The Prisoner remake

[The 13th Warrior]

I wonder if it is going to be as good as the original?

Usually, the writers cannot duplicate the writing.

How many fail and continue to fail at duplicating Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits?

The closest I have seen to the writing of The Twilight Zone is The Sixth Sense with Bruce Willis.

The writing and casting nowadays is just not up to par, I don't know which has the edge in being the worst.

The original star in The Prisoner had a look of experience, conviction, shakespeare acting presence, intensely convicted, philosophical convictions of freedom and humanity, extremely serious and contemplative, highly disgusted at the notion of his will being manipulated, all that came across in his acting.

I don't know if I am going to buy it with this actor.

Its like why western movies are hardly made.......they get these "surfer boy" looking actors and expect us to believe these are cowboys.....Yul Brenner, Humphrey Bogart, Charles Bronson, Sam Eliot type of actors are hardly looked for or are chosen anymore, you know, real looking characters.

No one seems to know how to look for tough guys and/or great actors with on-screen, believable presence anymore.

Lets get the pretty boy or some agent knows some insider who owes him/her a favor.

The 13th Warrior

[TLTheLiberator]

Be seeing it.

The lead is played by Jim C. ( Passion Of The Christ )

He also played a great Booby Jones the famed golfer.

I was a big fan of the original and the 15 minute preview of the new show looked interesting, so I'll give it a try.


TL

[ThomM]

I was a fan of the original so I'll give it a watch also.

How many fail and continue to fail at duplicating Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits?

I think the big problem there is the originals where able to do so much more with less. In other words they had to depend on the writing ability of the writers and the acting ability of the actors to pull the stories off. Now they try to make that up with special effects.
The one show that has pulled it off IMHO is Dr. Who.
I thought the first series was great and I love the newer version also.

[Michael Motley]

I'll probably watch it. the trailers look pretty good.

[lcombs]

I was a big fan of the original.
The trailers for the new one look interesting but...
It seems that the makers of re-makes always feel they have to put their personal stamp on it and just screw it up.

[loenex]

I will try to watch it.

[Ken Strong]

Originally Posted by The 13th Warrior

I wonder if it is going to be as good as the original?

Almost never is. Just like the remake of The Wicker Man a couple of years ago. Why do they think they can improve on movies/TV series that were pretty near perfect to begin with? I guess because they're too scared, lazy, and cheap to come up with any original concepts.

GodDAMN this decaf.

[/rant][/curmudgeon]

[Alexa Smith]

There's going to be a remake of The Prisoner?! How have I not heard about this?!

[CDarklock]

More to the point, does the central fear of The Prisoner - that we'll be imprisoned in an apparently normal place where the world conspires against us to prevent our leaving - a fear that resonates with the modern American?

Because I don't think it is. I think that fear resonated with the adult British population of the sixties, who were watching the world change radically around them - which was frightening and confusing.

The average adult American is different. Those people aren't a horrible creeping threat to our way of life. They're our parents. The 21st century American doesn't fear being trapped alone in a culture he doesn't understand, because that's reality. We live in apartment buildings surrounded by people we've never met - who move in, and move out, without ever introducing themselves. And somehow, we don't care.

The older folk among us (and I count myself one of them now) certainly lament the loss of this culture, the one that The Prisoner leverages to create strangeness and horror. But honestly... we're all The Prisoner these days. We don't look at him and say "my God, what could you do?" - we say "yeah, been there, done that, why doesn't he do what I did?"

I just don't see it working without major changes to the storyline, and I don't see those major changes being anywhere near as good. I think the writers are probably in their twenties, and don't really understand what made the series good in the first place.

[TLTheLiberator]

Originally Posted by CDarklock

More to the point, does the central fear of The Prisoner - that we'll be imprisoned in an apparently normal place where the world conspires against us to prevent our leaving - a fear that resonates with the modern American?

Because I don't think it is. I think that fear resonated with the adult British population of the sixties, who were watching the world change radically around them - which was frightening and confusing.

The average adult American is different. Those people aren't a horrible creeping threat to our way of life. They're our parents. The 21st century American doesn't fear being trapped alone in a culture he doesn't understand, because that's reality. We live in apartment buildings surrounded by people we've never met - who move in, and move out, without ever introducing themselves. And somehow, we don't care.

The older folk among us (and I count myself one of them now) certainly lament the loss of this culture, the one that The Prisoner leverages to create strangeness and horror. But honestly... we're all The Prisoner these days. We don't look at him and say "my God, what could you do?" - we say "yeah, been there, done that, why doesn't he do what I did?"

I just don't see it working without major changes to the storyline, and I don't see those major changes being anywhere near as good. I think the writers are probably in their twenties, and don't really understand what made the series good in the first place.

Geez...

I thought it was simply about a secret agent type of dude that wanted to retire, perhaps because he had been hung out to dry - one time too many etc.,

...and the folks in charge felt he knew too much & might turn etc., so therefore they had to break him etc.



It was more than that???


TL

[The 13th Warrior]

Originally Posted by lcombs

It seems that the makers of re-makes always feel they have to put their personal stamp on it and just screw it up.

Thats the major ingredient of Hollywood..., EGO.

These guys usually think they can blow the lid off the "old" product because they are so modern, up-to-date, and have a wider vision than the creator.

And egotistically speaking, they just HAVE TO put their stamp on it, but its usually a big, round, wrinkly cow pie.

