Subject: Wicker Man remake From: michaelr Date: 25 Aug 06 - 10:30 PM There's a remake of the famous 1973 cult film in the works. Unfortunately, it stars Nicholas Cage (I can't figure out what makes him a leading man in Hollywood). It seems they moved the story to America... Comments? Cheers, Michael |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: Maryrrf Date: 25 Aug 06 - 11:54 PM It doesn't look very promising, does it? I'm another one that can't see the star quality in Nicholas Cage. |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: open mike Date: 26 Aug 06 - 01:12 AM but i still am curious to see it... |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: robomatic Date: 26 Aug 06 - 01:53 AM What a wonderful film and wonderful actors. Took my very Christian girlfriend to see it and whenever we reached upon certain sacred subjects, all I had to do was ..."Sumer is acumin in, lude we sing cookoo"...... Nicholas Cage can be very good. Hard to imagine him in it except maybe the Christopher Lee part Appropriate subject matter for today's young Christians! |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: mrdux Date: 26 Aug 06 - 03:05 AM i read that robin hardy, the director of the original "wicker man," is in production on his "reimagining" of "the wicker man." it's called "cowboys for christ." the novelization hit the stores last may. http://www.cowboysforchrist.info/ could be interesting. michael |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: Stu Date: 26 Aug 06 - 04:18 AM Unfortunately the Hollywood way of remaking films is to relocate them to America and dumb them down, which I would think means this version will look glossy but lack any of the subtlety and humour of the original, which an excellent film. |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: The Borchester Echo Date: 26 Aug 06 - 04:45 AM Could it really be possible to dumb The Wicker Man even further down? I've seen a few mute clips and it looks just the same (i.e. crap) but Murkan stylee crap. I'm rather glad I haven't heard the soundtrack which surely couldn't be worse than the cheesey fakemusic of the original. (Could it?) |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: Dave Hanson Date: 26 Aug 06 - 04:55 AM I think the inverse proportion laws will apply, the worse the re-make the better it will be. Question, will the innocent and virtuous American cop be packing his six gun ? eric |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: Dave'sWife Date: 26 Aug 06 - 05:15 AM Cage plays the Edward Woodward part unfortunately. I hate to admit this but my husband works in the film industry and part of his job is to scout out world cinema and find prospects to be relocated to the US and "dumbed down." He also does a lot of reading of books set in other places with an eye towards buying the rights and relocating the story to the USA. Luckily, his company is less likely to gut and destroy their source material as most who practice the same kind of mining for material. I don't know where this version of Wickerman is set but the USA had its own farily decent "Paganism amongst us" film in a mini-series of Thomas Tryon's novel Harvest Home. it was made in the late 1970s and is being considered for a remake. With that story it was the whole Isis/Demeter Fertility Cult and Year King plot which is not too dissimilar to Wicker King. No fake folk music though and no Fundamentalist Christians - just a sophistacated New Yorker & hius family relocated to New England where to his horror, he stumbles upon a long tradition of Dememter worship that can turn nasty if th4e crops fail. I recommned the book as a good summer read. |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: Liath Date: 26 Aug 06 - 05:37 AM I've heard they've changed the ending so that Cage gets away. A crying shame ;-) Needless to say, I shall be waiting until it comes to a bargain bucket near me... |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: fat B****rd Date: 26 Aug 06 - 05:46 AM Dear Dave's Wife. Was your husband (who I'm sure is a wonderful person) in any way responsible for the remake of "Get Carter"???? As regards "The Wicker Man" NNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!!! |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: Dave Sutherland Date: 26 Aug 06 - 08:14 AM Well said. I hope it sinks without trace as "Get Carter(2)"did. |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: robomatic Date: 26 Aug 06 - 08:53 AM Y'know, there's a movie being advance-noticed called "The" Wicker Man. But it sounded like it was a totally different flick so no alarms went off. "Sumer is a cumin in...." |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: GUEST Date: 26 Aug 06 - 08:56 AM Does it still have the Christopher Lee character looking like Maddy Prior on speed? Jim Carroll |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: McGrath of Harlow Date: 26 Aug 06 - 09:03 AM I have a feeling it won't be as funny set in the USA. Partly because the story wouldn't actually sound all that daft and unlikely. Is that unfair my thinking that? I'm thinking Waco and Jim Jones and Survivalists and so forth... I suspect they'll play the whole thing much more as straight horror. I do seem to detect a tendency on the part of saome Americans not to recognise that the original is tongue in chweek black comdey. I've always wished they'd put the original down in an island off Cornwall, like the appropriately named Scilly Isles, or Lundy where the puffins live. I can maybe suspend my disbelief when it come to homicidal locals and fertility rites but when it comes to the inhabitants of the Western Isles adopting English folk ways, that's a bit too far fetched. |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: Dave'sWife Date: 26 Aug 06 - 09:14 AM fat B****rd - no thank heaven. Dave, my husband hated that remake! His company mostly does thrillers, action, supernatural, horror, general creepiness and such. They will coming out with The Grudge II soon having done the 1st American remake of Ju-On (The Grudge) as well. I think they did a great job with those but then, they used the original Japanese director and chose to keep the story set in japan. They simply substituted american main characters. In a way, the 2 American movies are more or less non-linear sequesl to the original Japanese film than remakes. Speaking of Occult and/or High Weirdness films, one film he would LOVE to see done is an adapataion of Sarban's The Sound Of His Horn but there's no way that could be relocated from Europe to the US. Still, they could change the main characters nationality I suppose. He'd also love to get behind a proper remake of Kingsley Amis' The Green Man. He thinks the sex would get toned down too the point of ruining the story though, as in the original attempt to get that story on film. A recent film he had some input on that is set in Alaska but is being filmed in NZ was one he advocated for a folk/roots music soundtrack but the choice of director made continuing to psuh for that irrelevant. One thing Dave would love for his company to do is produce a film that had a Trad/roots sounding soundtrack or at least a deeply folksie one that would stand as strong as those for say Cold Mountain. It's not something they've ever done. I think I push for these things more than he does though, being more emotionally invested in music. I was for a time a film Development exec and I had more input on the subject of music. Dave is more a story guy and the guy who scans the globe for material to adapt. His role in those areas is very early on, however, with most of his duties involving day to day operations. |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: GUEST,Shimrod Date: 26 Aug 06 - 09:22 AM The mention of 'Get Carter' reminds me that, long ago (in the early Jurassic, I think), I read the original novel on which the film was based (note that this was before the Michael Caine film came out - yes, really!). If I can remember correctly the story was set in Scunthorpe ... I suppose that Newcastle was considered to be slightly more glamorous ... nothing changes, does it? |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: Dave Hanson Date: 26 Aug 06 - 09:40 AM If Typhoo put the ' T ' in Britain, who put the xxxx in Sxxxxhorpe ? eric |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: foggers Date: 26 Aug 06 - 09:51 AM I intend to give this remake film a very wide berth. The original film was part of my growing up in the 70s and was one of the first spooky films I was allowed to watch - and I have seen Nicolas Cage ruin other great stories for me (most notably, "Captain Correlli's mandolin" and epic novel of human complexity turned into a turkey of a film). Of course thanks to Jim's comments I will never be able to watch the original again without seeing the similarity between Mr Lee and Maddy P on speed LOL! |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: GUEST,Auldtimer Date: 26 Aug 06 - 09:55 AM The orignal "Get Carter" story was called, Jack's Return Home, written by Ted Lewis in 1971. The town in the story is not named, it is a steel town, north of Doncaster. This is a book worth seeking out, second hand now because it will be well out of print. It is a darker, gloomier, sadder and more frightening story than the filim. |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: Dave the Gnome Date: 26 Aug 06 - 10:02 AM I noticed on the trailer that the main character seems to be called Edward and the missing little girl has the surname Woodward. Co-incidence? I think not :D (tG) |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: McGrath of Harlow Date: 26 Aug 06 - 10:03 AM Basically it's a kind of Carry On film. |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: Dave'sWife Date: 26 Aug 06 - 01:15 PM >>I noticed on the trailer that the main character seems to be called Edward and the missing little girl has the surname Woodward.