In amongst the discussions of how bad our cultural “elites” are at understanding anything other than their own hot-house environment, it might be well to remember just how bad they are at what is supposed to be their core competence.  By this point, I assume that most readers have heard about using the arcade game Asteroids as a libretto for a movie of the same name.  This represents a deep-seated intellectual bankruptcy, but at least it doesn’t do much to corrupt the original property.

This story from Variety*, though, is a bit more offensive.  The 47 Ronin, starring Keanu Reeves, is bad enough, but:

The film will tell a stylized version of the story, mixing fantasy elements of the sort seen in “The Lord of the Rings” pics, with gritty battle scenes akin to those in films such as “Gladiator.”

That takes it right over the edge.

I assume that we will next see a remake of Citizen Kane reinterpreted as a movie about luge racing.  I just want to say that if that happens, I want at least 1/2 point of the gross for the idea.  And that will go to 1 point if they use, as I recommend, Mike Myers as Charles Foster Kane. 

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