You read the headline correctly. The number of horror classics that could be remade outnumbers the number that shouldn’t be. I’ve bought into it. I’ve seen enough good examples of remakes done well to no longer balk at the announcement of a new one outright (and I’m sure 5 more will be green-lit by the time I’ve finished typ…okay 5 more just got green-lit…); and if early word on the new Evil Dead picture is to be believed then it’s just one more punctured notch into the human-skinned belt of worthwhile horror remakes. No horror picture is safe from being resuscitated and put back through a brand new shiny meat grinder. Sometimes we get unexpectedly tasty ground sirloin; and sometimes we get mildewy grotesqueness reminiscent of “The Stuff” (which could use a remake). Talented filmmakers will make a good picture while talented accountants will make money. Sometimes both can be satisfied, and that readily occurs in the production of a horror remake because they’re cheap to make, easy to sell, and fun to play around with. They’re the pancakes of the film industry. Almost any horror picture is capable of being remade well given the right kind of people with the right kind of attitude. While it feels like everything’s already been remade, there are still a few stragglers that haven’t. Here are 5 that shouldn’t and 10 where an update might not be so bad.

With Christmas fast approaching, if you’re anything like us, you’re probably starting to think about maybe thinking about doing some Christmas shopping. It’s cool. No rush. But what do you get the film geek who has everything when it comes to his DVD/Blu-ray collection? We collectors are a sick bunch, amassing hundreds if not thousands of discs, making it very hard for you to buy for us. Fear not, friend, for there are other movie related gifts that are not in disc form! Once, long ago, entertainment was something printed on pages of paper and bound. These objects, called “books,” were on a variety of topics, including many near and dear to the film nerd’s heart! So relax, check out this awesome selection of books for your film loving friends, and click on the image if you want to add it to your cart.

Sometimes you just have to punch a wall, or perhaps a car door, or a ceramic cat – really, it’s whatever is closest. Whether it is rage, retribution, or legitimate hatred, sometimes an inanimate object just has to go down. In the moving pictures this is especially fun to watch. Much like a movie death is often more dramatic than reality, a little inanimate destruction goes a long way.

This was a major holiday week in America, so FSR content was a bit lighter than usual. And yet you may have been too busy traveling to follow the site over the past few days anyway. If so, the most important thing you missed is our post highlighting all the things we’re thankful for this year. Among them is you, whether you’re one of the longtime loyal or one of the many who’ve just started reading us this year. Now, even though the holiday is a couple days past, we want to thank you for once again catching up with us here at the Reject Recap as we give you another rundown of our best reads from the past seven days. As always, first we remind you to check out our reviews of this week’s new releases: Life of Pi; Red Dawn; Hitchcock; Rust and Bone; and The Central Park Five. We also re-posted our Silver Linings Playbook review since the film went wider this week. Among the films, it looks like we recommend Rust and Bone and Central Park Five the most. We haven’t published a review of Rise of the Guardians yet, but we invite you to read our interview with the animated film’s director, Peter Ramsay, the introduction for which offers some critical praise. This week we also watched and commented on new trailers for Now You See Me, Parental Guidance, Admission, Chasing Ice and Jack the Giant Slayer. Watch those and all our latest Short Film

The Ingredients is a column devoted to breaking down the components of a new film release with some focus on influential movies that came before. As always, these posts look at the entire plots of films and so include SPOILERS.  The James Bond series is something of a hub in the course of film and pop culture history. As iconic as it is on its own, it tends to be informed by other material as often as it does the informing. In the beginning, for example, the movies were highly influenced by the works of Alfred Hitchcock. Author Ian Fleming even wished for Hitch to direct the first movie adapted from his 007 novels. And Cary Grant was famously sought for the part of Bond, which would have been interesting had he continued with the second film, From Russia With Love, given how much it calls to mind North by Northwest. Instead, little-known Sean Connery embodied the character, and after the first two installments made the actor famous, Hitch cast him in Marnie. As usual, the director capitalized on a movie star’s pre-existing notoriety, his screen value, which makes it quite difficult for us to see Connery’s Marnie character, Mark Rutland, as anything but James Bond as a wife-raping publisher. Hitch went another step with his next film, Torn Curtain, which was an admitted direct response to the 007 films. He wrote to Francois Truffaut in 1965: “In realizing that James Bond and the imitators of James Bond were more or less making

They said it couldn’t be done. A fifth year of 31 Days of Horror? 31 more terror, gore and shower scene-filled movies worth highlighting? But Rejects always say die and never back away from a challenge (unless you count that time Luke Mullen was challenged to shave off part of his beard), so we’ve rounded up the horror fans among us and put together another month’s worth of genre fun. Enjoy! Synopsis: The small mountain town of Santa Ynez has got a bit of a problem with road rage. More specifically some raging lunatic in a Lincoln Continental Mark III is mowing down pedestrians left and right. The local police department, led by debonairly mustachioed James Brolin, is doing everything they can to identify the psychotic driver of this death machine and put an end to his maniacal joy ride. As the roadkill count rises, a horrifying revelation comes to light: there is no driver.

