'Straw Dogs' Atmosphere is Everything!

David Sumner (Dustin Hoffman) and Amy Sumner (Kate Bosworth) doing what needs to be done.

This isn't going be an in depth analysis of both films; basically just two simple a short reviews on how one film succeeds and how the other falls a little short.


Straw Dogs (1971)

I finally saw it, the film I've wanted to see since I first heard about it back in 2009. The film is Sam Peckinpah's Straw Dogs from 1971 starring Dustin Hoffman and Susan George. In this psychological thriller an American mathematician (Hoffman) and his young English wife (George) move to a rural England town for some peace and quite but are faced with relentless and increasing vicious harassment by various locals.

I've got say that there were quite a few moments in this film when watching Hoffman's character was like looking in the mirror; a timid, socially awkward man who is not one for confrontation. But one of the things I liked about this film was seeing the change slowly occurring within this guy; becoming the man he needs to be in order to deal with his situation.

This film has a lot of atmosphere, it feels intimidating and also I felt that I was actually in this town as unwelcome visitor. This horrible town full of ass-holes with that very typical small town mentality of 'we take care of our own' which isn't as nice as it sounds.

The acting is excellent from just about the entire cast and of course especially from Dustin Hoffman who never ceases to amaze me with his performances.

Straw Dogs is very raw in terms of film-making which I love. And in my opinion it's a staple film of 70s film-making. 

Straw Dogs (2011)

Curiosity got the better of me, I decided to watch the 2011 remake of Straw Dogs and in all honestly it wasn't that bad. The plot is the same but the film takes place in America's south instead of rural England. And the only difference the change in setting brings into the story is a religious under tone and there's also a parallel to the historic World War 2 Battle of Stalingrad but that's more in relation to James Marsden's character of David, originally played by Dustin Hoffman.

The main problem with this remake is that it lacks any real atmosphere and doesn't have that subtlety which is what made the original so effective. It's a little too over the top sometimes, the hunting scene in particular. But it has its moments, I think the best thing the film has going for it is the intensity. And the antagonists are guys you just love to hate, real animals; which makes their demise very satisfying.

The acting is hit and miss; to give you an example, James Wood's performance was a definite miss. In all his scenes he's like "Look at me, I'm acting!" And we have Dominic Purcell playing David Warner's character in the original of the mentally challenge fellow who has been unfairly branded as a paedophile by the majority of the towns folk. He wasn't very good either. James Marsden was neither good nor bad, which has basically always been my opinion of him as an actor. Kate Bosworth by far gave the best performance; she gives a lot of raw emotion. I've always been a fan of her but she is one of those good actresses who mostly appears in not so good films which is a shame.

Overall this remake tries a little too hard and doesn't have that same feeling of isolation and more importantly intimidation. 

One last thing I would like point out is the irony of David Sumner. He is a man who does not like violence, he's not a violent person himself and avoids it where and when ever possible. However his redemption in both the original and remake is violence at it's most extreme.

By Kevin Bechaz

Twitter Film Reviews (April 2013)

Well I just about doubled the amount of films that I Twitter reviewed last month; a task that is still very fun but one that hasn't become easier. It was a very mixed bag once again which to me is always great as I love variety. I've had to increase my 'Top Five Picks' to a top ten as I saw a lot of great films, most for the first time which included a Spike Lee Joint which are hard to come by in my part of the world unless you're looking for a copy of Inside Man. Overall it was a pretty good month's worth of film viewing, finishing with a film from my favourite era of cinema the 1970s. 

SMASHED (2012) is a short but realistic portrayal of alcoholism that's reminiscent of 'Days of Wine and Roses' Winstead is amazing! 4/5 [April 2^nd]

COP LAND: DIRECTOR'S CUT (1997) is the great urban western. In this cut just about every scene is a little longer which is amazing! 4.5/5 [April 3^rd]

ROOM 237 (2012) was most fascinating! The holocaust theme does hold a lot of weight but there's also a lot which is just plain nonsense. 4/5 [April 5^th]

EMPIRE OF THE SUN (1987) isn't Spielberg's best but it's an inspiring story of survival. Christian Bale was one hell of child actor. 3.5/5 [April 7^th]

