Dear Al Pacino:

[yendi]

You are, when you put your mind to it, a damned talented actor (it would be nice, of course, if you put your mind to it more often). You are not, however, Charles Laughton And there's no fucking need for a remake of one of the best courtroom dramas ever done.

Don't fuck with Billy Wilder films. They were done just fine the first time. The last time someone was stupid enough to try it, it killed Julia Ormond's career. And Sydney Pollack's. Walk away while you can still say "hoo-hah."

Comments

His whole damn career's out of order!

[terracinque.livejournal.com]

There's already been a remake (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084911/combined), with Ralph Richardson in Laughton's role and Beau Bridges in Power's.

Richardson had a great take on his character, and of course Bridges was ten times better than Tyrone Power.

Tyrone Power is the best example of the fact that the old "studio system" was not a meritocracy. However Power became an A-lister, it wasn't through acting ability.

Re: His whole damn career's out of order!

[yendi]

I'm awaer of the remake, but choose to ignore it, as it was pretty mediocre (unsurprisingly).

You're right about Power, who was the weak link in the original film, but I'll still gladly hold on to Wilder's movie.

[sempereadem.livejournal.com]

And now, Al Pacino starring as Al Pacino in: "Al Pacino!"

Has the man done a movie since "Scent of a Woman" that wasn't a derivative of that character?

[yendi]

Insomnia, but that's because he had a director (Chris Nolan) who actually directed him, instead of letting him wander off and do his own shtick.

[terracinque.livejournal.com]

I quite liked it, mostly because of Richardson, but granted it was a TV-movie with all that implies.

[rafaela.livejournal.com]

I have to dissent: Double Indemnity was beautifully remade as Body Heat, directed and written by Lawrence Kasdan and starring William Hurt and Kathleen Turner. That, however, is for me the lone exception.

[yendi]

Well, sure, but BH wasn't technically a remake. More something that was inspired by the original film.

[kb9vcn.livejournal.com]

> Walk away while you can still say "hoo-hah."

This has nothing to do with anything... but I think that line, by itself, is really good advice.

[lordrexfear.livejournal.com]

I'd say his persona of Satan in Devil's Advocate wasn't at all deriviative of LtCol. Slade.

It was much more in line with other characters... but not Slade.