Thursday, May 19, 2011
Straw Dogs
I recently discovered that this is being remade. No i will not see the remake. Not ever. Why? Well i'd rather just watch the original again. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, Straw Dogs (1971) is an amazing film. It is, however, not for everyone. This film is very shocking in it's violence and sexuality. One of Dustin Hoffmans greatest performances, and my favorite film by Sam Peckinpah (Wild Bunch, The Getaway).
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OK, I hear Pauline Kael's bitchy grandaughter in there again. I don't wanna go to the mat for this peice of shit remake but the idea that there can be nothing about it worth watching simply because the original was good is a bit too close minded for a girl who liked Pootie Tang. I'd cite how horribly the 1941 Bogart Maltese Falcon "soiled" the original 1931 version in both production and public reception. Was that epic failure of film doomed simply because it was a remake? There are WAAAY too many remakes I fully agree but the positive is it opens the door for the uninitiated. After seeing this movie there will inevitably be younger or less film savy viewers who will seek out the Peckinpah when they might never have without these shitty remakes. Luckily the industry has at least had the good sense to remake mostly shit. As much as I love, LOOOOVE b-horror slashers and sci-fi I'm happy to see them chucked under the remake bus for the interest they will drum up. Think of how many younger moviegoers checked out the original True Grit or better yet read the book and wondered why many of Charles Portis' novels aren't even in print because there's just no interest. Perhaps the interest this film might spark could create a market enabling the next Sam Packinpah to get his opportunity. Your passion for films is so strong and versatile and frankly astounding at times. You've seen so many films I KNOW you can spot a good one, but I would challenge that you must first walk the walk of shit before talking the talk of shit, by which I mean seeing the films of shit. Thanks so much for creating this blog and keep it up!!
ReplyDeleteAHA! Now that's what i'm looking for here! Oh i've seen my share of bad movies. I have noah and olivia to thank for a lot of those. My big beef with the remake of Straw Dogs in particular is the very specific and subtle way that Peckinpah blurs the line between violence and sexuality. It was such a shocking statement to be made for that time. I'm just wondering what statement Rod Lurie is hoping to make by redoing this film. I read a random comment on IMBD that sums up my feelings on this matter. "Remaking Straw Dogs would be a travesty. But putting it in the hands of a hack director with kiddy-pool deep political insights who, in interviews, has given blatant signs of missing the point of the picture while steadfastly denigrating Peckinpah, claiming that he can do a better job, and showing contempt for anybody who realizes the idiocy of his project?
ReplyDeleteWho is this guy? Why is he putting this film in the South? Straw Dogs was in Britain because Americans don't typically regard the British as brutish; they're civilized, and the English countryside is the picture of an idyllic country life. Putting it in the South will make the theme about idiotic caricatures of Deliverance-style hillbillies. It will no longer be about humanity, it will be a Southsploitation.
Sam Peckinpah was screwed over badly enough in his life. Digging up his corpse for one last giddy rape is far less than he deserves."
And yes, I very well may be the offspring of Pauline Kael and perhaps David Thompson....love your profile picture by the way...
ReplyDeleteThe hard thing about movies is that you've got to take them for what they are. I think Ebert got a lot of flack for giving "The Life of David Gale" a bad review but "Spiderman" five stars. His defense was that the movies were trying to be two different things. "David Gale" failed and "Spiderman succeeded (although I might nitpick with him on that).
ReplyDeleteRemaking a movie can be acceptable. So can changing the location or some character traits or professions to successfully update it for a modern audience. However, just changing the location to the American south for the hell of it doesn't do anything to make it relevant for contemporary movie goers. We can blame Michael Bay for missing the point when he made "Pearl Harbor" ("That movie sucked and I miss you...") but at least he wasn't remaking another movie. Rod Lurie might make a shit film, but he might make a good-but-not-as-good-as-the-original movie that examines issues not dealt with, or dealt differently, in the original.
I've never actually seen "Straw Dogs" but anything with Mr. Magorium in it has to be good.
I'm with you on the David Gale bit (didn't i see that with you?)....watch Straw Dogs and we'll continue this discussion. Noah, they should remake Battlefield Earth because they couldn't possibly make it any shittier. Or could they?
ReplyDeletemichael bay could direct it...
ReplyDeleteYES! That is exactly what it was missing...explosions with a dash of racism. Huzah!
ReplyDelete