Z for Zachariah.

[Goatboy]

Spent the evening having a Z for Zachariah double bill. Watched the 1984 Play For Today and the new 2015 version back to back.
To my shame I've not read O'Brian's origional book so I can't say which is closer but they're two pretty different tales.
I suppose in my head I can identify with the 1984 version as I saw it way back then while we still had a national gloomy outlook as to TEOTWAWKI by a not very cold Cold War. Also being set in the UK it all seemed more real.
Anthony Andrews character was a lot less likeable than I remembered and the whole film had a more despondant air to it. It was no Adam & Eve living in a rural ideal and the ending was a lot darker.
The new version is set in sunnier climes and has the addition of a third protaganist in the form of Chris Pine as Caleb. John Loomis is played by the excellent Chiwerel Ejiofor (played an excellent baddie in Firefly).
It's a much softer and slightly less bleak film with more of a play on the people than the situation.
Both worth a watch (if you're lucky enough to be able to find the 1984 version) and it has prompted me to treat myself to the book next month when I'll hopefully be able to do a more indepth review of the trinity.
Anyone else seen both and or read the book?

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[Mesquite]

I remember the original 1984 version and quite enjoyed watching it.

I'll have to watch out for the 2015 version

 

[Madriverrob]

I remember reading the book in the eighties before I left school.

 

[crosslandkelly]

I watched the Anthony Andrews version back in '84', but never enjoyed it as much as the 1981 "Day of the Triffids", or "The edge of darkness" 1985.

 

[richardhomer]

Iv just found the 1984 play for today version on youtube.

Came up on the first page of my search. There is also a trailer of the new version for anyone interested.

 

[Goatboy]

Cool Richard, wasn't sure if YouTube had left it up. Think they also had The Last Train still up when I looked last, though for the origional series of Survivors there were a few episodes missing.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[dewi]

The 2015 version has a typical Hollywood slant and you know it before you dig deeper than the casting choices. Instead of a power struggle and betrayl, which is pretty much the book and the 1984 screen play, the yanks have basically turned it into 'who gets to have sex with Margot Robbie'. It's like the rewrite was done by someone impressed with the book, but wonders what it would be like if you introduced another character.. oh, and grab that girl from Wolf of Wall Street... if we can have brief nudity from her in it, more people will pay to see it!

I'm dreading to see what else these people can butcher. They didn't see the point of what Total Recall was even about, they've already sliced and diced Ghostbusters into its key components (which pretty much guarantees the new 'all female' Ghostbusters will be rubbish) and everyday they announce they'll make a film about another comic book character, the majority of whom are not widely known despite 'fanboys' pretending they've been reading about them for years.

Was really looking forward to The Martian until someone pointed out that it is pretty much the space version of... well, better wait til it comes out and see what others think.

 

[crosslandkelly]

To be fair, "The Martian" was a great read, and I'm looking forward to the movie.

 

[dewi]

To be fair, "The Martian" was a great read, and I'm looking forward to the movie.

Keeping my fingers crossed that its not what its been described as because it'll spoil it... be thinking it all through the film.

Watched Hitman 47 at the cinema the other day... that was plain weird. One minute its high octane action and really enjoyable, next minute its so boring I left the cinema for a cigarette and came back when the action started again.

Having reread the book on holiday recently, I wish they'd remake George Orwell's 1984... providing its done by a British film maker and it sticks pretty closely to the book. That'd be a cool film!

 

[Goatboy]

Sometimes remakes do work though (and I'm sad enough to keep them together on the hard drive) thinking of Seven Samurai & The Magnificent Seven, Yojimbo & Last Man Standing. (And the three Neill Blomkamp films; District 9, Elysium & Chappie. Which are all fun but really the same story ). Sometimes they do work. I see they're doing a film of Spooks which I'm looking forward to despite "John Snow" being the lead.
I recently got caught out and watched Dawn Patrol (2014) thinking it would be a remake of the brilliant classic. Oh boy it wasn't, there was one hour twenty three minutes that wasn't coming back. Truely terrible. But then so was the Mad Max reboot, but then the origional series wasn't that great either.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[TeeDee]

(And the three Neill Blomkamp films; District 9, Elysium & Chappie. Which are all fun but really the same story ). .

Going to have to disagree or at least ask you to revisit the films GB , for me D9 was focusing and drawing upon Apartheid, Elysium was the cultural & medical differences between North & South America and an issue of immigration , Whilst Chappie explored AI and its possible applied uses for good and bad[FONT=arial, sans-serif].

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[crosslandkelly]

It's a rare film that does justice to a good book. I always thought "The Sparrow" http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/334176.The_Sparrow Would make a great film, I could always see Andy Garcia playing the main character as a younger man, and Al Pacino as the older.

