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audioworld
Previous and Upcominf production include V, Hawaii Five-O, Wiseguy,The Prisoner (AMC TV in Nov 2009) ( TV shows) or the A-Team, Get Smart, Mission Impossible (MI 4), Scooby Doo (live action TV movies on CN) Kung FU and Star Trek (trek 2)
Answer
As we know, remakes of old television series are usually unbearable for the fans of the originals to watch. Sometimes the remakes earn tons of money, witness the Mission Impossible movies, but they can never recreate the atmosphere of the original and the panache of the original stars is always missing (Ralph Fiennes vs. Patrick MacNee, let's get real).
However, there are several series I would be curious to see in remake. The first is The Man from Uncle, which I don't think would suffer from the modernization process as much as the Avengers did. Gunsmoke would be another, if the director doesn't insist on his characters wearing beards, derby hats and long coats. The problem with the post modern western is that they suffer from a dose of too much reality.
We kids of the 40s, 50s and early 60s knew full well that the original gun fighters didn't wear Hollywood's sexy hats and store fitted $1,000 cowboy duds, but it didn't matter because the ersatz westerners had been wearing those fancy duds for 30 to 50 years before we came along, so by that time they seemed more appropriate for a cowboy to wear than the real thing.
To be honest, with the exception of Clint Eastwood's later westerns, Unforgiven and Pale Rider for example, the genre bores the hell out of me, with the exception of the remake of 3:10 to Yuma. I actually hated the original version which took place mostly in a hotel room.
Yancy Derringer is another series that I wouldn't mind seeing again or the Robert Goulet series Blue Light.
One show that would be impossible to duplicate is the old Sid Caesar show. It wasn't a plotted series, but rather a comedy hour, but I don't think television has ever aired a show that produced as many laughs as Sid, Carl, Mel, Woody and Buck did in the early 50s.
I was a little kid at the time, but I thought it was just as funny as my parents did. It was a show that was literally all ages. The humor was simple yet brilliant and didn't have the interval between legitimate laughs that most of the sitcoms currently experience (at the moment, 21/2 Men is the lone exception).
Every second they were on the air Sid and Imogene were a riot, whether in anticipation of what was to come or because of what they were doing at any particular moment. And the escalation of their humor to a comedic crescendo ending was shere brilliance. Nothing today, including 21/2 Men, comes close to that show and it's just as funny to watch today as it was back then.
Matt Houson is another show that would be worthy of doing over, as would Magnum P.I. and I Spy in television form.
As we know, remakes of old television series are usually unbearable for the fans of the originals to watch. Sometimes the remakes earn tons of money, witness the Mission Impossible movies, but they can never recreate the atmosphere of the original and the panache of the original stars is always missing (Ralph Fiennes vs. Patrick MacNee, let's get real).
However, there are several series I would be curious to see in remake. The first is The Man from Uncle, which I don't think would suffer from the modernization process as much as the Avengers did. Gunsmoke would be another, if the director doesn't insist on his characters wearing beards, derby hats and long coats. The problem with the post modern western is that they suffer from a dose of too much reality.
We kids of the 40s, 50s and early 60s knew full well that the original gun fighters didn't wear Hollywood's sexy hats and store fitted $1,000 cowboy duds, but it didn't matter because the ersatz westerners had been wearing those fancy duds for 30 to 50 years before we came along, so by that time they seemed more appropriate for a cowboy to wear than the real thing.
To be honest, with the exception of Clint Eastwood's later westerns, Unforgiven and Pale Rider for example, the genre bores the hell out of me, with the exception of the remake of 3:10 to Yuma. I actually hated the original version which took place mostly in a hotel room.
Yancy Derringer is another series that I wouldn't mind seeing again or the Robert Goulet series Blue Light.
One show that would be impossible to duplicate is the old Sid Caesar show. It wasn't a plotted series, but rather a comedy hour, but I don't think television has ever aired a show that produced as many laughs as Sid, Carl, Mel, Woody and Buck did in the early 50s.
I was a little kid at the time, but I thought it was just as funny as my parents did. It was a show that was literally all ages. The humor was simple yet brilliant and didn't have the interval between legitimate laughs that most of the sitcoms currently experience (at the moment, 21/2 Men is the lone exception).
Every second they were on the air Sid and Imogene were a riot, whether in anticipation of what was to come or because of what they were doing at any particular moment. And the escalation of their humor to a comedic crescendo ending was shere brilliance. Nothing today, including 21/2 Men, comes close to that show and it's just as funny to watch today as it was back then.
Matt Houson is another show that would be worthy of doing over, as would Magnum P.I. and I Spy in television form.
What fantasy series would you recommend reading?
