3 Classic Movies That Are Ripe For A Remake

Good morning readers. You know, Hollywood gets a bad rap  these days for its constant cycle of remakes, sequels and reboots. Movie fans moan and complain about any remake, swearing that it's mere existence ruins the original.

I've talked at length about this topic before, but in a sentence: remakes and reboots don't bother me. If I don't like them, the original is in no way harmed or affected at all! That being said, I've come up with a few films that seem to be ripe for a revisit.

Ranked: Top Five Wedding Movies

Hey everyone! Dusty here and this Friday is my wedding day. That's right, i'm tying the knot and of course, as a cinephile, in leading up to that big day my mind can't help but wander to all the wonderful weddings I've been witness to on the big screen! So in honor of my own wedding I'm here to give you my picks for the top 5 best wedding films.

The Not-So-Certain Future of Marvel Movies

The year was 2008 and Marvel burst onto the scene in a bigger way then ever with the May release of Iron Man and the June release of The Incredible Hulk. Both films were a box office success and launched a shared cinematic universe of Marvel's comic book superheroes. Fast forward to 2014. We've seen a total of three Iron Man films, two Thor films, a Hulk movie, an Avengers movie, and a Captain America movie with another one coming in a matter of a week. On top of these, Marvel is deep in development on three more films to release between 2014 and 2015 including the Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers 2 and Ant-Man. Whew. Are you tired yet? Well you may not be the only one.

Batman Solo Movie: 5 Villains That Should Be Considered

With DC's movie universe getting into gear with Man of Steel's release and the upcoming Batman vs. Superman film, and with the new Caped Crusader, Ben Afleck, being cast, we are once again looking forward to the inevitable Batman solo film. Batman's greatest attribute is arguably his enemies. These are the five villains we think should be considered for the next Batman movie in order of least to most likely.

Batman vs Superman Has a Lex Luthor!

What's up everyone, Dusty here with some big news! Today, it was announced officially by Zack Snyder and Co. that the upcoming sequel to Man of Steel will include Lex Luthor and will be portrayed by none other than Jesse Eisenberg.

At first glance, I was disappointed with this choice. Personally, I wanted Michael C. Hall (Dexter); but after some thought, I've come to accept this. Below I've outlined a few of the arguments that we are already seeing online about why he will be terrible and my rebuttal to each one:

Intro To Horror - Five Films That Define The Genre

Welcome back to the Final Cut Blog's new series: Intro To. This is where we discuss a particular movie genre and the five movies that define it. This time, we take a look at the horror!

Intro to Science Fiction: 5 Films That Define the Genre

Happy Independence Day everyone (if you're in America. If not...Happy Thursday?).

Welcome to the first in my new series called "Intro To". In this series, we will be breaking down different genres of films into five definitive movies; movies that started or that helped shape the genre and can easily serve as an introduction to it as a whole.  For my first post, we will be looking at one of my favorite genres: Science Fiction!

The 5 Worst Cliche Movie Lines

We've all heard them; those movie lines used over and over again on our favorite (or not-so-favorite) films. This is a collection of five that annoy me the most!

"In English, please."

Science is awesome, but sometimes it's not enough. For instance when I have to explain why my character Joe woke up this morning with superpowers. For that, I need pseudo-science. But since my viewers won't understand the long explanation with big words I made up, I can just have another character reply "In English, please". That way, I'm then free to pretend to dumb it down for them...and my viewer.

"It's Just Crazy Enough to Work"

So you're writing a movie. You have this really awesome scene in mind, but one problem: this would NEVER work in reality. But this is the movies; we can work around that! Simply have one of your characters utter this phrase and suddenly, anything seems possible.

"I can explain...This Isn't What It Looks Like"

You just got home from work. It's been a long day. As you open the front door to your house, you're ready to relax. But wait; something doesn't seem right. There are strange noises coming from upstairs and the house is a wreck. As you walk up the stairs, several voices can be heard screaming and shouting. You burst into your bedroom to a group of men gathered around a circle where two roosters are attacking each other furiously. Your husband/wife appears, with fists full of cash, and exclaims "I can explain! This 

isn't what it looks like!" Seen it a thousand times.

