Remake

Say, we're watching a remake of the Civil War, with Newt Gingrich as Jefferson Davis. States vs. Feds and Bull Run. Bring the Jubilee! WILLARD OLNEY Hesperia

Movie theater owners will converge in Las Vegas this week for their annual convention, checking out new hybrids of popcorn, the latest iterations of stadium seats and clips from potential summer blockbusters including "Star Trek Into Darkness," "Man of Steel" and "The Lone Ranger. " A few studios, though, will use CinemaCon as a chance to give their year-end films a head start before the crowded holiday season. Twentieth Century Fox will unveil footage from its planned Christmas release "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," one of the longest-in-development movies in recent Hollywood history.

I am largely in agreement with Stephen Farber's piece about movie remakes ("Remake Rule No. 1: Don't," March 31). However, he didn't even mention my candidate for the worst remake ever: Kevin Costner's "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves." Carolyn Bixby Seal Beach

The majestic landscape of Yosemite National Park - carved out of granite and shaped by powerful natural forces over the eons - is timeless and untouchable. Other attractions in the park … not so much. Some of Yosemite's much-loved amenities, including swimming pools, bike, horse and raft rentals, and an ice skating rink, would be jettisoned under a plan to restore the Merced River corridor to a more natural state. The Merced Wild and Scenic River Plan would reconfigure much of the Yosemite Valley by removing or relocating familiar concessions.

As decisions go, it was the same kind that faced the 1970s souls who had to pick just the right warlock-and-serpent mural for their customized van. Should the Pegasus be white or black? Maybe glowing red eyes too? And what if -- instead of noble feathers -- the mighty steed of myth came with a killer pair of bat wings? That was one of the choices French filmmaker Louis Leterrier wrestled with last summer on the set of "Clash of the Titans," the Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures adventure that just pulled in $105.

Pat H. Broeske mentions that someone is, incredibly enough, considering a remake of "The Tingler" and says something about the original William Castle production (Outtakes, June 7). Someday, when I have plenty of time and money and everything else that would allow me to pursue a silly project, I will make a list of common-held false beliefs about Hollywood. Such as Fatty Arbuckle was guilty, John Gilbert's career collapsed because of his voice, 1950s 3-D movies required red-and-green glasses for viewing and "The Tingler" used electric shocks to tickle the fundaments of viewers.

With "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" topping $200 million at the domestic box office, you'd think it would be easy to roll out a movie about a young vampire in love. But "Let Me In," the English-language remake of the cult hit "Let the Right One In," is finding itself in a situation more fraught than Count Dracula at an afternoon blood drive. Tomas Alfredson's Swedish-language original, based on a script and novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist, told the story of a pre-teen loner named Oskar and his tender friendship with the oddball, sexually ambiguous Eli, who is revealed to be a vampire.

Where has creativity gone?! Seems most of what we see these days is either a remake or "based on a true story." Bev Davis, Anaheim

In your June 24 Movies of the Week column, Kevin Thomas wrote "While the 1934 version of 'The Man Who Knew Too Much' is entertaining in its own right, it is of most interest in revealing how Hitchcock improved upon himself in the 1956 remake." As author of the film's story with my name on both the original and the remake, I have to differ with Thomas. In spite of color and heavy expenditure, I found the remake to be a muddled mishmash of what had once been a good film. Star-studded though it was, it came out as just a pathetic shadow of the original.

Strictly speaking, Disney's "That Darn Cat" remake is actually only D.C.'s second outing under that name (Film Clips, by Robert Stevens, Feb. 2). In the source novel, "Undercover Cat," D.C. stood for "Damn Cat"--a fact that came quite as a delightful shock to grade-schoolers like myself who picked up the movie tie-in paperback back in 1965. All things considered, it's a wonder that Disney didn't rename the character F.C. for the current remake. DEWEY L. WEBB Phoenix

Remaking beloved movies is always a risky proposition, and few films are as beloved as Sam Raimi's 1981 low-budget horror classic "The Evil Dead," which tells the story of five college kids stuck in a cabin with an ancient tome and murderous demons. Made for $350,000, the film spawned one of horror's most enduring franchises and has been blessed by critics. (On the review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes, it boasts a 98% "fresh" rating.) That means the new "Evil Dead" remake, directed by Fede Alvarez in his feature debut, has its work cut out for it, even with Raimi and original star Bruce Campbell on board as producers.

