The Day The Earth Stood Still
 

I saw a trailer and it looks like this classic gets released in December. With Keanu Reeves in the Michael Rennie role.

Please do it good.

Good grief.

That's what I said. (JBL's did NOT cheer me up, no surprise there)

one is not optimistic.

No soup for you.

Problem with Reeves as an actor is he has one emotion and it will be terrible here.

WHY DO THEY MESS WITH CLASSICS!!

any modern makeover of any classic movie will be crap. Everyone so far has been IMO.
Just look at war of the worlds. crap.

It also did not help that Tom cruise was a part of that movie. Every thing he touches (with the exception of the first MI movie) has turned to crap.

Why can't anyone have an original idea.


I thought the first MI was crap, his War of the Worlds was mostly crap because of the endlessly whinning kids. I dug out the original WOTW right before halloween and watched it again. Crappy acting but a great film. It was the "Gone with the Wind" of SciFi films

If you have ever read the book, the best War of the Worlds movies just might be M. Night Shyamalan "Signs".

The problem with making The Day The Earth Stood Still starts with the fact it's a dated concept.

Based on the trailer I saw it will be yet another film full of loud explosions and impressive CGI and little else. Another one of those "blockbusters" that will make a ton of money for a couple weeks then disappear into video.

As much as anything else, the original "Day the Earth Stood Still" is a statement on the paranoia and bigotry of the late 40s - early 50s. Many in the film industry were under suspicion because of their alleged political beliefs and/or their associations with so-called "communists." They were often called "un-American" because they had, or knew, someone whose socio-political leanings were left of the supposed center. Films like this were one of the only creative outlets for making a statement against these wrongs. It could not be made as a current "true-life" picture, as had the classic "Gentlemen's Agreement" in 1947; the message had to be rhetorical and methaphorical. It had to be in a sci-fi or a picture set in a previous century. Those were dark days in Hollywood.

These days? The story really belongs in the 1950s so I suppose the current film will really resemble the original only in the most basic way - the theme may be similar and the title is reused.

And Keanu Reeves? Gimme a break! I cannot understand how such a limited actor can have such a big career. He belongs in stuff like "Bill & Ted" and ...... wait a minute! Most of his films aren't any deeper than "Bill and Ted." They just have bigger budgets. Mindless fodder to put asses in the seats. A month in theaters and straight to video.

I remember how much Keanu Reeves stunk up Bram Stoker's Dracula. The only thing that saved that film was Anthony Hopkins entertaining and over the top performance.

Mr. Reeves makes more bad movies than good movies, but I'll give him props for the "Bill and Ted" series, the "Break Point" surfing flick (my wife loves that), and as the cop/drugee in "A Scanner Darkly."

Ken

agree 100%.

It's doomed.

Yeah, Reeves was very out of his comfort zone in that one. His acting range is suitable for light comedy but when he's called upon to actually "act", well, let's say he's subpar. It's not that he can't, the main problem seems to be that his personality is so laid back and he has a serious lack of screen presence, nee "charisma." When he's onscreen with a better actor, say a Larry Fishbourne, Anthony Hopkins, or even a Patrick Swayze, he almost disappears. Surfer dude needs acting school.

Are you kidding? There is nothing dated about this film, except it's original release date. The concept, and the ideology it's against is alive and well! And will never go away.

Never heard of it.:scratch2:

Well, 'Klaatu barada nikto' right back at ya. I hadn't heard of the remake this yr. I imagine the only gain to this remake is more action & better visual effects. We (who have seen the original) already know the plot & outcome.

I thought Keanu was pretty good in that one movie with the grape farm. It was based in the far past..... Forget the name of it at the moment. He was coming back from the war I think.

Could be worse. They could do a black version with Martin Lawrence or Chris Tucker( I dunno..) in the lead...:rolleyes:

Or maybe even a Steve Martin version. He did a pretty good job destroying Sgt. bilko, and no I haven't/won't see his "Pink Panther"

Although I could see Will Smith in the role of Klaatu. Maybe. Klaatu is a very serious and determined guy.