<< And I'm sure the writers think they are ever so clever for that. Me, I have a hard time imagining Cage as an adult virgin given his notorious (and apparently very true) reputation as a womanizer. I've never really "gotten" him as an actor, not even in Leaving Las Vegas. Of course, I am certianly not with the rest of movie-goers on that - the man is big box office. |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: katlaughing Date: 26 Aug 06 - 03:12 PM I agree wiht your first posting, McGrath. I cannot imagine a remake being anything like the original! This reminds me of a bumper sticker I saw the other day: "Christianity has pagan DNA!" |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: fat B****rd Date: 26 Aug 06 - 03:34 PM Shimrod and Auldtimer, I can't seem to send PMs so I'll use this thread. After killing off Jack Carter Ted Lewis (RIP) wrote two other JC books. "Jack Carter & The Mafia Pigeon" is not (IMO) very good but in "Jack Carter's Law" he actually tells a girl from Grimsby that he is from Scunthorpe. There, that's got that off my chest. ATB from Charlie S. |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: Amergin Date: 26 Aug 06 - 04:01 PM The only reason why Cage gets the roles is because of who he is related to....that and marketing. |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: Dave the Gnome Date: 26 Aug 06 - 04:49 PM I thought he was pretty good as Captain Corelli. Plays a mean mandolin as well... :D (tG) |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: GUEST,DB Date: 26 Aug 06 - 05:01 PM Aultimer & fatB****rd - thanks for the information. I think that, as a geographically naive youth, I must have inferred that Mr Lewis intended the town in his book to be Scunthorpe. It's interesting (and possibly coincidental?)that the later book gives Carter's home town as Scunthorpe, though. Even weirder though is that while I'm typing this, in the back room, from the front room I can hear Michael Caine's distinctive tones issuing from the telly!! |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: michaelr Date: 26 Aug 06 - 11:46 PM Puh - leeeeze!! Maddy Prior was never as handsome as Christopher Lee... especially not "on speed"! Watching the original now - that Britt Ekland is summit, eh? Cheers, Michael |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: robomatic Date: 27 Aug 06 - 04:32 AM I thought Cage was quite good in what I think was his first big film: Raising Arizona. He looked like a lifelike representation of "Bill The Cat" OMG: Just saw an advertisement on TV for "The Wicker Man". It reeks of "American Remake". I'm wondering if it will be bad enough to be good. (Who's Maddy Prior?) |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: Dave Hanson Date: 27 Aug 06 - 04:35 AM Ralph McTell once wrote a song for her, ' Maddy Dances ' eric |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: Big Al Whittle Date: 27 Aug 06 - 06:38 AM Perhaps they will remake Carry on Camping. Tom Cruise as Bernard Bresslaw. Britney Spears as barbara windsor Eddy Murphy as peter Butterworth |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: Jerry Rasmussen Date: 27 Aug 06 - 08:09 AM Cage makes two types of movies... big Hollywood blockbuster action films, and smaller, offbeat stuff. I respect him for that. I recently bought a DVD of Matchstick Men, which had excellent reviews. And well deserved. I thought Cage was fine in it as a con man who ultimately turns out to be a sucker for the world's greatest con, and ends up admiring the people who pulled it on him. I thought that he was fine in Moonstruck, too. And dopey in the little bit of National Treasure that I watched out of momentary boredom on the tee vee a couple of nights ago. I haven't seen the original Wicker Man, but am not enticed into watching the remake. I'd probably like the original better, even having never seen it. Jerry |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: Willie-O Date: 27 Aug 06 - 12:47 PM Here's a quote from remake director Neil LaBute, which will please some of you: "According to writer/director LaBute, all the 'good stuff' is in the 2006 version of the film. "All the good bits and none of the music. None of the songs are still in there. It's a straight score in the movie, rather than any kind of folky songs that existed in the original." Other differences are: Cage not a virgin. OK? Almost all the pagan characters are women. Cause they have a matriarchal society of descendants-from-Pilgrims. Oddly enough they are Pagans not fundamendalist Christians. (They sound more and more like my in-laws, but never mind). The movie was largely shot in Langley BC as far as I can tell, which is odd because