Some stories are classic. All film versions of The Three Musketeers spawned from the 19th century novel by Alexandre Dumas. The story — in varying degrees of faithfulness to the source material — has been translated into film 20 times, not counting the animated spoofs like the immortal Barbie and the Three Musketeers in 2009. So it should come as no surprise that we will be treated to a 21st version coming to theaters next month. Thinking that there could be nothing new to add after a score of movies has already been done? This will be the first Musketeers movie… in 3D.

The Thing is certainly a film worthy of a remake. So much so, that it has been done already — almost 30 years ago. In 1982 director John Carpenter took the original sci-fi classic and re-jigged it into a horror film. Now, sixty years after the original film came out, Hollywood is dusting off and modernizing the story once again. I think I’ll skip this one and wait for the 2031 version.

Why remake Footloose? I just don’t know. Footloose was a hit in its day, grossing a respectable (for 1984) $80 million on an $8 million budget. The entire plot can be summed up in a single sentence. According to IMDB, “City kid Ren McCormack moves from Boston to an old-fashioned and uptight Bomont, and rebels against its law that bans dancing and rock music.” That’s really the whole story. I don’t see much re-makeable about this film. Even if you focus exclusively on the 80s nostalgia market, I can think of a dozen other 80s movies more worthy of a remake than Footloose.

Maybe one of these will surprise us and prove to be remake-worthy. I think The Three Musketeers probably offers the most hope. Check back here at Flick Rev when the movies come out for insightful reviews and commentary before you spend your hard-earned bucks at the theater.

But to take a book like The Lord of the Rings, Twilight, or Harry Potter and turn it into a film you must take into account the reaction of the legions of devoted fans who have their own ideas about how their favorites characters should look, sound, and act in real life. Which brings us to The Hunger Games, due to hit theaters in March 2012. The hugely popular book, written by Suzanne Collins, is sparse on description and detail. Collins prefers to press ahead with the action rather than spend paragraph after paragraph describing the appearance of the forest. She tells you it’s a forest and moves on to what happens in the forest. The details are left to your imagination.

Which is a style that is ripe for the conversion to the silver screen. Unlike, for example, JRR Tolkein who described every aspect of Middle Earth in such detail that the filmmakers had little choice but to create a world and characters that matched visually, Collins’ world is painted in broad strokes which can be interpreted more freely for the movie.

The biggest obstacles to translating the story to a film is the amount of time that Katniss spends alone with her thoughts and her rapidly shifting motivations for her actions. While her thoughts and intentions are crystal clear to the reader, significant changes will be necessary to convey the same on screen.

With a $75 million budget and a solid cast, headed by Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen and including Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, and Lenny Kravitz – who was born to play Cinna – The Hunger Games appears to be on track to satisfy the hoards of fans of the series and two sequels are almost guaranteed.

Why am I going on about a lost 87-year-old film now?  Because as of last week the film is no longer lost.  Well, not all of it, anyway.  A film archivist pouring through the vast collection of a deceased film buff found the first three reels of the six reel film tucked away in a vault in New Zealand.

The half-movie will premier again (maybe that should be “remier”?*) next month in Hollywood.  No word yet on just how this is going to work.  Will the Hollywood elite gussy up to be seen going to an old silent movie without an ending?  Maybe, maybe not.  Film historians, on the other hand, will flock from the four corners of the Earth to see this priceless discovery – with or without a red carpet and paparazzi.  The opportunity to see a ‘new’ film by Alfred Hitchcock – the mastermind behind such greats as Dial M for Murder, Psycho, Rear Window, Vertigo, The Man Who Knew Too Much, North by Northwest and The Birds – hasn’t come along since his final film, Family Plot, was released in 1976.  Barring another even more improbable discovery it will never happen again.

*The term “remier” is copyright 2011 by Flickrev.com.  All rights reserved.  You may not use the term “remier” without the express written consent of Flickrev.com and the National Football League.

