What's with all the remakes this year?

[AmyMCGS]

Current movies at the local theaters include:

• Dukes of Hazzard
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
• War of the Worlds
• Bewitched
• Herbie: Fully Loaded
• Star Wars  (ok it's a new movie, but, an old story)

Have the movie people just run out of ideas, so now they're just remaking all the old shows? 

I don't care to see either the Dukes or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (one of my all-time favorites)-- both originals were among my favorites as a kid.  I'll probably watch them when they're on tv in a few years for free, but I won't pay to see them.   Actually, the only one of those remakes that I might rent when it goes to video is War of the Worlds.

What do you guys think of all the remakes?

[canadian gardener]

I think it's a sign of nervous movie investors. They want to buy into security so remakes of old hits probably look good. And the public appetite may be for old hits updated, again providing a sense of "good old days" even if in the day, things were just as uncertain.

We tend to look back and make things appear comfortable in their nostalgia. I think the market for "sure things" is what is also driving this boom in reality TV.

Nobody wants to take chances on anything new.

I remember reading years ago about research into colours, hemlines and art. In unsafe or uncertain times the public prefers to buy into classic safe colours, reasonable hemlines (not too high or low) and representational art rather than anything new or edgy.

Look at the current colour trends. The driving desire for browns of all kinds isn't just the Starbucks generation going for their espresso in paint, and wood tones in furniture. Brown is known for giving a sense of security.

And the other current colours, the orange tones, the muddy yellow green olive/avocado greens from the 60's and the 50's turquoise, golden yellow and chartreuse. All with muddy brown, grey or golden yellow tones in them.

Both era's were unstable. the Vietnam war, and the Cold war.