SLEEPAWAY CAMP (1983) is a wet fart of a horror film, the definition of pathetic but funny as hell and the last 20 seconds are creepy. 2.5/5 [April 10^th]

DOUBT (2008) is as close to perfection as a film can get. It's a story based around ethics and decency, with phenomenal acting. 4.5/5 [April 14^th]

THE NEVERENDING STORY (1984) A visually beautiful child fantasy film. It's imaginative but the story is really quite deep and complex. 4/5 [April 14^th]

WRONG TURN (2003) is short but wastes no time in getting into the good stuff. It's full of clichés but has some genuine atmosphere. 4/5 [April 14^th] 

THE SESSIONS (2012) is a beautiful and gentle film about love and sex. The performances were terrific, especially from John Hawkes. 4/5 [April 15^th]

WARM BODIES (2013) is not a typical zombie film. It's well made, clever, funny, has a top soundtrack and leaves you feeling warm inside. 4/5 [April 16^th]

BURN AFTER READING (2008) is a wacky film, that's hard to describe. I loved the overuse of swearing and often silly dialogue. FUCKER! 3.5/5 [April 16^th] 

BERNIE (2011) was just like a Christopher Guest comedy. Totally forgot it's a true story. It's such a funny film and Jack Black's best! 4/5 [April 17^th]

OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (2013) was a lot of fun, a good mindless 80s style action flick. It was insanely violent with a massive body count. 3.5/5 [April 18^th]

KING KONG (1933) Not much to say that hasn't been said already. It's a film that never ceases to amaze when it come to special effects. 4/5 [April 20^th]

MARGARET (2011) is an emotional drama which involves a lot of people shouting at each other but not really listening. Powerful stuff! 4/5 [April 21^st]

LIFE LESSONS (1989) is definitely not Scorsese's best work. There's cool music, Nick Nolte is great but it's not very interesting. 3/5 [April 22^nd]

MISERY (1990) One of the all time great thrillers, so intense and crazy! Kathy Bates makes Nurse Ratched look like a saint. PERFECT! 5/5 [April 22^nd]

FROZEN (2010) You'll think twice about riding a chair-lift again. It wastes no time, the concept is unique and of course very bleak. 3.5/5 [April 23^rd]

GRAVEYARD SHIFT (1990) is a really gross and entertaining monster movie. It's trashy and fun. See it for Brad Dourif's character alone. 4/5 [April 23^rd]

MOONRISE KINGDOM (2012) One of the cutest films you'll ever see; a quirky story of young love with the most gorgeous cinematography. 4.5/5 [April 24^th] 

GALLIPOLI (1981) takes far too long to get going, only 35 minutes devoted to the battle. But that aside it's a very well made film. 3.5/5 [April 25^th] 

THE IMPOSSIBLE (2012) captures the chaos of the disaster brilliantly and the despair that follows; powerful stuff. Watts is amazing! 4/5 [April 26^th] 

WRECK-IT RALPH (2012) I really underestimate Disney sometimes. It's such a delightful film; very creative with beautiful animation. 4/5 [April 27^th]

PAPERMAN (2012) Absolutely beautiful! Seven minutes of the most stunning animation I've ever seen. This short is simple and sweet. 4.5/5 [April 27^th]   

HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER (1973) is quite mysterious; is PALE RIDER a sequel of sorts to this? Pretty solid early western from Eastwood. 3.5/5 [April 28^th]

MO' BETTER BLUES (1990) is a jazzed up personality piece by @SpikeLee with vivid colours, beautiful lighting and some great music. 4/5 [April 28^th]   

PROMISED LAND (2012) was a frustrating film to watch. I didn't sympathise with the sympathetic, they didn't deserve it. An okay drama. 3/5 [April 29th]

PANIC IN NEEDLE PARK (1971) is a story of love and heroin. It's raw and pure 70's film-making that captures the despair of addiction. 4/5 [April 30^th]

Top Ten Picks

1.) Cop Land (1997)

2.) Misery (1990) 

3.) Dount (2008)

4.) Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

5.) Smashed (2012)

6.) Bernie (2011)

7.) Mo' Better Blues (1990)

8.) Margaret (2011)

9.) Paperman (2012)

10.) Panic in Needle Park (1971)

If you wish to follow me on Twitter you'll find me @DrHasslein

Top Five Favourite War Films

Today being ANZAC Day here in Australia I decided that is was a good opportunity for me to write about some of my all time favourite war films; a genre I very much enjoy. Some parts of what you are about to read might be considered slight spoilers but I wanted to write freely about these films plus you've most likely seem them before any way.     

