It's good to see how, untold generations after Mr. Ellison made these comments, Hollywood came to its senses and stopped cranking out remakes and sequels. By Golly, we're lucky to have THOSE dark times behind us!
Thank you so much for uploading these! I've gotten an Amazon Kindle, and the first book I bought was Dangerous Visions. :) Thank you Harlan and thank you everyone who is behind this show being on UA-cam! Peace & love.
lol this was the first of Harlan's Sci-Fi Buzz commentaries that I happen to catch, in '94, I believe. A fond memory. And he's right, at the end there. Alfred Bester's novel The Demolished Man is long overdue for an adaptation.
This is a most wonderful commentary, and a great example of what he's referencing is the recent sequel to "Blade Runner." Gene Siskel (God Bless 'im) once said on one of his several shows with Roger Ebert (paraphrasing), "Why would you remake a movie that got it right the first time? Why not take a movie that had a great idea and didn't get it right, and remake that?" Case in point: That's exactly what screenwiter John Huston did with his first film as a director... He took a novel that had been adapted for film twice before (both versions not so good, but extremely interesting, in retrospect), and got it right with his own, third version of "The Maltese Falcon."
And yet the sequel to Blade Runner is not the improvement you think it is. It's too damn long, contains plot threads left hanging [Clearly meant for a future installment that will never be], has needlessly overlong fight scenes, and really doesn't add anything new to the mix. Having androids that reproduce with humans isn't the same level of humanism as two built solely for killing who gain empathy. Roy Beatty and Deckard felt flawed and human in ways that the characters in the sequel lack. Tyrell wasn't a villain, but a man blinded by his own hubris, whereas Wallace was a mustache twirling villain.
By the way, when did Harlan get those big dark circles around his eyes? After his quad bypass? I had that 4 years ago, and I'm still waiting for them so I can wear the Batman costume, goddam it!
Ironic moment: this video has a promo for the remake of "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty!" Harlan has been a fan of James Thurber for years so it would be interesting to hear his response to this "connection" to his posted installment!
Harlan mentioned the novel One In Three Hundred: Damon Knight wrote a scathing review of the novel, condemning both its tone and plausibility. Galaxy reviewer Groff Conklin more charitably described the novel as "a thrilling and tragic story." Anthony Boucher, who had published the original stories in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, reviewed the novel as "McIntosh's best work and one of the most human science fiction stories by anyone." P. Schuyler Miller noted the popularity of the original stories and termed McIntosh "a writer to watch."}
Two IPs that would IMO make GREAT motion pictures, and both were written by Arthur C. Clarke: (1) *RENDEZVOUS WITH RAMA* -- this is _supposedly_ going to be made by Denis Villeneuve. (2) *ISLANDS IN THE SKY*
Harlan mentions Cronenberg here, and I've been wondering: What did he think of the tribute to him in Cronenberg's VIDEODROME? (Max Renn's assistant named Harlan)
Complex issue: I'd say, that with the even greater emphasis on "character" driven fiction (?) than before, films and shows are more governed by star power, and soap opera, for one thing. What sold before, will sell again, I suppose, with the latest "acting talent". High time, I say, to reinvent the movies, again, as it was done in the '70's. I say, dump both plot-and-character-driven-fiction, and go for 'idea driven'. Yes, please bother me for an explanation, if necessary.
Oh, that one was SO dreadful. It killed off interest in Keanu, a situation I never thought possible. But, the industry learned from that one - by casting Keanu in a $175 million remake of Japan's national legend, the Forty-seven ronin. And so it goes . . .
Harlan (I can't stop calling him by his first name, the mensch) is absolutely right! Stop doing re-makes! There is a reason that there is no remake of The Maltese Falcon, you idiots -- it is a perfect egg in its own right! There is a reason there is no remake of Citizen Kane. Just stop. Sequels can be OK... and re-imaginings, I guess. Star Trek was pretty much a sequel to Forbidden Planet, which was a re -imagining of Shakespeare's The Tempest. But re-makes? Tread carefully, oh foolish one, lest you make a turd upon the stage in front of everyone...
3:11 - oh, my begonias 😫 😅
Rip Harlan ellison
He was ahead of his time
RIP Harlan Ellison 1934-2018.
It's good to see how, untold generations after Mr. Ellison made these comments, Hollywood came to its senses and stopped cranking out remakes and sequels. By Golly, we're lucky to have THOSE dark times behind us!
Thank you so much for uploading these! I've gotten an Amazon Kindle, and the first book I bought was Dangerous Visions. :) Thank you Harlan and thank you everyone who is behind this show being on UA-cam! Peace & love.
