Charlie Chaplin

     Have you ever heard of the story where the actor himself entered a Charlie Chaplin look a like contest and lost? They said he didn’t even make it to the finals. Now I don’t know about you but that says a lot. Chaplinitis spread all over the world ever since the silent film star broke out and it’s been almost a hundred years but because of the legacy he has left, it would be hard to ever forget about him. 

     If I were an impersonator, I'd be a Shakira one. Though I don't look like her or even dance like her, I do a pretty good voice impression. If you could only hear me sing "Whenever, Wherever" then you'd be amazed (half-kidding!). 

- Reign

     Parody films, to those that don't know, are comedy movies that basically imitate already made movies and just make them funnier. It's usually centered around one movie's storyline with other movie references that came out within the year. It makes the entire plot even funnier with the added jokes, puns, the making fun of the characters and other whatnots. Some can just be ridiculous because sometimes it would feel too forced but there are some that will end up making someone literally laughing out loud. 

     These movies are definitely worth watching especially if you're having a bad day! Turning scary or annoying movies into something outrageous and hilarious is probably one of the best ideas ever and this definitely gives a twist into the whole originality is dead idea. Make sure to check these movies out soon!



- Ana & Marian

     Ever watched a movie and think, ‘hey, haven’t I seen this movie before?’ Well, it’s either you’re terribly forgetful about the movies you’ve seen, or you’re sorta right. Many of the popular movies that have been coming out recently are either remakes (or reboots), adaptations, and sequels rather than originally written movies. While these movies aren’t bad per se, this pattern of simply making an old movie new is getting kind of old, don’t you think?

     This past year we’ve seen remakes of four horror/thriller movies:
1. Carrie (a remake of the 1976 movie adaptation of the Stephen King novel),
2. Evil Dead (a reboot of the cult classic first released in 1981),
3. Maniac (a remake of another cult horror movie which came out in 1980), and
4. We Are What We Are (an English-language remake of the 2010 Mexican film of the same name).

     Aside from those, the following movies are also remakes that came out last year:
1. Oldboy (an American remake of a Korean film that came out in 2010),
2. The Lone Ranger (a retelling of a classic American story),
3. The Great Gatsby (the sixth film adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s most popular novel),
4. Delivery Man (a remake of the 2010 Canadian comedy entitled Starbuck), and
5. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (a remake of the 1947 film adaptation of the short story of the same name by James Thurber).

     Another growing trend Hollywood follows is rebooting popular superhero movies. Don’t get me wrong, I loved The Amazing Spider-Man and I can hardly wait for its sequel, but its release was just a tad too soon for me (as well as many moviegoers) since the previous Spider-Man trilogy just ended in 2007. Same goes for the Superman franchise and the Batman franchise (both of which have way too many movies about them).

     So why are movies being remade/rebooted in the first place? Oftentimes, filmmakers want to remake certain movies (usually popular or even classic ones) to show a fresh new take on them while still maintaining the story and characters. For old movies, remakes could entail telling the story set in present time. Movies from foreign countries of foreign languages which are popular are also often remade to be in English for a wider audience. Many film buffs, however, tend to boycott remakes because more often than not, they are not as good as the original. 

     As for the superhero movies, I honestly think that production companies are just hungry for the huge income they would get from making these movies, seeing as they’re surefire box-office hits. However, I wish they would be more adventurous when it comes to producing these kinds of movies because both Marvel and DC have a large roster of superheroes who are deserving of their own movie adaptations.

     Now I’m not saying that all remakes/reboots are bad, because some actually do a good job of retelling a story I’d previously enjoyed and a whole lot of remakes are about to come out in the following years, but they’re just further proof that our generation lacks originality. I personally don’t want to see the same story told in a different way every time I walk in a cinema; I want to watch something new every time. Don’t you?

-Isis