World domination is not a solo enterprise. In fact, all the doomsday devices and stolen nuclear warheads on the planet will get you nowhere if you don’t have a top-notch inhuman resources department. The villains of the James Bond universe seem to understand this better than anyone. Of the many recurring tropes of the Bond franchise, apart from the fast cars, sexy women, and why-don’t-I-have-one-of-those gadgets, is the parade of sinister sidekicks that aid the various villains in their heinous hijinx. Revisiting pretty much the entire series of late, thanks to the gorgeous new Bond 50 Blu-ray set, it was high time we ranked our favorite henchmen. They may all be #2′s, but who managed to rank #1?

Ah yes. It’s that time of the year, folks. The only month where it’s slightly less mean to jump out at a child while wearing a clown mask. The vandal’s holiday… cretin Christmas. It really is a special time for all of us horror movie fans. So let’s light some candles, get our favorite Misfits album out and start this party. They say that nothing can ever outdo the imagination – something that is most evident when it comes to terror and death. It’s not what you see that scares you – it’s what you don’t. It’s why we fear the dark. So while gore is great fun, it’s nothing compared to something merely implied.

It’s one thing when a series is based around several generations who are actively seeking adventure – treasure hunting and Nazi-punching and all that. That’s not what we’re here to discuss. Don’t expect to see any Corleones on this list, either. This is about those hapless, generally well-functioning families in films who for one reason or another keep falling into bad times. These are the families that trouble follows. These are the truly unlucky ones.

What is Movie News After Dark? It’s the nightly movie news that is always on time, even if it’s running late. Just think about it… Disney may reboot The Rocketeer. Luckily, the original movie is said to be still in existence. So we’ve got that going for us.

Death is a profound thing. It has long been utilized in the art of storytelling to make the fiercest of impacts. From the first written work of fiction (“Beowulf”) to the works of Shakespeare to the films of Uwe Boll, death has been ever present. When handled correctly, a death can be a haunting memory in a film, a momentous moment that effects the viewer on a very real and very emotional moment. Let’s cut to the jump so we can discuss a lot of spoilery stuff and bitch about how a thoughtless death is cruel to the character and an affront to the audience.

Duhnuh…. Duhnuh… Just when you thought it was safe to go out and buy some Blu-rays, here comes another Blu-ray Spotlight with a look at this week’s most prized and wallet-worthy releases. As our own Rob Hunter accurately tagged it on Tuesday, this is a wallet-busting week of new releases. And it all starts with the big guy. The Great White King of all summer blockbusters. The movie that has long been heralded as the first great summer movie. The one that birthed a sun-scorched blockbuster tradition that lives on today. He’s the reason you’ll never see me more than knee-deep in any large body of salt water. You know him as Jaws, and he’s back. With this edition of Blu-ray Spotlight, we take a look at the triumphant return of Jaws as well as one other movie worth adding to your collection. You may have heard of it. It’s a little action film out of Indonesia.

What is Movie News After Dark? It’s a nightly column dedicated to the cool, the weird, the entertaining, the brief, the good, the bad and the ugly of the entertainment news world. Also, there’s some philosophical talk about Sharktopus, because that’s just how the Internet rolls. We begin this evening with an image of a handmade Game of Thrones board game that is absolutely fabulous. Created by Fay Helfer, it’s basically a Risk board in the shape and detail of Westeros. And it’s brilliant.

What is Movie News After Dark? It’s a nightly thing about stuff, and whatnot. We begin this evening with the most entertaining image I found on the internet today, a mash-up know known as The Tardis DeLorean, it’s the ultimate time travel device. Probably bigger on the inside and definitely not in need of any roads. Come along, Marty!

