A remake of Sam Peckinpah’s Straw Dogs (keep your eyes peeled for the sweet headlights shot at the 12-second mark above) isn’t a bad idea in and of itself, but hiring no-name director Rod Lurie (Nothing But the Truth, Resurrecting the Champ ring a bell? …Anyone?  …Bueller?) and casting James Marsden as the lead doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.  Nausea, perhaps, but not confidence.

The new “Straw Dogs” follows Los Angeles screenwriter David Sumner (Marsden), who moves with his wife to her hometown in the deep South. Once there, tensions build in their marriage and old conflicts re-emerge with the locals, leading to a violent confrontation.  The original, co-written and directed by Sam Peckinpah, saw Dustin Hoffman in the role of Sumner, with the story set in rural England. [THR]

Instead of a violent gang rape and subsequent gun fight as in the original, the new version will have a dance contest followed by an underground MMA fight.  It’s essentially the same social critique, just… updated.

Summit Entertainment released the first ten minutes of Sex Drive online, and you can watch it after the jump.  I feel bad for this movie, because I feel like it would’ve been a hit if it’d been released before they had a chance to make those 15 direct-to-DVD American Pie sequels.  I even take back what I said about James Marsden being a bad choice for this.  Still, I’m sick of all these goddamned stories about the biggest nerd in high school who still manages to get laid by the end of the movie.  Whatever, dude, we’ll see who’s cool when the real cool guy is writing sarcastic things about you on the internet in ten years.  Betcha won’t feel so cool then, will ya?  Dick.

Also, there’s some tasty high school chick thong action around the 7-minute mark, and I know how much my lady readers enjoy that kind of thing. Read the rest of this entry »

This is my last post before Vince gets back and starts tannin’ hides and bustin’ rhymes, so I’ll leave you with some words of wisdom from Tracy Jordan: “Live every week like it’s shark week.”

Here’s the red-band trailer for Sex Drive, which has a little more footage than the last trailer. I’m still on the fence about this. James Marsden playing the tough guy is about as believable as Michelle Rodriguez playing a fairy godmother.  But I’m a sucker for a good mascot-costume’s-mouth-is-in-a-different-place joke.

Boring movie news day here on FilmDrunk continues with the trailer for Sex Drive (after the jump), an indie comedy directed by an unknown named Sean Anders, starring Josh Zuckerman and James Marsden.  I thought it looked lame at first, but the "The big Mexican won’t go down!" scene at the end of the trailer kind of won me over.

I like how the guy from 27 Dresses is trying to shake off his Nancy-man image by playing the redneck older brother.  He looks a little uncomfortable, like he’s auditioning for the Gay Shame Parade.  That’s where a bunch of gay guys in suits march down mainstreet pretending to like football and having awkward personal space issues.