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      <title>Film:The Time Machine</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/films/The_Time_Machine/202465/default.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<table width='100%' style='font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><tr><td><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t21237m6var.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' /></td>
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<strong>Title:</strong> The Time Machine<br/>
<strong>Year:</strong> 2002<br/>
<strong>Director:</strong> Simon Wells<br/>
<strong>Plot:</strong> The classic science fiction novel by H.G. Wells becomes this big-budget adventure directed by the author's great-grandson Simon Wells. Guy Pearce stars as Alexander Hartdegen, a scientist, professor, and inventor in 1895 New York City who believes that time travel is possible. The sudden and unexpected death of his fiancée spurs Alexander to build a time machine, which he hopes to use in an effort to change the past. When he is unable to change the past, Alexander hurls himself more than 800,000 years into the future, seeking answers about the nature of time, but instead encountering a dystopian world where humanity has divided up into two races, the peaceful Eloi and the subterranean Morlocks. Befriending the beautiful Eloi woman Mara (pop singer <a href="/players/P___301493/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Samantha Mumba</a>), Alexander must set out to save her from the underground world of the Morlocks when she is captured by them. Along the way, he is aided by Vox (<a href="/players/P___237486/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Orlando Jones</a>), a bio-mechanical being from the 21st century. Ultimately, Alexander makes a shocking discovery about the true nature of the Eloi and Morlocks and decides that the only way to change the future is to alter the present. Due to exhaustion, director Wells was briefly replaced during the last few weeks of production by <a href="/players/P___234707/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Gore Verbinski</a>, director of <a href=/films/184280/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>The Mexican</a> (2001). The Time Machine co-stars <a href="/players/P____34545/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Jeremy Irons</a> and <a href="/players/P___230173/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Mark Addy</a>. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide<br/>
<strong>Times Tagged:</strong> 5<br/>
<strong>Number of Lists:</strong> 12<br/>
<strong>Number of blog posts:</strong> 2<br/>
<strong>Number of discussion threads:</strong> 3<br/>
<strong>SpoutRating:</strong> 3<br/>
</td></tr></table>]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 23 May 2009 22:54:57 GMT</pubDate><spout:Title>The Time Machine</spout:Title><spout:Year>2002</spout:Year><spout:Director>Simon Wells</spout:Director><spout:Plot>The classic science fiction novel by H.G. Wells becomes this big-budget adventure directed by the author's great-grandson Simon Wells. Guy Pearce stars as Alexander Hartdegen, a scientist, professor, and inventor in 1895 New York City who believes that time travel is possible. The sudden and unexpected death of his fiancée spurs Alexander to build a time machine, which he hopes to use in an effort to change the past. When he is unable to change the past, Alexander hurls himself more than 800,000 years into the future, seeking answers about the nature of time, but instead encountering a dystopian world where humanity has divided up into two races, the peaceful Eloi and the subterranean Morlocks. Befriending the beautiful Eloi woman Mara (pop singer &lt;a href="/players/P___301493/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;Samantha Mumba&lt;/a&gt;), Alexander must set out to save her from the underground world of the Morlocks when she is captured by them. Along the way, he is aided by Vox (&lt;a href="/players/P___237486/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;Orlando Jones&lt;/a&gt;), a bio-mechanical being from the 21st century. Ultimately, Alexander makes a shocking discovery about the true nature of the Eloi and Morlocks and decides that the only way to change the future is to alter the present. Due to exhaustion, director Wells was briefly replaced during the last few weeks of production by &lt;a href="/players/P___234707/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;Gore Verbinski&lt;/a&gt;, director of &lt;a href=/films/184280/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;The Mexican&lt;/a&gt; (2001). The Time Machine co-stars &lt;a href="/players/P____34545/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;Jeremy Irons&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="/players/P___230173/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;Mark Addy&lt;/a&gt;. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide</spout:Plot><spout:TimesTagged>5</spout:TimesTagged><spout:taglevel>Slightly Tagged (1-5)</spout:taglevel><spout:Numberoflists>12</spout:Numberoflists><spout:NumberOfBlogPosts>2</spout:NumberOfBlogPosts><spout:NumberOfDiscussionThreads>3</spout:NumberOfDiscussionThreads><spout:SpoutRating>3</spout:SpoutRating><spout:FilmCoverURL>http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t21237m6var.jpg</spout:FilmCoverURL><spout:SpoutFilmDetailURL>http://www.spout.com/films/The_Time_Machine/202465/default.aspx</spout:SpoutFilmDetailURL><spout:type>Film</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: Re:Weekly Theme for March 9: Time Travel</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/Re_Weekly_Theme_for_March_9_Time_Travel/625/42392/1/ShowPost.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t21237m6var.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/5711/default.aspx'>Dr_Gor</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/625/discussions.aspx'>Weekly Theme</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 5/23/2009 6:54:57 PM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> [quote user="rjsprague"] If Dr Gor were here he'd have already mentioned.... Back to the Future Back to the Future II Back to the Future III I have enjoyed many of the films already mentioned, but I really need to pick up Timecrimes. One of my favorite books growing up was The Time Machine, which was made into a movie, but I've never seen it. Perhaps I will someday. [/quote]    Actually I wouldn't have mentioned the  Back to the Future  movies although they were pretty good comedies and I was a bit disturbed by the first one in that if I went back in time and met the teenage version of my mother and she looked like Lea Thompson and she had the hots for me, there might be a bit of a dilema.    Both versions of  The Time Machine  were very good with the original, of course, being the better of the two.   The "Morlocks" were effectively frightening in both.    A few good ones that haven't been mentioned yet...    Time Bandits   ;   Time traveling midget thieves create havoc in this Monty Pythonesque adventure with a great soundtrack by George Harrison.    Time After Time  ;  H. G. Wells uses his home made time machine to pursue Jack The Ripper to modern day (at the time) San Francisco.    Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home  ;   Kirk and the boys must retrieve a mating pair of humpback whales from the 20th century in order to stop a deadly alien invasion in the future.                                                                   &lt; GOR &gt;<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 23 May 2009 22:54:57 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>Dr_Gor</spout:postby><spout:postto>Weekly Theme</spout:postto><spout:postdate>5/23/2009 6:54:57 PM</spout:postdate><spout:body>[quote user="rjsprague"] If Dr Gor were here he'd have already mentioned.... Back to the Future Back to the Future II Back to the Future III I have enjoyed many of the films already mentioned, but I really need to pick up Timecrimes. One of my favorite books growing up was The Time Machine, which was made into a movie, but I've never seen it. Perhaps I will someday. [/quote]    Actually I wouldn't have mentioned the  Back to the Future  movies although they were pretty good comedies and I was a bit disturbed by the first one in that if I went back in time and met the teenage version of my mother and she looked like Lea Thompson and she had the hots for me, there might be a bit of a dilema.    Both versions of  The Time Machine  were very good with the original, of course, being the better of the two.   The "Morlocks" were effectively frightening in both.    A few good ones that haven't been mentioned yet...    Time Bandits   ;   Time traveling midget thieves create havoc in this Monty Pythonesque adventure with a great soundtrack by George Harrison.    Time After Time  ;  H. G. Wells uses his home made time machine to pursue Jack The Ripper to modern day (at the time) San Francisco.    Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home  ;   Kirk and the boys must retrieve a mating pair of humpback whales from the 20th century in order to stop a deadly alien invasion in the future.                                                                   &amp;lt; GOR &amp;gt;</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: Re:Weekly Theme for March 9: Time Travel</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/Re_Weekly_Theme_for_March_9_Time_Travel/625/40974/1/ShowPost.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t21237m6var.