Whitney
Answer
If you haven't yet, you should absolutely read The Dresden Files IMMEDIATELY! You can check it out at most libraries if you want to get a good idea before investing in it. I am married to a self-proclaimed nerd. He and his nerd friends love the series so much that we all just started playing the Dresden RPG! I have a hard time getting into fantasy work (for example, I haven't yet been able to get into a different series by the same author) but even I think this series is so amazing! The boys don't like it but I call it a nerd soap opera! ;p
"The Dresden Files is a series of fantasy/mystery novels written by Jim Butcher. He provides a first person narrative of each story from the point of view of the main character, private investigator and wizard Harry Dresden, as he recounts investigations into supernatural disturbances in modern-day Chicago." (wikipedia)
"In the world of The Dresden Files, magic is real, along with vampires, demons, spirits, faeries, werewolves, and other mythical monsters. Harry Dresden works to protect the general public, who are ignorant of magic and the dark forces conspiring against them. This makes it difficult for Harry to get by as a working wizard and private eye. The Chicago PD's Special Investigation unit, when led by Karrin Murphy, regularly employs Dresden as a consultant to help solve cases of a supernatural nature." (wikipedia)
There are 14 books in the series, 12 published to date with the newest being released on July 26th (YAY!) and another TBA. There's is also a book named Side Jobs which is a compilation of short stories that occur between each of the regular series books. Haven't read the whole series this year, after Side Jobs was printed, I choose to read each short story in chronological order because it just makes sense. This caused me to be on the receiving end of severe taunting from my friends as they believe the books should be read in the order they were published. I stand by my decision. Yo can make your own choice.
Quotes from Butcher's website:
“Butcher’s tales meld the wonder and fun of the Harry Potter series, but with an adult tone and attitude.”
— The News-Star (Monroe, LA)
“An exciting debut novel… Wish I’d thought of this myself. Try it. You’ll like it.”
— Glen Cook, author of Faded Steel Heat
“A very promising start to a new series, not to mention an unusually well-crafted first novel.”
— Locus
“A really enjoyable read… Jim Butcher strikes just the right narrative balance between wizard and wiseguy, mystic and mobster.”
— Lynn Flewelling, author of Traitor’s Moon
“Butcher successfully lends human dimensions to vampires and spirits through his vivid descriptions and colloquial dialogue.”
— Publishers Weekly
“Exciting, well-plotted, complex, an excellent read and an amazingly good first novel.”
— Chris Bunch, author of The Warrior King
“Fans of Laurell K. Hamilton and Tanya Huff will love this new fantasy series.”
— BookBrowser
Still not convinced? Read this article titled "If You Like Fantasy Fiction, Then You Will Love The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher " http://www.squidoo.com/dresden-files
If you haven't yet, you should absolutely read The Dresden Files IMMEDIATELY! You can check it out at most libraries if you want to get a good idea before investing in it. I am married to a self-proclaimed nerd. He and his nerd friends love the series so much that we all just started playing the Dresden RPG! I have a hard time getting into fantasy work (for example, I haven't yet been able to get into a different series by the same author) but even I think this series is so amazing! The boys don't like it but I call it a nerd soap opera! ;p
"The Dresden Files is a series of fantasy/mystery novels written by Jim Butcher. He provides a first person narrative of each story from the point of view of the main character, private investigator and wizard Harry Dresden, as he recounts investigations into supernatural disturbances in modern-day Chicago." (wikipedia)
"In the world of The Dresden Files, magic is real, along with vampires, demons, spirits, faeries, werewolves, and other mythical monsters. Harry Dresden works to protect the general public, who are ignorant of magic and the dark forces conspiring against them. This makes it difficult for Harry to get by as a working wizard and private eye. The Chicago PD's Special Investigation unit, when led by Karrin Murphy, regularly employs Dresden as a consultant to help solve cases of a supernatural nature." (wikipedia)
There are 14 books in the series, 12 published to date with the newest being released on July 26th (YAY!) and another TBA. There's is also a book named Side Jobs which is a compilation of short stories that occur between each of the regular series books. Haven't read the whole series this year, after Side Jobs was printed, I choose to read each short story in chronological order because it just makes sense. This caused me to be on the receiving end of severe taunting from my friends as they believe the books should be read in the order they were published. I stand by my decision. Yo can make your own choice.
Quotes from Butcher's website:
“Butcher’s tales meld the wonder and fun of the Harry Potter series, but with an adult tone and attitude.”
— The News-Star (Monroe, LA)
“An exciting debut novel… Wish I’d thought of this myself. Try it. You’ll like it.”
— Glen Cook, author of Faded Steel Heat
“A very promising start to a new series, not to mention an unusually well-crafted first novel.”
— Locus
“A really enjoyable read… Jim Butcher strikes just the right narrative balance between wizard and wiseguy, mystic and mobster.”