1.) Saving Private Ryan (1998)

In my opinion to first film to really show the sheer brutality of war. It hits you right in face and doesn't let up for almost 30 minutes. I'll never forget watching it for the first time with my parents back when it was a new release on VHS. I actually remember my Dad's reaction to what we were seeing more than my personal viewing experience. The moment the door came down on that landing craft, exposing the soldiers to that relentless machine gun fire, almost instant cutting them down is by far my most vivid memory of first seeing the film, as I'm sure it is for a lot of people. 

The three things I love about Saving Private Ryan is the authenticity, honesty and characters. The authenticity for the film's production design, it looks and feels so real and the attention to detail is staggering. It's honesty because it does not shy away from anything and the characters for not being so generic and one dimensional, especially Tom Hanks as Capt. John Miller. A true soldier and leader, focused on carrying out his missing despite his personal feelings towards it. We know little about him for the majority of the film as he is extremely private in regards to his civilian life, probably as a safe guard against forming emotional bonds with his men. A wise policy as it is war after wall, where life constantly hangs on a thread. It's an amazingly well made film. 

2.) Apocalypse Now (1979)

There's something very surreal about Francis Ford Coppola's nightmarish depiction of the war in Vietnam. The vivid use of colours mainly shades of orange and reds give the film a very distinct look. I love the journey aspect of this film, being on board that tiny boat with such diverse characters; getting to know each one bit by over the course of the film. And the gradual build up to finally meeting the rogue Colonel Walter E. Kurtz is brilliant. It's the whole mystery that surrounds him; will he even been at this supposed destination? Is he just an soldier gone AWOL or will he turn out to be the devil himself. He's portrayed as like some mythical figure.     

Which version of the film do I prefer? I would have to say Redux, simply because it's longer. I mean this film is so awesome the longer it is the better.  


3.) The Guns of Navarone (1961)

This was first classic war film I ever saw and one of the first films to finally make me realise that not all old films are boring and silly. This World War 2 epic boasts an impressive cast of high calibre actors, such as Gregory Peck, David Niven and Anthony Quinn.

Like Apocalypse Now I really love the journey aspect to this film. It's a constant up-hill battle and the stakes are very high as hundred of lives depend on this team of saboteurs destroying these two enormous and highly accurate fortified German guns. 

The plot is well paced, it's intense and the pay off is very satisfying despite some of the effects being a little dated but pretty impressive for it's time. If you want to start exploring some of the classic war films The Guns of Navarone is a great place to start.

4.) The Longest Day (1962)

The film starring everyone! Forty two international stars according to the poster. This is the big budget Hollywood dramatisation of the D-Day Landings on the beaches of Normandy, France on June 6th 1944 as part of Operation Overlord. 

This three hour epic takes the unusual approach of giving the audience a look from the perspectives of both the Allies and German armed forces. I wouldn't say it's a balanced look as the Germans clearly are the "bad guys", but it's more from a strategic point of view. We get a idea of the mind set and mentality of these two great opposing forces. It's fascinating to watch. 

The lead up the landings is my favourite part of the film. Watching everything unfold, the speeches, the preparation, the flexing of military might is so awe inspiring. The rest of the film is pretty much just battle sequences which are pretty spectacular to say the least. The Longest Day is one very entertaining war film.    

5.) Downfall (2004) 
A very dramatic, brilliantly acted and disturbing depiction of Adolf Hitler's finals days down inside his Berlin bunker at the end of World War 2. The film responsible for countless Internet video parodies of significant and popular new events, which of course only work if you don't understand German.  

