FEATURE: Remakes That Are Actually Worth Watching

For the most part, remakes of movies often turn out quite terrible, not doing much justice to the original. This can lead to frustration as you feel as a dedicated fan of a particular movie, you've sort of been betrayed as that iconic and timeless movie has been turned into a complete mockery. However, there's the rare occasion that remakes turn out to be much more than you expected, something that for the most part stays true to its original counterpart, whilst providing an all-round fresh perspective. Here's some remakes that are absolutely worth your time.

Scarface (1983)

Surprisingly, a lot of people are still unaware this is a remake of the original 1932 movie. Well, it's not that surprising considering the amount of success the 1983 remake has had since its release - and it's success it rightfully deserves as Al Pacino once again pulls off one of the best performances in cinema history, making for a remake which can be watched over and over, whilst maintaining a level of entertainment that keeps you engaged consistently. It's fair to say Scarface has comfortably stole any limelight the original had, but its worth checking out both movies either way.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

When a horror movie is remade, you don't generally expect good results - often the original narrative is completely butchered (no pun intended) and the characters are for some reason always annoying without meaning to be. However, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake took a big risk as the original was already a massive cult hit, so if the remake turned out bad, a lot of people wouldn't be very happy. Fortunately, it's one of the best horror remakes ever, which ticks all the right boxes, whilst throwing in a healthy dose of creative death scenes as well as a Leatherface that is just as terrifying, if not more.

Halloween (2007)

Instead of going off-track completely like a lot of other horror remakes, director Rob Zombie took the original formula and altered it in a way that suited his other movies, which are generally popular among horror fans, and so when it was revealed he'd be tackling the Halloween remake, you practically knew what kind of style the movie would be. It's massively bloody and violent, whilst containing a gripping narrative as well as a reimagined Michael Myers which seemed to surprisingly well.

The Departed (2006)

Pretty confident I'm not alone here, but it seems to be the general consensus that America like to ruin foreign movies, but there's occasionally the exception, which is The Departed - a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong flick; Infernal Affairs. There's so much going on here that is able to define The Departed as the better version, whether it's the casting, the immense amount of tension played upon throughout, and other themes that aren't for the faint of heart, whilst providing a quirky twisted sense of humour. 

Three Men And A Baby (1987)

Although it's massively predictable and generally ridiculous, Three Men And A Baby is still one of the better remakes due to its ability to make you laugh and feel good through comedy that really isn't that funny in the slightest, yet you'll still find yourself giggling quite a bit anyway. A movie with Tom Selleck, Ted Danson, and Steve Gutternberg on the same screen is certainly "interesting" to say the least, but their chemistry works very well and is perfectly suited to this type of movie.

Honorable mentions...

12 (2007)

Ocean's Eleven (2001)

King Kong (2005)

Let Me In (2010)
The Fly (1986)
3:10 To Yuma

Don't bother with this lot...

A Nightmare On Elm Street (2010)

Psycho (1998)

The Karate Kid (2010)

The Wicker Man (2006)

Friday The 13th (2009)

My Bloody Valentine (2009)

Prom Night (2008)

REVIEW: Donnie Brasco (1997)

Director: Mike Newell | Genre: Crime / Drama | Runtime: 127 min.

This true story focuses on the efforts of Joe Pistole (Johnny Depp), an FBI agent who has to go deep undercover within the mafia families of New York under the name of Donnie Brasco - however, after building an intense friendship with Lefty Ruggiero (Al Pacino), a recognised member within the mafia, Brasco quickly runs into problems as he doesn't want Ruggiero to take the wrap once the case is over.

Whilst there's a lot of violence and blood in Donnie Brasco, much like many gangster movies, the most interesting and entertaining scenes are those where we see the friendship progress between Brasco and Ruggiero, which is constantly challenged through other mafia associates but more importantly Brasco's wife Maggie (Anne Heche), who finds it increasingly difficult to maintain a relationship with Brasco whilst he's undercover, leading to often difficult arguments and events. 

It's interesting to see Ruggiero slowly reveal himself as a generally low member of the mafia although he acts as if he's near the top when first meeting Brasco. This could be seen as a man who's willing to finally admit he's not willing to put in the work to a business he thought admired him through this delusional world he made for himself, instead a part of him wants to leave the crime underworld behind and perhaps live a "normal" life. 

And Brasco sees this throughout the movie and tries to discreetly find ways of getting Ruggiero out of the mafia and into normal society so to speak. Instead things regularly go wrong, whether it's suspicion from the boss Sonny (Michael Madsen) who hints that Brasco is a rat or various confrontations between Ruggiero and other mafia associates.

Whilst at first glance, this movie might seem like yet another gangster flick based on true events, which of course it is, it's the relationships between various characters that truly stands out - a true example of how emotions and judgement can rapidly change based on the level of friendship between one another.

8/10

REVIEW: ATM (2012)

Director: David Brooks | Genre: Horror / Thriller | Runtime: 90min.

When a group of friends/co-workers head for the ATM, they quickly realise it was the wrong thing to do - it turns out a homicidal maniac is stalking there every move, effectively leaving the trio stuck with nowhere to go.

Most of us have been to an ATM and been disheartened with the considerably low amount of funds in our accounts, but it would be a good guess you haven't been trapped inside a kiosk with a creepy guy on the outside playing on your fears and emotions. 

This movie is exactly that, but fails to deliver any genuine thrills or horror - you might remember Josh Peck from Drake and Josh, well now he's playing the role of Corey Thompson, a lazy and unreliable friend of David Hargrove (Brian Geraghty), who was originally planning on driving fellow colleague Emily Brandt (Alice Eve) home with possibly the chance of a nightcap. 

However, Corey drags himself along, effectively ruining Brian and Emily's night - Corey needs cash so the group visit a nearby ATM, but when they decide to leave, a mysterious figure is waiting outside starting at them. From here on, the group must determine what this guy wants, perhaps he's a robber or a menacing killer who violently murders innocent people. We all know the answer. 

Practically all of the movie is set within the ATM kiosk and the surrounding car park, which is fine if the locations were used effectively - instead we are given this predictable series of events with little imagination. This type of movie should encourage plot twists or at least a mildly interesting narrative to keep us entertained - after all, we're staring at the same surroundings for the most part, at least give us a reason to keep on watching.

Not knowing anything about the killer is absolutely fine, but only for a certain amount of time - this movie tells us practically nothing about him. It's understandable that he should remain mysterious but without even a little backstory, it's difficult to really engage with what's going on. 

And it's a shame because the concept is great - that sense of isolation even when in a group, knowing that any move you make could put your life at risk, but the screenplay is lazy and poorly executed. Overall, it's not advised to waste your time on ATM - there are many more horror/thrillers out there that are genuinlely clever, unique and original, this movie is none of them.

2/10