Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with remake

Non-crappy version of Wham!'s "Last Christmas"?

anekona — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 17:46:12 -0800

Sometime last week I heard a remake of "Last Christmas" by Wham! and, unlike most versions of the song, I didn't hate it. It was played on 99.1 CBC Radio in Toronto. Please help me find out who is behind this remake! This version had mellow instrumentals (no pop beat, no synths) and a female singer. She had pretty vocals that weren't too overdone and sounded a bit like Emily Haines from Metric or a non-raspy-voiced Feist.

I have already perused the wiki and last-christmas.com and the list of remakes is just too overwhelming to go through each one.

The remake is NOT by any of the following:
- Ashley Tisdale
- Taylor Swift
- Hilary Duff
- Cascada
- Alcazars
- Billie Piper
- Atomic Kitten

This has been bothering me for days.. any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Know any good music covers I should hear?

internet!Hannah — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 20:56:48 -0800

I love the Dope metal cover of You Spin Me Right Round, and the Reel Big Fish ska cover of Take On Me. What other awesome covers are out there I should be looking for? I was in the shopping mall when I heard a neat slow cover of Jimmy Eat World's A Praise Chorus (and if you have any guesses as to who that cover might be by, that'd be awesome, though this question is more general than that) and it got me thinking about what other neat covers might be out there. In some cases the covers surpass the original, or are very interesting just due to the genre switch and it's those I'm most looking for.

Covers I already know of, to give you an idea of what I'm looking for:

Dope - You Spin Me Round (Dead or Alive)
Reel Big Fish - Take On Me (A-ha)
MXPX - Barbie Girl (Aqua)
Bettie Serveert - Lover I Don't Have to Love (Bright Eyes)
Ben Folds Five - Bitches Ain't Shit (Dr. Dre)
The Decemberists - Human Behavior (Bjork)
Something Corporate - Unravel (also Bjork)

There are also some that are more remakes that I like, such as the Mindless Self Indulgence version of Tom Sawyer, so I'd be all for suggestions along those lines too.

So, anyone have any suggestions? Like I said, I love covers that really shake up the sound or the genre, and I'm a sucker for remakes of 80s hits, so if you know of any good ones out there please let me know!

Looking for Raiders of the Lost Ark: the Adaptation

rkent — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 13:00:17 -0800

Is there any earthly way - preferably on the up & up - to get a copy of Raiders of the Losk Ark: The Adaptation? (see also, see also). Gaining admission to a local screening would also be acceptable. After hearing about it for years, and finally seeing the first 10 minutes on YouTube, I feel like I really, really have to see this remake of Raiders of the Lost Ark. I'm not even asking for pirating advice; I'm entirely willing to pay for a copy or a ticket to a screening or whatever.

The more or less "official" website has a list of screenings, but I'm in the SF bay area and the closest one is Portland. I feel like buying a 200 buck plane ticket (not to mention hotel & cabs) would be a bit excessive. Is there any good way to get ahold of this movie? I'm not really part of the film community and so I don't know who to talk to locally about getting a copy, but man, I want to see this remake!

Can I get my hands on the pilot for the US version of "The Thick of It"?

defenestration — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 16:58:38 -0800

Can I get my hands on the pilot for the US version of "The Thick of It"? In '07, Mitchell Hurwitz co-wrote and created a pilot for a US version of BBC's "The Thick of It"...

Is it possible to get my hands on this? I have not been able to find it anywhere. Have any non-TV industry people even seen it?

The pilot was directed by Christopher Guest... and man, the cast. I'm upset that it wasn't picked up and I haven't even seen it yet.

Hive mind, whatcha got?

Hay una grieta en mi corazon - can you help me fill it?

msali — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 15:00:51 -0800

I am looking for a remake of the old Soda Stereo classic, "Cuando pase el temblor" I am really hoping that someone out there is a fan of old Argentine rock bands.

I grew up loving Soda Stereo, but my love has gone the way of all 80's nostalgia - so over it. I can't listen to Soda Stereo anymore without shuddering at the synthesizers and having bad hair flashbacks. I do, however, love this beautiful remake of "Cuando pase el temblor", a very simple studio version sung by a girl accompanied by a guitar. I had a site with the mp3 bookmarked, but somehow I lost the link, and I have been unable to locate it again. I had mistakenly believed that the woman singing was the lead singer of Aterciopelados, but alas, I was wrong. For some reason, though, I have in my head that the cantora is Colombian. Can anyone help me find a copy of this remake?

(Another) What is the name of that story I read in 1981?

MrMulan — Fri, 25 May 2007 12:39:18 -0800

Horror short story about a couple on a road trip, end up in a small town during springtime, fight with each other, have sex, then notice the townspeople are all climbing on top of one another, crushing and killing each other to make some sort of ?. Story ends when the couple joins in (WTF?) I read it when I was like 8. I thought it was a Stephen King short story, but wiki'd all of them (I think) and couldn't find it. ...and (bonus question about La Cabina... sorry for cheatin')... Bonus question -Has the short spanish horror movie La Cabina ever been remade as a TV episode? I swear that I saw a different version on Tales from the Darkside, but can't be sure. Of course, I was 8. Everything happened to me at 8.

legality of sampling of "Annie" with special needs kids

annoyance — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 13:04:30 -0800

another copyright/fair use question: making a version of "Annie" with a cast of non-verbal developmentally disabled kids, using the soundtrack and some dialogue from 1982 film version, what are the egal issues? this is for my girlfriend, she is a teacher of kids with various medical issues (CP and the like) at a non-profit private school, all confined to wheelchairs and non-verbal. she very much wants to make a movie starring them and "Annie" seemed like a great idea. as they cannot sing or speak even using the movie soundtrack and dialogue seems like an excellent idea. but we are unsure of the legality of it, playing the movie song or dialogue over the images she shots.
also is it possible to use short video clips from the film, 10 seconds or less in length? i realize the length does not matter really, but that they are short might.

the total film would probably run around 1/2 hour at most, just doing certain scenes.

she would like to possibly make and sell dvds of the final version at cost to the parents also. no money would be made by any of this.
ideally it would be seen beyond the school to show what this population is capable of.

from what i can gather googling and searching MeFi it seems this is not exactly square legally, they would need to pay royalties to Columbia Pictures, but how does one find out how much that is and who to contact?

i am guessing she should contact a lawyer but i wanted to try to get some information first if it is even an option.

Examples of genre-swaping remakes?

trivirgata — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 21:40:28 -0800

The trailer for a remake of the John Waters classic Hairspray left me wondering... Are there any other movies out there that were remade in a totally new genre? Here's the trailer
And yes, the original was a very musical film, but it certainly couldn't be called "a musical" like this remake clearly is.Can anybody think of a precedent for this?

Searching for Sexual Healing remake...

papercake — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 09:39:03 -0800

Name that remake? I was in a restaurant this weekend and heard what seemed to be a remake of Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing." How to describe it... it was fairly mellow, modern-lounge-y with the bass-line looping... It would be right at home on one of the Hotel Costes compilations.

We asked the waitress who said it was by a group called "Hard Stone." Google search and iTunes searches have come up blank and we think she was wrong, and that, perhaps it was a song that just used samples from the song.

Any hope?