From 'Sin City' to 'Sneakers': Movies that could be TV shows

It's weird to be writing about movies at a time when they are disappearing right before our eyes. They're getting pulled and postponed. Some are even halting shooting. And I am more or less afraid to leave my apartment.

It's going to feel like The Omega Man pretty soon.

I have found solace however, in my far too extensive at home movie collection. All day I've been binging documentaries, comedies, dramas and the random Charles Bronson '80s dreck -- why -- because they're some of my greatest guilty pleasures.

Since there is not much new to discuss -- I figured I'd addressed a random topic that just 'popped' in there.: What are movies that could have made good TV shows?

Well, funny I should ask myself... These are just off the top of my head...

CopLand - The premise of this melodrama -- it's about a town outside NYC dominated by cops and their families -- is so full of potential, I could see a long-running HBO series out of it. The film works in spite of the fact that it as a very overstuffed narrative on the strengths of it's performances, especially Sylvester Stallone's. But a series would give all the side characters and side stories time to breathe.

Fletch - I mean this is one my favorite movies, so I can never get enough of it. For years there has been talk of rebooting it, first with an older Chevy Chase and later people as good as Jason Sudekis and bad as Zach Braff in the lead. But now Deadpool is sort of taking that slot as the movies' favorite smart aleck, so why not the small screen? I have no idea who you'd cast though. There really isn't a comedy star right now who fits the profile.

Sin City - I think if this were to ever be revisited it'd be hard to better replicate the visual style of Frank Miller's noir series than the Robert Rodriguez films. but I could also see a less faithful adaptation being really interesting -- sort of like HBO's recent exploration of The Watchmen. and yet I don't know if the disappointing Sin City sequel has left a permanent distaste for this franchise.

School Daze - Spike Lee's ambitious musical/drama about life at a HBCU is full of potential plotlines and issues to explore -- just the movie's portrayal of colorism and intra-black prejudice alone would be a stellar hour of television.I was not a fan of Lee's TV version of She's Gotta Have It and I might to see a pair of fresh eyes on this material since it's been a very long time since 1988.

Firestarter - I know this Stephen King adaptation is kind of a mess but there are a lot of interesting little scenes and moments that really work and the overall concept of a girl with powers on the run from a shadowy organization -- is fun. Now that effects are better, this is material that could really be revitalized.

Pulp Fiction - It's a perfect stand alone film -- I wouldn't mess with these characters pe se, but you can expand this universe to tell other lurid crime stories with a similar aesthetic. It could be an almost Twilight Zone type situation. If Tarantino really does prematurely retire, I would love to see him get involved with something episodic or serialized like this. I suspect his style could adapt very well to TV.

Sneakers -I love this quirky gang who get paid to break into security systems -- how has this cult hit never been revisited. It would need a fresh new cast but I'd love to maintain the same dynamics (ex-radical and his merry misfits). Again, modern technology can really kick this up a notch and it would just be fun to watch, what more can I say...