X-Men: First Class

A prequel to the first three X-Men movies, X-Men: First Class is set in period before Professor Xavier and Magneto became mortal enemies. Matthew Vaughn follows a younger Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr as they lead a team of mutants and save the world from nuclear annihilation and, in the process, shows us how the two powerful friends clash and break off into different missions: Professor X leadings his X-Men to fight for good and Magneto spreading destruction with his Brotherhood.

Directed by Matthew Vaughn. Starring James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon, Caleb Landry Jones, January Jones and Lucas Till. Opens June 3.

Beginners

Ewan MacGregor stars as Oliver, whose father, Hal, has just passed away. He meets Anna by chance and this floods Oliver with memories of his father, who at 75, after 44 years of marriage, came out to live a very colorful gay life. Now, Oliver uses all the things his father has taught him after coming out to build a relationship with Anna.

Directed by Mike Mills. Starring Ewan MacGregor, Christopher Plummer and Melanie Laurent. Opens June 3.

Submarine

This coming-of-age comedy follows the tales of 15-year-old Oliver Tate as he tries to lose his virginity before his next birthday. At the same time, he’s also preventing his mother from having an affair with a smooth-talking spiritual guru after his father loses all will to fight for their marriage.

Directed by Richard Ayoade. Starring Craig Roberts, Noah Taylor, Sally Hawkins and Paddy Considine. Opens June 3.

The Lion of Judah

Judah the Lamb has the whitest coat of the animals and is the perfect candidate to be the guest of honor at the Passover celebrations. But being the guest of honor also means being the Passover sacrifice and Judah’s friends will not allow that to happen. Six farm animals leave the safety of their barn to rescue Judah and give him a second chance.

Directed by Roger Hawkins and Deryck Broom. Featuring voices of Ernest Bornine, Michael Madsen, Scott Eastwood and Sandi Patti. Opens June 3.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

The fourth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, On Stranger Tides follows Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and his long-lost love, Angelica (Penelope Cruz), as they search for the Fountain Of Youth and confront the infamous legendary pirate, Blackbeard (Ian McShane). The fourth installment draws inspiration from the book, On Stranger Tides, written by Tim Powers.

Opens May 20, 2011

The Hangover 2

The boys are back and this time, they’ve gone to Bangkok. This time around, Stu (Ed Helms) is the one getting married. And he’s got one request: no more Vegas and no more drinking, only pancakes and coffee. But things never go as planned. And two nights before the wedding, in a breathtaking resort in Thailand, with one sealed bottle of beer each, what could happen?

Opens May 26, 2011

Kung Fu Panda 2

Po is now living the dream life, as the Dragon Warrior, alongside his kung fu masters, the Furious Five. But a new villain threatens their village and will use a secret, unstoppable weapon that will conquer China and destroy kung fu. Po must now unlock the secrets of his past and use them to succeed in this battle.

Opens May 27, 2011

The Tree of Life

From the acclaimed director of The Thin Red Line and Badlands, Terrence Malick brings us his latest film. The Tree Of Life stars Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain and Sean Penn. The Tree Of Life follows the life of the eldest son, Jack, as he tries come to deals with the complicated relationship he has with his father.

Opens May 27, 2011

Best Narrative Feature – “She Monkeys”

A Swedish narrative film directed by Lisa Aschan, She Monkeys is the story of 15-year-old Emma and her quest for equestrian gold. An older peer in the field, Cassandra, takes her under her wing. Emma envies Cassandra’s grace and poise, and Cassandra also becomes envious of Emma. Their friendship is tested even more as they jockey for the top position and realize whether loyalty or power is more important.

Best Screenplay – Jannicke Systad Jacobsen “Turn Me On, Goddamit”

Alma lives in a small town where nothing happens except her big, active imagination and even more active libido. Longing and looking for love, she finds solace in a kindly phone sex operator and a lively imagination. But a titillatingly awkward encounter with the school heartthrob makes her a social outcast. If only moving out of town were so easy.

Best Narrative Short – “Man and Boy”

A father takes matter into his own hands when he believes his son has been sexually assaulted. A suspected pedophile has been found dead outside a building of high-rise flats. Did he jump? Or was he pushed?

