The first time I saw Let the Right One in [LtROi], I was left with a shivering tingle. Obviously, it became my fave film of 2008, and I have seen it seven times already… loving the slightly unconventional love story, and presenting a wonderful character such as Eli.
This is why I don’t have to tell you how mad I was when I heard about the remake, right?
Well, not long ago… in fact, just after I commented on The Auteurs about watching it again, someone asked me what I felt about the remake. After a few minutes thinking about it, I concluded that I wasn’t as mad as I was when the news broke. I still don’t think Let Me In could be as good as LtROi and/or bring anything new to the genre.
Possibly, the best thing that could make me sway my decision is the casting of not only Chloe Moretz (Kick-Ass, (500) Days of Summer), but also Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Road). A moody and beautiful trailer would also help.
However, there’s still the fact that they probably won’t tackle certain topics by changing Eli’s name to Abbey, which makes her a full girl unless I don’t know any guy names that could be shortened to Abbey… you know like sometimes Ashley is a guy or girl name? Add to that the fact that Richard Jenkins’ character is called “The Father” – weird.
I’ll quote someone on IMDb who seems to explain it better…
By having Abbey being a girl, they’ve already killed one of the things I love about the original book, its not a conventional love story, it’s more about the idea of what love is and what it means. There is something so strangely touching about how Oskar is willing to still accept Eli in his life even after everything he finds out about Eli, I just found that really touching in the original novel. – damann861
I will probably watch the film… if it comes to local theaters, and if it doesn’t… well, I will probably take the time to download it. I mean, it all comes down to the trailer and the production stills. I want to see how it looks like before…
What are your thoughts on American remakes of foreign films?
Should they have waited a few more years to remake LtROi?
Americans are stupid.
That is all.
It’s true what Lainey said, if anyone said they would try to remake The Godfather in their language, everyone would cry “foul” – but I’ve been reading… and fearing. It might be a shot-by-shot remake. *shriek*
One of their worse crimes (of the many) was remake My Sassy Girl and throw it to the straight-to-video bin, that totally tainted My Sassy Girl. Also remaking As If… I mean, frack~ As If is in ENGLISH! Why make an American version, right? Like the Harry Potter American version books? It’s like… excuse me? Can’t you read British?
Funny thing, British is not a fucking different language! I mean, is it really hard to look up a slang? Doesn’t American English also have slang? SMH
What is bothering me the most is the remake of the millennium trilogy. Swedens absolute best actors are in it, there is no need for a remake. The American version is going to suck ass.
When it comes to “den rätte” how the fuck are they going to portray blackeberg? Blackeberg is like 50% of the movie!
I am so damn upset it is not funny! *stabs stabs stabs*
I think we have a good issue to discuss on the next yam!
I am still dying to watch Man Som Hatar Kvinnor xD, you know how it is for films to get here. Question, have the 3 movies already come out? O.o I’m a movie person, so I like to watch before I read xD I mean, if I like the first movie I will probably buy the trilogy LOL but I wonder if the three movies are already out… in theaters and/or DVD. It’ll be awesome to watch the three in a week [in one go seems a little excessive… but doable.]
There’s also the rumor of remaking Battle Royale… and Oldboy WTH. Stay awayyyyyy from those movies, especially if you’re not doing campy violence in Battle Royale. Hollywood cannot replace Chiaki Kuriyama or Kou Shibasaki. Ever. xD
If there’s a remake coming out in June, we can probably do it. As it is now, we are probably doing a Last Airbender [opens first week of July] theme and include that article I mentioned about when we were working on YAM009, which shall remain nameless here. LOL
Yeah all the movies are out on dvd, want me to get them for ya? They are quite cheap, 149 kr, 199 if u want blueray. Let me warn ya though, Sweidsh dvd’s are not that great when it comes to extra material nor packaging.
But Noomi makes it up for it, her and that sexy voice *purrs*
Omfg, The last airbender, I love that cartoon to bits and pieces. When I heard they were doing the movie I was all YATTA! The I heard that nightman was going to do it and I was more YATTA. U can’t deny that the dude is a good director. I fucking love signs and the village. But was it so hard to find Asian actors? Like really? I am now dreading to see it on cinema….
If we are doing a Last airbender special then I wanna do a piece about the cartoon!!!!
I am so damn tired of hollywood and their damn remakes! LEAVE MY ASIAN MOVIES ALONEEEEEEEE
I’m generally against remakes, but only because they show a lack of imagination for the most part. I prefer to see original ideas.
Having said that, a remake of a film I love doesn’t in any way harm my favorite film…I can always ignore the new one.
What’s dangerous, and I think there is a precedent for this, is when a US studio buys up the rights to a foreign film and withholds its release in favor of a remake. I can’t remember for sure, but I think the Weinsteins have done something like this before with some J-horror flick.
Luckily, LtROI already came out and if anything a remake might call people’s attention to it.
Hey, Craig. I feel it does taint it a little bit.. somewhat. I was talking to someone about romantic comedies [ever me… romantic comedy girl] and I happened to mention My Sassy Girl, which is like revered in South Korea and other Asian countries as one of the best romantic comedies to come out the past 10 years… according to some. Anyway, I was talking to someone who didn’t watch Asian films, so this person replied “My Sassy Girl? Isn’t that with the Girl Next Door girl?? That was awful!”
I totally fell off my chair… so to speak.
In the case there wasn’t a remake, the comment would have been “I haven’t heard of it” instead.
The only thing I have left to avoid confusion is to call the film by its original name… but Korean films are impossible to name unless you’re Korean xD or speak Korean.
I guess remakes would be okay if they were just a few a year, instead of hearing of a new remake, or new franchise re-vamp every week or so. I guess saying “Hollywood” generalizes the issue a lot, but it sure seems these come from big studios.
With all of that aside, I like a lot of the semi-independent and sort of independent stuff that’s coming out from the US. I think it’s amazing a film can be call indie, even if it’s made with a budget of $1M USD. Only in America, I guess.
Julz, wow. Blu-rays are quite cheap, I don’t own a player though. I’m cheap like that. I still buy good ole DVDs xD… I’ll look them up online. How about the books? Are they a good read? I just added them to my “want to read” list on Facebook. LOL
I think the term “indie” is used loosely and doesn’t mean as much as it did in the 80s and early 90s, but it distinguishes movies from the big studio product that costs 100s of millions of dollars.