Remakes Gone Wrong
Movie Review: 'Footloose' vs. 'The Thing,' Which '80s Remake Sucks Less?
In our weekly video feature 'Flick Picks,' The Daily Beast’s Ramin Setoodeh and Rolling Stone’s film critic Peter Travers debate the new movies opening at a theater near you. See which films get a 'Yes,' 'No' or 'Maybe' from our critics. This week’s lineup includes two ‘80s remakes and Pedro Almodovar’s latest.
K.C. Bailey / Paramount Pictures
Footloose
It’s attack of the ‘80s this weekend at the box office. First up, a remake of the 1984 dance hit that made Kevin Bacon into the Zac Efron of his generation. Incidentally, Efron was tapped to be in this remake, but he decided his dancing days were over. No need to fret, jazz hands. Newcomer Kenny Wormald fills his shoes along with Dancing With the Stars cutie Julianne Hough. Does she actually make the transition from sequined Barbie to leading lady? The answer might surprise you.
The Thing
Next, we move backward two years—to 1982, the year of John Carpenter’s alien thriller. Actually, to be honest, we go further back than that. This is a prequel to the Carpenter film. The original tanked at the box office, before finding a cult following later on VHS. Will the fan boys show up for this resurrection? Remember, in Antarctica nobody can hear you scream.
The Skin I Live In
Antonio Banderas is back. He’s a stylish cat in Puss in Boots, and a tortured surgeon in Pedro Almodovar’s The Skin I Live In, one of the most twisted movies of the fall. Almodovar has always been a fan of Hitchcock, but this time, he goes absolutely Psycho (and Vertigo). Both our critics agree that the subtitled film is really … wait, we won’t give away the ending. See what they think:
Cumulative scores:
Ramin: Yes, 2; No, 1Peter: Yes, 1; No, 2