tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18814440.post3089772402059744761..comments2024-02-16T10:27:42.320-08:00Comments on Krell Laboratories: The Warmest Place to HideVulnavia Morbiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04722740955194993451noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18814440.post-24545433246315501942012-02-19T10:32:00.221-08:002012-02-19T10:32:00.221-08:00Doc M., maybe we should be thankful Campbell didn&...Doc M., maybe we should be thankful Campbell didn't pass along the idea to a "better" writer. I tend to agree with William Burroughs' comment that "good books make mediocre movies, but mediocre books make good movies" (he was talking about Marathon Man)--that the ideas in those mediocre books were worth exploring and expanding on, but not necessarily holding faithful to the source material. Had "Who Goes There?" been a straightforward adaptation, gosh, we would've had a bunch of tough he-man, square-jawed Mary Sues to bore us in-between monster attacks. I think Hawks & Carpenter & Co. did well to inject their own flavors into the mix. <br />I think all sequels and remakes are initially "greenlit" with only the thought of additional profits to back those decisions. But what happens afterwards? Ahhh, that's what makes the difference. Have you got a Cronenberg or Carpenter on your team, or have you got a Marcus Nispel? <br /><br />In the words of Led Zeppelin, "Ramble On!"<br />--IvanIvanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16443946766217092846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18814440.post-88466051887158436532012-02-18T10:16:46.060-08:002012-02-18T10:16:46.060-08:00Hi, Ivan. I have no antipathy toward remakes as su...Hi, Ivan. I have no antipathy toward remakes as such. Some of my favorite movies are remakes. I think it's beholden upon anyone who writes about film and puts that writing out into the marketplace to give every film a fair shake. I mean, I know I'm guilty of letting my prejudices influence me a lot of the time, but I try to be open-minded. <br /><br />"Who Goes There?" might have been better had Campbell handed it off to one of his Unknown writers. Theodore Sturgeon, for instance, would seem to be a perfect fit. Or A. E. Van Vogt. I mean, he handed so many ideas to his writers that it's always a surprise when he keeps one himself. I know that at least one of Robert Heinlein's novels was given to Heinlein by Campbell as an assignment for Astounding. <br /><br />Anyway, I'm rambling.Vulnavia Morbiushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04722740955194993451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18814440.post-75532770029471549342012-02-18T10:02:06.547-08:002012-02-18T10:02:06.547-08:00Dr. Morbius, most of the open-minded critical cons...Dr. Morbius, most of the open-minded critical consensus seems to side with you--that if we try and ignore the "prequel" aspects, treat it as just another entry into the "isolated frozen outpost dealing with unspeakable horror" subgenre (which can stretch from "At the Mountains of Madness" to the various adaptations of "Who Goes There?" to the TV movie "A Cold Night's Death"), that then, the new The Thing is not some cinematic crime. <br />Anyway, that'll be my mindset when watching it next week... <br />BTW, I recently re-read the short story "Who Goes There?" and except for its ideas, the story was very disappointing to me. Hawks & Carpenter really expanded and improved the characterizations in their unique ways.<br />Keep up the good work,<br />--IvanIvanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16443946766217092846noreply@blogger.com