Akira

In episode 23 of Remakers Mark we tackle our first animated movie, 1988’s anime classic Akira. Unlike the original, which was a Japanese language anime movie, we are remaking it as an English language live action film (except for Jer, who goes a slightly different path). We tackle recasting two major roles and five major-minor roles. Along the way we discuss the original’s creation of small grayish Benny Hills, think about how to cast and remake the movie as a live action movie, have a hard time remembering who is who in the movie, and we all give ourselves plenty of leeway with presenting the original voice actors’ names.

Actors and Actresses Discussed

Links and Movies Discussed

Three Amigos

In part two of our discussion of ¡Three Amigos!, which features our greatest intro EVER, we start off with some really excellent suggestions from fans about who they think should be recast in the three major roles. Then, after revealing who the big winners were from part one’s casting choices, we move into what we would change about the movie in a remake from a plot, tech, and filmmaking perspective. Along the way, we consider alternate settings, where Mark reveals that he hates the Swiss for some reason, and that everyone hates the French. We discuss the role of schtick in the original, invent a whole new genre of film (Communal Schtick, or Sponsor Comedy), and drop a truth bomb about whether we would love this movie if we saw it for the first time today, equating it to another schtick-y classic, Holy Grail. Finally, we share our love for the performances of the actors, and the role of music in the original.

Actors and Actresses Discussed

Movies and Links Discussed

Next Episode’s Movie – Akira

In episode 22, we take on remaking a movie that Andy deemed unremakeable, assuming that’s an actual word – ¡Three Amigos!. Here in part one we recast three major roles originally filled by three comedy legends, as well as five minor characters. Along the way we express our preference for cerveza or tequila (or los dos), give our appreciation for how Steve Martin is rubbery in the best way, and Jer hatches a remake plan involving British actors playing American cowboys in Mexican cinema.

Three Amigos

Actors and Actresses Discussed

Movies and Links Discussed

In part two of our discussion of the Western classic The Searchers, we discuss listener feedback regarding how challenging it is to recast an iconic role and actor like John Wayne, as well as suggestions for how that might be done. We talked about how the original film lacked sensitivity, both racially and in terms of mental illness, and suggest some ways to do both of those things better in a remake. Since this was our first Western, we talked about the genre a bit, both in terms of The Searchers’ place in its history, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of it, and wondered if and how the Western could fit in today’s film world. Finally, we express umbrage with the strange mood shifts throughout the original – for a very serious film, it sure had some strange, out of place bits of levity and humor. Throughout these discussions, Kyle confuses Ozzie Nelson with Ricky Nelson, the guys hate on New Jersey and Estonia alike, we speculate that a CG John Wayne might make an appearance in Pacific Rim 2, and Kyle manages to slip in some Vanilla Ice lyrics.

The Searchers

Actors and Actresses Discussed

Movies and Links Discussed

Next episdoe’s movie – ¡Three Amigos!

In part one of our discussion of the classic Western film ‘The Searchers’, we tackle recasting three major roles and five minor roles. Along the way we give props to Jason Momoa for his impeccable guy-lining skills, discuss the difficulty in separating the presence of John Wayne from the character of Ethan, and use the phrases ‘she’s got a case of the Voldemort hands’ and ‘he’s like the Old West’s Ralph Wiggum‘.

The Searchers

Actors and Actresses Discussed

Movies and Links Discussed