January 29, 2005

• This is pretty much the worst video ever made.
• Am I missing something? These downloads don't seem to work for me.
• the 2nd one, "The_Office_US_Remake..>" is a .wmv
• OK, I'm going to sound crazy, but that link wasn't there a few minutes ago. And the other links wouldn't download (which was what I meant by them not working).
• I haven't seen the clip - nor for that matter, have I seen much of the original British version of The Office. With that said, though, the phrase "US remake" strikes an artistic chill, as such remakes seldom match up to the original. In TV, Red Dwarf springs particularly to mind; in film, I'd like to vote for two French films: Nikita (remade as The Assassin) and Taxi. Having enjoyed the Japanese original so much, I haven't wanted to watch the US version of Ring - although I hear that it might not be so bad. I'm sure that monkeys will have their own favourite examples of international cinema translated into a vapid simulacrum by an uncreative entertainment industry...
• (testing, testing)
• I enjoyed the American version of Ring more than the Japanese. It may just be a habit of Japanese film storytelling, but I found the oft-repeated narration really irritating: He:So if we assist the ghost, the curse will be lifted? She:Yes. The curse will be lifted if we aid the ghost. He:So we agree that we should assist the ghost, then? In order to lift the curse? She:If by that you mean that we want to lift the curse, and that assisting the ghost would do so, then, yes, I agree. Both versions of Insomnia are good; the American one suffers primarily just from lacking Stellan Skarsgard. Though I guess they could have hired him.
• This is very slow at the moment. Would anyone know of a bittorrent link? The Office is a work of genius which I would possibly put up with Fawlty Towers in the British comedy museum. Over here it seems to cause a strict divide; people either love it because it's so true to life (albeit in an exaggerated way) or the loathe it because it's so true to live.
• I'm a bit confused-- is this a real show that is going to air on American TV- I didnt hear anything about it. Anyway british comedy certainly had its day, and the British Office is very funny, although not half as funny as Mike Judge's "Office Space," which predates it by a good 5 years I think. In recent years the worm has somewhat turned, what with Coupling being little more than a crappy rip-off of Friends with less attractive actors, which was then ironically re-ripped-off into the even crappier American Coupling, which aired about 3 times I think.
• There was a Red Dwarf remake? But half the humour was in Lister's accent.
• In recent years the worm has somewhat turned Black Books? Little Britain? Dead Ringers?
• Whoa already. Is there an American version of "the Office", and if so, where can it be found? These videos make me think we may have a new "Trouble with Tracy" on our hands, but that may be wishful thinking on my part.
• I think the only watchable remake of a British series is Sanford and Son which was a remake of Steptoe and Sone.
• All in the Family was also a remake of a British series. I found The Office (British) about the funniest thing I've ever seen and when combined with the Christmas special it's to one of the best things I've seen, period. (The Office Space movie is pretty funny too, but it's more convential and therefore isn't really comparable.) And I had trouble downloading the video also and gave up.
• I liked The Ring, but US remakes so frequently lack the charm and intelligence of the original (Get Carter, Vanished, The Italian Job, The Ladykillers, etc. etc. etc.), that I don't hold much hope for a remake of The Office. The great thing about the British series was the acute discomfort it evoked; I can't imagine a US remake being able to do it justice. That sort of social unease is so uniquely British.
• The best British comedy at the moment is Peep Show. But I doubt that'll ever be shown outside the UK, in that no one seems to watch it.
• Three's Company was a remake of a British comedy called...damn, I forget, but even as a kid I thought the British version was better. Ah yes, Man About the House. There was also Men Behaving Badly that I think was remade with the same name in the US. And I thought Coupling was pretty damn funny - at least the first two seasons - but never saw the US version which I heard was utter balls.
