Carrie (TV remake)
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TV ClubHouse: archive: Movies Sept 2002 - April 2003: Carrie (TV remake)

Skypilot

Thursday, October 31, 2002 - 12:42 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I know that this board is for big screen movies but I'm so curious as to what people think about the fact that there is a TV version remake of Brian DePalma's "Carrie". I for one was horrified when I first found out but then when I heard that it was to be a three hour version it occurred to me that this version might be more faithful to the book with its depiction of events in Carrie's childhood and of Carrie's far more destructive rampage through her town on prom night. The promos that I've seen so far don't look too bad for a TV movie. I'm hold out on passing judgment until Monday night.

Quietstorm4

Thursday, October 31, 2002 - 01:41 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
If it's anything like the TV remake of The Shining, it will be awful. I couldn't believe what they did to that one. It was a 2-day TV movie, and didn't have anything more added in. I probably won't watch it (don't want to be disappointed).

Jbean

Wednesday, November 06, 2002 - 03:24 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
did anyone else watch this? kinda weird. i hope they don't make it into a series. in my opinion that will just ruin it. that would be like "swamp thing" or something. this movie was pretty close to the original i thought. boy they really get some creepy people to play these parts...carrie, the crazy mother.

Max

Wednesday, November 06, 2002 - 03:31 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I taped it but haven't had time to watch it yet. :)

Kady

Wednesday, November 06, 2002 - 09:11 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I taped it and also taped the original tonight on the same tape. My son and I will have a Carrie marathon this weekend.

Quietstorm4

Thursday, November 07, 2002 - 05:41 am EditMoveDeleteIP
It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It really did stay true to the first movie for the most part. I'm not sure why the remake was necessary. I did notice some stuff was updated to keep with the times...like the use of cell phones. I watched the original last night just for comparison, and still like it better. Something about Sissy Spacek playing the part of Carrie...now that was creepy.

Skypilot

Thursday, November 07, 2002 - 07:08 am EditMoveDeleteIP
IT WAS HORRIBLE!!!I can't find one good thing to say about this remake. I was actually looking forward to it but then...
I knew we were in trouble during that choppy opening credit sequence. We see Margaret White after she gives birth to Carrie, then there's the title shot with the stones falling from the sky, then we're in a police station. No coherence at all. The girls being interviewed by the police gave no indication that they'd lost friends and loved ones and if I'd tuned in in the middle of one of those interrogation scenes I'd have thought that I was watching Law & Order or NYPD Blue if I hadn't heard the name Carrie White.
I was really looking forward to the "rain of stones" scene since the original movie left this out. Brian Depalma says that they actually shot this scene but didn't like the way it turned out. My problem with it in this new version was that it was filmed as a memory flashback but was not shown completely from Carrie's point of view. When the stones come we get shots from outside Carrie's house with the neighbors gathering around. This is not what Carrie would have seen since she was inside the house. It would have made more sense if the scene was shot inside the house with Carrie seeing the stones crashing through the ceiling. And the scene was over much too quickly with Margaret White simply telling Carrie to "Go to your closet and pray" which seemed to be half her lines. The acting in this version was nothing to write home about. Angela Bettis couldn't hold a candle to Sissy Spacek and seemed to play the entire part trembling. The other actors hardly merit mention.
The digital effects were painfully obvious. This movie just looked awful. And the filmmakers went overboard with the telekinesis. Carrie inadvertently moves the principal's entire desk rather than just flipping an ashtray or (since they don't allow smoking in schools these days)some other object on his desk and the kid on the bike flys about ten feet through the air and slams into a tree rather than simply toppling over the way he did in the book and in the original movie. The whole point is that Carrie's powers develop gradually with her initially not even being sure that these events are her doing. The remake completely blows that slow build up with its heavy-handed, show-off approach. The effects they pulled out for the prom night mayhem were just embarrasssing. Why were there no people running around in the street? And did you notice that even with so many fires burning around town there wasn't a single fire engine in the entire movie?
I also hated the fact that the Carrie in this version doesn't remember the death and destruction she has caused. This completely undermines Carrie as a monster/heroine figure. And having Carrie live in the end and being helped on the lam by Sue Snell whose boyfriend Carrie has killed was an almost surreal piece of idiocy.
"MUST MISS TV" at its worst.

Essence

Thursday, November 07, 2002 - 08:23 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Tell us how you really feel Skypilot.

I thought it was bad, but then again I didn't expect too much out of it. I sat and watched the whole thing out of curiosity. My mother ripped this one apart more than you Skypilot. I think she's still mad about it. I just sat back and laughed at what they did to the original.

Hermione69

Thursday, November 07, 2002 - 09:04 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Well, I'm glad I forgot it was on because I read a few very favorable reviews and expected it to be better than what people are saying!

Skypilot

Thursday, November 07, 2002 - 09:24 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Essence-

Tell your mom to get on this message board. I'm in the mood for a b**chfest about this travesty. I'm still mad too. I'm mad at the twits who made this dreck and I'm mad at myself for watching it. I swear it's like a bunch of young kids with no sense of restraint, subtlety or taste was in charge of this "project". And to top it all off a bunch of younger, dumber kids came along and tacked on that lame-o ending. I had to immediately watch my copy of the original "Carrie"-you know, as an antidote.

Sia

Thursday, November 07, 2002 - 11:29 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Skypilot, I've never seen one of your posts here at TVCH before, but I LOVED your review of the TV remake of "Carrie!!!" Please keep writing reviews, and I'll join in if the show is something I've watched. I missed the Carrie-disaster, and after reading your post am glad that I didn't invest my time in watching it.

I love to tear apart movies, too, and don't find many people who love to analyze them in as much detail as I do; my DH and I cannot watch a film together because he says I'm "too analytical." I say if a film is worth making, it's worth making WELL! The producers/directors, etc. should pay attention to the details.

Essence

Thursday, November 07, 2002 - 11:42 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Skypilot, if she were computer literate I'd steer her right here. She'd love it. Maybe if I talk to her tonight (it will be tough considering this is one of my main tv nights), I'll get some thoughts from her and let you know what she said. I do know that from the opening scene she was fussing. I had to get off the phone so I could watch in peace.

Skypilot

Thursday, November 07, 2002 - 12:02 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Sia, you are absolutely right that if a film is worth making, it's worth making well. Like I said in my original post I was horrified at the idea of a "Carrie" remake, although I kind of knew in the back of my mind that someone would do it eventually. After "Carrie the Musical" and "The Rage:Carrie2" I knew that it was only a matter of time. But like a fool I got myself worked up looking forward to this remake. I even reread the novel to get the Brian Depalma version out of my head for a while when I found out that this remake was going to be more faithful to the novel. And that's what really burns me about this new version-well, one of the things. Why go all out to be "faithful" to the novel just to run everything off the rails at the very end. I mean for the love of God, what is Carrie going to do in Florida? Oh yeah, you didn't see it. Lucky you. But that's where our girl is now. FLORIDA!!!

Hummingbird

Saturday, November 09, 2002 - 09:00 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Hated it. It sucked out loud.