They forgot to mention Harlan at the 2018 Emmys. Or rather chose not to. Hollywood is about actors, not writers.
as always a pleasure.
lol this was the first of Harlan's Sci-Fi Buzz commentaries that I happen to catch, in '94, I believe. A fond memory.
And he's right, at the end there. Alfred Bester's novel The Demolished Man is long overdue for an adaptation.
It sure is a good thing things have improved since then.
I'm still waiting on that Forbidden Planet sequel
This is a most wonderful commentary, and a great example of what he's referencing is the recent sequel to "Blade Runner."
Gene Siskel (God Bless 'im) once said on one of his several shows with Roger Ebert (paraphrasing), "Why would you remake a movie that got it right the first time? Why not take a movie that had a great idea and didn't get it right, and remake that?"
Case in point:
That's exactly what screenwiter John Huston did with his first film as a director...
He took a novel that had been adapted for film twice before (both versions not so good, but extremely interesting, in retrospect), and got it right with his own, third version of "The Maltese Falcon."
And yet the sequel to Blade Runner is not the improvement you think it is. It's too damn long, contains plot threads left hanging [Clearly meant for a future installment that will never be], has needlessly overlong fight scenes, and really doesn't add anything new to the mix. Having androids that reproduce with humans isn't the same level of humanism as two built solely for killing who gain empathy. Roy Beatty and Deckard felt flawed and human in ways that the characters in the sequel lack. Tyrell wasn't a villain, but a man blinded by his own hubris, whereas Wallace was a mustache twirling villain.
Why do they always want to remake the movies that were already good? What they should be doing is remake the bad movies and make them better!
By the way, when did Harlan get those big dark circles around his eyes? After his quad bypass? I had that 4 years ago, and I'm still waiting for them so I can wear the Batman costume, goddam it!
He rant about how Hollywood should not make remakes
Make orginal Idea or make book that never got made into film in the first places
Ironic moment: this video has a promo for the remake of "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty!" Harlan has been a fan of James Thurber for years so it would be interesting to hear his response to this "connection" to his posted installment!
Thank the failure of the remake of "The Day the Earth Stood Still."
Harlan mentioned the novel One In Three Hundred:
Damon Knight wrote a scathing review of the novel, condemning both its tone and plausibility. Galaxy reviewer Groff Conklin more charitably described the novel as "a thrilling and tragic story." Anthony Boucher, who had published the original stories in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, reviewed the novel as "McIntosh's best work and one of the most human science fiction stories by anyone." P. Schuyler Miller noted the popularity of the original stories and termed McIntosh "a writer to watch."}
Rest easy, Harlan - they didn't yet remake that
Wow this predate ever youtuber remake rant
Amen. I’m so damn tired of the endless super hero/marvel/dc films that come out one after another. They’re essentially identical and pointless.
Two IPs that would IMO make GREAT motion pictures, and both were written by Arthur C. Clarke:
(1) *RENDEZVOUS WITH RAMA* -- this is _supposedly_ going to be made by Denis Villeneuve.
(2) *ISLANDS IN THE SKY*
Harlan ellison Said is was too Many remake and reboot in the 90s
Harlan mentions Cronenberg here, and I've been wondering: What did he think of the tribute to him in Cronenberg's VIDEODROME? (Max Renn's assistant named Harlan)
Complex issue: I'd say, that with the even greater emphasis on "character" driven fiction (?) than before, films and shows are more governed by star power, and soap opera, for one thing. What sold before, will sell again, I suppose, with the latest "acting talent". High time, I say, to reinvent the movies, again, as it was done in the '70's. I say, dump both plot-and-character-driven-fiction, and go for 'idea driven'. Yes, please bother me for an explanation, if necessary.
Was this filmed 6 years ago or further back?
It was in the '90s. The details above say '94, which sounds about right.
Brian de Palma and Oliver Stone both tried in the 1980s
Those are remakes, not sequels.
Fucking James Cameron is trying to make a remake. He's been trying for quite sometime now. I don't think I'd ever watch a reboot of it
Harlan Ellison's Watching 32
Have things changed since 1993. Well in 2022, Superhero moves are more popular than science ficiton films, but Harlan’s complaints still are true, Science Fiction films are not recognized by the Academy Awards, nor are superhero films. And sequels and remakes are still being made rather than trying something new.
Voice to text does not include punctuation, and gets a lot of proper names wrong. I hope this helps those who rely on closed captioning.
