Tell It To Me Tuesday… Episode II

So I start reading The Art of Getting By a little more. And another Tell It To Me Tuesday just happens to crop up.

This week’s topic:

What are some of your favorite remakes?

Remember, the originals need not be your favorite songs. You may like the original so much you were happy someone did another rendition, or you may actually like the remake better than the original song itself. After all, music is in the eye of the beholder… or something like that.

Wow. Me. Remakes. Really in most cases not a good idea. I am, after all, one of few who stews in his own juices just over the thought of movies like King Kong being remade by the likes of [formerly respectable] Peter Jackson. But meh. There are, in my mind, certain acceptabilities in remakes. To put it simply, the remake must contribute something artistically, or be at least an update to reflect the current times. Not just a frame by frame reshoot to market a post-production and special effects house.

Seeing as the question was more intended toward music, I shall give an answer in the realms of music, film, and television.

MUSIC

All Along the Watchtower, originally by Bob Dylan, remade by Jimi Hendrix. In a mudhole in Saugerties, New York in the summer of 1994, I got to see Mr. Bob Dylan for the first time. I always respected him as a lyricist, an activist, and creative genius. But alas, I had known that in terms of vocal performance, he was no Placido Domingo. But listening to him at Woodstock ‘94, LIVE, that point was hammered home.

Enter Jimi Hendrix. In the late 60’s, he pushed the soundscape of rock boldly in new direction. I, to this day, find it quite fitting that such a great writer such as Dylan was stretched to fit a new mould for rock and roll. Truly a fitting collaboration of two of my favourite artists.

FILM

This one is quite hard for me, as I really am anti most remakes. However, I shall remit to say this.

Reservoir Dogs. It is heavily inspired (and thought by some to be a rip-off of) City on Fire. In film school I actually took the time to see both (well okay, City on Fire, I had already seen Reservoir Dogs). And I must say, though there are strong similarities in plot, Quentin’s narrative and style gives him a panache I haven’t seen in a director in ages. Well, until I saw Clerks.

TELEVISION

Anyone following this blog for any length of time knows the answer to this right away. Battlestar Galactica. Plain and simple, the best non-Canadian series out there. Though Dawn will argue it’s all about Starbuck, I digress. The series, in the way it’s written, shot, sequenced, edited, and how the CGI is done, really captures the essence of the series. The last 50,000 (I know it’s somewhat less now) humans known to exist, fighting their very likely extinction at the hands of their own creation, trying to find a new home and survive to grow in numbers again. Even though I loved the story and characters from the 70’s take, the campy 70’s feel to it just doesn’t ring true for me. The remake, definitely does.

And hey, it’s shot here in Vancouver.

And guess what else is shot here in Vancouver? Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. And guess who’s gonna be on set after a hell of a long hiatus tomorrow?

That is all.