‘Sup gang? Let’s start things off with some good news: The Spooky Season has begun! I don’t make the rules, y’all: Shudder has started their 61 Days of Halloween programming block and stores nationwide are rolling out their H’ween wares earlier than ever! Another bit of positivity: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 & 2 are getting a remastered double game re release on Sept. 4th! [Or check out the documentary Pretending I’m Superman about the game here. -ed.] If like me, you’ll be spending All Hallow’s Eve at home this year for safety, maybe the kinds of tricks you’ll be treating yourself to will be sick grinds (that’s one’s for you, Ashley Jane!) and general shredding of the gnar! (*)
(*) DISCLAIMER: I haven’t skateboarded in 20-ish years and even when I did, I didn’t speak it.
On that upbeat note: welcome to Everything Old is New Again! My now-monthly column covering the Remakes, Adaptations and Long-Gap Sequel concepts coming to screens in September. Basically, if it’s a movie or series based on a previous idea in any appreciable way, I will endeavor to find out about it, watch the trailer(s) and give you my opinion on what you can expect. That’s why I opened with the THPS news, it’s essentially a reboot.
Apologies, btw, for the relative lateness of this column. I was quite busy writing coverage of the films playing at Fantasia Fest this year - and I hope you read all the Moviejawn coverage, it was all great and you’ll wanna keep an eye out for a bunch of those flicks in the future - and anyway, time just got away from me. So let’s delay no longer:
AMAZON PRIME:
PREMIERS:
4th:
THE BOYS: Season 2 - Based on the comicbook series created by writer Garth Ennis and artist Darick Robertson, the first season stayed pretty faithful to the central conceit of the comics - that if absolute power corrupts, imagine what that says about folks with superpowers - while changing enough of the details that fans of the series won’t see every twist and turn coming. This season features the rise of a supe (person with super powers) named Stormfront (Aya Cash) who seems to have motives ulterior to just being a “good guy”. There’s also plenty of fighting, explosions, blood-spray, a scene where the titular Boys drive a motorboat through a whale and, oh cool, Giancarlo Esposito! If you get down with irreverent humor and stylized, splattery violence then you should be marathoning the first season to get caught up.
ARRIVALS:
1st:
Alex Cross (2012) - based on the 2006 novel Cross by James Patterson.
Barney Thomson (2016) - a.k.a. The Legend of Barney Thomson is based on the novel The Long Midnight of Barney Thomson by Douglas Lindsay.
Bewitched (2005) - big screen remake based on the ABC sitcom that ran from 1964 - 1972.
C.O.G. (2013) - based on a David Sedaris short story from his book essays, Naked.
Carrington (1995) - biopic based on Lytton Strachey: A Critical Biography. Also streaming on HULU.
Casino Royale (2006) - Have you read my column before? ”Casino Roy” (as his friends call him) pops up in almost every one.
De-Lovely (2004) - biopic based on the life and career of composer Cole Porter. Also streaming on HULU.
Die, Monster, Die! (1965) - loosely adapted from H.P. Lovecraft’s The Colour Out of Space.
Dr. Goldfoot And The Bikini Machine (1965) - Not technically EOINA material, I’m including it here because it was covered in an episode of the Hate Watch/Great Watch podcast (which I co-host) - HWGW ep.20!
Eaten By Lions (2020) - feature length adaptation of director Jason Wingard’s 2013 short Going to Mecca.
Kramer Vs. Kramer (1979) - based on Avery Corman’s 1977 novel.
Lord Love A Duck (1966) - based on Al Hine’s 1961 novel.
Man Of La Mancha (1972) - adaptation of the broadway musical by Dale Wasserman, based on a non-musical teleplay by Wasserman inspired by Miguel de Cervantes’ 17th century book Don Quixote. Also streaming on HULU.
Music Within (2007) - based on the true story of activist Richard Pimentel. Also streaming on HULU.
Patriots Day (2017) - based on the book Boston Strong by Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge about the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings.
