2021 was an exciting year for film, seeing everything from a musical standup comedy special briefly taking over the world to an active adaptation of an introspective play by Shakespeare. These are Sketching Details’ picks for the best films of year.
All tagged remake
Child's Play Review (Film, 2019)
The Child’s Play remake tries to be a little bit of everything. It’s social commentary on conglomerates and the necessity of interconnected technology in our lives. It’s a heartwarming (at times) story of a boy and his mom trying to get a fresh start in a new city. It’s an evil doll film with an ambulatory-by-design piece of technology set to have free will. It also riffs on some of the themes in the original series, including the reliability of child testimony in criminal cases and the power of imagination.
Our House Review (Film, 2018)
Ethan believes he has invented a device that can provide wireless electricity. After a failed test run at the college campus and a tragic loss in his family, Ethan discovers that his invention has an alternate purpose. This wireless electricity generator actually creates a portal between the world of the living and the dead.
The Legacy of The Candyman
I used to be equally terrified and obsessed with horror film trailers as a child. Let’s set the scene. It’s 1989. I’m four years old. 7pm hits and the TV is suddenly filled with trailers for the newest Nightmare on Elm Street or Friday the 13th sequel. I live close enough to NYC that our TV feeds were the same, so every art-house release with a big enough budget also bought TV ad time for their one-week release at a tiny theater. The VHS rental business is booming and home video has gone down in cost, so there’s a sense of planting the seed for a longer shelf life than a theatrical release in movie marketers’ minds. I used to run screaming from the room, but then want to immediately watch it again.
Fueled by Nostalgia: Revisiting Beloved Films in New Animated Forms
Did I ever expect to be comparing a big budget Disney remake with an accidentally absurdist Tom and Jerry film? No. But here we are.