Remake fever

I suppose I'm going to send a mixed message in this entry, but I do feel that there is a right way and a wrong way to proceed.

So I'm reading my email and I look at this one that comes in from Zap2It and the Hollywood news seems full of remakes, particularly of 1980s movies. Now I don't really have a problem with a few remakes -- just like I don't have a problem with some Broadway shows being revived. It can be very intriguing to see someone put a new spin on a role. Well today's edition mentions that there's a remake of Romancing the Stone in the works. Then I read further and discover that Russell Brand wants to star in a new version of Arthur. And a writer has already prepared a script for a redo of Soylent Green. Of course, there's a new Footloose starring Zac Efron. Denzel Washington is fronting a new version of The Taking of Pelham 123 (which already was remade as a TV movie). There are reports that Disney is going redo Tron not to mention the umpteen horror movies that are in the pipeline. Also, let's not forget Fame.

Ok. Occasionally a remake turns out pretty good. A classic example would be The Maltese Falcon. But with this dependency on turning hit foreign movies into English-language pictures (including The Departed which IMHO did not live up to the originals) and now this trend of turning hit movies from the 80s -- what can we look forward to? A new Back to the Future? How about another take on Star Wars?

My philosophy about film remakes is that a studio should possibly investigate remaking movies that failed artistically the first time out. But I realize that it become a question of $$$$ and a known quantity will draw a crowd. It's just depressing when new ideas are stifled because someone feels that audiences crave a new take on a movie that was successful in its initial outing.

Maybe I'm just missing something.