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/10240/default.aspx'>rjsprague</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/625/discussions.aspx'>Weekly Theme</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 3/11/2009 4:06:56 PM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> If Dr Gor were here he'd have already mentioned.... Back to the Future Back to the Future II Back to the Future III I have enjoyed many of the films already mentioned, but I really need to pick up Timecrimes. One of my favorite books growing up was The Time Machine, which was made into a movie, but I've never seen it. Perhaps I will someday.<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 11 Mar 2009 20:06:56 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>rjsprague</spout:postby><spout:postto>Weekly Theme</spout:postto><spout:postdate>3/11/2009 4:06:56 PM</spout:postdate><spout:body>If Dr Gor were here he'd have already mentioned.... Back to the Future Back to the Future II Back to the Future III I have enjoyed many of the films already mentioned, but I really need to pick up Timecrimes. One of my favorite books growing up was The Time Machine, which was made into a movie, but I've never seen it. Perhaps I will someday.</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: Oops: Five Movies That Failed to Predict the Future</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2009/1/28/40022.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t21237m6var.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/9325/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog on spout.com</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 1/28/2009 11:01:23 AM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> We don’t ask much from science fiction movies: entertaining plot lines, competent acting, huge explosions, and accurate predictions of the future. Many films fail to deliver on that final request, prognosticating about the world to come and screwing it up again and again. Many of these movies rely on the believability of their premise, but when that premise involves a prediction about the state of the world at a specific future date, they’re setting themselves up for failure when that day comes to pass without incident. Here are five films that forecasted doom and gloom that did not happen.


The Time Machine - 1966 Nuclear War
H. G. Wells’ 1895 novel, The Time Machine, was made into a feature film in 1960, and again in 2002. While the story has changed somewhat in each incarnation, it’s always involves a Victorian scientist traveling to the distant future where he finds humanity has devolved into two distinct groups, one savage, the other hopelessly apathetic. In the 1960 version, George, the scientist, makes several stops before ending up in the distant future. He happens to stop during World War I, World War II, and a nuclear war in 1966. The prediction that London would be nuked in ‘66, causing lava to flow in the streets, was clearly wrong, but it wasn’t a very outlandish idea. Just two years after the film’s release, in October, 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis nearly caused the United States and The Soviet Union to engage in an all-out nuclear war. If that happened, you would not want to be in Miami, and London wouldn’t be much safer.

Death Race 2000 - Homicidal Road Race
One of the finer Roger Corman-produced cult classics, this 1975 film stars David Carradine and Sylvester Stallone as race car drivers in the dystopian future of the year 2000. The Transcontinental Road Race is won not only by speed, but also by running over innocent civilians for points. The race is the only remaining sport, and one of the ways the oppressive American regime distracts the populace from government corruption. The film was remade last year by Paul W. S. Anderson, with the race taking place in a prison, where the racers are only trying to kill one another. Needless to say, this completely ruined the original concept of the film. While there weren’t any murderous car races in 2000 (that we know of), both films do cite a financial collapse as the cause of the dystopia that makes the race possible. In the case of last year’s remake, it was a little spooky when the stock market crashed about a month and a half after the film’s premiere.

Escape From New York - 1997 New York Prison Colony
John Carpenter’s 1981 film predicted that World War III, between the United States and the Soviet Union, would result in economic hardships and a skyrocketing crime rate. By 1997, the year in which the film is set, New York City is a prison colony. When Air Force One crashes in Manhattan, special ops soldier turned criminal Snake Plisskin has 24 hours to rescue the captured president and save himself and the world! Predicting in 1981 that crime would rise exponentially could’ve seemed like a safe bet. Violent crime was a growing problem throughout the 70s and 80s, in New York and elsewhere. But in the 90s New York started getting a lot safer, the violent crime rate fell 75% from 1993 to 2003. If the president were trapped in New York now, it would probably be in a long line to get discount Broadway tickets in Times Square, not held hostage by warring criminal gangs.

