Cloverfield Director To Remake Let The Right One In

[flickchick85]

I comes out on Feb 1st.

And yes, I'm sure poor promotion had a lot to do with that. But its distributor Overture Films got shut down just a couple months before the film's release and its production company Hammer Films is literally just getting off the ground, so there was very little time/money there for promotion in the first place, and pretty much ZERO money for awards season campaigning.

So given the circumstances, it's not surprising at all that it failed financially, and that it's not making a blip on the awards season radar. Still, it's nice to see it get noticed by the various critics' circles and Critics Choice Awards, Gotham Independent Awards, etc, despite all this.

 

[JeetKuneDo]

Thanks for the updates, JKD. I'm not surprised that it's the top-reviewed horror film of 2010, especially when you consider the state of the horror genre in 2010, but it being the 6th best-reviewed wide-release of the year is certainly a pleasant surprise. And well-deserved, imo.

I'm looking forward to picking this up on blu-ray along with my other favorite underrated gem of 2010 (Never Let Me Go) on February 1st.

I keep hearing great things about NLMG...gotta see that one.

Also: Rotten Tomatoes yearly "Golden Tomato Awards" also puts LMI as the best reviewed horror and #8 for the wide releases for the year.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/guides/golden_tomato_awards_2010/wide

 

[Boom]

It was a damn good film.

Only real issue I had with it was the distracting CGI.

 

[:eek:]

The author of the novel has released a new book in Sweden called "Låt de gamla drömmarna dö" ("Let the Old Dreams Die"). It's a collection of short stories and non-fiction work he's written over several years. The title story is a short story that is sort of an epilogue to Let the Right One In.

 

[JeetKuneDo]

Brand new website just up for Let Me In featuring forum, chat room, fan fiction, media, and even video games (Ms Pac Man is even there). Excellent job to whoever built it.

http://www.bemealittle.com/intro.php

 

[elgato]

I saw the film. Nothing new for me, it was like throwing away the "chilling fairy tale", they just turned this fragile images into a bunch of grotesque avarage versions of them.

 

[JeetKuneDo]

Someone just made a LMI video that kicks the crap out of mine. Perfect song and the guy got the lyrics and moments in the film to match up well.

[YT]iCYAveLRrhs[/YT]

 

[zanos]

I just finished watching, "Let Me In," and while I felt it was probably a better acted and a faster paced film than that the swedish version, it still has the same inherit problems found in that adaptation, which, of course, were spawned from a book which had even more flaws in it. Characterization was simply very weak, as was the storytelling, and while it improved it some areas, it lacked in others. The film was just way too under developed and did nothing to improve on the swedish version or the book; all they did was move it along alot quicker and provided much better music.

One of the main issues I had with "Let Me In," is that I have no idea what was feeding the relationship between Abby and Owen. Sure, real kids meet like they do every day and become fast friends without any additional motivation, but then they're not making a film about those kids. In the book, we're shown how lonely Owen is and how emotionally stunted and distant Eli is, so we kind of understand why they might be attracted to each other, but in "Let Me In," these concepts are never really explored.

Another problem is that the most interesting character (Abby) in the entire film is really only explored thru Owen's boringly simple and scant thoughts. We never see the world thru her eyes, and consequently her character comes off very filmsy and one dimensional. While doing it this way can still be made to work, the lead character typically needs to carry the entire weight of the relationship and plot. The character of Owen is more of a glorified supporting character than a main lead. This was one of the reasons why I didn't find their relationship all that engaging or believable.

Outside of the characterization I found the storytelling to be somewhat directionless. There is virtually no suspense in this film whatsoever and no buildup towards any kind of big climax; this problem is also present in the swedish version. The detective barely has anything to do in the film, and the audience is given absolutely no urgency to feel like he's getting close to solving the case or that Abby is about to be discovered.

I felt this was a failed opportunity to really do something different and improve on a flawed story.

 

[zanos]

I just finished watching, "Let Me In," and while I felt it was probably a better acted and a faster paced film than that the swedish version, it still has the same inherit problems found in that adaptation, which, of course, were spawned from a book which had even more flaws in it. Characterization was simply very weak, as was the storytelling, and while it improved it some areas, it lacked in others. The film was just way too under developed and did nothing to improve on the swedish version or the book; all they did was move it along alot quicker and provided much better music.