Rambo (2008) - 4th film in the franchise based on David Morrell’s 1972 novel First Blood, coming 20 years after the previous entry, 1988’s Rambo III. Also streaming on HULU.
Sex And The City: The Movie (2008) - big screen continuation of the HBO series begun in 1998.
Sex And The City 2 (2010) - sequel to the above.
The Birdcage (1997) - American remake of 1978’s La Cage aux Folles. Also streaming on HULU.
The Graduate (1967) - based on the 1963 novel by Charles Webb.
The Visitors (1972) - inspired by an article in The New Yorker written by Daniel Lang and later expanded into the book Casualties of War.
The Weight Of Water (2002) - based on Anita Shreve’s 1997 novel. Also streaming on HULU.
The White Bus (1967) - adapted by director Lindsay Anderson and Shelagh Delaney from a short story in Delaney’s 1963 collection Sweetly Sings the Donkey.
Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? (1972) - partly inspired by the Hansel & Gretel fable, this was also recently watched by the Moviejawn Spaghetti Film Club and comes pretty highly recommended.
22nd:
The Addams Family (2019) - latest adaptation of Charles Addams’ cartoon family which began as a series of cartoons in The New Yorker in 1938. Also streaming on HULU.
DISNEY+:
PREMIERS:
4th:
MULAN - The live-action adaptation of the 1998 animated flick finally becomes available at an increased price which some people have an issue with. I am one of those people. Remember that thing I said above about absolute power corrupting absolutely? Well the Mouse House’s entertainment monopoly means that they don’t have to make Mulan available on multiple streaming platforms for its Sept. 4th premier. They can afford to risk a $200 million movie on the opportunity to see if people will pay a (frankly ridiculous) rental fee ON TOP of a Disney+ subscription fee (which is required). So basically, if you aren’t a subscriber but absolutely MUST SEE Mulan ASAP, you’ll have to pay $7 just to be able to pay an additional $25 to rent Mulan for a few days. I strongly encourage people boycott Mulan and also rise up against our rodent-eared capitalist overlords and bring me the head of Mickey Mouse under a silver cloche! ...or just boycott the Mulan premier. That’s good too.
ARRIVALS:
4th:
The Wolverine (2013) - Based on the Marvel comics character created in 1974 by Len Wein and John Romita Sr.
18th:
Ever After: A Cinderella Story (1998) - inspired by the famous folk tale.
Once Upon a Time: Seasons 1 - 7 - ABC television series populated by contemporary versions of public domain characters from fables and folktales.
HBO MAX:
PREMIERS:
I was not able to find any applicable films or series premiering on HBO in September.
ARRIVALS:
1st:
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012) - based on the 2004 novel These Foolish Things by Deborah Moggach.
The Brak Show (2000) - a faux-sitcom based on the character Brak as he was depicted on the show Space Ghost: Coast to Coast, itself a faux talk show based on the serial edventures of the Space Ghost character created by Alex Toth for Hanna-Barbera in 1966.
Butterfield 8 (1960) - based on the 1935 novel by John O’Hara.
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) - based on Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize winning play from 1955.
Charlotte’s Web (1973) - based E.B. White’s 1952 children’s book.
The Cider House Rules (1999) - based on the 1985 novel by John Irving.
City Of God (2003) - adapted from the 1997 novel by Paulo Lins.
Clara’s Heart (1988) - based on the novel by Joseph Olshan.
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button (2008) - based on the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald published in Collier’s in 1922.
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002) - based the novel by Rebecca Wells.
Dog Day Afternoon (1975) - based on the 1972 article The Boys in the Bank by P.F. Kluge, published in Life magazine.
Dolores Claiborne (1995) - based on the 1992 novel by a little-known author, you probably haven’t heard of him ...Stephen King.
Fatal Attraction (1987) - based on a previous short film from screenwriter James Dearden called Diversion.
Father of the Bride (1950) - adapted from the 1949 novel by Edward Streeter.
Flight Of The Phoenix (2004) - remake of the 1965 film.
