Two epic films released/leaked trailers this weekend and I have been in the throws of passing kidney stones… (one of which was a 40 hour ordeal, the second, I’m passing as I type this)

Before I begin, let’s get one thing straight… Remakes are a touchy subject for a lot of people… I have literally seen a fist fight start over a remake. (ultimately they were both scrawny, it resulted in at most a dead-arm) But, the point is, people either hate them or love them.

Its a toss up for me. I honestly believe ” target=”blank”>some films SHOULD be remade for they had, at one point, the potential of being good. But budget, time, bad script, bad acting, etc. got in its way.

Some movies should never be remade– They were got right the first time, there is usually no other effective way to portray the story… Which is a very ANTI remake argument: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I mean, why would I want to go back and re-sculpt the statue of David just to give it a bigger, more realistic _____?

As for now- and how I see it- movies are going to be remade, and the only thing I can do is sit back and hopefully enjoy what the new version is trying to say.

With that said, first I’ll start with Clash of the Titans(both the teaser and the trailer are at this link).

The teaser for this came out a couple weeks back and I have to say I was immediately torn- they used the technique of overly fast and hard edits with rock and roll/symphonic music… a technique I may add, that is incredibly effective on your majority audience! I’ll admit it got my blood pumping and my summer movie list growing.

But, it was this technique that made me question whether the film was going to be worth watching, because- more often than not, if you cut a trailer like that you’re trying to hide something!

Which brings me to the trailer. Granted- the trailer is really just an extended cut of the teaser, same music, same imagery+, but there is something that stands out a bit more in the trailer, to me at least: Throwbacks!

The full trailer shows just how much like the original the new one is going to be (right down to the designs of creatures), plus it shows a glimpse of the things that have been added… what we can look forward to in the remake.

It also shows that it relies heavily on CGI, but potentially has a good blend of practical effects(like the make-up in particular).

The last thing I noticed was the cast. A lot of the male roles seem to be played by men who most wouldn’t consider Hollywood pretty. It looks as though they are played by men, who look like men… I mean, where can one go wrong with Liam Neeson as Zeus!?

If I had to take a guess at story- I’d say don’t watch the original if you want to be surprised, but don’t expect much more new in the way of story.

NOW! On to a film I have been greatly anticipating since it was rumored. Another film and another remake. Or is it?

Robin Hood has been a story that has been told and re-told for centuries. Thus the reason its still being told today- THE STORY: and a very powerful PRO remake argument: Shakespeare’s tales have been told hundreds of thousands of times and in hundreds of  thousands of ways, in fact we LONG for a new version of Hamlet or Romeo and Juliet… their stories are timeless so why can’t they remake Casablanca?

In this version of Robin Hood’s defense, I’ll say its not a remake, its a re-imagining.

ROBIN HOOD!! Before you read further… click the link and watch the trailer.

Since I can remember hearing the Robin Hood story, I remember being a fan of it. I loved the idea of coming home and becoming a hero. I’ve always been a fan of the swash-buckling, high adventure spin that has always been put on it- but- there was always something missing for me… the danger.

let me tell you- after seeing this trailer, it looks as though Ridley Scott has added as much danger as this film can handle (including a Saving Private Ryan style beach landing) The things I gathered from this preview is that he’s made Robin Hood exactly what the Sheriff of Nottingham and Prince John have always made him out to be: a Savage. Robin looks to be what a spoiled Nobleman would become if he came back from a bloody, endless war to find his home(his safe haven) in destitute, under brutal law and ravaged by a tyrant.

Ya… I’d become savage too. It’s like… Gladiator meets Red Dawn… (think about it)

I’ve been wanting to see the dark side of Robin for quite some time and even though the recent BBC television series has dabbled in that realm- they have yet to cross the line between swash buckle to brutal.

This looks brutal.

If I were to take a stab at story I’d say- don’t be surprised if Robin or some other incredibly important character (*cough*Marian*cough*) dies in the end- because in order for “story to become legend” something like that will have to happen.

Thanks for reading- the typing actually took my mind off the pain of the stone for a bit (which might explain the length of this write up)

Enjoy!