When I first came across the news that a sequel to Raging Bull was in the works, I thought the
rumors would dispel pretty quickly. Soon
after though, I came across a production still from the upcoming project
that affirmed this insensible reality. There
were no rumors at all; a movie named Raging Bull II was actually being made. Neither Scorsese nor DeNiro are involved in it
either. I originally began working on a
post where I would basically do nothing more than complain about the fact that
a Raging Bull sequel was being made,
but that would only waste everyone’s time.
People can agree that Raging Bull is a near-perfect film. From its gritty black and white
cinematography to a flawless script to the ever encompassing, mad-house
performance from Robert DeNiro (the greatest acting performance that isn’t
Stanley Kowalski), Raging Bull stands
on its own as one of the greatest American movies ever made.
I also think people can agree on the fact that
sequels are wild cards. Done right they
can escalate a film’s fortune to new heights as with The Godfather and The Lord of the Rings. But flip that around and watching
a sequel turns into nothing more than a waste of time and money. And as I always say in defense, I hate being
too critical. In this age, nothing is
truly a failure if it breaks even, and for a Hollywood picture, that is no less
true.
In hindsight, a sequel to Carrie was probably not necessary or in any high demand, especially when it came out 22
years after the original movie. Yet as
it stands, I have to be honest in saying that The Rage: Carrie 2 is a movie I am incapable of creating and
as much distaste as I might have for it,
there remains a whole lot of skill that goes into making something of that caliber
and that must not be ignored. Hate
Michael Bay as much as you want, but put yourself in his shoes and Transformers 2 would probably have
been even worse. Maybe it should not be
called a movie as much as it is a capitalist venture. Besides, there's no denying that Hollywood is a conglomerate service business that occasionally puts out terrific products the year. Then in this case, Mr. Bay is one hell of an entrepreneur. His $200 million investment into the Transformers
sequel turned into a staggering $900 million from box office sales alone. Warren Buffet would be thoroughly impressed.