The film is centred on Hitler's last personal secretary Traudl Junge. We see most of the goings on in those final days from her point of view. Hitler is played by Swiss actor Bruno Granz who without a doubt gives one of the greatest performances of all time; all you can see is Hitler when you watch this guy. 
And it's not just ranking and raving, you really get an idea of how delusional Hitler was towards the end. And the film itself is very tricky as there are moments when you almost feel sorry him, as messed up as that sounds. Overall is it's an incredible film and one of the all time great achievements in German film-making. 


Yes I know, it's ANZAC Day and I didn't mention any Aussie war films. I'm not saying that there aren't any good ones, there are some truly great ones but I just haven't seen that many. However I will be watching Peter Weir's 1981 epic Gallipoli tonight. A film I really wanted to talk about above but it's been a ten years since I saw it and that was in high school which is not the ideal setting for watching films. So watch this space as I'll be updating this blog post after I watch the film. 






  

The video version is now available to watch in HD on my YouTube channel.

Running time is approx 7 minutes.  

Twitter Film Reviews (March 2013)

I've been doing this for almost a month now and I must say that writing film reviews on Twitter is a fun and often challenging little activity. Of course it's very limited with only 140 characters, but that's the best part, you have to choose you words and phrases very carefully. I suggest making friends with a thesaurus if you wish taking this up. 

Anyway below are all my reviews for March, I decided to post them on my blog as it's much easier for people to view rather than scrolling through my Twitter feed trying to find them all.

I hope you enjoy them and at the bottom of the page you'll find my top five picks of the month.  

GREEN ZONE (2010) was better than I was expecting. A war film not so much about war itself but about the lie that lead to a war. 3.5/5 [Date: March 17th]

THE INNOCENTS (1961) Despite the two very annoying children it had a genuinely creepy atmosphere and Deborah Kerr was great. 3/5 [Date: March 17th]

CHERNOBYL DIARIES (2012) isn't as bad as people say IMO. Generic characters but I loved the location which was the real highlight. 3.5/5 [Date: March 17th]

THE CAINE MUTINY (1954) Apart from a pointless subplot, it's a well directed and acted wartime drama, also one of Bogart's best roles. 4/5 [Date: March 21st]

VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED (1960) is one very effective and well made film given its low budget. The children are so genuinely creepy. 4.5/5 [Date: March 22nd]

THE TOWN: EXTENDED CUT (2010) is much better than the theatrical cut. Nothing specific exactly, I just think it's a more complete film. 4/5 [Date: March 23rd]

THE MASTER (2012) is an interesting film but very slow. It's a film you watch for the performances rather than for the plot PIG FUCK! 3.5/5 [Date: March 24th]

IN A LONELY PLACE (1950) wasn't what I was expecting, it’s a strong drama, solid acting but I was expecting more of a character piece. 3.5/5 [Date: March 24th]

CHILDREN OF THE DAMNED (1964) is a weak sequel to the original. It lacks atmosphere, the children aren't scary and just feels pointless. 2/5 [Date: March 25th]

SANDS OF IWO JIMA (1949) is a war film apparently, but not a very good one. It's too light hearted with an over use of stock footage. 2.5/5 [Date: March 25th]

FROST/NIXON (2008) is like a verbal boxing match. It's a riveting drama with an amazing cast. Langella and Sheen are both excellent. 4.5/5 [Date: March 28th]

IN DARKNESS (2011) is a pretty remarkable story. It's confronting and disturbing but at times feels like just another holocaust film. 3.5/5 [Date: March 29th]

KILLING THEM SOFTLY (2012) is not your typical gangster flick. It shows that even the underworld is not immune to financial despair. 3.5/5 [Date: March 31st]

THE CABLE GUY (1996) is an excellent dark comedy. It's bizarre and makes an interesting point about society's obsession with TV. 4/5 [Date: March 31st]

TITANIC: The Final Word with James Cameron (2012) was fascinating beyond words; 90 minutes devoted to just the sinking. I was in heaven! 5/5 [Date: March 31st]

Top Five Picks

1.) TITANIC: The Final Word with James Cameron (2012) 

2.) The Cable Guy (1996)

3.) Village of the Damned (1960)

4.) The Caine Mutiny (1954)

5.) Frost/Nixon (2008)

If you wish to follow me on Twitter you'll find me @DrHasslein