When writer-director Ken Scott and his writing partner Martin Petit began working on the script for "Starbuck," a 2011 hit in Canada that opens in the U.S. on Friday, they were worried no one would buy the premise of a habitual sperm donor who discovers years later he is the father of 150 children. "Each day we would come in to write thinking it is too much," said Scott, 42, who was a member of a comedy sketch troupe before turning to screenwriting (2003's "Seducing Dr. Lewis") and directing (2009's "Sticky Fingers")

 AUSTIN, Texas -- It might be hard to imagine a film better suited to an opening-night slot at the South by Southwest Film Festival than the world premiere of the new remake of “Evil Dead.” Directed by Fede Alvarez, in his feature debut, and produced by Rob Tapert, Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell -- all involved in the 1981 original -- the film elicited gasps, screams and giggles from the amped-up audience as it played as terrifying but fun,...

It's a pretty good bet that when stars arrive on the Oscar red carpet Sunday they'll be wearing clothes, jewelry and accessories selected with the help of a fashion stylist. And fans are more aware than ever that their idols don't create their looks alone. It's been only half a decade since celebrity stylists really began stepping out from behind the camera to claim a piece of the spotlight generally reserved for their clients. In the short time since Rachel Zoe first appeared in her own docudrama on Bravo in 2008 and her former assistant Brad Goreski splintered off from Team Zoe to star in his own series, a slew of other stylists have launched clothing lines and major collaborations, establishing that the age of the celebrity stylist-as-brand is here to stay.

For those who follow the Gospel According to Netflix, Friday is the day the world changes, instantly and forever. The day when viewers, too long oppressed by commercials, cliffhangers and increasingly erratic scheduling dictated by greedy network overlords, rise up in glorious revolution and seize the means of consumption. As of 12:01 a.m. Friday, all 13 episodes of the highly pedigreed "House of Cards" - Adapted from a British miniseries! Directed, at least initially, by "The Social Network's" David Fincher!

"Godzilla" is not scheduled to set foot in the U.S. for another two years, but things are already getting ugly. Legendary Pictures, the film finance and production company behind "Inception" and "The Hangover," has been sued by a trio of prominent producers for "tens of millions of dollars" in a dispute over a planned remake of the Japanese monster classic. Dan Lin and Roy Lee, along with Lee's partner Doug Davison, filed a lawsuit against Legendary on Thursday after they were removed from the project earlier this month.

Gone in 60 Seconds: A Business article Saturday about litigation involving the 2000 movie "Gone in 60 Seconds" referred to the film as a sequel to the 1974 movie of the same name. The 2000 movie was a remake.

I'm writing in regard to the Joe Baltake Counterpunch, "There's Nothing Wrong With '62 'Gypsy' " (Dec. 27). At last, the voice of reason! When I heard that my favorite musical, "Gypsy," was being remade for television, I was very excited--initially. For the next few weeks, I was bombarded by articles about this remake that seemed more intent on tearing down the 1962 Rosalind Russell film than shedding any light on the new show. By the time the show aired, I found myself watching the remake in a very defensive mood.

If you've been wondering how Carrie Underwood looks in a nun's habit, you'll find out soon enough: The “American Idol” winner, five-time Grammy winner and country superstar has been cast as Maria von Trapp in NBC's upcoming live broadcast of “The Sound of Music," the network announced Friday.   “Speaking for everyone at NBC, we couldn't be happier to have the gifted Carrie Underwood take up the mantle of the great Maria von Trapp,” said NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt in a news release.

Released during the 1984 Olympics and in an election year rife with Cold War tensions, the original "Red Dawn" is unmistakably a product of its time - a slice of Reagan-era anxiety with a healthy dose of jingoistic action. Written and directed by John Milius, whose macho credits also include "Conan the Barbarian," "Red Dawn" starred then-rising young actors Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen and Jennifer Grey as a ragtag group of Colorado teens who wage a guerrilla war against Soviet-led invaders.