WorkingGirl Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Ready for Russian 'Man on Fire' and Japanese 'Working Girl'?
Filed under: Comedy », Drama », Foreign Language », Distribution », 20th Century Fox », Remakes and Sequels »
We often hear about Hollywood remaking foreign-language pictures, translating them for the domestic audience. (Some would say, "dumbing down and stripping away everything that made them unique and special," but I digress.) Now a Hollywood studio is proceeding with plans to remake its own movies for international audiences. Do they have any hope for success?
Fox International Productions is working on versions of Tony Scott's Man on Fire and Mike Nichols' Working Girl for the Russian market, according to Variety, and is planning a different version of Working Girl for the Japanese market. In a case of "turnabout is fair play," Taka Ichise, who produced the original Japanese versions of The Ring and The Grudge, will perform the same duties for the Japanese Working Girl. The Russian versions are considered re-imaginings rather than remakes, "with concepts to be tailored by Russian writers."
The Russian films can be made on the cheap (under $4 million) because, presumably, the Russian equivalents of Denzel Washington, Tony Scott, Harrison Ford, and Mike Nichols won't be paid millions of dollars and production costs will be lower. A Russian remake of Johnny To's Breaking News was recently released, so maybe Russian audiences are primed and pumped to see local remakes of foreign films. It's not likely that American audiences will ever be able to (easily) see any of these particular foreign-language films, but I admit to curiosity over how Russian creative talent will interpret the basic premises of Man on Fire and Working Girl, or how Working Girl will translate in Japan. They sound like odd choices to remake. Anyone want to venture an opinion on why and how?
Blonde on Blonde: Miller Gets Ambition
Filed under: Comedy », Independent », Casting », Newsstand », Remakes and Sequels », Cinematical Indie »
The parade of stars keeps growing over at "loose remake" headquarters where they're currently working on the Jessica Simpson starrer Blonde Ambition. Joining a cast which already includes Andy Dick, my former neighbor Rachael Leigh Cook and, somewhat inexplicably, Luke Wilson, is Penelope Ann Miller -- according to a recent article in The Hollywood Reporter.The film, as our own Erik reported previously, features Simpson doing her best Melanie Griffith impression and slugging through an updated (aka "loose remake") version of the 1988 hit Working Girl. Miller will play the Sigourney Weaver role in the film as the conniving boss seeking to impair Simpson's character and her rise to the top of the corporate ladder. Now, I'm going to take off my cynical hat for a moment and try not to bag on this film too much. Even with a story cribbed from another film and a production company like Nu Image, some of the people involved in this project actually have some talent.
Obviously, Luke Wilson has done some solid work, as has Cooke and Penelope Ann Miller. And directer Scott Marshall has made one or two decent comedies in his somewhat short career. So, this movie might just have a chance if it wasn't for one tiny little problem that will almost surely send it straight to video: Jessica Simpson. Sure, she's nice to look at but I'm almost positive that won't be enough this time -- especially when she's supposed to be the lead in the film and has to do some actual acting. Blonde Ambition is currently filming and looks to hit the shelves of your local Blockbuster sometime next Summer.
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