"You Look Like You've Seen a Ghost"

After all the commotion of your spouse starting a cock fighting ring (it WAS what it looked like), you decide to get away. Luckily your friend at work has a cabin in the middle of nowhere. When you first walk in, it seems nice enough. But after a few hours, it's clear you're not alone. Strange bumping noises and disembodied shreaks are cutting into your beauty sleep. Finally, you leave your room to investigate. As you look down the dark hallway, you suddenly make out shining white figure. You get closer as it becomes clearer. The King himself, Elvis Presley is performing in your hallway. When you see your friend next, he says "You look like you've seen a ghost". You did...and he's overrated.

"Whatever You Do, Don't Look Down"

You went for a leasiurly hike in the Himalayas when suddenly you lost your footing. You find yourself dangling on the side of a mountain, saved only by a thin branch. As you struggle not to fall, your friend runs up and calls out to you, offering their hand. You reach out but barely miss it. And then, as your branch begins to droop and certain death is only a few inches away, your friend calls out "Whatever you do, don't look down". Yeah, thanks for that.

What are your favorite - or least favorite - cliches?

Five Actors Who Could Play Batman Next

I know, I know! I can hear your thoughts as you read the post title:

"Christian Bale can still play him!"

"Why reboot Batman? Even if Bale doesn't come back, Joseph Gordon-Levitt can do it!"

I'm sorry to disappoint you guys. I loved (most of) the Dark Knight trilogy just like you did, but it's over. Nolan has moved on and has no interest in continuing the story, Bale won't come back without Nolan, and no one is going to start a new set of films built on a Batman who isn't Bruce Wayne. It's just not going to happen. That universe is dead. Understand?

Now that we've got that out of the way, we can get to the point. Warner Bros. and DC are probably going to give us a new Batman ( either in a Justice League movie or in a solo film) within the next 4 or 5 years. It's fair to say that soon we will start hearing rumblings of casting rumors. So before that happens, I wanted to give my own pics for the five actors I think could play Batman in order of least to most likely.

Top 10 Greatest Movie Villains of All Time - Part 2

In part one, we took a look at numbers 10 through 6 on our list of all time greatest movie villains. We went to space with Hal 9000, Middle Earth with Sauron and our darkest nightmares with Freddy Krueger. Now it's time to take a look at the top 5 bad guys...and boy are these guys bad.

Top 10 Greatest Movie Villains of All Time - Part 1

It's long been said that a hero can only be as good as his or her villain. Many of the greatest films ever made are defined by their baddies and by the legendary performances given by the actors who played them. I decided to list my picks for the top 10 greatest bad guys in movie history. Come check out numbers 10-6 in part one!

Man of Steel Sequel: 6 Villains That Should Be Considered

One week from this very moment, the first audiences will begin getting a glimpse of the new Superman movie, Man of Steel. With plenty of critics and press having already seen it, so far the word of mouth is that it's great and Warner Bros./DC are already planning their next move with the character. That being said, we wanted to put forth our opinion about which villains should be considered for the next installment in this new franchise. So here are the six villains we would love to see, in order of least likely to most likely:

Sequels, Reboots and Remakes Part 2

Previously in Part 1, we looked at the history of sequels, reboots and remakes and, in doing so, determined these types of movies are not new and are not going anywhere; and that's our fault! This time, I want to challenge the widely held belief that this is a bad thing for movies.

In 2012, an original film (original here strictly meaning not a sequel, reboot or remake) was released about three teenagers who obtain superpowers. Shot in a handheld, found footage style, Chronicle went on to be lauded by fans and critics for its refreshing take on the superpowered teen movie. And with a budget of around $12 million, the $128.6 million it has made since it's release easily makes it a financial success. Fans like to point to Chronicle as an example of what happens when Hollywood gets out of the way and let's original movies happen. But people forget that the same company that made Chronicle also made X-Men: First Class which is a perfect embodiment of all three now-taboo types of film.

X-Men: First Class had a budget of $160 million and has made over $380 million since its release. That's $220 million dollars over budget; and while sure, the final cost of making a movie and the other companies involved mean not all of the $220 million went to Fox, I'm positive their cut was very nice!

