A-Team and Greatest American Hero. :)
ReplyDelete>my favourite holiday home
ReplyDelete>them being all old and stuff
I hear that, and I think that's why my response to the "Dawn of the Dead" remake was so visceral, although since most people might think it's raison d'etre is gore and shock one could still say "See the old one, it's gorier" (which is true since there's no disemboweling and consumption of intestines in the new one, nor anything remotely as clever as the helicopter gag) without mentioning that it's, by the way, a cinema classic.
I admire your brave optimism and do not at all begrudge you your opinion.
ReplyDeleteI, on the other hand, went into this with extreme and unapologetic prejudice, and although I can grudgingly admit that at least the glove looks really freaking cool, I still don't think anything about it looks appealing and I don't have any faith at all that we'll see any relatable or sympathetic lead characters.
Modern horror has given us nothing but a bunch of boozing, sex-starved redshirts, and the point is apparently to watch them get gloriously slaughtered. That's not horror. What I find horrifying is when you care about a character and are scared for and with them.
True, you can't get real character impressions from the trailer, and I HAVE actually been fast-talked/bribed into actually seeing this monstrosity when it comes out because I have to review it for my podcast and I'd rather know what I'm talking about rather than sputter strangled fangirl-rage syllables and WOW, run-on sentence much there? But if I have to go by Platinum Dunes' previous horror remakes, then that's a bad track record to overcome.
Also, the new makeup makes Freddy look like Gollum with a skin condition.
I'm siding on the side that I'm pretty done with remakes or whatever it is they're calling them (re-thinking, redux, etc.). There have been a couple good ones but they're far and few between.
ReplyDeleteI made the mistake of going to see "Sorority Row" last week and I can say it was awful. It was watching something that was remaking something that was a homage to the original.
If I get into an advance screening, I'll check it out but I can't see myself spending my money to see it. I have a hard time believing Michael Bay can attach his name to anything of quality...