The Mighty Hollywood Reboot Trend

[Derrick]

www.firstshowing.net/2008/10/06/sunday-discussion-the-mighty-hollywood-reboot-trend/

[james]

I question the idea that the second Ghostbusters film was a classic (I didn't like it much). I'm not thrilled about the idea of a third one, either (Apatow or not). I agree with the writer that a movie should be evaluated on its own terms, rather than considering franchises. (After all John Huston's version of The Maltese Falcoln is more celebrated than the previous two Hollywood adaptations of the Hammet novel).

On the other hand, I'm kind of offended at the idea that Ang Lee's Hulk (which I really liked) is not a "real" Hulk movie. Depends on your definition of "real" coming from the comics or the 70's television show, I guess (and, artistically, I still think Lee's film is the better one).

[Derrick]

I don't have a problem with GHOSTBUSTERS II as much as some do. Plenty of people I know actively dislike it. I didn't think it was as hip or as quirky as the first one but it was a perfectly acceptable sequel. I liked it.

You get no argument from me about Ang Lee's HULK. It boggles my mind that for decades fanboys BMW'ed that superhero movies were done on the cheap, with lousy actors, terrible scripts and indifferent directors.

Here comes HULK with a director who is so committed to the project that Ang Lee himself did the motion capture acting for The Hulk. It had a 100 million dollar budget. The actors were top notch, not a bad one in the bunch and the script was exciting and literate with plenty of emotional and psychological resonance. And what happened? The fanboys spit on it and again BMW'ed that there was no "Hulk SMASH!"

And rumors to the contrary, Ang Lee's HULK was not a financial failure. It made well over $300 million at the box office. It just didn't make as much as Universal hoped. Only in Hollywood can people be disappointed because a movie "only" made $300 million.

[Kelen]

I definitely loved Ghostbusters II. Not at much as the original, but any movie that gives you a classic soundtrack song like "On Our Own" by Bobby Brown has got to be worth something right? lol.