Hubris and Hackdom
Demonstrating that he has far exceeded his station in life as outlined by the Peter Principle, Brett Ratner has apparently decided that, at some point, he's gonna remake Casavettes's "The Killing of a Chinese Bookie."
I'm not fucking joking. Here's an excerpt from an interview:
Q: Do you have a smaller movie waiting?
Ratner: A small movie. Not as small as this [The Grand]! I have a movie. I would like to remake The Killing of a Chinese Bookie.
Q: That’s very ballsy. Remaking Cassavetes.
Ratner: Ballsy? Come on, Paul Thomas Anderson said he’ll personally put a bullet in my head. It’s the greatest movie ever made to him. The problem is that nobody’s seen it except for cinephiles. It never got a release in the United States – I think it played for one day and Cassavetes pulled it because it got bad reviews. It only came out in France. It’s a cult film and it’s a flawed movie. I think it’s a brilliant movie, tonally it’s brilliant, but I’m not remaking Psycho. Come on.
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... So. Yeah. You can check the whole interview here, but doing so is only recommended for those with strong stomachs. This guy's so full of himself it's sick.
(Thanks, by the way, to Andrew Bemis for posting about this interview in the first place.)
posted by Steve C. @ 3:07 PM
4 Comments:
The KZA probably does. Rememeber, he's a Casavettes fanboy.
By what standard of logic is the profile of Cassavetes' film enhanced by Brett Ratner remaking it, when such an event can only spell doom? I mean, is there anyone who can think of this prospect for ten seconds without shuddering?
And why would he want to remake a film he clearly has some degree of contempt for ("I’m not remaking Psycho" . . . though admittedly I ask this as someone who thinks The Killing of a Chinese Bookie to be the better of the two)?
Let's hope Paul Thomas Anderson puts the fear of God into him before it's too late.
Personally, I think the prospect of PTA blowing off Ratner's head might be the only positive to this possible debacle.
My ears are burning!
(Well, a little late, but they're smoldering nonetheless)
Yes, the Cassavetes Fanboy has the Criterion set, which has the two different edits of "Chinese Bookie", and, typically, I haven't watched the disc yet. (I did see it in the theater, though -- my first Cas, actually -- but I don't know which one it was.) Anyway, soon as I figure out how to get a copy to you, Scott, I will.
Oh, and Ratner remaking "Bookie" -- I can see it now: Nicolas Cage as Cosmo! He guns down the gangsters and runs off with the girl at the end! It can't miss! :rollsyes:
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