Terminator - Self Aware Machines by 1997
In the world of the Terminator films, humanity struggles against killer robots created by Skynet, a self-aware automated defense system. In Terminator 2: Judgement Day, it is revealed that Skynet became aware in 1997 (a bad year, apparently), starting a massive nuclear war shortly after. In the 2003 sequel, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, we learn that the nuclear holocaust was delayed until 2004. Then, in 2008, the premiere episode of The Sarah Conner Chronicles revealed that Judgement Day was actually delayed until 2011. As much as I love the Terminator franchise, that’s not a very good track record of future predictions. It also reveals a curious phenomenon shared by all the films on this list so far, I call it revisionist futurism. When a prediction doesn’t pan out, simply remake the movie (or make a sequel) that places the date further in the future, buying more time. This happened with Time Machine and Death Race, and they’re trying to get a remake of Escape From New York off the ground. If they do, you can bet that it won’t be set in 1997.

Strange Days - Dystopian Los Angeles of 1999
In this 1995 cyberpunk sci-fi film, Ralph Fiennes play Lenny Nero, a dealer of erotic recordings of brain waves which makes the listener feel as if they are experiencing the recorded events. Set against the backdrop of a tense, dystopian Los Angeles of 1999, it failed to predict exactly how technology would mediate sexual pleasure, but it still serves as an interesting barometer of the mid-90s. The film’s vision of a Los Angles suffering under a brutal police state, and the murder of a prominent hip-hop artist and anti-police activist, is clearly reflective of the race riots of a few years prior. The brain wave recordings, while not yet a reality, do illustrate the way that the porn industry is a driving force in development of new technology. If smut ever does get that realistic, learn from the mistakes of Lenny Nero and stay away from snuff films.
—-
There are plenty of films whose futures have yet to play out. We won’t really know, for example, if the flying cars from Back to the Future Part II will exist in 2015 for another six years. We could just wait to see if this and other predictions come true, or we could try something else: sending a e-mail to the future with the hope of hearing back about the veracity of near-future predictions! Tune in next week, where (hopefully) the future me will respond with a list of five more movies whose predictions haven’t happened yet, but are still doomed to fail. Hopefully the future me will explain how and why they didn’t work out. See you in the future! Originally posted on:SpoutBlog<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:01:23 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>SpoutBlog</spout:postby><spout:postto>SpoutBlog on spout.com</spout:postto><spout:postdate>1/28/2009 11:01:23 AM</spout:postdate><spout:body>We don’t ask much from science fiction movies: entertaining plot lines, competent acting, huge explosions, and accurate predictions of the future. Many films fail to deliver on that final request, prognosticating about the world to come and screwing it up again and again. Many of these movies rely on the believability of their premise, but when that premise involves a prediction about the state of the world at a specific future date, they’re setting themselves up for failure when that day comes to pass without incident. Here are five films that forecasted doom and gloom that did not happen.


The Time Machine - 1966 Nuclear War
H. G. Wells’ 1895 novel, The Time Machine, was made into a feature film in 1960, and again in 2002. While the story has changed somewhat in each incarnation, it’s always involves a Victorian scientist traveling to the distant future where he finds humanity has devolved into two distinct groups, one savage, the other hopelessly apathetic. In the 1960 version, George, the scientist, makes several stops before ending up in the distant future. He happens to stop during World War I, World War II, and a nuclear war in 1966. The prediction that London would be nuked in ‘66, causing lava to flow in the streets, was clearly wrong, but it wasn’t a very outlandish idea. Just two years after the film’s release, in October, 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis nearly caused the United States and The Soviet Union to engage in an all-out nuclear war. If that happened, you would not want to be in Miami, and London wouldn’t be much safer.

Death Race 2000 - Homicidal Road Race
One of the finer Roger Corman-produced cult classics, this 1975 film stars David Carradine and Sylvester Stallone as race car drivers in the dystopian future of the year 2000. The Transcontinental Road Race is won not only by speed, but also by running over innocent civilians for points. The race is the only remaining sport, and one of the ways the oppressive American regime distracts the populace from government corruption. The film was remade last year by Paul W. S. Anderson, with the race taking place in a prison, where the racers are only trying to kill one another. Needless to say, this completely ruined the original concept of the film. While there weren’t any murderous car races in 2000 (that we know of), both films do cite a financial collapse as the cause of the dystopia that makes the race possible. In the case of last year’s remake, it was a little spooky when the stock market crashed about a month and a half after the film’s premiere.