 

[dewi]

Going to have to disagree or at least ask you to revisit the films GB , for me D9 was focusing and drawing upon Apartheid, Elysium was the cultural & medical differences between North & South America and an issue of immigration , Whilst Chappie explored AI and its possible applied uses for good and bad[FONT=arial, sans-serif].

[/FONT]

Blomkamp's D9 was superb and really hit the spot, but I thought Elysium was just about okay and Chappie was plain old stupid. I know what GB means though... you do feel like you're watching the same film in a lot of respects, but that is because Blomkamp has created a universe that all 3 films exist in and each borrows from the other.

Going back to remakes, there is nothing wrong with remaking a film as long as it is equal or superior to the first, otherwise what is the point? One film they better stay well away from is One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest... the madness of Jack Nicholson and the perceived 'evil' that is Nurse Ratched from Louise Fletcher... amazing performances. Definitely one of my top 5 films of all time. But then Ghostbusters is hallowed ground in my opinion... a comedy of its time by a cast that worked so well onscreen... to remake it seems wrong (I'm conveniently forgetting Ghostbusters 2 as I should imagine anyone who has seen it will do).

The new Star Trek is a good example of something being done the right way, but then they now class that as a reboot rather than a remake (the clever twist in Star Trek 2 is worth watching both the original and the new one back to back) but for every Star Trek you have a Robin Hood, a Fantastic Four or an old comedy revamp like Fun with Dick & Jane (mind you, that did have Tea Leoni in it which should make it completely exempt from all criticism)

I'll be happy when they make another proper Bourne film... has to be done after that Ultimatum ending. Be a tricky one to get right, but just the action sequences would make up for a dodgy story (which Hitman just didn't)

 

[Goatboy]

I enjoyed the Blombkamp trilogy and as Dewi said they exist in their own universe, though it's kind've help together by the appology of apartheid. But I think the story telling and effects are good, both holding each other up rather than one making up for the other.
On the sacred cows of films there are so many I'd hate to see be destroyed by a bad remake. Silent Running (1972) is a classic example. One of my alltime favourite Sci-Fi movies. There's been some talk of a second instalment to Blade Runner which I just wonder if they should. It exists as a great self contained story, does it need a new bit tacked on? A bit like Leon The Professional. No I just want the story to end and I can play out how it goes for her in my head after whats happened.
I did think the Star Trek reboot was well handled, bar the usually excellent Simon Pegg. Nice way to do the story and explain the changes. And to be honest even as a Sci-Fi nut growing up the films were usually pretty paltry.
Som of the reverse engineered ways of things where films have become TV shows is interesting. 12 Monkeys was a good film and they've made a passable stab at the TV show. Though the new Scream series was maybe just generationally too young for me.
The Z for Zachariah book will have to wait 'till next month as my foldings going on a hardback copy of Terry Pratchetts final book to complete my collection and that the bookshop had sold out of when I popped into buy it. Though I use my Kindle a lot for travel I do still like a real book to read through. Was interesting watching both adaptations back to back and interesting to hear others views on it (and other things too). I think on the whole the Play For Today version is a better told tale, even taking away the affinity of timing and setting.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[richardhomer]

Cool Richard, wasn't sure if YouTube had left it up. Think they also had The Last Train still up when I looked last, though for the origional series of Survivors there were a few episodes missing.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

I watched both of them yesterday. Very much enjoyed them both.
I have seen all of the episodes of the original series of the survivors. I thought they were grate and a lot better than the remakes that they did a few years back.
The last train are still up on youtube. I watched them on TV when they first came out back in 1998/9 I also watched them earlier this year on youtube.

 

[Goatboy]

I watched both of them yesterday. Very much enjoyed them both.
I have seen all of the episodes of the original series of the survivors. I thought they were grate and a lot better than the remakes that they did a few years back.
The last train are still up on youtube. I watched them on TV when they first came out back in 1998/9 I also watched them earlier this year on youtube.

Which of the two ZFZ's did you prefer?

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[crosslandkelly]

Went to see 'The Martian' tonight, great film, even the wife enjoyed it. Very true to the book.

 

[dewi]

Few people I know have seen it and said it is excellent, might have to get along to the cinema and see it. I get the feeling if its anything visually like Interstellar, the cinema is one of the best places to see it.

 

[boatman]

The Last Train was well staged, internally inconsistent nonsense.

Original play of Z was very good and reasonably close to the book. Cannot see how having a third character makes it Z for Zachariah rather than a different story.

 

[dewi]

Just got back from a late night showing of The Martian... amazing film, really enjoyed it.