I'm having trouble imagining "Klaatu Narada Nikto" in Keanu's SoCal accent..

How about a Mr. Bean "Earth Stood Still?" :)

Steve's Pink Panther is an insult to the memory of Peter Sellers imho... I bet someone remembered his "cheese omelet" routine and decided he'd make a funny Clouseau.

It'd be: "Whoa! Like, Klaatu Narada Nikto Duuude!" :stupid:

Dan, that horrible thought has been rollin' around in my head ever since I learned of this...Some things just need to be left well enuff alone...Remaking "Day the Earth Stood Still" is, IMHO, one of those.

Yeah, it'd be like the Bee Gees remaking Sgt. Peppers... Oh, wait...nevermind... :thumbsdn:

Is this the one where the Earth has to rotate at a certain speed or it explodes?

:lmao::lmao:

A Walk in the Clouds. The grape farm was called Las Nubes (the clouds). Pure & simple romance film.

Re: Reeves, yeah, wooden is probably being generous. Still, looking at his catalog of films there are plenty there that I enjoy & that he starred in. Same thing for Cruise.

To the topic at hand, Day the Earth Stood Still, Reeves might possibly be perfectly cast. Michael Rennie wasn't exactly playing someone (an alien w/ human characteristics) that had a broad range of emotions.

At the risk of being stomped I have to say I never liked the original so it goes without saying I probably won't like the new one either.

I found the films message arrogant and hypocritical: alien comes to earth to warn humans to stop their violent behavior.......or they will be destroyed in a most violent manner!

HUH???

So, who is to judge these aliens in traveling the universe destroying planets that don't conform? So, Klaatu & his race of beings are acually very human-like only much more powerful.

Russ

I haven't seen the movie in many years. I thought the message was to "stop the violent behavior or we'd end up destroying ourselves". But my memory these days is flaky as Aunt Tilly's pie crust.

Russ, I believe the premise was the same as the books/movies 2001 and 2010. It was okay for us to be violent down here. But as soon as we stretched our legs a little, and could get around to other planets and stuff, we became a threat to more than ourselves. That's what got us the warning.

This more or less sums up my opinion on you staying in New Jersey.

Someday I want to buy you a drink.

Make it a nice tall glass of lye would you?

One for me too?

:D

Going by the trailers, I'll buy a seat. Not a remake so much but a new film carrying over some of the original film details.

The trailers -

You Tube Trailer (short)

Apple Trailer (high quality)

Unknown source, 7.5 minutes (let it load, come back later) -

Extended Trailer

Too bad.......
 

I was hoping that the cast of "A Scanner Darkly' would be involved in a re-make of "Dark Star"......Keanu would have made a great Captain.......

I saw that trailer a few weeks ago. Same title but apparently different movie. In the original, alien makes his point by making everything stop working at a given time, hence the title. In the new one, alien makes his point by blowing the living s**t out of one or more major metropolitan centers. Should have named it "The Day The Earth Got F****D"

My kid and I watched the previews, I withdraw my skepticism.

and Tinitus, I have your avatar on my wall.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...t/Image1-2.jpg

It is a good thing I placed no bets on the movie source of that poster.

In my mind's eye it was from 'This Island Earth' -

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q...th_MMM1954.jpg

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q...s_island_a.jpg

I thought I had seen 'Invasion of the Saucer-Men' but guess I had it confused with 'Earth vs. the Flying Saucers'.

(Boy, there is a whole thread there on 50's sci-fi!)

Nice catch, guys. Those movies I grew up with are hardly on TV anymore.

That's exactly the way I feel about Nicolas Cage... no talent, one dimensional!
IMHO.


WHY DO THEY MESS WITH CLASSICS!!

Because they can't come up with anything original I'd say.