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I like this kind of explanatory detail....

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In Reply to: Re: More posted by halfnote on March 30, 2007 at 22:43:47:

I wish there were more of it. I much prefer personal elaboration, no matter the eloquence, to sarcastic sniping or sophomoric witticisms. There's some pretty smart jousting occasionally. That's fun.
As for Jaws or Meatballs having elements in opposition. I think the answer is yes. Any good story, by definition, will. The descriptions and the devices used - the moral context - will vary, of course. How that variance is characterized determines the art of it.
God vs evil. That's what life and stories of life are all about. It can be handled as comic or dramatic in any art form.
As for derivation, I think you missed my point. I asked about the validity for an expectation of bringing something qualitatively new to the remake. Any critical comments are insufficient, otherwise.

I solicited your further remarks sincerely. I thought you opened up a lot of " 'splainin" room. LOL. My reasons for participating here are to learn, to share, to be sociably involved, to be entertained. Yours weren't apparent; that's why I asked.
Your term paper? A+, for effort! ;-)

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Re: I like this kind of explanatory detail.... - halfnote 22:17:09 03/31/07 (1)
Your challenges were, in my view, entirely appropriate, and pointed. My first post was intented only to suggest that this film had much greater merit than some had bestowed upon it. I employed shorthand in an instance where more expansive and specific arguments were really in order. I left a lot, "unsplained."
With regard to the idea that a derivational work ought to bring something "new" to a story's treatment, I guess I would have to agree -- otherwise, why bother? Interesting cases in point are the recent remakes of "Psycho" and "King Kong," I found the first pointless and gratuitous; the second, an earnest, and sucessful, attempt to put more flesh on the bones of the original story.
In the case of "The Departed," I can't really say, since I have not seen the original film upon which it was based.
Even so, taking the film on its own terms and without reference to its predecessor, I think it packs a wallop. There's a lot going on there. It has, in my mind, an allegorical, almost mythical quality to it, disguised in the wrapper of a crime thriller. If Scorcese cribbed this from the original (was it "Internal Affairs"?) shame on him! If he saw this in a story which lacked this dimension, it bears testament to his superior artistic vision.
- Your defense of The Departed... - afilado 00:45:40 04/01/07 (0)
  ...is well-taken.
  I've only seen it the one time, and after watching Infernal Affairs. In disappointment, I judged it hard. Dammit, with all that firepower, it should be better.
  I did have few specific compliments for it in an earlier discussion.
  I won't rush out to see it soon again but if/when I get around to it, I'll try to be a little more forgiving. Maybe I'll see something I missed. After all, to a real movie lover, even a bad film can be a good experience. Heh, heh.
  Leonardo is improving, you're right. So much is expected of him. He has so many superior contemporaries. Is he the "new" Gable?
  Mr. Scorsese should have you on his marketing team.
  Thanks for sharp little chat. I enjoyed it.

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