©1993 The Kilimanjaro Corp. All rights reserved
Hi. They weary me. They just wearing me. The producer M. Dick Crew, and oh by the way those of you who have sent in letters of concern, yes he's much recovered. When we threw the woodpecker's on his wooden leg. We've replaced that now with a new aluminum one it's much better. Mr. Crew says can you tie this one this commentary in with the Academy Awards? I said I got your tie-in right here. mo. He wants me to talk about sci-fi and science fiction in the academy. Why bother? It's the same screed every year. Science fiction films make more money than any other genre of films. Any other kind of films but do you ever see them in the Academy Awards? No they're always nominating something done by Merchant Ivory which would put, I don't know Teflon to sleep, in any case I don't want to talk about the Academy here. I don't watch the damn dumb things. What I want to talk about her sequels. Sequels are wearing me. I’m tired of it. That's why I'm doing this one on my back. I'm really tired of it. I've only been a couple of good sequels as far as I can tell. 1978 the remake of The Body Snatchers directed by Philip Kaufman was wonderful. it was beautifully written and-and-and-and a made by Coughlin by it by a writer not a director and then of course there was the David Cronenberg version of the of :The Fly,” which was remade in I guess it was 86. Those are wonderful. of course in 1986 was also the remake of “Invaders from Mars” which one it was originally made back in the 50s was one of the great stupid movies of all time. I always liked the zipper down the back of the Martians as they ran away from you through the caves. And of course when they remade it was equally stupid but that's beside the point.
I was recently approached by a film company that wanted to remake Forbidden Planet. The great Forbidden Planet the great MGM film. You know Dr. Morbius (Walter Pidgeon) you know Altaira Morbius (Anne Francis), The Cook (Earl Holliman). and I said to them why remake it? Why would you want to make it I said. Well we own the rights. I said no no no you don't understand it was made properly the first time. Remaking Forbidden Planet is dopey. It was made properly the first time. What you want to do is, you want to do the sequel. Is it a sequel? I said yeah, those incredible doorways that the Krell came through. What shape were the krill ? What happened to them? Do you mean to tell me that a race that could build those machines. That could create such a planet. Those people just died. No no the mystery of what happened to the krill would be a sensational sequel film and in fact everybody who was left alive at the end of Forbidden Planet, at that time, Jack Kelly was not dead. He recently died it's still alive. You can have them for cameos and Francis and and and and and all the rest of them Earl Holliman all of those people can can reappear and then you have the new people go in search of the secret of the crowd. They said oh how fascinating how fascinating. They came and they talked to us endlessly endlessly endlessly. Never heard back from them. Now I'm having dinner with Ray Bradbury the other night and Ray said guess what I've been asked to be a consultant on. I said what? He said they're gonna remake Forbidden Planet and then he dropped his head into his hands, and he went like this and said oh my oh my. And that's what I say - there's so many great ideas out there so many books that have never been touched why doesn't somebody pick up J. T. McIntosh, “One in Three Hundred” and make that. Why doesn't somebody finally with all the morphing techniques we now have make Alfred Bester's “The Demolished Man”: Who the hell has them has them has the stupidity to want to remake Forbidden Planet it worries me I think I go
******* Dick Crew (1943 to 2015) producer of Sci-Fi/Buzz
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), Daniel Mainwaring(screenplay by)Jack Finney (based on the Collier's magazine serial by) Richard Collins (unaccredited)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Walter Braden "Jack" Finney (1978),W.D. Richter (screenplay by) Jack Finney (based on the novel "The Body Snatchers" by Jack Finney)
Forbidden Planet (1956), Water Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen, Jack Kelly
J.T. McIntosh (1925-2008) was the working name of Scottish writer James McGregor
Oh, that one was SO dreadful. It killed off interest in Keanu, a situation I never thought possible.
But, the industry learned from that one - by casting Keanu in a $175 million remake of Japan's national legend, the Forty-seven ronin.
And so it goes . . .
And Harlan died right before the great wokening. Would love to have seen his reactions.😂😂😂
Harlan (I can't stop calling him by his first name, the mensch) is absolutely right! Stop doing re-makes! There is a reason that there is no remake of The Maltese Falcon, you idiots -- it is a perfect egg in its own right! There is a reason there is no remake of Citizen Kane. Just stop. Sequels can be OK... and re-imaginings, I guess. Star Trek was pretty much a sequel to Forbidden Planet, which was a re -imagining of Shakespeare's The Tempest. But re-makes? Tread carefully, oh foolish one, lest you make a turd upon the stage in front of everyone...