Exercise: 30 minutes (dance video)
How much copycatting will you accept in your entertainment? We watched Love Don't Cost a Thing this weekend, which is practically a scene-for-scene remake of Can't Buy Me Love, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. So why am I perturbed by the fact that the TV series Kojak has been remade? I can't say which movies/shows/songs are fair game and which should be left untouched, but I know 'em when I see 'em. Love Don't Cost a Thing made a few changes out of necessity (the original is almost 20 years old, after all) but I think they would have messed up if they hadn't kept all the scenes that made the original a cult favorite. With cover songs, on the other hand, if the cover artist sticks to closely to the original then they suffer from the comparison. I just heard Amy Grant's cover of Carole King's song It's Too Late; it isn't bad, but it sounds thin next to the original. Ultimately, I think an artist should be pretty sure that she has something of her own to bring to the table or else don't bother. A well-worn plot can still be enjoyed if the dressing is pretty.
3 comments:
With all the amazing stories and story tellers out there, I don't know why Hollywood love to tell the same story over and over again. Of course, there are only so many story 'formulas', but why remake when new stories need to be told? I guess evenmoreso, I have a problem with remaking 'white/mainstream' movies with black casts. Airplane/Soul Plane? C'mon.
True, there are only so many formulas. It's what you do with the formula that makes the difference. For instance, the movie Raising Helen and the TV show Summerland came out at the same time with the same premise: a woman dies and leaves her three kids to her childless, inexperienced sister who works in the fashion industry. However, each writing team took the time to customize the premise using location, mannerisms, supportihng characters, etc. The new Kojak series, however, looks like it is copying the old one right down to the bald head and the lollipop; that's not cool. Cop shows aren't new, but you can at least try to make it your own.
Well, I really liked Kojak when I was young.
But I love, love, love Ving Rhames.
But other than baldness and an affinity for lollipops, I didn't think the shows were the same at all. Both Kojaks were driven by the personality of it's stars who are/were very different people in different times.
But isn't that what all cop shows are ? Someone does a crime, someone catches them. What makes them compelling are the personalities. Or maybe the lack of hair...mmmmm Micheal Chiklis !
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