Grizzly Review: Straw Dogs

Back in May Dr. Kronner wrote an article about the new Straw Dogs remake. Allow me to start off by saying, unlike him,  I have not seen the original version of Straw Dogs or read The Siege of Trencher’s Farm, the book that the original film was based on. So I watched it and did my best to judge the movie as it stands on its own merits, rather than how it compares to the other versions.

*Spoilers Ahead*>>>>>>>

“Los Angeles screenwriter David Sumner (James Marsden) and his wife, Amy (Kate Bosworth), move back to Amy’s hometown in the Deep South. Tensions begin to rise due to Amy’s former lover Charlie Venner (Alexander Skarsgård, True Blood), who rapes Amy after having his friends lure David out into the woods and strand him. When David agrees to help one of the locals (Walton Goggins, Justified), whose mentally retarded brother Jeremy (Dominic Purcell) has been falsely accused of rape, the normally pacifist David offer the two sanctuary and prepare to defend their home against Charlie and his friends, who seek to eliminate the people in the house.”

Thanks Wikipedia!

The film was directed, produced, and written by Rod Lurie. A former film critic who has turned out some fairly good films such as The Contender, The Last Castle, and Nothing But The Truth.

Something a lot of critics seem to be complaining about are the minor changes Lurie made to the story. Like changing David’s profession from math teacher to screenwriter, or changing the location of the film from rural England to the American south. I don’t feel any of the changes made have hurt the plot or the feel of the film.

I have also read that this version of the story is less dark and disturbing than the original film. Now, personally I didn’t feel like Lurie pulled any punches and if the original was darker and more disturbing I really don’t know what else they did to make it that way.

The rape scene alone was fairly unnerving not to mention all the killing.

One of my favorite moments in the film was when David refers to Charlie and his pals as a “…Bunch of straw dogs.”  When questioned he explains “In ancient Chinese rituals, dogs made out of straw were used as offerings to the gods. During the ritual they were treated with the utmost reverence. When it was over and they were no longer needed they were trampled on and tossed aside. They become nothing. When their football careers are over that’s all these kids become Straw dogs.”

Overall I felt the acting was really good. James Woods and James Marsden actually impressed me the most. It was also nice seeing our buddy Walton Goggins even if it was a minor role.

I recommend seeing this movie; it’s a little slow at the start but picks up in the third act.

3.5/5 Bears

Side Note: One critic (who I will not justify with a link) let’s call him Bob, complained that it made no sense that Amy didn’t tell David about her rape, and stated that this movie ended with the couple having bonded through their shared trauma. Bob is a moron. Clearly he knows nothing about how rape victims, considering more than half don’t report the crime. Also that movie ended with the main characters being horribly broken, Amy in particular.

Grizzly Review: Drive

[pullquote_left]“My hands are a little dirty.”
“So are mine.” [/pullquote_left] That’s all it took for me. When the trailer came out and I heard that exchange between Albert Brooks and Baby Goose, I knew I needed to see this movie. And now, having seen it, I can tell you that the sheer magnitude of said exchange proves to set up the entire movie from there out, with neither participant fully grasping the effect they will have on one and other.

Brooks plays an L.A. gangster that agrees to invest in a race car, and subsequently a driver. This connection is facilitated by Shannon (Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston) who knows Brook’s character from way back, and who employs Baby Goose at his garage. They plan to make a mint letting Baby Goose race.

On the home front Carey Mulligan plays the girl next door, who quite obviously becomes the catalyst that triggers all the trouble for our beloved driver. Brooks’ partner is played by Ron Perlman (Sons of Anarchy) and the cast is rounded out by Christina Hendricks (This week’s Grizzly Girl) and Oscar Isaac. So the cast as a whole is great, but they are merely more than players in the much bigger story. It’s almost as if the story is moving on its own and the characters are just along for a ride. That’s how well this movie flowed.

Vince Mancini over at Film Drunk said: Drive is Dialog-Free True Romance“. I can see where he would get that, as both Drive and True Romance are unconventional love stories with a crime element, and it even kind of felt like a Tarantino movie, just shot more beautifully and with almost none of the dialogue that QT thrives on. But for me, I think I’d say that’s only half right, and its more like a mix between True Romance and Punch Drunk Love. Never thought I’d say that…

Gosling pulls off the role perfectly, and the pacing, music, and cinematography all lend to an aesthetic that delivers a unique movie going experience. Not at all like the action movie some of the trailers made it out to look like, Drive is so much more than that.

In the end we are met with more ambiguity then I’d like, but overall I loved this movie. It’s one of those where you walk out of the theater with music that you’ve never even heard prior still resonating in your head. It’s a movie that can stick with you, unlike so many new films which are forgotten by the time you reach your car, this is one that will ensure conversation on the drive home.

4.5 / 5.0 Bears 

‘Hey girl!’

Breaking Bad: Season 4, Episode 10 – ‘Salud’ Review

Well well well – Pinkman is acting like a real badass tonight. But we’ll get to that. First off, the aftermath of last week as displayed by Walt’s face. Anyhow, this episode taught us 4 major things. The most obvious, Ted Beneke is an idiot. But after that, Walt looks at Jessie like a son, you really shouldn’t mess with Gus, and Jessie Pinkman can no longer be underestimated. Kid pulled through in the clutch.

So let’s take a look. First, Beneke. This guy is like an anchor who sinks everything in his path. Against the advice of our favorite lawyer Saul Goodman, Skyler gives Ted the money he needs to payoff the IRS, disguised as a bequeathal from a relative he’s never heard of. This should end the threat of a White family audit. That is, if Ted doesn’t blow all the money first. That’s right kids, Ted buys a new car instead of paying Uncle Sam and Skyler is forced to reveal to him the true source of his newly found income. Being that Ted is an idiot, I can only assume revealing herself to him will lead to more problems.

Ted Beneke - Breaking BadSpoilers ahead…

Continue reading Breaking Bad: Season 4, Episode 10 – ‘Salud’ Review