I think Hollywood is proving just how desperate and risk averse they are now with all the remakes of slasher flicks and lame TV shows. It's at an all time high. Michael Mann is making a Miami Vice movie right now. Who exactly gives a rat's ass? Dukes of Hazzard? Starsky and Hutch, Brady Bunch, Mod Squad, Avengers, Bewitched...C'mon!
You are soooooo right! The "Brain Trust of Hollywood" is a complete oxymoron, with emphasis on the "moron" part. With all the fabulous horror literature out there, or literature of any other kind for that matter, you'd think that one of the brighter dimwits in California would try something new. But no, we get proposed new episodes of "Rocky" and "Rambo", and remakes of classic horror flicks that can never measure up...
On a good note, it seems that the negotiations are proceeding to bring Kelley Armstrong's novel "Bitten" to the big screen...and rumour has it that Angelina Jolie will be the lead...not a remake, but good news for anyone wishing they'd just leave well enough alone.
Why does Asian horror have us by the throat? "American audiences forgot what it was like to be legitimately scared," says Tony Timpone, longtime editor of the horror fan magazine Fangoria. "Asian horror films are the complete antithesis of American-style FX-overdose pictures. They're subtle and get under your skin. They creep you out, unnerve and disturb you, without gushing, severed body parts and tons of pyrotechnics."
"Dark Water" is based on a Japanese movie directed by Hideo Nakata, who also directed Japan's "Ringu" (which was remade here as "The Ring") and the American "The Ring 2," and is now in production on the remake of "The Eye."
These knockoffs borrow Asian-style atmospherics and themes, although purists complain that they lose something in the translation.
"Japanese horror films don't explain everything to the audience, like the U.S. remakes," says Timpone. "When scary things and mysterious events happen in the Japanese originals, they just do, with little in the way of logic, explanation or reason. That's part of what makes them so scary. Anything can happen, and does."
Whether Asian horror movies continue to haunt us or not, they have produced three seismic shifts in the industry. One is the rise of the PG-13 horror film, which widens the potential audience. Another is that Hollywood has opened its creaky doors to talented Asian directors like Nakata.
But the most astonishing development is that these remakes cracked a demographic no one ever expected: young teen girls. "They were weaned on 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' and they're emboldened with girl power," says Timpone. "They're ready to take on big-screen frights."
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/story/325704p-278370c.html
* In accordance with Muslim beliefs, Mohammed could not be depicted on screen nor could his voice be heard. This rule extended to his seven wives, his daughters and his sons-in-law. This left Mohammed's uncle as the central character (played by Anthony Quinn). In the completed film, actors speak directly to the camera and then nod to un-heard dialogue.
* Muhammad Ali expressed interest in playing the role of Bilal, but producer Moustapha Akkad refused, stating that such casting "would smack of commercialism."
* Production stopped when the financeers withdrew their support, leaving cast and crew stranded for two weeks in Morocco (in a hotel with broken air conditioning; they slept under wet towels). Financing was eventually supplied by none other than Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi.
* The University of Al-Azhar in Cairo and the High Islamic Congress of the Shiat in Lebanon were involved in approving the accuracy of the film.
* At its initial release, this movie was banned from many Middle-Eastern countries because the religious leaders didn't like the idea of having the Prophet Mohammed's story being made into a motion picture.
* This film was made in both English and Arabic with two different casts. Scenes were shot back to back in both languages.
* 300 of the extras also helped with the construction of the sets.
* It took 4 ½ months to build the ancient city of Mecca.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074896/