Escape From New York - 1997 New York Prison Colony
John Carpenter’s 1981 film predicted that World War III, between the United States and the Soviet Union, would result in economic hardships and a skyrocketing crime rate. By 1997, the year in which the film is set, New York City is a prison colony. When Air Force One crashes in Manhattan, special ops soldier turned criminal Snake Plisskin has 24 hours to rescue the captured president and save himself and the world! Predicting in 1981 that crime would rise exponentially could’ve seemed like a safe bet. Violent crime was a growing problem throughout the 70s and 80s, in New York and elsewhere. But in the 90s New York started getting a lot safer, the violent crime rate fell 75% from 1993 to 2003. If the president were trapped in New York now, it would probably be in a long line to get discount Broadway tickets in Times Square, not held hostage by warring criminal gangs.

Terminator - Self Aware Machines by 1997
In the world of the Terminator films, humanity struggles against killer robots created by Skynet, a self-aware automated defense system. In Terminator 2: Judgement Day, it is revealed that Skynet became aware in 1997 (a bad year, apparently), starting a massive nuclear war shortly after. In the 2003 sequel, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, we learn that the nuclear holocaust was delayed until 2004. Then, in 2008, the premiere episode of The Sarah Conner Chronicles revealed that Judgement Day was actually delayed until 2011. As much as I love the Terminator franchise, that’s not a very good track record of future predictions. It also reveals a curious phenomenon shared by all the films on this list so far, I call it revisionist futurism. When a prediction doesn’t pan out, simply remake the movie (or make a sequel) that places the date further in the future, buying more time. This happened with Time Machine and Death Race, and they’re trying to get a remake of Escape From New York off the ground. If they do, you can bet that it won’t be set in 1997.

Strange Days - Dystopian Los Angeles of 1999
In this 1995 cyberpunk sci-fi film, Ralph Fiennes play Lenny Nero, a dealer of erotic recordings of brain waves which makes the listener feel as if they are experiencing the recorded events. Set against the backdrop of a tense, dystopian Los Angeles of 1999, it failed to predict exactly how technology would mediate sexual pleasure, but it still serves as an interesting barometer of the mid-90s. The film’s vision of a Los Angles suffering under a brutal police state, and the murder of a prominent hip-hop artist and anti-police activist, is clearly reflective of the race riots of a few years prior. The brain wave recordings, while not yet a reality, do illustrate the way that the porn industry is a driving force in development of new technology. If smut ever does get that realistic, learn from the mistakes of Lenny Nero and stay away from snuff films.
—-
There are plenty of films whose futures have yet to play out. We won’t really know, for example, if the flying cars from Back to the Future Part II will exist in 2015 for another six years. We could just wait to see if this and other predictions come true, or we could try something else: sending a e-mail to the future with the hope of hearing back about the veracity of near-future predictions! Tune in next week, where (hopefully) the future me will respond with a list of five more movies whose predictions haven’t happened yet, but are still doomed to fail. Hopefully the future me will explain how and why they didn’t work out. See you in the future! Originally posted on:SpoutBlog</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: Ben-Hur: The Remake as Tribute</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/4/10/27190.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t21237m6var.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/9325/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog on spout.com</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 4/10/2008 5:00:39 PM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> I couldn’t believe that news of another Ben-Hur adaptation would appear in the trades so soon after the death of Charlton Heston, but this story indeed appeared in Variety yesterday, detailing plans for a $30 million miniseries to be directed by Christian Duguay (The Art of War) and produced by David Wyler, whose father, William Wyler, directed the 1959 classic starring Heston.