there are lots of beautiful islands in southern BC but Langley is on the mainland. There are some very good actresses involved: Ellen Burstyn, Molly Parker and LeeLee Sobieski and more. All in all it's hard to get much of a sense of whether I'm going to like this movie. However I'm willing to go on record saying that "am not enticed into watching the remake. I'd probably like the original better, even having never seen it." strikes me as a ridiculous comment, sorry Jerry! W-O enjoyed the original, will watch the new one before I decide whether I like it! |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: Emma B Date: 27 Aug 06 - 12:54 PM I just spent last night in the hotel and bar that was used in the original film! Although the walls were covered with photos of stills from the film a local wedding was in progress and the atmosphere couldn't be less menancing although the "fertility rites" were perhaps only just below the surface :) |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: Willie-O Date: 27 Aug 06 - 01:09 PM Yeah, looked like a cozy joint. Who got hitched, the landlord's daughter? The trailer at imdb.com seems...pretty ridiculous. But I'll still see it for Molly Parker! W-O |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: Jerry Rasmussen Date: 27 Aug 06 - 01:36 PM It was intentionally ridiculous, Willie-O. Glad you caught it. :-) (Although in general, I find hollywood remakes of older films to be glossier, with all the croners rounded off.) Anybody care to see the remake of Pyscho? Anyone go to see The Poseidon Adventure, or Flight Of The Phoenix? The last two weren't great mvoies, but from the sounds of, the remakes weren't as good. Jerry |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: Dave'sWife Date: 27 Aug 06 - 03:10 PM well, against my better judgement, I just RSVPed to go to a free industry screening of WICKER MAN next week. if it's awful, at least we didn't pay. I can report back and let folks know how bad it was or wasn't. My husband felt like going and the price (free) was right. |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: GUEST Date: 27 Aug 06 - 04:26 PM What makes him a "leading man?" His birth name was "Copola." |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: katlaughing Date: 27 Aug 06 - 04:45 PM I don't mind Cage in most of the films. He did a passable job in Corelli, but I wish they'd coached better on the accents. I think he's a lot of fun to watch as he's got a certain attitude of fun, etc. which comes across, but then I never take any movie too seriously. |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: Dave'sWife Date: 28 Aug 06 - 06:11 AM and he did a fabulous performance as Gumby in Peggy Sue Got Married (to Gumby).... |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: GUEST,peace Date: 28 Aug 06 - 06:36 AM Have any of you mugs actually seen this film? How can you write a film off without seeing it? Is it that Nicholas Cage is a Christian? I know that a lot of mudcatters are anti-christian zionists - frightening! |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: Dave'sWife Date: 28 Aug 06 - 06:57 AM Peace - Will you forgive me for judging him given that I live in Hollywood and have crossed paths with him? He's not a very nice fellow. I have seen virtually all his films, so I think I'm not unfair in judging his acting to be less than stellar. I'm also not the first person make the Gumby comparison. I will be seeing the film Thursday for free thankfully. The studio has chosen to refuse to hold any advance press screenings which is usually only done when they fear what the critics will say. So no, I doubt ANYONE has seen this film yet on account of the studio doing their best to prevent previews. A friend who is a film critic has tried to get into a screening asnd has been told "No. there will be none". he is a very charitable fellow but even he says the advance word is that this film stinks. Since I won't be paying, however, I'm more likely to enjoy it! I try to keep an open mind about remakes but this one was kicking around Hollwyood for a couple of years as a prospective project. I know it was turned down by a number of directors who one would have thought would have been perfect for this - their reason? The script - not Cage. So, when I see it, I'll try and avoid blaming any general suckiness on Cage, OK? The word has been out that the script sux since before it shot. If it's a great film, I promise to publically apologize in this thread. |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: Bat Goddess Date: 28 Aug 06 - 07:34 AM I can't say why I don't like Nicolas Cage, but I don't. Never have. He performed well in "Moonstruck" and that vampire thing, at least well enough that I temporarily forgot my aversion to him. (He was even distracting in "Wild At Heart".) The original film "Wicker Man" was okay as far as you can