If you enjoyed the Rocky Horror Picture Show and browse the interwebs on a regular basis, there's a really freaking good chance you've heard about MTVs latest atrocity a-brewing down in the deep dark hell of...whereever.
And if you've heard about this, chances are, you are really really pissed.
Well, you know. Pissed enough to sign online petitions [Ehm: http://www.stoptheremake.com/ You know I did. It'll make you feel good inside. Like buying recycled material fabric bags at Target with little cutesey images and a slogon that says 'Green is the new Black' in efforts to save the planet.], and post 3 paragraph essays to whatever blog post may mention it just to prove how /effin pissed/ you are.
The hate is a phenomena and I am on the bandwagon.
But this isn't going to neccisarily be me ranting about how awful this all is and whywhywhy and fuck you MTV and all that jazz, because honestly, even though I agree with it, I'm sick of reading that jazz.
Okay, so maybe I'm lying. Maybe it will be another rant.
But here's my perspective.
In those 3 paragraph essays I mentioned above, reasonable people do like to point out the possible pros of having a new version for this modern age. That is, having a remake of a cult classic film made by a mass-media company marketed at us young people will increase the fan base, taking the Rocky Horror cult status to levels it never felt it could even aim to reach!
And while this all sounds very lovely and rather Utopian, as one of those in the age demographic it hopes to reach, I can only fear the worst. Teenagers are bastards! We always have been bastards! I can say that because I'm one of them, because I am forced into the same building as the worst of them for 7 hours a day 5 days a week and I sit there and listen to all the things they hate and make fun of, and, at least in my neck of the woods, dub 'so gaaaaahy'. And it kills me inside! And I can only imagine what a good deal of them will say about this, after seeing the new one, oblivious to the original, to the play, to everything that surrounds it. Now, I can only speak for my ulta-conservative town, but I'm sure its not very different in many public schools across the country. Trasvestites and singing!? Heaven forbid! They will not get it. They won't get it and so they will destroy it. There will be no Utopia. Your vision is screwed.
On the other hand there also many people around my age that not only know about Rocky, but they RELISH in it. They love it, they live it. Its beautiful. And although these people may be the minority, it shows that hope is not lost. We found the 1975 movie with ease, without having it to be reinvented to better suit the tastes of moral majority. If they want it, they will find it. Lets not start an epidemic, but instead slowly spread a wonderful disease to those few who will really truely appriciate the decedence and excietment of the however cheesy original.
Please don't feed the wildlife!
And maybe just maybe the remake will create what you hoped, but I seriously doubt it, at least in a huge-way. A few people might be intrigued, and those few people might dig deeper and discover it all. Kind of like what I'm in the midst of doing with Tank Girl. So I know it can happen. But still.
Lets have generational unity! I think that's a better Utopia to aim for. However impossible.
PS: A while ago my friend and I [you may know her as Poppit, polyvorians: http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/profile?id=138743 She runs a nice little Rocky Horror group that could use a bit more love.] were discussing acceptable roles for the invevitable. Here's what she came up with:
"Frank-n-Furter – marilyn manson....:/
Brad – James Marsden... Read More
Janet – Amy Adams
Riff Raff – Steve Bushemi
Magenta – helena bonham carter
Columbia – Gwen Stefani
Eddie – Jack Black
The Narrator/Criminologist - ....michael gambon?
Dr. Scott – tim curry
Rocky – no need to be anybody too famous, just a blonde guy with ripped body"
Er, I think that apathetic smilie regarding the choice of Frankie she chose to include was because that was my one suggestion and I don't think she's smitten with Manson in that role. And she likes Marilyn!
A lot of people may gripe about Marilyn Manson in general, but a lot of people are pretentious buttheads. Nevermind my hypocricy. And I'm off topic.
THOUGHTS? FEELINGS? DESIRES? Talk to me.
PPS:I hope I made a much better point than I did last time I decided to post about a movie. I also recall mentioning something about my next post concerning Saved totally trumping Juno in the Teen Pregnancy genre, but that was so long ago I'm sure you all forgot. =] I'll get to it eventually. I'm also planning on doing a segment involving books-turned movies, starting with Girl. If you have any idea what I'm spewing about, stay tuned.
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