— Lynn Flewelling, author of Traitor’s Moon
“Butcher successfully lends human dimensions to vampires and spirits through his vivid descriptions and colloquial dialogue.”
— Publishers Weekly
“Exciting, well-plotted, complex, an excellent read and an amazingly good first novel.”
— Chris Bunch, author of The Warrior King
“Fans of Laurell K. Hamilton and Tanya Huff will love this new fantasy series.”
— BookBrowser
Still not convinced? Read this article titled "If You Like Fantasy Fiction, Then You Will Love The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher " http://www.squidoo.com/dresden-files
what are the best Las Vegas/Casino based movies?
MeMyselfan
I love the show Las Vegas (even though it ended in 2008 with a sub par Tom Selleck as the anchor), and the Ocean's 11 & 13 movies were real entertaining, but what are some of the other great movies of the Casinos? P.S. James Bond doesnt count since almost all of them involve Casinos in some form ;)
Answer
MUSICAL
Viva Las Vegas
ACTION/ADV.
Ocean's 11 (original one)
Honeymoon In Vegas
Lucky You
21 (based on the nonficton book Bringing Down The House)
DRAMA
Leaving Las Vegas
The Good Thief (Not set in Las Vegas, but in Monaco, and it about a heroin addict, and retired thief, who setup one last job. That is to rob the big famous casino in Monte Carlo.)
Atlantic City (The film tells the story of a young Canadian woman, Sally Matthews, whose dream for a better life in the gambling business is interrupted by the return of the drug-dealing husband she had left behind, and older Lou Pascal, a long time resident of Atlantic City, and how their lives interact and change, both for the better).
Cooler
Owning Mahowny (based on a true story)
Yonkers Joe (Joe is a small-time con-man and dice-hustler who works with a group of men with similar interests. They shave cards and dice, doing small time cons at card games(casino ones also) and union picnics. He's in a long-term relationship with Jance. There is also a subplot where Joe finds out that his son who has Down's syndrome must leave his residential care facility due to age. Joe Jr. also has difficulty controlling his anger).
COMEDY
What Happens in Vegas
THE MOB (Docudrama)
Bugsy (The third most powerful in Charlie Lucky Luciano's mob, and the one who later started the Flamingo Casino in Las Vegas)
Casino (About the last thirteen years of the Mafia in Vegas form 1970-1983 and the big the Casino they control, Before the Steve Wynn types came in to the Casino business. Some names and stuff in the movie have been changed, like De Niro's character and the Casino. The Character De Niro plays is still alive, but can not step into any Vegas Casinos. The movie is based on the nonfiction book by the author who wrote nonfiction book Wiseguys that became the movie Goodfella.)
TV SERIES
Vega$( It a late 70s and early 80s series staring the late Robert Urich. Season 1 Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 already out on DVD. Season 2 Vol. 1 coming out in December)
MUSICAL
Viva Las Vegas
ACTION/ADV.
Ocean's 11 (original one)
Honeymoon In Vegas
Lucky You
21 (based on the nonficton book Bringing Down The House)
DRAMA
Leaving Las Vegas
The Good Thief (Not set in Las Vegas, but in Monaco, and it about a heroin addict, and retired thief, who setup one last job. That is to rob the big famous casino in Monte Carlo.)
Atlantic City (The film tells the story of a young Canadian woman, Sally Matthews, whose dream for a better life in the gambling business is interrupted by the return of the drug-dealing husband she had left behind, and older Lou Pascal, a long time resident of Atlantic City, and how their lives interact and change, both for the better).
Cooler
Owning Mahowny (based on a true story)
Yonkers Joe (Joe is a small-time con-man and dice-hustler who works with a group of men with similar interests. They shave cards and dice, doing small time cons at card games(casino ones also) and union picnics. He's in a long-term relationship with Jance. There is also a subplot where Joe finds out that his son who has Down's syndrome must leave his residential care facility due to age. Joe Jr. also has difficulty controlling his anger).
COMEDY
What Happens in Vegas
THE MOB (Docudrama)
Bugsy (The third most powerful in Charlie Lucky Luciano's mob, and the one who later started the Flamingo Casino in Las Vegas)
Casino (About the last thirteen years of the Mafia in Vegas form 1970-1983 and the big the Casino they control, Before the Steve Wynn types came in to the Casino business. Some names and stuff in the movie have been changed, like De Niro's character and the Casino. The Character De Niro plays is still alive, but can not step into any Vegas Casinos. The movie is based on the nonfiction book by the author who wrote nonfiction book Wiseguys that became the movie Goodfella.)
TV SERIES
Vega$( It a late 70s and early 80s series staring the late Robert Urich. Season 1 Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 already out on DVD. Season 2 Vol. 1 coming out in December)
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