Why is it that recent movie adaptations of old TV shows (specifically Starsky and Hutch, Baywatch and 21 Jump Street) were turned into parodies? Why weren't any of them played straight?
dizzyd
17th Nov 2020
General questions
Answer: It hedges bets in case the action doesn't work, studio can claim they meant for this all along. Also the Mission Impossible films are played straight.
Answer: I'm not claiming to know the definitive answer, but I suspect it is for the same reason there have been remakes of old movies: Hollywood is out of ideas for original movies, tries to keep a steady supply of releases to make money, and it is easier/quicker. Playing them "straight" would require creating a new, meaningful story which is much more demanding than "making fun" of something already done. Moreover, the old TV shows turned into movies probably will do better (make a higher profit) if the audience is not largely limited to the older generation who may have watched the old TV shows. Presumably, the younger generation doesn't find old TV shows appealing and may even already make fun of them. Others do not even know what the TV shows were about, so making a contemporary version would not have the same meaning (or nostalgia) for those viewers. Comedy is something all generations can enjoy... or find more interesting than a lame story about old TV characters who have been forgotten.
I'd concur with this - it's the "four quadrant" idea: movies which appeal to both male and female audiences, and both over - and under-25s. An action-comedy has broader appeal than a pure action/drama, and especially given the three examples referenced are viewed as somewhat cheesy throwbacks now, regardless of the appeal at the time, it makes sense to take a more light hearted approach. Miami Vice is once example that was played straight which could have been ripe for mockery - it got mixed reviews and didn't set the box office aflame.
6th Mar 2020
General questions
I remember seeing a killer scarecrow movie about 20 years ago, but I can't seen to track down which one it was. It definitely wasn't the Asylum "Scarecrow" from 2002. All I remember is that there were human remains (or something else) in a box or casket that needed to be destroyed in order to kill the scarecrow. And I think they were destroyed by having a machine drop a large weight on them, which made the scarecrow explode. I also remember a scene where a character tries to burn the scarecrow and delivers the line "How about a little fire, scarecrow?!" from "Wizard of Oz." I remember the movie being quite bad... but in a fun B-movie kinda way. Anyone know what killer scarecrow movie it was?
Answer: I'll answer my own question. I did some digging and finally found out it was the 1995 movie "Night of the Scarecrow," directed by Jeff Burr.
Answer: Jeepers Creepers?
2nd Sep 2019
General questions
Trying to figure what this movie was, saw it when I was a child. 4 characters, 2 children and 2 adults, adult Male looks like Dick Van Dyke. At one point in the movie they are running through a thick forest, singing and locate a 'City in the Woods'. They have all these weird gadgets and doodads, lots of singing in the movie. The characters are a mix of puppets and live action. Can anyone piece this together?
Answer: Except for the mix of puppets and live action, the movie you describe is Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Answer: Babes in Toyland is my best guess.
18th Aug 2018
General questions
I have noticed a few movies where the shot looks as if a circular camera was used. An example is the kitchen at the very beginning in Scream. How and why are these shot?
Answer: It's all about using empty space to create anticipation. The lens used in the opening shots of "Scream" is a high-content cinematic lens used for extremely wide shots, capturing a huge horizontal image without much vertical distortion and giving the effect of spaciousness. In "Scream," this effect helps to emphasize the fact that Drew Barrymore is all alone in this very spacious house (almost always with Drew right in the middle of the shot) as the stalker keeps calling her on the phone. She suspects that the guy on the phone is watching her, so she is glancing frantically around the house; and the audience, too, is glancing around these big, roomy shots, expecting a jump-scare.
Answer: Fisheye lens?
28th Dec 2014
General questions
I was talking to someone recently about drone technology and where it's headed - I was trying to give a movie reference to this friend about a movie I saw 10, 15, maybe 20 years ago? In this movie, there are a few gentlemen walking around a lab and one of them spots a fly and I believes tries to swat it with a newspaper. The other guy tells him, no, that it's actually a machine that looks like a fly, I can't remember if it is remote controlled or who the actors were.
Chosen answer: There are two scenes like that. One is from an episode of Get Smart, where smashes a robot fly with newspaper. The other from the 1994 movie Richie Rich, where a scientist shows Richie a robot fly, but Cadbury the butler smashes it.
Answer: Is it Sci-Fi?! If so, then "The Fifth Element" Also fills this bill.
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Answer: Because the filmmakers of today view therm as parodies. I admit the writing and directing style is not as sophisticated as today's work, but they told good fun stories. Back then they tried to keep costs down by any means necessary.