Originally Posted by KenStrong

Why do they think they can improve on movies/TV series that were pretty near perfect to begin with? I guess because they're too scared, lazy, and cheap to come up with any original concepts.

I respect the maker of THE BRADY BUNCH remake, we should support people who are more pure of the original "feel" and plot of the original series, after all, thats why we like them and watch re-runs of them over and over.

I almost have a slight disdain for actor Owens. They always put him in these remakes that suck, so far from the original, they should simply call them something else.

I SPY, was a cool, hip 60's genre series, with kind of dry humor and cool chemistry between the two actors. Owens and Eddie was an abortion, and I only seen the trailers.

Same probably for Starsky and Hutch, though I never watched or got into the show, I steer clear away when Owens is involved.

Or like OCEANS 11. Granted, Clooney and gang had a nice heist film.

But without FRANK,DEAN, SAMMY, JOEY, IT AIN'T OCEANS 11!!!

Unless you get those Las Vegas impersonators of THE RAT PACK,( and please don't use that ex-Elvis look-a-like with his Elvis face impersonating Dean), with Tarrintino with the 60's sets and feel, don't bother trying to bring back that 60's personality and magic.

Can Clooney sing like Frank? Does he have cobalt blue eyes? Case closed.

[The 13th Warrior]

Originally Posted by TLTheLiberator

I thought it was simply about a secret agent type of dude that wanted to retire, perhaps because he had been hung out to dry - one time too many etc.,

...and the folks in charge felt he knew too much & might turn etc., so therefore they had to break him etc.

That was the premise, the foundation, I think.

But it had that Twilight Zone type of challenge of philosophy, battle of wills, questioning of reality, loyalty to ethics or what is sane vs perceived reality, etc, and a lead actor and actors that could animate that with intensity and keep you locked in.

I seriously doubt this actor can pull off that kind of feel it had....he may be a good actor, but the writing, philosophical and word swordplay along with shakesperian command , conviction and presense is what, I think, this new actor is going to lack.

Again, these Hollywood guys always think they can do it better than the original, even in proper casting.

The 13th Warrior

[TLTheLiberator]

Originally Posted by CDarklock

More to the point, does the central fear of The Prisoner - that we'll be imprisoned in an apparently normal place where the world conspires against us to prevent our leaving - a fear that resonates with the modern American?

Because I don't think it is. I think that fear resonated with the adult British population of the sixties, who were watching the world change radically around them - which was frightening and confusing.

The average adult American is different. Those people aren't a horrible creeping threat to our way of life. They're our parents. The 21st century American doesn't fear being trapped alone in a culture he doesn't understand, because that's reality. We live in apartment buildings surrounded by people we've never met - who move in, and move out, without ever introducing themselves. And somehow, we don't care.

The older folk among us (and I count myself one of them now) certainly lament the loss of this culture, the one that The Prisoner leverages to create strangeness and horror. But honestly... we're all The Prisoner these days. We don't look at him and say "my God, what could you do?" - we say "yeah, been there, done that, why doesn't he do what I did?"

I just don't see it working without major changes to the storyline, and I don't see those major changes being anywhere near as good. I think the writers are probably in their twenties, and don't really understand what made the series good in the first place.

It may be a series that will only work with all the British type of stuff and actors involved.

I'll see tonight after the game as my Colts are playing the Patriots.

TL

[The 13th Warrior]

So did anybody watch it?

Was it good, did the actor pull it off, did the writers pull it off?

How does he stack up to the old actor?

The 13th Warrior

[TLTheLiberator]

Originally Posted by The 13th Warrior

So did anybody watch it?

Was it good, did the actor pull it off, did the writers pull it off?

How does he stack up to the old actor?

The 13th Warrior

Yes, I watched it and I will not watch it again.

I could not buy Jim C. as a gov agent in a role akin to what Pat Mc. did with the series.

I kept asking myself, why am I watching this?

The distinct British flavor is gone except for #2.

( Dr. M. from the X men movies )

Not gana do it.

TL

[The 13th Warrior]

Originally Posted by TLTheLiberator

I could not buy Jim C. as a gov agent in a role akin to what Pat Mc. did with the series.

Yeah, they should have got an actor the caliber of #2.

Soon as I seen the lead actors face and heard his voice, I was very doubtful he could at least equal Pat McDoohan.

Too bad.

The new makers sound like they definitely put their own mark on it.

A liquid yellow stain.

The 13th Warrior

[John Rogers]

I've got it on the DVR, but haven't watched it yet. I have low expectations, and don't expect to be impressed enough to watch past the first episode.

John

[The 13th Warrior]

By the way, what do these guys call " good actor/acting"?

That #2 is good, but I guess he ain't young enough or pretty enough to get the "ladies" viewership.

When I watched "V for Vendetta" , I would have never imagined that a voice and writing could be so compelling, like a Orson Wells, and I would NEVER have guessed that that dude from The Matrix had such vocal command.

He sounds better and more compelling behind the mask.

That movie has got to be my Top 10 as far as voice actor command, like James Earl Jones as Darth Vaders voice.

Its the same compelling nature of old time radio shows, mastery of voice projection and acting to engage a visual imagination.

Like a well written book does.

The 13th Warrior

[ThomM]

Originally Posted by TLTheLiberator

Yes, I watched it and I will not watch it again.

I could not buy Jim C. as a gov agent in a role akin to what Pat Mc. did with the series.

I kept asking myself, why am I watching this?

The distinct British flavor is gone except for #2.

( Dr. M. from the X men movies )

Not gana do it.

TL

Glad I missed it