dr morbius
Senior Cook
Lately I've been thinking about things that are practically perfect. I see a lot of lists on the internet of bad remakes, which are commonplace these days. The original movies were terrific and the people who decide such things choose to remake them, with poor results. This made me think of movies and other things which were so well done that I'd hate to see anyone mess with them. For example, the original 1951 version of The Day the Earth Stood Still is a flawless science fiction movie, and the Keanu Reeve remake, while not awful, is awful by comparison.
One of my favorite old movies - and I like old movies a lot - is Roman Holiday. It's a nearly perfect romantic comedy with the sublime Audrey Hepburn when she was quite young and tremendously appealing, along with a pre-Atticus Finch Gregory Peck and a young, bearded Eddie Albert. I wouldn't want anyone attempting a remake. They would never be able to recapture the magic.
Steely Dan reached their apex in 1977 with Aja, a nearly perfect album. Whether you like their jazzy r&b style or not, the production quality, the songwriting, and the musicianship on Aja is pretty much flawless.
I'm not a huge Rolling Stones fan. I like some of their stuff, but when a band records for so many decades, there are bound to be some releases which aren't so appealing. But Jumpin' Jack Flash is just about the perfect rock song. You know the lyrics by heart and the guitar riff is unforgettable.
So. Do you have any thoughts about songs, TV shows or movies - or anything else that you think of as perfect, or so close to perfect as to make no difference?
One of my favorite old movies - and I like old movies a lot - is Roman Holiday. It's a nearly perfect romantic comedy with the sublime Audrey Hepburn when she was quite young and tremendously appealing, along with a pre-Atticus Finch Gregory Peck and a young, bearded Eddie Albert. I wouldn't want anyone attempting a remake. They would never be able to recapture the magic.
Steely Dan reached their apex in 1977 with Aja, a nearly perfect album. Whether you like their jazzy r&b style or not, the production quality, the songwriting, and the musicianship on Aja is pretty much flawless.
I'm not a huge Rolling Stones fan. I like some of their stuff, but when a band records for so many decades, there are bound to be some releases which aren't so appealing. But Jumpin' Jack Flash is just about the perfect rock song. You know the lyrics by heart and the guitar riff is unforgettable.
So. Do you have any thoughts about songs, TV shows or movies - or anything else that you think of as perfect, or so close to perfect as to make no difference?