Footloose, the remake that nobody asked for and nobody’s excited for, is finally going to be hitting theaters. Note to executives: remaking cheesy 80s musicals, but taking the cheesy 80s-ness out of them, is not a great idea (see Fame from 2009). And casting a poor man’s Michael J. Fox in the lead role is also not a great idea. I never thought I’d say this, but I miss Kevin Bacon. Just try and play the Six Degrees of Separation game with his new replacement Kenny Wormald. There’s no way to link him to Elizabeth Perkins. Where’s the fun in that?

In the unfortunate tradition of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween and Friday the 13th reboots, today comes A Nightmare On Elm Street, with former child actor and recent Oscar nominee Jackie Earle Haley taking over the role of iconic boogeyman Freddy Krueger — a character that Robert Englund embodied for over twenty years. The screenplay was adapted by Wesley Strick (The Saint, Cape Fear) and Eric Heisserer, with former music video maker Samuel Bayer on hand as director. The original was created by Wes Craven, who’s currently working on a third sequel to his other hit horror franchise, the Scream movies. Read more…

Even with a heavily hyped marketing campaign that featured the tagline “Size Matters,” and all the usual merchandise and fast food tie-ins, Godzilla was a box office dud when it was released in 1998; eclipsed at the multiplex by hits like Saving Private Ryan and There’s Something About Mary. Costing upwards of $200M, it only grossed $136M during its theatrical release. Like the more recent misguided Wolfman remake it was seen as a missed opportunity of a blockbuster that had franchise potential. Now, twelve years later, Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. have announced plans Read more…

How can a film possibly live up to years and years of hype and anticipation–especially when it’s based on a beloved children’s book? The quick answer is: it can’t. But can said film be judged on its own merits when you throw your expectations out the door? Absolutely. Such is the case with Spike Jonze‘s first movie since Read more…

In an interview with Cut Print Review a few weeks ago, Kevin Tancharoen, director of the new Fame remake, was asked if Alan Parker, who directed the original 1980 version, helped out with the production in any way. Tancharoen responded, Read more…

To say this remake of Wes Craven‘s A Nightmare on Elm Street is unnecessary would be like saying that Michael Jackson has been overexposed lately. As if Michael Bay‘s producer credit wasn’t enough reason to skip out on this sure-to-be-crapfest, the glimpse they show of Freddy is very disappointing. They make him look like a childish Michael Myers. Not even close to the sneering, wrinkly-skinned face inhabited by Robert Englund. Note to producers: when giving a horror icon a makeover, softer is not better.

For as many inventive projects as there are in Hollywood this year (Avatar, District 9), there are a whole lotta sequels, rehashes, and remakes (Night at the Museum, Land of the Lost, Friday the 13th). Next year looks to be no different. Filmmaker Robert Zemeckis, who directed such diverse movies as Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Forrest Gump, has signed a deal with Disney to create a new version of the 1968 animated cult classic, Read more…

The release date for Universal’s The Wolfman, starring Benicio Del Toro and Emily Blunt, has been pushed back for the third time. The remake of the classic Bela Lugosi horror pic was scheduled to open November 6, but the studio feared competition from New Moon, the highly anticipated Read more…

According to WENN, Hugh Jackman and Miley Cyrus are in talks to star in a remake of The Bodyguard. Now that every movie from the 80s has been remade, the studios must have decided it’s time to move on to the 90s. Wolverine will be playing the studly bodyguard and Miss Hannah Montana will be playing the endangered pop star, so I guess that means no passionate love making in this one (unless they’re going for a Lolita kind of vibe). Also, maybe it’s a good idea to reverse the roles. Based on his performance at this year’s Oscars, Jackman could easily play the pop star. The new version is being tentatively titled Personal Security. What an exciting title! They might as well Read more…

First Friday the 13th, then Fame, then Footloose, and now…The Stepfather. Hollywood is going nuts with the 80s remakes. They might as well remake the entire decade while they’re at it.