The Clash of the Titans remake could be fun...

There were groans all round when news of this film first hit. The original has its cult following but it's hardly a classic. But then we started to see the cast list Louis Leterrier started to gather together and although there was no-one quite in Olivier's league it was pretty decent and with a good budget and a capable director it began to look like CotT MIGHT be a fun blockbuster movie.

I've always stressed that a great remake doesn't have to be a remake of a great film. On the contrary in fact; when we get pointless remakes of classics such as Gus Van Sant's baffling shot-for-shot remake of Psycho it all just seems like a cynical money-spinning exercise. If you're going to remake a film universally loved by all you better not screw up because an awful lot of people are going to end up pissed off.

But on the other end of the scale we have Ocean's Eleven. It was a decent enough effort in 1960 but was little more than a vehicle for the Rat Pack. Steven Soderbergh saw the potential of the film, gave it a fantastic cast, a modern update and a crowd pleasing storyline and he was on to a moneyspinner. The original Clash of the Titans has the potential, and an update for the CGI era could be just the ticket.

Why? Well thats simple. Greek mythology is fun. I always felt Troy missed a trick when it skipped the gods in favour of a more realistic adaption of Homer's epic. These aren't serene, loving gods watching over us, they are jealous, vengeful, violent, and passionate. Greek mythology is a cinematic soap opera that has been underplayed of late. If this film does justice to it we could see more Greek myths on screen. It's not a bad thing at all if that happens; they're great stories that have survived for thousands of years and they deserve to be told again.

Anyway, the trailer looks good. Not so sure about the rock soundtrack but we'll see...

Underrated: Brendan Gleeson

So you're making a big, epic ensemble movie, your lead actor is embarrassing himself and you need your supporting players to step up and give the film a bit of credibility. Who do you call? Brendan Gleeson. This guy's never gonna be your traditional leading man in these films. He looks a bit like the bloke down the pub who you're not sure if he's going to buy you a pint or punch you, but he is always solid and its no coincidence that he crops up in so many summer blockbusters. The guy's a pretty sure bet to put in a good performance without overshadowing the pretty-boy lead.

I'd seen Gleeson pop up in a number of films over the years, particularly in an awesome but brief role in A.I., but I only really started to follow this guy after I saw 28 Days Later. All I could think was that this guy does Ray Winstone better than Ray Winstone and that he was playing the rarest of things in modern horror movies; a believable, sympathetic character. Alot of this is testiment to the superior team behind the film but it was the perfect role for Gleeson. Very few people can do the gruff father figure better than Gleeson; he only started acting at 34 so its the kind of role he's grown into with each passing film.

However, where Gleeson really shines is in historical epics. Like Orlando Bloom, he cropped up in both Troy and Kingdom of Heaven, but unlike Orlando Bloom he was competant and believable as a historical character. He can play the eccentric, booming individual that characterise these films with ease and can challenge the Rickmans of this world for scenery-chewing brilliance that makes everyone else look boring or sit back and be the wise mentor if needs be. And if you need a guy to beat up Mr. Bloom and make him look as pathetic as possible he's your man. And who couldn't love him for that?


The film industry seems to finally be recognising Gleeson's value. He's joined the elite band of thespians proudly cashing their paychecks from the Harry Potter franchise and is beginning to get some seriously meaty roles, not least in last year's In Bruges, and later this year will be playing one of history's most interesting figures as Winston Churchill in Into The Storm, the follow up to The Gathering Storm. That film featured an amazing Albert Finney perfomance which will be hard to match but if anyone can fill his shoes its Brendan Gleeson and he could very well be a good bet for an Oscar nod. About time too.