Honourable Mention: Oldboy
2003's Oldboy, now considered to be one of the best foreign-language films ever made, has been given the American remake treatment and will be released towards the end of November, much to the chagrin of original fans. It's yet another remake that will ask the question: "Why can't western audiences be bothered to read subtitles?" and will no doubt join the likes of Let Me In and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, both of which were re-directed by very well-respected filmmakers in the US but failed to match up to the originals. However, there's two reasons that it doesn't officially make the list. Firstly, it's not long until its release, whereas the rest of the films in the list are not planned to be released this year, and some are still in development hell (and hopefully that's where they will stay). The second reason - and don't send me death threats for this one - is because judging by the trailer from Spike Lee's remake, I actually don't think it will be that bad. Yes, it's still going to struggle to capture cultural imaginations and create iconic sequences (how do you improve on the corridor fight scene?), but even the most negative of film fans might find themselves admitting that it's entertaining, at least. Undoubtedly, it will not live up to the original, but from what we can see so far by the remake doesn't look like a bad film. Spike Lee is a talented director and the cast is phenomenal, featuring the likes of Josh Brolin, Sharlto Copley, Elizabeth Olsen, and Samuel L. Jackson. The cinematography also looks extremely well done. As mentioned, it won't get quite the same dedicated following as the original, and viewers that have seen the original are going to be underwhelmed. But as with the likes of Let Me In and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Spike Lee's Oldboy will probably find fans in people who are too lazy read subtitles.