One of the main issues I had with "Let Me In," is that I have no idea what was feeding the relationship between Abby and Owen. Sure, real kids meet like they do every day and become fast friends without any additional motivation, but then they're not making a film about those kids. In the book, we're shown how lonely Owen is and how emotionally stunted and distant Eli is, so we kind of understand why they might be attracted to each other, but in "Let Me In," these concepts are never really explored.

Another problem is that the most interesting character (Abby) in the entire film is really only explored thru Owen's boringly simple and scant thoughts. We never see the world thru her eyes, and consequently her character comes off very filmsy and one dimensional. While doing it this way can still be made to work, the lead character typically needs to carry the entire weight of the relationship and plot. The character of Owen is more of a glorified supporting character than a main lead. This was one of the reasons why I didn't find their relationship all that engaging or believable.

Outside of the characterization I found the storytelling to be somewhat directionless. There is virtually no suspense in this film whatsoever and no buildup towards any kind of big climax; this problem is also present in the swedish version. The detective barely has anything to do in the film, and the audience is given absolutely no urgency to feel like he's getting close to solving the case or that Abby is about to be discovered.

I felt this was a failed opportunity to really do something different and improve on a flawed story.

 

[HighFivingMF]

I saw the film. Nothing new for me, it was like throwing away the "chilling fairy tale", they just turned this fragile images into a bunch of grotesque avarage versions of them.

So... It was nothing new, but you dislike that they changed it?

 

[elgato]

So... It was nothing new, but you dislike that they changed it?

Nothing new in terms of cinematography, just another hollywood remake.

 

[JeetKuneDo]

I just finished watching, "Let Me In," and while I felt it was probably a better acted and a faster paced film than that the swedish version, it still has the same inherit problems found in that adaptation, which, of course, were spawned from a book which had even more flaws in it. Characterization was simply very weak, as was the storytelling, and while it improved it some areas, it lacked in others. The film was just way too under developed and did nothing to improve on the swedish version or the book; all they did was move it along alot quicker and provided much better music.

One of the main issues I had with "Let Me In," is that I have no idea what was feeding the relationship between Abby and Owen. Sure, real kids meet like they do every day and become fast friends without any additional motivation, but then they're not making a film about those kids. In the book, we're shown how lonely Owen is and how emotionally stunted and distant Eli is, so we kind of understand why they might be attracted to each other, but in "Let Me In," these concepts are never really explored.

Having a time limit, I felt that Reeves found a unique way to demonstrate Owen's loneliness. You may or may not have noticed that Owen's mother is obscured from view in some way in every scene she is in. (The poor actress got zero face time) And Owen's dad is only a voice on the phone. This actually paints Owen as more isolated than Oskar in the book or the first movie. Pretty unique way to do it, I thought.

 

[zanos]

Having a time limit, I felt that Reeves found a unique way to demonstrate Owen's loneliness. You may or may not have noticed that Owen's mother is obscured from view in some way in every scene she is in. (The poor actress got zero face time) And Owen's dad is only a voice on the phone. This actually paints Owen as more isolated than Oskar in the book or the first movie. Pretty unique way to do it, I thought.

It was an interesting idea, but I felt it wasn't properly executed to get the effect you're talking about. Yes, intellectually we know he's a lonely boy because his mother doesn't really have conversations with him and you can see he has no friends whatsoever, but I never really felt his loneliness before he met Abby.

 

[JeetKuneDo]

Due to the ice storm, I went out at midnight to get my copy of LMI. Thank god I did...our roads have been treacherous all day here.

Anyway, the DVD is really good. Got it for $16 at Wal Mart. It comes with a mini version of the first issue of the comic book and the ability to download your own digital copy.

Watched the extras today. Disappointed there were only 3 deleted scenes. A lot more footage is out there somewhere. But the "making of" doc was really good and Matt Reeves commentary track was very good too. Wish there had been a separate track for the cast, but can't be choosy.

One good thing about this weather...great excuse to sit around and watch this stuff!

 

[CrimsonMist]

Due to the ice storm, I went out at midnight to get my copy of LMI. Thank god I did...our roads have been treacherous all day here.

Anyway, the DVD is really good. Got it for $16 at Wal Mart. It comes with a mini version of the first issue of the comic book and the ability to download your own digital copy.

Watched the extras today. Disappointed there were only 3 deleted scenes. A lot more footage is out there somewhere. But the "making of" doc was really good and Matt Reeves commentary track was very good too. Wish there had been a separate track for the cast, but can't be choosy.