And as is common for modern versions of things, the miniseries will be targeted at a younger audience, few of whom are likely watching Turner Classic Movies for its regular showings of the the Oscar-winning 1959 version (hey, kids, it’s in color, at least), despite the existence of this very, very appealing trailer.

Wyler intends to skew the lead role younger, placing Ben-Hur in his mid-20s. New version will also downplay the religious aspects of the source material.
And yet the miniseries will also reportedly be “based more closely on the 1880 Lew Wallace novel than either the 1959 version or 1925 silent adaptation.” Let’s not forget the 1907 one, which I seem to remember not being that adequate a translation, or the animated film from 2003, which appropriately featured Heston doing the voice of the character he portrayed almost a half century earlier.
It would seem after a cartoon version, we don’t need another attempt to target the youth. And after Heston reprised his role, it would seem we don’t need another attempt to pay tribute to his performance.
But Wyler Jr. thinks we do, and Jeff Wells at Hollywood Elsewhere is quite unhappy with the notion:
Problem #1 is that the  present-tense Wyler told Variety’s Ali Jaafar and John Hopewell that “in my mind” the miniseries “is dedicated to my dad and [Charlton Heston]…we think it’s a great way to keep his memory alive.” Never, ever make a movie as a tribute to anyone or anything. Make it only for reasons that are tied to the present and future tense. Make it for your own reasons, because you have a vision or at least a concept that you’re burning to put onto a big screen.
I completely agree, and I recall another person’s attempt to honor his ancestor with a modern remake. And Simon Wells’ The Time Machine was probably the worst film of 2002. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 10 Apr 2008 21:00:39 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>SpoutBlog</spout:postby><spout:postto>SpoutBlog on spout.com</spout:postto><spout:postdate>4/10/2008 5:00:39 PM</spout:postdate><spout:body>I couldn’t believe that news of another Ben-Hur adaptation would appear in the trades so soon after the death of Charlton Heston, but this story indeed appeared in Variety yesterday, detailing plans for a $30 million miniseries to be directed by Christian Duguay (The Art of War) and produced by David Wyler, whose father, William Wyler, directed the 1959 classic starring Heston.
And as is common for modern versions of things, the miniseries will be targeted at a younger audience, few of whom are likely watching Turner Classic Movies for its regular showings of the the Oscar-winning 1959 version (hey, kids, it’s in color, at least), despite the existence of this very, very appealing trailer.

Wyler intends to skew the lead role younger, placing Ben-Hur in his mid-20s. New version will also downplay the religious aspects of the source material.
And yet the miniseries will also reportedly be “based more closely on the 1880 Lew Wallace novel than either the 1959 version or 1925 silent adaptation.” Let’s not forget the 1907 one, which I seem to remember not being that adequate a translation, or the animated film from 2003, which appropriately featured Heston doing the voice of the character he portrayed almost a half century earlier.
It would seem after a cartoon version, we don’t need another attempt to target the youth. And after Heston reprised his role, it would seem we don’t need another attempt to pay tribute to his performance.
But Wyler Jr. thinks we do, and Jeff Wells at Hollywood Elsewhere is quite unhappy with the notion:
Problem #1 is that the  present-tense Wyler told Variety’s Ali Jaafar and John Hopewell that “in my mind” the miniseries “is dedicated to my dad and [Charlton Heston]…we think it’s a great way to keep his memory alive.” Never, ever make a movie as a tribute to anyone or anything. Make it only for reasons that are tied to the present and future tense. Make it for your own reasons, because you have a vision or at least a concept that you’re burning to put onto a big screen.