Just when you thought it was safe to jump back into our comments section, a surprise guest showed up. He’s big, white and has a taste for blood. Yes, it’s Shark Week around the world and Universal has appropriately timed the release of Jaws on Blu-ray with the celebration of all the reasons why I didn’t like swimming in the deep end of the pool as a teenager adult child. Here at FSR, we’re having a celebration of our own. To our beloved readers, those of you who survive the summer, we would like to present an excellent Jaws-themed giveaway. So Jaws-themed that we’re going to give you the Spielbergian terror on Blu-ray and a sweet bottle opener that will allow you to enjoy our Jaws drinking game with your favorite brew (or soda). All you have to do is play our little game…

The wait is over. Steven Spielberg’s classic film Jaws is finally getting a long-anticipated Blu-ray release as part of Universal’s 100th anniversary. Whether you’ve seen this movie before or not, it’s worth watching again to experience the first blockbuster film ever made. Though there have been three official (and mostly awful) sequels, along with countless rip-offs, over the years, none of these films can hold a candle to this 1975 thriller. Based on Peter Benchley’s best-selling novel, Jaws tells the story of a small-town police chief trying to keep the beaches safe from a man-eating great white shark. Celebrate the end of this summer with this summer blockbuster drinking game.

Welcome to This Week In DVD + This Week In Blu-ray = This Week In Discs! It’s a work in progress still, but we hope you enjoy. The entertainment industry appears to be celebrating our new baby by releasing a cinemetric ton of quality Blus and DVDs. Hope you’ve been saving your pennies… As always, if you see something you like, click on the image to buy it. Father’s Day (Blu-ray/DVD) A young boy loses his eye to a sadistic madman after witnessing the murderous pervert rape and kill his father. Years later, Ahab is a pissed off, pistol-packing ex-con out for revenge and joined in his quest by a teenage (well, Porky’s kind of teenage anyway) street hustler and a young priest on a quest to send the demonic psychopath to the bowels of hell. In a week with The Raid, Kill List and Jaws all hitting Blu-ray why am I featuring this Troma release as my Pick of the Week? Because those titles have enough press behind them, and Father’s Day deserves some too. It’s gory as hell, foul as f*ck and funnier than any other movie featuring chainsaw-wielding strippers. If you can handle the bloodletting and copious nudity, both female and male (way, way too much male), then this is a four-disc special edition worth owning. You get the movie on Blu and DVD, a DVD of special features and a soundtrack CD. [Extras: Deleted scenes, Featurettes, Trailers, Short films by Astron-6]

Throughout today, we’ve been celebrating America. From the most pro-American movies to a selection of go-to Fourth of July movies, it’s been all about celebrating our independence. And up to this point, we’re proud to have done so without having to quote a speech made by Bill Pullman in a Roland Emmerich movie. Simply celebrating America with some grilled meats is all well and good, but what about the American experience? Living in America during the summer months, gathering with friends, heading to the beach and enjoy sea to shining sea’s worth of democracy. That’s one quintessential American thing — that is, until a giant shark came along and started eating co-eds. Steven Spielberg’s JAWS didn’t just introduce us to the terror in the water, it ushered in formula for big summer blockbuster cinema that lives on even today. Of course, today it’s being remade, rebooted and re-imagined beyond all reason, but it’s there all the same. With roots in 1975, when a soon-to-be major director showed us the virtues of needing a bigger boat. With that in mind, Universal Home Video is celebrating by releasing JAWS on Blu-ray August 14, with a beautifully remastered version of the film. As evidence, we’ve got a series of clips showing off the new, improved, but completely the same JAWS.

With a giant pile of movies to his name, Steven Spielberg has the considerable honor of being the only filmmaker who makes entertainment that’s massively popular, critically acclaimed and decade-enduring. It’s an illusive triumvirate. His fundamental success is owed to a lot of things, but principle among them is his childhood sense of wonder and magic – a sense he’s never let go of. His childhood was also spent with a camera in hand. From Jaws to Close Encounters of the Third Kind to Indiana Jones to The Color Purple and Empire of the Sun and Jurassic Park and Amistad and Schindler’s List and Munich and, and, and…he’s been a prolific, skilled presence in the filmmaking world for going on 5 decades, and he’s done so by spanning genres, tones, and subjects. So here’s a bit of free film school (for fans and filmmakers alike) from a little kid who hid under his bed after watching Bambi.

This post is probably not what you think. There are no LOLCats, no Rage Comic stick men bellowing about the superiority of The Dark Knight and Inception. It’s not really a love letter to modernity. But it’s also not Sight & Sound‘s decennial Top Ten List. That prestigious publication has done great work since even before polling critics in 1952 to name the best movies of all time. They’ve recreated the experiment every ten years since (with filmmakers included in 1992), and their 2012 list is due out soon. However, there is certainly overlap. The FSR poll includes only 37 critics (and 4 filmmakers), but we’re young and have moxy, and none of us were even asked by Sight & Sound for our considerable opinion. That’s what’s fascinating here. The films nominated by those invited by S&S have the air of critical and social importance to them. They are, almost all, serious works done by serious filmmakers attempting to make serious statements. This list, by contrast, is the temperature of the online movie community in regards to what movies are the “greatest.” The results might be what you expect. But probably not.