We live in an era of remakes and sequels. Sound familiar? That is because August we did Originals, movies where Corey (@coreyrstarr) or Jonathan (@berkreviews) had seen a remake but never the original film that inspired it. This month, they are flipping the script and watching a remake of an original they either loved or, at the very least, saw in the aptly named theme of REMAKES!!!
As far as the podcast goes, each episode features an in-depth review of the movie for the week. They begin with a spoiler-free review before diving in completely after the needed spoiler warning. However, before getting into the review of the week, Jonathan and Corey discuss what other movies they’ve seen since the last episode as well as anything else they feel like discussing. To help them decide which of the many films to watch each month they started creating themes for them all.
Week 1 – Dawn of the Dead (2004)
Jonathan and Corey are both fans of George Romero’s classic Dawn of the Dead (1978), but Jonathan had never sat through director Zach Snyder and writer James Gunn 2004 remake. The film stars Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Mekhi Phifer, Jake Weber, and others as they face a zombie apocalypse. They look for refuge in the only sensible place; a mall. That beacon of consumerism is a center piece of commentary in Romero’s film so the big question is will Gunn and Snyder have similar things to say? (Listen to this specific episode here)
Week 2 – The Fly (1986)
Not too long ago, Corey and Jonathan watched the 1958 Sci-fi classic The Fly. Fortunately, Corey hasn’t seen the amazing David Cronenberg’s remake of the film starring Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis. Jonathan has seen this remake and is extremely excited to revisit Seth Brundle as he begins to transform into a giant man/fly hybrid after one of his experiments goes horribly wrong. Listen to the episode at Anchor.FM or whereever you get your podcasts (iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, etc.)
Week 3 – The Fog (2005)
Both Jonathan and Corey are fans of John Carpenter’s The Fog (1980). There has to be a chance that this 2005 remake directed by Rupert Wainwright and starring Tom Welling, Maggie Grace, and Selma Blair is good, right? Despite only have a 27 Metascore? Well, the premise according to IMDb.com is “A thick mist full of vengeful spirits haunts a prosperous island town off the coast of Oregon, as its inhabitants try to learn their town’s dark secret in order to stop it.” Sounds similar enough to the original…what could go wrong? Listen at Anchor.FM here
Week 4 – Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
Corey’s picks seem to be in Jonathan’s favor this month as they both watched the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) together a few years back and enjoyed it. Jonathan watched the 1978 remake not long ago and loved it even more. This remake is directed by Philip Kaufman and stars Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, and Jeff Goldblum among others. “When seeds drift to earth from space, mysterious pods begin to grow and invade a small town, replicating the residents one body at a time.”
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