I completely agree, and I recall another person’s attempt to honor his ancestor with a modern remake. And Simon Wells’ The Time Machine was probably the worst film of 2002. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: Re: Books that never should have been made into film</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/groups/CinLit/Re_Books_that_never_should_have_been_made_into_fi/294/7675/1/ShowPost.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t21237m6var.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/5353/default.aspx'>Risselada</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/groups/CinLit/294/discussions.aspx'>CinLit</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 4/26/2007 3:34:23 PM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> Sadly I don&#39;t read as much as I&#39;d like, but I&#39;ll make a few comments.I remember enjoying The Time Machine when I saw it when I was fairly young.  I just read it again and enjoyed it a fair amount.  Actually it was pretty short and has inpsired me to hopefully get through all of Wells works.  Anyways, I watched the movie again and was rather disappointed.  I&#39;d vaguely remembered that stuff that they&#39;d thrown in the movie about nuclear war and all that, but realized how forced it seemed this time around.  Everything about it was pretty goofy.  I haven&#39;t seen it either, but I heard the 2002 version of this movie was pretty bad too.  Can anyone comment on if it was any more true to the book?Also, I&#39;m wondering what people think about Naked Lunch.  It&#39;s an amazing book, and as has been stated there&#39;s really no feasible way to ever make this closely into a movie.  It would be banned in most countries and probably cost a fortune.  It&#39;s often more poetry than a novel or story really.  But does anyone enjoy the movie and the way it was more about Burroughs himself living in this world which seemed at times almost as much of Cronenberg&#39;s invention as Burroughs?<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 26 Apr 2007 19:34:23 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>Risselada</spout:postby><spout:postto>CinLit</spout:postto><spout:postdate>4/26/2007 3:34:23 PM</spout:postdate><spout:body>Sadly I don&amp;#39;t read as much as I&amp;#39;d like, but I&amp;#39;ll make a few comments.I remember enjoying The Time Machine when I saw it when I was fairly young.  I just read it again and enjoyed it a fair amount.  Actually it was pretty short and has inpsired me to hopefully get through all of Wells works.  Anyways, I watched the movie again and was rather disappointed.  I&amp;#39;d vaguely remembered that stuff that they&amp;#39;d thrown in the movie about nuclear war and all that, but realized how forced it seemed this time around.  Everything about it was pretty goofy.  I haven&amp;#39;t seen it either, but I heard the 2002 version of this movie was pretty bad too.  Can anyone comment on if it was any more true to the book?Also, I&amp;#39;m wondering what people think about Naked Lunch.  It&amp;#39;s an amazing book, and as has been stated there&amp;#39;s really no feasible way to ever make this closely into a movie.  It would be banned in most countries and probably cost a fortune.  It&amp;#39;s often more poetry than a novel or story really.  But does anyone enjoy the movie and the way it was more about Burroughs himself living in this world which seemed at times almost as much of Cronenberg&amp;#39;s invention as Burroughs?</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:sci-fi</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/sci-fi/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/sci-fi/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>sci-fi</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 217</br><br/>
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</div>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:33:53 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>217</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>102</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>375</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
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      <title>Spout Tag:future</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/future/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/future/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>future</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 493</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 101</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 259</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 20 Dec 2009 01:16:33 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>493</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>101</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>259</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
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      <title>Spout Tag:adventure</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/adventure/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/adventure/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>adventure</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 228</br><br/>
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</div>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:49:03 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>228</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>95</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>368</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
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      <title>Spout Tag:timetravel</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/timetravel/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/timetravel/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>timetravel</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 449</br><br/>
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</div>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:56:35 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>449</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>55</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>114</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
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      <title>Spout Tag:scientist</title>
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</div>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:47:27 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>1408</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>31</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>77</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
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      <title>Spout Tag:professor</title>
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</div>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:30:14 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>742</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>22</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>39</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
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      <title>Spout Tag:inventor</title>
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<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 623</br><br/>
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</div>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:41:17 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>623</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>17</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>33</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
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      <title>Spout Tag:timemachine</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/timemachine/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/timemachine/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>timemachine</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 54</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 4</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 5</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:02:17 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>54</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>4</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>5</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
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      <title>Spout Tag:humanoid</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/humanoid/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/humanoid/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>humanoid</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 20</br><br/>
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<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 0</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:05:40 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>20</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>0</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>0</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
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<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 75</br><br/>
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</div>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 18 Feb 2009 14:02:41 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>75</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>0</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>0</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
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