STRAW DOGS (2011)

Straw Dogs stars James Marsden, Kate Bosworth, Alexander Skarsgard, Laz Alonso and James Woods. Directed by Rod Lurie. Rated R with a running time of 1 hour and 45 minutes. Remake of the 1971 film of the same name.

Plot: David and Amy Sumner (James Marsden and Kate Bosworth), a Hollywood screenwriter and his actress wife, return to her small hometown in the deep South to prepare the family home for sale after her father's death. Once there, tensions build in their marriage and old conflicts re-emerge with the locals, including Amy's ex-boyfriend Charlie (Alexander Skarsgård), leading to a violent confrontation.

I'd never seen the original Straw Dogs so I didn't really know much about the movie going in to it. For what it is, Straw Dogs is an ok thriller with some good acting and a pretty good climactic ending. James Marsden is very solid here as a man who is eventually driven to a breaking point of violence to fight for his home and wife. You feel for the guy and you're rooting for him after you see what these southern rednecks do to provoke him. Marsden's David sticks out like a sore thumb in the South and the townies are always giving him a hard time, while oogling his wife. Skarsgard is also pretty good as Charlie who seems like a friendly, kind construction worker, but he has other motives as he used to be Amy's boyfriend. I gotta say that Marsden was pretty badass in the climactic confrontation and was calm and cool and knew what to do. James Marsden....the next action star?? Kate Bosworth was alright and she is definitely attractive.

Some things I really didn't like about the movie was a subplot that involved James Woods. He plays a former high school football coach who is now the town drunk. He really hams it up here and was extremely annoying when on-screen. This subplot also involves a mentally handicapped man who previously harassed a young girl in town. Released from prison the whole town is always watching him and keeping him away from teenaged girls. If you are thinking that this plot doesn't sound like it has anything to do with the main plot then you are pretty much right. They do find a way to connect the two but it came off as lazy and just not done very well.

Straw Dogs is a decently made thriller that is pretty entertaining but that subplot is very distracting and feels as if it is from some other movie. James Marsden though gives a strong performance and he is the primary reason to see this film. Plus he is involved in the best scene that involves a bear trap. Yeah I bet you can guess where that is heading.

B-

WARRIOR

Warrior stars Joel Edgerton, Tom Hardy, Nick Nolte and Jennifer Morrison. Directed by Gavin O'Connor. Rated PG-13 with a running time of 2 hours and 19 minutes.

Plot: Haunted by a tragic past, Marine Tommy Conlon (Hardy) returns home for the first time in fourteen years to enlist the help of his father (Nick Nolte) to train for Sparta, the biggest winner-takes-all event in mixed martial arts history. A former wrestling prodigy, Tommy blazes a path toward the championship while his brother, Brendan (Edgerton), an ex-fighter-turned teacher, returns to the ring in a desperate bid to save his family from financial ruin. But when Brendan's unlikely, underdog rise sets him on a collision course with the unstoppable Tommy, the two brothers must finally confront each other and the forces that pulled them apart, facing off in the most soaring, soul stirring, and unforgettable climax that must be seen to be believed.

Wow Warrior is a fresh breath of air in the sports drama category. Of course it's got some awesome fighting scenes but the acting is the part that really stood out for me. All the intense drama and seeing it unfold in the ring near the end was just plain awesome as a movie lover. Tom Hardy is probably one of the strongest actors working right now and his part as Tommy should earn him an Oscar Nomination. He's so intense and I really can't wait to see him join Christopher Nolan's Batman finale as Bane. Joel Edgerton does fine work but the other two actors stood out to me more.

Nick Nolte (who also deserves an Oscar Nod) gives a heartbreaking performance as a former alcoholic trying to reconnect with his sons, who want nothing to do with him. He takes their emotional abuse because he knows he deserves it. He was the reason his family split up and 14 years ago Tommy (Hardy) went with their mother and Brendan (Edgerton) stayed behind with their dad. Both were great wrestlers but dad, Paddy (Nolte) seemed to always take an interest in Tommy. So when Tommy returns 14 years later he wants his dad to train him for the big Sparta tournament but thats all he wants from him. Inevitably the two brothers will face off in the ring and I promise you that that moment is amazing. The beauty of this film is that you are rooting for both brothers and you want both of them to win, but obviously that can't happen.

Warrior has all the head-splitting, bone-crushing action you could want from a movie about MMA, but it is also great drama and you feel for each and every character. The ending is so unpredictable and you never know what's going to happen and that's another thing I loved about this movie. Great acting, great sports action. I'm going to predict that Warrior will probably be my favorite movie of the year and it is definitely one of the best movies of the year.

A