My point is this: due to their built-in audiences and wide appeal, sequels, reboots and remakes usually make LOTS of money. As an investor, companies like Fox make a nice pile of change on films like X-Men: First Class. When the money is good, studios may find themselves with an extra 12 to 25 million lying around and can afford to take risks on other projects like Chronicle that may not have those built in audiences with recognizable and beloved characters. Therefore sequels and such are good for the industry because they help studios be able to afford those original films.

So that's it for my analysis of sequels, reboots and remakes. I know most people will still say they're tired off them, but I hope now you can at least see the other side.

Why A Superman/Batman Team Up Should Come Before A Justice League Movie

For months, fans have been speculating constantly that a Justice League film is just around the corner. And while I'd love to eventually see that, I think there is a better way to go about introducing the idea of a shared DC Film Universe; and it's pretty obvious.

Sequels, Reboots, and Remakes Part 1

You're in a dark theater as the previews are just beginning. The screen flickers and the first trailer begins. Something about it looks really familiar, but you just can't figure out why. Then the title screen flashes. Ohhh! It's a remake. Whenever that happens, listen closely to your fellow theater patrons. There will be a faint, collective groan. In recent years, a vocal segment if the movie going audience has begun speaking out against the seemingly constant barrage of remakes, reboots and sequels. They hope for a return to some imaginary golden age when movies were all original concepts. But did that age ever exist and will we realistically ever get back to it?

Coming Soon: A Commentary on The Culture of Sequels, Reboots, and Remakes

This summer as with every other, hordes of movie fans will clamor out to see huge event movies. This year, most of these are sequels, previews or reboots of past films or franchises. Inevitably, accompanying these films is an outcry against the "lack of originality in Hollywood" or an eye-roll followed by "Another one of these?" or even cries of "Oh my God, they're butchering my childhood" by adapting something for the big screen.

Over the next few posts, I want to look at this trend in deeper detail and also at the reactions to it. I want us to look at what each of these things is, why fans are so upset by them, and how, in spite of the backlash, they continue to thrive at the box office.

So stay tuned to +The Final Cut (Blog)  to catch the posts as they are posted and we hope you guys will share with us your take on the issue as well!

Justice League Movie: Fantasy Casting List

The Justice League movie is inevitable, folks. The buzz around the web is that DC/WarnerBros. are already gearing up for it and also for solo DC character films. Over the next few months, we will see a million blogs and articles about who should play who. What makes mine any different? I'm doing it now! So here you go; my picks for the Justice League lineup and cast.

Man of Steel Sequel: Give Lex Luthor A Chance

Superman is the world’s first and arguably greatest superhero. When he was introduced in 1938 in the pages of Action Comics #1, he was a crusader for the innocent and the oppressed. His enemies back then were corrupt businessmen and politicians. By 1940, however, comic book readers were itching for more formidable foes for the Man of Steel to face. It was this need for a more diabolical mind that birthed the character that, to many, is Superman’s defining villain: Lex Luthor. However due to dissatisfaction from fans over how and how much Luthor has been depicted on film, this most iconic of Superman’s rogues may not make an appearance in the upcoming Man of Steel reboot, though he has already been confirmed as part of the universe. When the inevitable sequel begins production, movie fans deserve to be introduced to the real Lex Luthor. What's that mean? Read on!

Doomsday: A Good Way to Kill a Superman Movie Franchise

As the world gears up for Superman's triumphant return to cinema on June 14th, a conversation is brewing on the web. In YouTube comments, videos and other fan forums all over the internet, Superman fans are begging for a Man of Steel sequel to include Doomsday. And while daydreams of what visual effects could do to bring this monster to life are fun, it's my belief that unleashing this devastating character on the DC Cinematic universe is not only next to impossible, but deadly for this franchise that has not yet begun.

The Problem...or Problems with X-Men: Days of Future Past

Allow me to set the scene. It was the year 2000. Vladimir Putin was just elected President of Russia, Elian Gonzalez was returned to Cuba, and we were treated to Bryan Singer's first X-Men movie. It's undeniable that the first X-Men film was a success, critically and financially, and ushered in a new wave of Superhero films we are still riding today. Eleven years and two sequels later, the franchise was in need of a revival. Enter Matthew Vaughn's X-Men: First Class which served as a semi-sequel/semi-reboot; going back to tell the story of Professor X and Magneto's first meeting.