As you may or may not know, director Rod Lurie is remaking the controversial and uncomfortable Sam Peckinpah joint Straw Dogs. The original film, which centered around rape, harassment and the inferiority complex of Dustin Hoffman’s character David Sumner, is a violent and off-kilter piece of work.

While it’s unlikely the remake will capture the gusto of the original, it has gained some names in the past week: James Woods of Videodrome fame along with Prison Break‘s Dominic Purcell and Willa Holland have joined the cast in unspecified roles. It’s likely that the first two names are antagonists, possibly with James Woods as the main foe, as he seems to carry the gravitas necessary.

The film already has a strike against it besides the fact that it’s an unnecessary remake: James Marsden, dethroned by Hugh Jackman in the X-Men series and quickly disposed of in The Last Stand, is filling Dustin Hoffman’s shoes, and I don’t believe he carries the same sort of demure energy and bottled-up tension required for the role. However, the whole film may be entirely different than the original, so I withhold judgement.

The remake will be released on a date to be announced next year.

(In this weekly column, I’ll take two films, one old and one new, and compare them in terms of theme and substance, hopefully in some interesting ways. I’ll be trying not to spoil too much of these films, but in order to dissect them properly I’ll have to venture into spoiler territory a little.)

(Minor Spoiler Warning for (500) Days of Summer and The Graduate follow)

To dwell too long on the homage toward Mike Nichols’ The Graduate drawn by Marc Webb’s new non-romantic comedy (500) Days of Summer would be to state the obvious. In fact, when images from one film actually appear in another, I feel like it stops being homage and starts being an overt, friendly nudge to what’s come before. Anyone who has seen Webb’s film knows what I’m talking about, and should also know that Dustin Hoffman’s winking smile used to poppily visualize Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Tom Hansen’s mindset in 500 is perfectly at home in a wonderful film.

Even without the visual cue, the tale of Tom Hansen and Summer Finn’s romantic rollercoaster ride would evoke memories in the educated filmgoer of The Graduate. I mean, the first five minutes of The Graduate have parallels in a variety of films, ranging from Jackie Brown‘s opening credit sequence to Garden State‘s immediate sense of morose to Donnie Darko‘s … immediate sense of morose. That one even shares an actress, the talented Katharine Ross.

However, there’s value to comparison between  (500) Days of Summer and The Graduate, though, on more than just a superficial level. Both Tom Hansen and Dustin Hoffman’s Benjamin in The Graduate are desperate youths, products of a society that markets and tampers with the emotional tracks of the next generation. Tom, as he so astutely remarks, has been force-fed romantic malarkey on store-bought cards since the cradle, leading him to idealize relationships and make mountains out of molehills. Benjamin is a talent pulled in a hundred directions at once (literally, in the case of The Graduate‘s opening scene) by an older generation’s apathy and clockwork mechanics.

Benjamin’s seduction by the infamous Mrs. Robinson is a seduction by the hand of a whole slew of bad ideas being thrown his way; Tom’s catastrophic (and hilariously relatable) relationship with Summer is the sad consequence of around 23 years of misconception. Tom’s journey is Benjamin’s, a mad dash through post-college anonymity through one means or another. Without ruining much of either film, it’s safe to say that both characters have much more of a path to travel before they find Mrs. Right, or a even a sense of direction. Both films revolve around spinning compasses.

As a person who is slowly approaching my graduation from college, it’s not hard to relate to both of these men. Watching both of this films within the span of a month at this point in my life is poignant and sad and funny in just the ways the filmmakers intended. If (500) Days of Summer were a weaker film, its inclusion of footage from The Graduate would seem awkward and unnecessary; as it stands, it threads the film to a much larger cloth of movies that don’t just define events and characters, but movements and periods in life. Gordon-Levitt is a torchbearer for Hoffman’s iconic character, and while one film is a classic, both will undoubtedly be of equal importance to me.

Try to catch (500) Days of Summer before it leaves theaters. In a summer filled with the usual fluffy, explosive entertainment, Marc Webb’s film is unusual, insightful and inventive, with a visual flair that owes much to The Graduate. If you haven’t seen that film, do. It’s as pertinent, funny and phenomenally well-acted as it was the day it was released.

Pike & others join the cast.

Based off of the hit novel of the same name written up by Mordecai Richler, Barney’s Version continues to fill up its casting. Minnie Driver, Rosamund Pike and Rachelle Lefevre all hop on board to play each one of Barney’s wives in the adaptation. Already fitted into the lead role is Paul Giamatti (John Adams) who plays Barney, the politically incorrect, fully lived life of the impulsive, irascible and fearlessly blunt man (THR).

Rachelle Lefevre (Twilight) plays the first wife, along with Minnie Driver (The Riches) as the second wife and Rosamund Pike (Fracture) as the third wife and Barney’s true love. Also on the cast is Dustin Hoffman who plays the father of Barney. The adaptation, written by Michael Konyves and directed by Richard J. Lewis (CSI) under Serenity Point Films, comes out in theaters on 2010.

I would like to start out by saying I had no idea going into this movie what it was about besides Jack Black and Angelina Jolie were attached to it as voice actors. I knew nothing of the storyline, the characters, besides it had Kung Fu in it. With that being said, the movie was fantastic!

Po (Jack Black) is a very fat and one lazy noodle serving panda. He dreams day in and day out about becoming a Kung Fu master. Funny as he is a rather large Panda. He lives above his father’s noodle store (whom is a duck) and is a huge fan of the Furious Five. The Furious Five are China’s most well known Kung Fu students and students of the great Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman). The Five consists of Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Crane (David Cross), Viper (Lucy Liu) and Mantis (Seth Rogan). (Look at those names people, I had no idea that this film was so large in terms of names!) The time has come, after a vision from Oogway, that a Dragon Warrior must be chosen. All the towns folk are there. And our lowly friend Po, is asked to serve up noodles by his father. Po is devastated as he wanted to be front and center to see the Furious Five and the one who would be come the Dragon Warrior.

You will have to see the film for yourself to see whats next, but I must say its a “must see” experience.

The digital animation was superb to say the least. The trees all the way to the burnt fur on Po’s face was done in marvelous detail. Pixar you better watch out, Dreamworks is coming for you. Honestly one of, if not the best looking animated films I have seen.

With the above animation, the film brings along a great storyline that actually touches your heart a little. Its like Kung Fu for kids. Kids everywhere will flock to see this as they should. It’s full of laughs, action and a great underlying story. Family’s don’t hesitate to bring your children to this one. Adults don’t mistake my last comment for a reason not to see it, as this 31 year old absolutely loved it along with some of the older guys who sat next to me.

From the start of the film to the end, this movie really does a great job at bringing high quality animation and storyline together. Something that has been missing lately in the world of animation. Movies like Shrek with the jokes and one liners that if were to be watched today wouldn’t be funny as we have forgotten the times past. This movie has jokes that will last with each viewing!

Make sure you go see this movie, its a sure win and really a great film overall.

[imdb]0441773[/imdb]

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