Mmmm……not sure what to make of some of the prequels/sequels/remakes that will grace the silver screens over the next couple of months to a year. It seems there will be more “bad news” coming down the line by the looks of things. Lets have a quick look at my top 5 Movies that will be back again for no apparent reason.

1. Carrie (2013)

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A sheltered high school girl unleashes her newly developed telekinetic powers (again!) after she is pushed too far by her peers. This will be the second attempt at remaking the original 1976 cult classic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Update:

Carrie is Stephen King’s first published novel (1974), better known for Brian De Palma’s film adaptation starring Sissy Spacek as the troubled teenager Carrie. Most of you are probably somewhat familiar with the most famous scenes from the supernatural horror-drama film which pins Carrie as a troubled teen with telekinetic powers that seem to manifest when she becomes angry. Tormented by her peers and finding it difficult to fit in, her situation soon becomes more challenging as she discovers that she possesses powerful telekinetic abilities that can lead to death and destruction.

Chloë Grace Moretz better know as “Hit-Girl” from Kick-Ass will portray Carrie White

Chloë Grace Moretz better know as “Hit-Girl” from Kick-Ass will portray Carrie White

The new take on Stephen King’s Carrie has the talented Chloë Grace Moretz (Hit-Girl in Kick-Ass) cast as the troubled teen. The multi-award winning actress is more than capable of bringing to life one of the most iconic films produced in the 70’s.

“Boys Don’t Cry” helmer Kimberly Peirce is behind the lens directing the new take on Stephen King’s Carrie. One thing that stood out from the trailer is the full forced destruction of the town instead of just the the high school and those inside it. This closely resembles the ending of the book which will defiantly add more spice to the ending of the modern remake.

Back in 2012 Wired.com reported that during the New York Comic-Con 2012 Peirce addressed fans saying :

“I didn’t take anything from [Brian De Palma]‘s movie. This is such a fantastic story and […] I need to bring it to life in a modern way. […] Our thing is naturally its own thing.”

Even though it appears that Peirce’s remake will be made with her own visual style and thematic emphasis, one can’t remove the fact that it fails to really show how this new version will win over fans of the 1976 cult classic. So many people know the story beat-for-beat and one can only hope that the final product will produce the shock factor and really showcase Moretz’s acting ability.

The March 15 release date for the anticipated film has been postponed to October 18. Just in time for Halloween.

Watch the official trailer for Carrie (2013)

 

2. Godzilla (2014)

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A giant radioactive monster called Godzilla awakens from eons of sleep and attacks a city. Basically a giant lizard is pissed-off and tries to kill everyone in it’s way…really! Maybe P.Diddy will make another terrible song (which was a remake as well by the way) for us to snap our fingers too whist enjoying another catastrophic attempt at this “comedy”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Update:

The new take on the iconic monster franchise “Godzilla”, looks much darker and captivating than Roland Emmerich’s 1998 installment.  The film was negatively reviewed by fans and critics, winning Golden Raspberry Awards for Worst Supporting Actress for Pitillo and Worst Re-Make or Sequel. The film was also nominated for Worst Picture, Worst Director, and Worst Screenplay. The iguana design of the 1998 creature coupled with Emmerich’s baby Godzillas didn’t really help to win over the already disappointed fan base expecting a big budget blockbuster with all the bells and whistles. The idea of another remake/reboot wasn’t exactly at the top of our priority list, especially after the disastrous Emmerich run in 1998. Come to think if it, that should be the main reason to remake this film, provided you have the right people with the vision and passion to pay homage to our favorite city destroyer.

Comic Con 2013 Godzilla Concept Art

Director of the new Godzilla, Gareth Edwards, seems to have a firm grip on what is expected of him considering the disappointing Emmerich version which left a lot to be desired. He has released many statements and sat through countless interviews to reassure everyone that we can expect something spectacular.

Edwards  spoke with Shock Till You Drop  back in 2011 and gave some insight regarding his vision for the film moving forward:

“I’m a big fan,”  “I guess I will say I’m highly aware – and everyone involved is incredibly aware – of everyone’s opinions on what this film has to do and what it has to be. And no one will do anything but the right thing. Without addressing anything specific, everyone knows how important is to get it right.”

Edwards clarified his approach during an interview with Total Film saying:

“I’ve always been interested in Godzilla and the ideas around him. I really wanted to see another Godzilla film and jumped at the opportunity. My main idea was to imagine ‘If this really happened, what would it be like?’ I want to take a grounded, realistic approach to a Godzilla film.”

Comic Con 2013 Godzilla Concept Art

He admits he was not immediately attracted to the franchise for specific reasons, saying:

“My earliest memories was channel 4, they showed them every Friday night. As a kid I wasn’t quite sure about the dubbing, the English-dubbed versions. They threw me for a bit. I love science fiction and, well I call them B movies but they’re not, but I love ’60s and ’70s sci-fi. But these would come on and be dubbed and it would take my kid brain to adjust to the dubbing. It took me some time to get through that.”

