Let’s get this out of the way: Straw Dogs is a remake of an equally brutal and controversial 1971 film starring Dustin Hoffman. I have never seen the original, so my impression of this remake/update is completely as a stand-alone film. Apparently the original was a shocker, and was banned in some places because of …
I wasn’t sure what to expect from Out of the Furnace. From the trailers, it looked like a revenge thriller, with shaggy Christian Bale toting a rifle to hunt down the rednecks who did his brother wrong. Well, that is kind of the story, but is really only half the story. Quite literally half, as …
As in any film involving the remote wilderness and frightening backwoods characters, Guardian begins as a carefree trip of independence (read: topless canoeing) and builds towards a climax of that is filled with horror, sex, betrayal, and real or imagined violence. With the menacing threat of a rapist on the loose as a backdrop, the …
Made for $2 million, the 1972 canoe-trip-gone-wrong film Deliverance not only became a huge hit upon release, but its images, music, and lines have become fully embedded in pop culture since then. Anyone who has seen the film, especially any man, will shudder with horror at the infamous line, “Squeal like a pig!” And when …