What's Up With All the Remakes Lately?!

'Death Originality Takes a Holiday'...the latest 'trend' in Hollywood is remaking films, currently the focus is skewed towards movies from the 1980s and the 1990s. Although it would seem a relatively new development, remakes have been around since Hollywood first entered the movie business. For a full listing, click here. Case in point,  'Death Takes a Holiday' was remade as 'Meet Joe Black' with Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins.

So why the outcry from moviegoers, critics, et al (including myself)? I believe that it is generational and the nostalgia connected to a certain movie. Personaly, when I heard that 'Dirty Dancing' was being remade, I could not believe it. Admittedly, it's not quite a masterpiece and I understand that some may not have seen the original 1987 movie, but why does it have to be remade at all? If you want to see it, just pop in the DVD or view it online.

Hollywood is in the movie-making business, key word here is 'business'. These days when movie-going audiences are dwindling; Hollywood makes more money on releasing its product on DVD and other digital formats then from the actual theatrical release. Hollywood is well aware of this, the movie 'Trespass' starring Nicolas Cage and Nicole Kidman was released in the theatre as well as being available for download at the same time.

Turning to projects that were successful years ago, may take the guesswork out of trying to match up the movie to the audience, however, given that the latest remakes 'Straw Dogs' and 'Footloose' did not fare all that well at the box office, may give Hollywood some food for thought. More support for original projects such as '(500) Days of Summer', 'One Day', 'Like Crazy' and 'Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist', would be a step in the right creative direction.