Best Feature Film (Online) – “Donor Unknown”

JoEllen Marsh has always known she was the product of her mother and a sperm donor. But when the innocent registration in a donor registry website revealed numerous brothers and sisters through the sperm donor, she contemplates whether she should look for Donor No. 150 and meet him once and for all.

Best Short (Online) – “The Dungeon Master”

Shane and his friends thought it would be fun to play Dungeons and Dragons again. Nobody remembers the game rules, and they invite a game master to join them. They soon find out he’s not exactly just a man in a cape.

Heineken Audience Award – “Give Up Tomorrow”

Give Up Tomorrow follows the high-profile trial of accused Paco Larranaga. From the courts of the Philippines to jail in Spain, his trials become a 13-year journey of trying to prove his innocence.

Here’s a list of must-watch movies.

Jesus Henry Christ (Feature)
Starring Toni Collette, Michael Sheen Director/Writer: Dennis Lee

10-year-old boy genius Henry James Herman and his left-wing single mom Patricia, who works at the local university’s cafeteria, crosses paths with 12-year-old Audrey and her single father, university professor Dr. Slavkin O’Hara, when Henry is awarded a scholarship to the university as a child prodigy.

The Kite (Feature)
Director/Writer: Prashant Bhargava

Set against the backdrop of India’s largest kite festival, the Uttarayan, The Kite follows the story of Jayesh, who has returned to his ancestral home after a five-year absence, with his daughter, Priya. The matriarch, sister-in-law and nephew all question Jayesh’s return but Priya uses the trip to break free from tradition.

The Bully Project (Documentary)
Director: Lee Hirsch

A powerful documentary on bullying, The Bully Project follows the lives in a year of five kids and their families. Two families deal with the aftermath of their sons’ suicides and one mother faces incarceration after threatening her daughter’s bullies with a gun. And that’s not all. In the Sioux City Community School District, bullying continues, undetected.

Give Up Tomorrow (Documentary)
Director: Michael Collins

In 1997, two sisters went missing. The next day, 19-year-old Paco Larranaga was arrested for kidnapping, rape and murder of the two sisters. Dubbed the “trial of the century,” Larranaga, along with six other men, will go through a legal ordeal that never gave them a fair fight.

Jiro Dreams Of Sushi (Documentary)
Director: David Gelb

David Gelb follows renowned master sushi chef Jiro Ono, who is also the owner of the esteemed 10-seat, $300-a-plate Sukiyabashi Jiro in Tokyo, through his process and craft of artisan sushi, and how he earned his three Michelin stars.

Donor Unknown (Documentary)
Director: Jerry Rothwell

The only thing JoEllen Marsh knew about her biological father was that he was Donor 150. Using the internet and social media, she finds more brothers and sisters and a whole new family she never knew existed.

Arthur

Starring Russell Brand, Arthur has always relied on two things: his great fortune and his long-time nanny Hobson, played by Helen Mirren, to keep him in check. But when he has to decide between an arranged marriage that will ensure his fortunes or to risk it all for the love of his life, Naomi, played by Greta Gerwig, he must make a decision that will change his entire life.

Hanna

Starring Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana and Cate Blanchett, Hanna, played by Ronan, has been brought up to become a perfect assassin by her father, played by Eric Bana. Her ultimate test when her father sends her out on a mission in Europe. But a ruthless intelligence operative, played by Cate Blanchett, tries to stop her mission in every step. As Hanna fights it off, she is forced to face her existence and true humanity.

Your Highness

Two princes have been sent on a mission to save the heir apparent’s fiancee and their land. But while one prince is a true hero, the other one is a good-for-nothing younger brother who will do anything to avoid dragons and evil and everything in between. James Franco stars as the hero and Danny McBride plays his younger brother.

Soul Surfer

Soul Surfer is the story of teenage surfer Bethany Hamilton, who lost her arm in a shark attack while surfing. Bethany defies all odds and becomes a surfing champion again. Soul Surfer stars Anna Sophia Robb, Helen Hunt and Carrie Underwood, in her film acting debut.

