NEWS: Matt Helm Lives Again????

I think Phil has some cachet in H'wood because he's considered intelligent and avante garde and trippy, but "It's just science fiction," so they can get some notoriety for doing something unusual *without* actually having to take the risk of bringing something crazy-weird by Italo Calvino to the big screen. Also, Phil's short stories frequently ended *before* the actual resolution. His style was to drop a conflict, build to a climax, and then pull the rug out from under the reader. So, like, in "We can Remember it for you Wholesale," it ends with the protagonist learning the truth, however, of course this particular truth will result in the end of human civilization and a whole world of hurt coming down. We don't actually get to see that happen, we just see his realization, and then all the bad stuff happens offscreen and in our heads. The conclusion to many of his short stories was left up to us to extrapolate, which I think the studios love because that means they can write the third act themselves without some old dead writer telling them what to do. "Make it more explodier! And Robotier! Bwa-ha-ha-ha!"

I have no idea, no freaking idea whatsoever, why Larry Niven isn't big mojo in H'wood. God forbid he should die, by the way. He's my favorite living writer. He's got eleventy zillion books, most of them are pretty good, a lot of them are great, and he's got a few undisputed classics under his belt. "Mote" and "Ringworld" scream out to be filmed, and though "Footfall" isn't my favorite book, damn would it make a fine movie! Better as a movie than a book, really. Honestly, I don't understand it at all. I know a lot of his stories have been optioned at one point or another, but nothing's ever made it to the big screen.

While on the subject, why the hell haven't any David Gerrold books been filmed? Ok, "Martian Child," sure, but that doesn't count since it's not Science Fiction. I want a "Starwolf" movie, or "When Harlie Was 1," or whatever. Again, I can't understand it.

I see you're pushing some Larry Niven books there. Probably would be a good thing for some of his stuff to be made into movies. I know for some reason Hollywood has a hard-on for Phil Dick (how many of his stories became movies?) so maybe it would be a good thing to move on to a fresh source in a classic author with good name recognition and even more of a catalog to choose from. But I don't expect the whims of H'wood to do anything so smart. Maybe he has to die first in order to get that special "can't criticise the dead" thingy that artists seem to earn. Posthumous respect.

I think they're picking up movies that have name recognition, but are old enough that people's memories of them are fuzzy, so they can screw with the format as much as they want without worrying about legions of Trekies screaming at them, or whatever.

R3 every movie you named sucked except maybe Transformers which was a t&a movie with giant robots. the only thing i can think is they are making the properties that they can pick up cheap.

Well, let's see, we've had pointless remakes of the movies you've mentioned below, equally pointless big screen versions of Get Smart, Underdog, Transformers, Bewitched, The Chipmunks, you name it. I can't help but think that H'wood's idea tank is empty. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of great stories don't make the leap to becoming great films. I mean, why in the hell isn't Ringworld a movie yet? Why the hell hasn't there been a long-running-and-successful series of Stainless Steel Rat movies? Why is the only filmed version of Starship Troopers a parody? Or if those are too ambitious for the west coast, how about a simple 90-minute version of "Neutron Star" as an adventure/mystery? Geez, people!

Hey pallie, likes thanks for the heads-up on this...been wonderin' and watchin' 'bout this ever since plans were announced long time ago....of course as a true Dinoholic I'm like totally agin this project.....no one coulda ever play Matt likes our Dino....and I'm with you dude..."The stroke of Genius in the Dean Martin movies was that they completely subverted the format before they even hit the ground, turning the films in to a parody of the 60s spy genre. If you're going to do it straight, I don't really get what the point is."

No point what-so-ever in tryin' to improve on somethin' that can never ever be improved on....so so hungry to read your impressions of our Dino and Mr. Helm....can't wait for August 7th to arrive-o.....

I loved Matt Helm when I was a kid. do those people in Hollywood need to destroy every film and tv show from the 60's that i loved. they killed mission impossible and i spy for me now there going after Matt. what's next a live action Secret Squirrel or Inch High Private Eye.

I've never read 'em, but I understand the Matt Helm novels were your fairly typical James Bond-by-way-of-Mack Bolan potboilers. The stroke of Genius in the Dean Martin movies was that they completely subverted the format before they even hit the ground, turning the films in to a parody of the 60s spy genre. If you're going to do it straight, I don't really get what the point is.

Oh, by the way, I"ll be reviewing "The Silencers," The first Dean Martin Helm movie on Friday, August 7th.