A Good Year (2006) - loosely based on the 2004 novel by Peter Mayle.
Grease (1978) - based on the 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Also streaming on Netflix.
Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law (2000) - the character from the Hanna-Barbera show Birdman and the Galaxy Trio which aired in the late 60s, reimagined as a contemporary lawyer.
JFK (1991) - based on the books On the Trail of Assassins by Jim Garrison and Crossfire: The Plot That Killed Kennedy by Jim Marrs.
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012) - based on Jules Verne’s 1874 book The Mysterious Island, this flick is the sequel to 2008’s film Journey to the Center of the Earth, which itself was based on Verne’s 1864 novel of the same name.
A Kiss Before Dying (1991) - based on Ira Levin’s 1954 novel.
The Lake House (2006) - based on a Korean film from 2000 that has an Italian title, Il Mare which means “The Sea”
Lassie Come Home (1943) - based on Eric Knight’s 1940 book of the same name.
Little Women (1949) - this isn’t even the earliest film version of Louisa May Alcott’s novel from 1868 & ‘69.
Lost in Space (1998) - adapted from the TV series that originally aired from 1965 - 1968, itself inspired by the novel The Swiss Family Robinson, written in 1812 by Johann David Wyss.
Marathon Man (1976) - adapted by William Goldman from his 1974 novel.
Miracle At St. Anna (2008) - based on screenwriter James McBride’s 2003 novel.
Murder by Numbers (2002) - though not directly adapted from any source, its plot is reminiscent of the kidnapping and murder perpetrated by Leopold and Loeb in 1924 (dubbed “The crime of the century” at the time).
The Operative (2019) - based on the novel The English Teacher by Yiftach Reicher-Atir.
The Outsiders (1983) - based on the 1967 novel by S.E. Hinton.
PT 109 (1963) - based on the book PT 109: John F. Kennedy in World War II by Robert J. Donovan.
Red Riding Hood (2011) - adapted from the fable.
Reversal of Fortune (1990) - based on the book Reversal of Fortune: Inside the von Bülow Case by Alan Dershowitz.
A Room With A View (1986) - based on E.M. Forster’s 1908 novel.
Sealab 2021:Seasons 1-5 (2000) - an off-beat workplace comedy made using animation & stills from the long-defunct 1972 Hanna-Barbera series Sealab 2020.
Shrek Forever After (2010) - the fourth film in the franchise begun with 2001’s Shrek, an adaptation of William Steig’s picture book from 1990.
Son of the Mask (2005) - the sequel to 1994’s The Mask, an adaptation of the series of graphic novels created by Doug Mahnke and John Arcudi in 1991.
Star 80 (1983) - adapted from the Village Voice article Death of a Playmate by Teresa Carpenter.
Sunrise at Campobello (1960) - based on the Tony award winning 1958 play by Dore Schary.
V for Vendetta (2006) - based on the 1988 graphic novel from Alan Moore and David Lloyd.
Victoria and Abdul (2017) - based on the book by Shrabani Basu.
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) - based on the 1962 play by Edward Albee.
HULU:
PREMIERS:
28th:
FARGO: Season 4 - Not unlike what I praise about The Boys above, this series inspired by the Coen Bros. 1996 crime comedy masterpiece mimics the tone of its source material without being especially beholden to the actual depicted events. I mean, I love Fargo, but would I watch a story that I’ve already seen the 2 hour version of play out over 10? I dunno about that. Luckily, that isn’t what showrunner Noah Hawley is asking of us. Each season of his show is self-contained featuring a new story and cast. This one seems focused on the crime syndicates, mafia and unions of the 1950s with Chris Rock as the head of the African American group attempting negotiations with the Italian mafia. Also in these trailers I spotted Jason Schwartzman and - be still my heart - Timothy Olyphant, but boy oh boy, I could go my WHOLE LIFE and never hear Schwartzman say the phrase “slow-pump a baby into your daughter” again, thank you very much.
ARRIVALS:
1st:
Absolute Power (1997) - based on the previous year’s novel by David Baldacci.
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