"THE WOMEN" REMAKE

Oh dear. I've just read an interview in the BANGKOK POST with Annett Bening about her role in the remake of the camp classic THE WOMEN. I shudder to relay this tidbit:

"The original is a delightful movie," Bening says, "but the women characters in it are just awful. It's basically a film about stabbing each other in the back and using information against other women."

The remake has been in the making for the past 14 years. Originally (Meg) Ryan and Julia Roberts were attached to star, but co-stars and directors came and went as a decade passed and the film seemed forever consigned to development hell.

"A few years ago Diane English sent me her script of THE WOMEN," Bening recalls, "because she was determined to get this project away from the people controlling it. I told her off the bat that, if this was a straight retelling of the story, I wasn't interested."

In other words, Bening didn't want want to make a film about female backstabbers.

"The good news is that Diane's script is about female friendship and bonding," the actress says. "I think that's more realistic now, because I have many close friends who are women and we don't backstab each other. We depend on each other."

Despite being married and a mother of four, Bening insisted that her Sylvia Fowler speak for those women who have chosen to remain single and childless."

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?

I can't stand it when these Hollywood stars take it upon themselves to contradict the essence of a remake because of what's going on in their personal lives. Sylvia Fowler was a backstabbing bitch!. If you can't play one because you're such a goody two shoes in your own life that you'd rearrange a classic based on how supportive your fucking friends are then pass on it and let an actress who enjoys playing roles which don't have to mimic her personal experiences chew some scenery in a plum role. Annette is an outspoken democrat which I'm thankful for, but Hollywood already has enough problems with ruining classics-they don't need blissful, yoga'ed out LA actresses changing classic, cherished characters! I remember reading that the WONDER WOMAN movie was squashed because Sandra Bullock insisted on modifying the costume. But Lynda Carter's incredible figure and lovely was what made that part legendary--if you can't hack it, keep it movin'! Sorry, but THE WOMEN and WONDER WOMAN are properties which will long outlast the star power of Annette Bening and Sandra Bullock.

Besides, can any film with Jada Pinkett Smith succeed? I have nothing against her, but isn't she box office poison? Not exactly fond of frog-faced surgery frightmare Meg Ryan either. And this is the most exciting press image that they can come up with? PEW! Sounds like I'll be skipping this one.