While at the San DiegoComic-Con 2013, according to Godzilla-movies.com, Edwards will place focus from an “emotional point of view“:

“I think the trick is not to think of the special effects or anything – and just think that this is really happening and there are giant monsters. Ask, ‘What would be the best story to tell that always involves humans?’ I don’t separate the two in my mind. You just picture the movie. What was so refreshing was that we would shoot scenes that sometimes had the creature in it and sometimes didn’t, but we would desperately try to make it work from an emotional point of view. Then, in the evenings, I would go to review things with the effects companies who are starting to put the visual effects in, and you’re like, ‘I completely forgot there’s a whole other layer to this!’ We have been painstakingly worrying about the characters and their journey and on top of that is this spectacle embedded in the whole film – and it makes you feel really good.”

Wow, finally a director that will get it right! Godzilla will be a smash hit with general moviegoers, critics and die-hard fans by die look of things. Hopefully Edwards can deliver on his vision and bring to life one of the most iconic monsters in movie history. The film is set to be released on May 16, 2014.

The first sneak peaks for Godzilla has leaked online:

3. Romeo and Juliet (2013)

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When the star-crossed lovers of two enemy families meet, forbidden love ensues……and we fall asleep whilst sitting through this William Shakespeare classic, again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Machete Kills (2013)

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Machete, written and directed by Robert Rodriguez was not bad, starring Danny Trejo – scoring hot chicks and swinging his famous blade. It was, to an extent, watchable and fun, however another angle on the original might be as difficult to digest, as your fourth consecutive tequila shot on your bachelors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Update: 

Robert Rodriguez fans can prepare themselves for another film with a deliberately ludicrous plot, and well rounded fun film with crazy violent kills.

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“Machete. A madman has a missile aimed at Washington. Go kick some ass.”

Screenrant.com summarized the tone set for the sequel perfectly as we have to agree with the author H. Shaw-Williams, that Machete’s tricks and clever quirks may be played out. Screenrant has the following to say:

“…the cinematography and production design in general seems to lack the intentionally low-budget aesthetic of the first movie – and instead just looks cheap in a, well… cheap way. Similarly, the one-liners in the first Machete flick were sufficiently cheesy and self-aware, but the back-catalogue referencing in the sequel (like the “Machete don’t Tweet!” joke) give me reason to wonder: did the Machete character already use every magic trick in his bag in the first movie?”

Many may agree that helmer Robert Rodriguez  purposefully pieced together the pulpy picture to feature his famous fingerprint left on this production. One can’t deny the obvious fun factor and ridiculously hot leading ladies to set the stage for the anticipated sequel. We will have to wait and see what in store when the movie is launched next month.

Rodriguez himself is featured in one of three new promotional stills for Machete Kills. The star studded cast includes Amber Heard, Charlie Sheen, Lady Gaga, Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez, Sofia Vergara, Zoe Saldana, Alexa Vega, the star of the franchise Danny Trejo and more.

This time round Machete Kills tones down the political overtones of its predecessor, however the film will still explore politically-charged undertones with Trejo as the main man hired by the government to take down a madman revolutionary and an eccentric billionaire arms dealer who has hatched a plan to spread war and anarchy across the planet.

Machete Kills has been pushed back from September 13th to October 11th, 2013.

Check out the 2nd red band trailer:

 

5. Riddick  (2013)

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The 2004 action/adventure “The Chronicles of Riddick” started the way that all great storytelling should: with a voice-over by an old British woman. The star’s cool-guy poses and one-liners will not be able to carry another 2 hours of ridiculously expensive special effects and weak plot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Update:

“Riddick” stole the number one spot at the box-office in North America during its first weekend with $18.7 million. Financially the film has paved the way for future installments to be developed, however fans are not as impressed with the sequel as initially anticipated. “Riddick” is rated 62% (at the time of this article update) by the general moviegoers, the lowest score in the franchise ever based on 61984 reviewers (courtesy of Rottentomatoes.com).

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“Riddick” promised to be darker than its predecessors

Since the release of the red-band trailer at the San Diego Comic-Con, fans couldn’t hardly wait to see the final product, directed by returning helmer David Twohy. The first trailer did not deliver on the direction the film promised to take, however the red-band trailer had many sci-fi fans at the edge of their seats. “Riddick” promised to be darker than its predecessors and will be more in line with the very popular “Pitch Black” made in 2000. ”

“Riddick” serves as a direct sequel to “The Chronicles of Riddick”, with the anti-hero abandoning the Necromonger throne on a mission to find his homeworld, Furya. The Necromongers agree to escort him on his journey to find Furya where eventually they end up on an unknown planet with highly evolved animal life with extraordinary hunting skills. Left for dead and desperate to find and activate an emergency beacon, Riddick faces his toughest fight for survival yet.

“Riddick” also serves as a reboot of the franchise to pave the way for at least two more sequels that delve more into the “Chronicles of Riddick” mythos. In an interview with SFX, both David Twohy and Vin Diesel discussed plans for the movies beyond the new one.

Watch the Red-Band Trailer

Also see: 10 Movie Reboots to Look Forward to