Exodus Fall

Set in Texas in 1974, Exodus Fall follows the story of three siblings who struggle to live their lives with their abusive mother, especially after the death of their father. When one of siblings is taken away when the mother cannot cope with his autism, the other siblings make a plan to get him back and trek to their grandmother’s house to get away from their mother.

All these films open on Friday, April 8, 2011.

April 1

Hop

Featuring the voices of James Marsden, Russell Brand, Kaley Cuoco, Elizabeth Perkins and Hugh Laurie, Hop is the story of E.B., the teenage son of the Easter Bunny. He leaves for Hollywood the day before he’s supposed to take over the business to become a drummer. When he arrives in Hollywood, he is hit by Fred’s car and forces Fred to take him in as a houseguest. Fred takes him in, not knowing he’s just brought in the worst houseguest ever.

Insidious

Starring Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne, Insidious is a horror film about a family who moves into a house that turns out to be haunted and somehow puts their son into a coma. They move houses to escape from the house and save their son but realize too late that it wasn’t the house that was haunted.

Source Code

Jake Gyllenhaal and Michelle Monaghan star in this action thriller that transplants Gyllenhaal in the body of a stranger during the last eight minutes of his life. He’s part of a program called the “Source Code” set to find the bomber responsible for blowing a Chicago commuter train. Each time he comes back, he must gather different clues to discover the identity of the bomber.

Cat Run

Anthony and Julian both have failed dreams. So together they start a detective agency to give their lives meaning. But on their first day and their first case, they must help protect a sexy, high-class escort who holds the key evidence to a scandalous cover-up. Now, they must protect her and themselves from the mob, a corrupt US Senator and a Mary Poppins-like assassin, who will stop at nothing to hide the truth.

Super

Rainn Wilson stars as loser Frank, who watches his wife, played by Liv Tyler, get willingly kidnapped by a drug dealer, played by Kevin Bacon. He decides to fight back as a superhero named Crimson Bolt and get back his wife. With a hand-made suit, a wrench and his sidekick, played by Ellen Page, he will fight the bad guys until he rescues his wife.

All movies open on Friday, April 1, 2011.

Thor, starring Kenneth Branagh, is set to premier in May. Thor is a Marvel Comics superhero loosely based on the god of thunder from Norse mythology. The movie chronicles Thor’s fall from grace among the Norse gods, banishment to earth as punishment, and road to redemption. The movie is tied into the Marvel universe of movies by the after-the-credits tag from Iron Man 2.

Next up from Marvel is Captain America, scheduled to debut in theaters July 22nd. Captain America is one of the oldest characters in Marvel’s library, actually predating the company itself (Cap was originally part of long-since defunct Timely Comics back in the 1940s). The advanced trailers indicate a straight-forward origin story, which would set the film back during World War II. Fans of the comic, armed with the knowledge that Cap is slated to play a major role in next year’s Avengers movie, have a good idea how this film is going to end. But will the studio be willing to take a chance on a downer ending that will have to wait a year for recovery?

X-Men First Class is a prequel to the successful X-Men franchise. It’s even a prequel to the previous prequel, X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The new film will feature a young (pre-wheelchair) Charles Xavier and Magneto working together to gather their first group of super powered mutants. A few hard core comics continuity nuts may groan at the use of modern characters in the prequel, but for most of us it’s the more the merrier when it comes to stocking up on super powered mutant misfits.

DC Comics, Marvel’s publishing rival, is sneaking into the lineup with Green Lantern. DC has had mixed results with their films in recent years. The Batman reboot was critically and commercially successful. The same cannot be said for Superman Returns (which was disappointing on all fronts), The Losers (which I liked but certainly did not qualify as a blockbuster), or Jonah Hex (which wasn’t as bad as reported, but wasn’t good either). With the next Batman installment still a year off, the Superman re-reboot lost in development, and Wonder Woman still dragging along in a decade of chaos, Green Lantern is DC’s one chance to show themselves still relevant in the movie industry dominated by their rivals.