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The original Straw Dogs film was directed by Sam Peckinpah in 1971 and had distinctly controversial subject matter. The concepts of rape, murder and violence was not mainstream material to portray in graphic detail on film. If we judge the film by today’s standards, considering what we see on primetime cable, will this remake directed by Rod Lurie raise as many eyebrows and cause as much furor as it did in the ’70′s? Will it be any more or less controversial now in the year 2011? Are we more or less culturally sensitive now as opposed to 1971? Unless our views on morality and these disturbing issues have changed radically since 1971, I’m certain this remake will at the least garner intrinsically shocked reactions and leave open to question as to how much is too much to depict in film.

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Yet the buzz surrounding this film isn’t only because of the sinister subject matter or its dauntless director Rod Lurie. It’s due mainly to the casting of a Swedish actor whose star is on a meteoric rise. Alexander Skarsgard has gained the attention of fame due to his quasi villainous role as roguish Viking vampire Eric Northman on True Blood. Unlike his loveable, antihero vampire persona on the HBO hit which just concluded its 4th season, Skarsgard’s role as Charlie Venner in Straw Dogs is one that is unlikeable in the extreme. There is no mistaking the fact that Skarsgard is a true villain in the remake of the Peckinpah psychological thriller.

Though both the remake and the original film are based on the novel The Seige of Trencher’s Farm written by Gordon Williams, this new version of the film is different from the original.

The Straw Dogs story centers around L.A. screenwriter David Sumner and his wife Amy. They relocate to her hometown in the deep South and they come into contact with Amy’s ex, Charlie Venner and his crew. Tensions begin to rise between the locals and the Sumners, and the building conflict escalates into violence which threatens their lives.

Skarsgard’s character commits a heinous act that makes him a true villain of the meanest sort and it’s a role that we haven’t seen Skarsgard portray as of yet.

Charlie Venner is truly a detestable character and Skarsgard has promised that he tried to bring a three dimensional quality to David Sumner’s nemesis. Characters like Charlie Venner are risks and challenging to take on. An actor must be confident in his ability in order to go over to the dark side and explore the boundaries of their commitment to the craft of acting. And that was the appeal of the project for Skarsgard. It was a chance for him to better understand his own darker impulses.

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In an interview earlier this year in the L.A. Times, Skarsgard is asked about his role in the film:

“Look around,” he said, “people are always, big shiny white teeth, big smiles, everything’s fantastic. How sincere is that? Are people really genuinely that happy all the time or is there something in there that they’re trying to fight? I know I am. I think it’s really good to acknowledge that there is that inner battle. Of course that’s interesting exploring. It’s scary and it’s dangerous, but it opens up your soul.”

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No matter how much one enjoys Skarsgard in True Blood, his role in Straw Dogs is one that will elicit intense reactions of dislike from audiences, especially from the actor’s female fan base. It is a role that will push Skarsgard to the limit, though I have no doubt that his magnetic screen presence will make his portrayal of the Charlie Venner character unforgettable, no matter how detestable that character is.

Straw Dogs opens today.

FYI ~ the definition of straw dog is something that is made only to be destroyed.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) – This look is sooo not sexy.

With all this talk of Colin Farrell, True Blood and Eric, it’s easy to forget that there are some not so sexy vampires out there. Honestly, vampires didn’t start out as the glimmering, sparkly swoon worthy creatures we know, love and fantasize about today. It wasn’t until Gary Oldman got all spiffed up for us in Bram Stoker’s Dracula in 1992 that vampires started to get hot. And then of course Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt as vampires from Anne Rice’s smash hit Interview with the Vampire in 1994 made sure we would never think of vampires with harsh widow’s peaks and black capes as the norm again. Nope, suddenly vampires were hot.

Yet vampires weren’t always so sexy and attractive. In fact, in the beginning, despite all the Freudian references, there was nothing sexy about them at all. Even today not all vampires in movies are sexy. It just goes to show you that we still like our vampires mean, ugly and scary. These are the kind of monsters that nightmares are made of, and there is absolutely nothing sexy about them. Here’s a look at 5 of the un-sexiest vampires in film.

5. Nosferatu

Despite being the godfather of vampires on film, there is nothing dreamy about Nosferatu at all. It’s quite the opposite. If the way he does that Nosferatu skulk casting shadows on the walls isn’t enough to creep you out, then his exaggerated ears, long talons and decidedly rat like face and front teeth certainly will. Doesn’t he look a teensy bit like an undead Peter Pettigrew from Harry Potter?

4. Bram Stoker’s Count Dracula

Good old Vlad the Impaler had some serious glamour. He was pretty suave with the ladies too. Yet underneath his glamourous sex appeal was a beastly and ghastly creature. He could be pretty on the outside when he wanted to be, but just below the surface of his appeal lurked the many faces of death. His numerous incarnations of the dreaded blood drinker that stalked the night definitely do not rank very high on the sexy meter.

3. Marlow from 30 Days of Night

There is absolutely no relation to sexy here. This vampire inspires nothing but absolute mind numbing terror. He doesn’t even register on the sex-o-meter. He is the type of monster that evokes nightmares instead of fantasies. Absolutely ruthless, this vampire makes no bones about how he looks at humans. We are nothing but dinner, inferior, inconsequential annoyances. With a visage, demeanor and attitude like that, there is absolutely nothing attractive about this blood drinker.

