An 80s classic to be treasured – not remade with the latest floppy haired teen idol

One of the most well-worn clichés in life is that you know you are getting old when policemen look young. Cliché or not, it’s certainly true. Another sure-fire sign is when you remember chart songs from the first time round and tut angrily at the horrendous cover versions. Yes Black-Eyed Peas I’m looking at you… I know I’m getting old because I’m dreading the inevitable remakes of my favourite 80s and 90s films. There’s a spate of remakes already released including The Karate Kid, Nightmare on Elm Street and Arthur. Others are still only rumours or are stuck in the development stage including Footloose, Overboard and Top Gun. The very thought of some of these new films makes a little bit of my soul die, however it has got me considering my favourite films and how I would feel about any potential remakes.

I’m passionately attached to films and hate the idea of spoiling the magic. I won’t watch It’s A Wonderful Life in colour, I refuse to see the “sequel” to Dirty Dancing – Havana Nights or go to see the apparently brilliant stage version. The thought of a CGI Gizmo in a 3D remake of Gremlins is enough to keep me awake at night sobbing. I think, though, the film I would be most upset to see a remake of is the 1983 John Landis classic Trading Places. Let’s face it though, it’s probably ripe to be remade, particularly in light of all the financial shenanigans going on at the moment. We’d easily believe that a couple of bankers (or brokers, they’re all the same anyway) would be evil enough to wreck the lives of a pair of innocents just for fun.

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