• I'm convinced that there's one guy in Hollywood who was dumped really badly by a British girlfriend, and since then has been hell bent on taking everything holy, good, and limey, and transforming it into a steaming pile. It's like he wakes up every morning and says, "Hey! That's a classic! Let's destroy its memory!" The Ladykillers. The Italian Job. The Pink Panther. The Pink Panther for crying old loud. Next they'll be redoing Mary Poppins, resetting it in New York, and putting Jennifer Lopez in the lead. Or The Great Escape, with Adam Sandler in the Steve McQueen role. Or Kind Hearts and Coronets with Jim Carrey. It's only a matter of time. It's things like this that start wars, I swear.
• Considering that The Office didn't have any men wearing dresses I am surprised that it seems to have done quite well in the UK. I enjoy the show whenever BBC America airs it on their weird 40 minute timeslots.
• Speaking of The Great Escape, the movie's already an American remake of the historical event (Wikipedia has a detailed recap), since it exaggerated the role played by the few Americans that were actually involved. (And Steve McQueen plays one of the German motorcyclists chasing Steve McQueen.) I think koko meant The Vanishing, an awesome movie with a horrible American remake, which includes a happy ending that completely ruins the whole point of the story. I like the remake of The Italian Job much more than the original, which seems really dated to me.
• Yeah, Vanishing. The problem with the remake of The Italian Job is the number of impossible things that happen in it. But maybe it's just because I watched it with my husband. Funny you should mention Kind Hearts and Coronets, DIMMN ... we watched that one this morning, and I was thinking how lousy a US remake would be. Jim Carrey ... >shudder<
• the British Office is very funny, although not half as funny as Mike Judge's "Office Space," Are you high?
• computer says noooo. *cough*
• Any truth the the rumour that The Office was itself inspired by The Newsroom? (Even if they are nothing alike, you should all see the Newsroom - black comedy at some of it's finest.)
• And whoever called out the American version of The Vanishing as being exceedingly sucky is spot on.
• Don't forget Cracker -- if you liked the original (I was a fan). I was originally intrigued that they would decide to copy the original, word-for-word and nuance by nuance, and what a disaster that was. Of course, it helps to have the certain charm of Robbie Coltrane (pre-Harry Potter) when you're depicting what would be in real life not a particularly admirable character. Haven't seen The Ring, but will give it a try. In Ringu, I thought that the Japanese setting lent the story some credit. Maybe cliche, but something about a foreign land (and the more foreign the better) makes the impossible slightly more possible. Plus, on the video release of Ringu, there is a promo for The Ring, and it pretty much summed up why I hate American remakes -- in Ringu, those who pick up the phone hear mysterious sounds -- a kind of strange squeaking, wind blowing, etc. All very cyptic and creepy. American version, whispered if not hissed voice: SEVEN DAYS.... Subtle.
• Wow, an American remake of Cracker. Just wow.
• I just watched the origonal again tonight. Sometimes I think that I understand our North American culture, but then the self-loathing kicks in. I love Buffy, the last Season of Angel, Six Feet Under, but then Idol comes on, or any unreality show[sorrymoneyjane] and I need my wine, badly. Shit. How about a line, it makes the insipedness so normal. The wine kills my meds. I must fight my dog for that scrap of toilet paper. Ah,,,reality. I'm ok again.
• quidnunc: I know. I want that one.
• No, no Dr Dodger - I am the only gay in THIS village. You're just a little bit poofy.
• I'm coming back late, finally having time to watch it, and I'm surprised by the hating. Now I've never seen the British show, so I'll just trust everyone who says that that is much better, but this is still really good. Pretend you haven't seen the original, and compare it to what else is showing on North American television. This is completely different, in a good way. If it takes remaking to translate imaginative television to the North American audience (I'm a huge Brit TV fan, but I don't know that even I could follow such a fast, culture specific show, let along the 1/2 of North Americans who have trouble even understanding British accents), then so be it. (Didn't the British try to remake Roseanne?) Maybe it will be easier for those who know the British show when they start filming original episodes, rather than refilming the British ones. Then it can start to become its own thing, like All in the Family, which was always so much more than a remake. Article on The Office, via mefi.
• Premieres tonight on NBC, if anyone's interested. Premieres tonight even if you're not interested.