expect from a film. I really preferred the book. But at least it wasn't offensive. (There are very very few films that turn out better than the book. "Diva" and "Reflections In a Golden Eye" are the only two that come to mind.) I've seen the trailer (online) for the remake -- ugh! Talk about Americanization! All the stuff I hate about most American films -- does there HAVE to be car chases and explosions in everything? But I'll probably see the film -- curiosity if nothing else. And I can't really criticize it unless I've seen it, eh? Linn |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: Dave'sWife Date: 28 Aug 06 - 09:53 AM Hi Linn! Thought of you yesterday. my husband made these simply fabulous Parmesan biscuits - the fluffy american kind, not the crisp kind. My husband is the undisputed King of Fluffy Biscuits and has been all his life. I have tried and tried to replicate his recipe and variations thereof but mine NEVER come out as flaky, tender and melt in your mouth delicious as his. he uses a commercial baking mix - Bisquick and follows their recipe but adds one egg per basic recipe. Even so, it is the way he blends the dough and the manner in which he rolls them out and cits them that does the trick. He always adds a little extra baking mix and uses a juice glass to cut them. Even when I do EXACTLY as he does - mine still come out flat and tough. I'm better at making the crispy kind such as those Sherry & black pepper biscuits recipe I tried to recreate for you. I made some like that not long ago and reduced the pepper to the 1/8 of a cup as others suggested - they were marvelous. They keep for well too. Sorry for the thread-drift - just haven't seen Linn for a while |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: Mr Fox Date: 28 Aug 06 - 10:45 AM [QUOTE]"Me, I have a hard time imagining Cage as an adult virgin given his notorious (and apparently very true) reputation as a womanizer." His character isn't a virgin, apparently. But he is allergic to bees. |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker Date: 28 Aug 06 - 10:55 AM Cage is no worse on screen than most other big celebrity hollywood male lead-actors.. he certainly deserves some credit for his apt work in Martin Scorsese's completely bizarre "Bringing Out The Dead" |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker Date: 28 Aug 06 - 10:59 AM ps.. i'll wait for teh DVD release of Wicker man remake before i pass judgement.. and had probably better stop looking in on this thread before someone here inevitably reveals all major plot 'surprises' and the new ending.. ..i realy despise smug egocentric vindictivive critics who take perverse delight in writing/ broadcasting plot 'spoilers' in advance of audiences getting a chance to watch a new movie |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: Stu Date: 28 Aug 06 - 12:36 PM that Britt Ekland is summit Well yes, but in the original she insisted on using an arse-double because she thought her own trumper wasn't up to scratch. But Dave's Wife (and Dave has a really interesting job), why the need to constantly relocate stories to the USA? I'd be interested to hear why from someone in the biz! In the case of the Wicker Man, the story is set in an isolated community that has a very long unbroken indiginous pagan tradtion - perhaps. As all the communities with long unbroken pagan traditions in the states all exist on reservations these days why not leave the story in Scotland, where it was orginally set? Not that this is always a bad idea - but why the obsession with it? I have to think Pulp Fiction would not have had the same if it was set in Macclesfield. Instead of Jack Ribbit Slim's it would be McDonalds drive through near Curry's. stigWeard |
Subject: RE: Wicker Man remake From: Dave'sWife Date: 28 Aug 06 - 02:21 PM stigweard - the reason is simple - marketing. Americans are more likely to pay to see films set in the USA and told about Americans. Even the best "foreign" films that get wide release don't make the money you'd think they would. I don't think the formula of buying the remake rights to successful foreign films and then retooling them for an American audience is really all that successful overall but in certain genres it has a history of being highly profitable. The best example of that is horror/supernatural and thrillers. Action follows 3rd. And, if a studio is lucky, they can get a franchise out of a translated horror film such as Ring/Ring II etc. For what it's worth, the novels that those original films are based on have finally all been translated into English and they are some of the best Science Fiction/horror I have ever read. You can get them on all Amazon now. The three titles are RING, SPIRAL and LOOP. Only the first one is like the film. the other two go off in quite unexpected directions. |
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