Summer Movie Remakes

Hollywood has been struggling for the past few years to compete with many, and often better, forms of entertainment. Remaking past successful movies is nothing new, but it is certainly becoming the crutch that big studios are using to employ the least amount of thought possible. I have blogged about the senselessness of remakes before, but a new thought occurred to me the other night when I saw previews for Poseidon and The Omen (two remakes based on very popular films from the '70s). For all of the brainless movie remakes out there, I am not familiar with anyone attempting to "remake" a classic novel. I know film and print are completely different media, but the fact remains that people who enjoy a good book re-read it just like people who enjoy a good movie watch it over and over. No one is clamoring for Stephen King to re-write War and Peace or Dan Brown to re-write A Tale of Two Cities. That would be stupid and neither author would ever entertain the idea. Meanwhile, lazy studio bosses are hiring equally lazy producers and directors to make absolute drivel. I'm not saying that stopping remakes will instantly make the quality of film better, but it would sure be a start.