2. Vampires from Daybreakers

Russell Edgington would have been proud to call these vampires cohorts in the belief that humans are food. The vampires of Daybreakers will give you a heart attack instead of a fluttering heartbeat. Humans are an endangered species in this flick and the vampires are more interested in foraging for food than finding romance. The starving vampires morph into Subsiders, rapacious and hostile creatures resembling giant bat-like monstrosities whose natures remind me of zombies. In fact, you could say it is the decided lack of sexy that has led to the danger in the vampiric food supply. No willing necks to bite! ;D Now here’s a culture that could definitely use way more than a drop of True Blood in more ways than one. There is definitely no sexy here so we might as well take our sexy scale elsewhere, since these vampires are definitely not sexy, especially when they are starving.

1. Vampires from Priest

Rabid, alienesque demons, these unsightly Korean comic book based vampires are all business. You are more likely to shut your eyes and say your prayers than dream about them buying your house in a lustful and obsessive attempt to own you. Annihilation, extermination and domination is printed in bold letters on their calling cards and an encounter with one of these bad boys is likely to only end up one of two ways, dead or as a familiar subservient to them. Unless Paul Bettany happens to be in the vicinity. These vampires are definitely not the kind to write home about and there is no sexy scale in sight when it comes to these UV sensitive demons.

Are there any other vampires that inspire shivers of horror instead of squeals of delight that aren’t on this list? Who did I miss? Who do you think should be on this list?

Yes, that’s right folks. Kim Kardashian’s fairy tale wedding to Kris Humphries will air on E! in a two part special. It’s going to be called Kim’s Fairytale Wedding: A Kardashian Event and will air October 9th and 10th. It makes total sense. The Kardashians have their own show on the network so it’s just obvious that they would be bringing you the event of the season.

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Can you imagine getting paid to get married? It’s being reported that the happy couple are pocketing a cool $1.5 million from People Magazine just for their wedding photos, $300, 000 from their May engagement announcement and $100, 000 from OK Magazine for the bridal shower photos. And Kim Kardashian’s mom Kris Jenner gets 10% of that, LOL! Gotta hand it to ‘em, but those Kardashians sure know how to capitalize on their celebrity. They also know how to make money hand over fist.

A Little Kardashian Trivia…

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Can you believe that once upon a time Kim used to be a stylist to Paris Hilton? Funny how dynamics can change, yeah? I wonder if Paris was invited to the wedding…

This isn’t Kim’s first wedding. Nope! When Kim was 20 she married music producer Damon Thomas (he worked with Pink and Faith Evans and was 10 years older than Kim!) but they divorced in 2004.

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In December 2007 Kim Kardashian graced the cover of Playboy and posed inside the magazine. She embraced her famous curves and told Men’s Fitness magazine, “Of course you’re nervous and want more time to work out. But I’m proud to show people who I am. You always see the typical skinny models and I’m not that and I’m proud not to be that.” Atta girl, Kim!

As big as this wedding was, how much do you want to bet that when Brangelina decides to tie the knot — even if it’s a teensy, weensy ceremony in the wilds of Africa where the bride wears a T-shirt and flip flops, the groom is in pretty much the same, and they spend 500 bucks or less on the whole shebang — how much do you wanna bet that wedding will be the wedding of the century? I wonder how much those pictures would go for? And you know Santa Angelina would just give it all away to charity.

Disney’s Tangled is one of my favorite Disney movies. It’s Disney’s 50th animated film, it’s cute, funny, cool and has one of my favorite songs in it too. “I See the Light” sang by Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi is one of those songs that make your eyes water and shine with happiness. It’s a popular wedding song too from what I hear. It also makes me want to bust out the karaoke machine and start singing from the rooftops. I’ve included the song lyrics so you can sing along… because I know you’ll want to. It’s just one of those songs. Enjoy the video!

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“I See the Light” Lyrics

All those days watching from the windows
All those years outside looking in
All that time never even knowing
Just how blind I’ve been
Now I’m here, blinking in the starlight
Now I’m here, suddenly I see
Standing here, it’s all so clear
I’m where I’m meant to be

And at last I see the light
And it’s like the fog has lifted
And at last I see the light
And it’s like the sky is new
And it’s warm and real and bright
And the world has somehow shifted
All at once everything looks different
Now that I see you

Eugene (Flynn):
All those days chasing down a daydream
All those years living in a blur
All that time never truly seeing
Things, the way they were

Now she’s here shining in the starlight
Now she’s here, suddenly I know
If she’s here it’s crystal clear
I’m where I’m meant to go

Rapunzel & Eugene (Flynn):
And at last I see the light

Eugene (Flynn):
And it’s like the fog has lifted

Rapunzel & Eugene (Flynn):
And at last I see the light

Rapunzel:
And it’s like the sky is new

Rapunzel & Eugene (Flynn):
And it’s warm and real and bright
And the world has somehow shifted
All at once, everything is different
Now that I see you, now that I see you

I’m not a huge Bradley Cooper fan, but I have to give him an A+ for this movie. I wasn’t expecting much from this film and watched it out of boredom more than anything else and I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised. The cinematography was very unique in the way it portrayed how the drug made you “see” the world. It was almost as if the cinematographer wanted you to “see through” the clear pill that was NZT as if you were holding it up to your eye. It’s a neat concept, to think what your life could be like if you could use 100% of your brain at the same time. The main character Eddie (Bradley Cooper) is one entertaining slacker turned whiz kid. Limitless is definitely a fun film to watch and The Scribe’s Desk gives it 3.5 loupes out of 5.

Did You Know?: Limitless is based on the 2001 novel The Dark Fields by Alan Glynn? Don’t you just love books on film?

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