One good thing about this weather...great excuse to sit around and watch this stuff!

Good to hear

The roads have been kinda awful by me as well. I intend to go out later though and pick it up. is the comic book the first issue of the Dark Horse prequel series?

 

[HighFivingMF]

Just ordered a copy.

 

[JeetKuneDo]

Good to hear

The roads have been kinda awful by me as well. I intend to go out later though and pick it up. is the comic book the first issue of the Dark Horse prequel series?

Yes...except it's a TINY version. Kinda cute...something that would make your girlfriend go "awww".

 

[HighFivingMF]

Yes...except it's a TINY version. Kinda cute...something that would make your girlfriend go "awww".

Does it pur and have soft fur!?

 

[JeetKuneDo]

Does it pur and have soft fur!?

My mind went to a naughty place....

 

[rodhulk]

Yeah, this was an awesome movie, much better than 'Let The Right One In' due to the acting and quality, IMO.

It's basically a romantic movie tied around an atmosphere of horror.

 

[ALP]

I thought the original was better, if only because it explained things more.

This film was incredibly vague. But I still really liked it. Great acting and wonderful portrayals especially of Eli and the bullies. It simply made my heartache.

In fact, I felt like the vampires in this version were somewhat of a hindrance. Take away the vampire bit for a moment...just make it a dark drama. Hakan can still be a creepy killer and all, just leave out the vampire bits and you'd have an oscar winning masterpiece.

 

[dark_b]

it had IMO the same problem with the bullies like the Karate Kid. i understand that hollywood likes big scale blockbusters. i also like them . but not everything can be big. in Karate Kid it looked like the kids wanted to kill the boy .

the same in this movie. its was not just punching. they wanted to destroy him.

 

[flickchick85]

the same in this movie. its was not just punching. they wanted to destroy him.

Sadly, those kinds of bullies exist, too.

 

[Thebumwhowalks]

Sadly, those kinds of bullies exist, too.

Thankfully though, someone can come along and destroy the bullies, and show the bull-ee that that's what they need to learn to be able to do, thats what these movies are about, learning to keep your cool, control your fear, use your brain, and kick some ass.
I have had people trying to bully me all my life, they always end up regretting it. That's not a show off statement, that's just saying, i know how to survive in the world, and can smell these types a mile away. They are usually always weak, and have massive egos propped up on shaky foundations.

I saw the original movie not long ago, very good indeed, i loved how they did the part where the vampire girlfriend took care of the bullies, didn't go into some big action scene, just very subtle and tasteful. Looking forward to seeing the US film.

 

[DACrowe]

I just finished watching, "Let Me In," and while I felt it was probably a better acted and a faster paced film than that the swedish version, it still has the same inherit problems found in that adaptation, which, of course, were spawned from a book which had even more flaws in it. Characterization was simply very weak, as was the storytelling, and while it improved it some areas, it lacked in others. The film was just way too under developed and did nothing to improve on the swedish version or the book; all they did was move it along alot quicker and provided much better music.

One of the main issues I had with "Let Me In," is that I have no idea what was feeding the relationship between Abby and Owen. Sure, real kids meet like they do every day and become fast friends without any additional motivation, but then they're not making a film about those kids. In the book, we're shown how lonely Owen is and how emotionally stunted and distant Eli is, so we kind of understand why they might be attracted to each other, but in "Let Me In," these concepts are never really explored.

Another problem is that the most interesting character (Abby) in the entire film is really only explored thru Owen's boringly simple and scant thoughts. We never see the world thru her eyes, and consequently her character comes off very filmsy and one dimensional. While doing it this way can still be made to work, the lead character typically needs to carry the entire weight of the relationship and plot. The character of Owen is more of a glorified supporting character than a main lead. This was one of the reasons why I didn't find their relationship all that engaging or believable.

Fair enough. But I would defend it by saying that both versions want to leave it up for the audience's interpretation. Is Abby in love with Owen or just using him as a protector/procurer of blood? It is up to you. Did Abby really love the father character or was he just a tool trapped in a terrible life? How physical was their relationship? What is Owen's fate.

Abby is so intriguing because you don't know whether she is a victim or once-a-victim and now just a monster and user...a true villain. We are fascinated by her because we're not sure. And that is why it is told from the boy who would be subservient's point of view. That is why the movie is great.