Dog’s Movie House: “Barbie” A Layered, Funny, Clever Film About The Soul Of A Toy!
“Ideas are forever! People are definitely not!” This line is spoken Ruth (Rhea Perlman) to Barbie (Margot Robbie) near the end of the film and it got me thinking about the many, many ideas Greta Gerwig’s take on the iconic toy. It’s a highly original piece of cinema and more thought provoking than a movie about a busty doll should ever even think of being. Credit to Gerwig and writing partner (as well as husband) Noah Baumbach for crafting a film that is both enjoyable and thought provoking at the same time.
Continue readingDog’s Movie House: “Amsterdam” Proves That Mediocre David O. Russell Is Better Than Directors’ Better Efforts!
Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog here with a look at David O. Russell’s latest, “Amsterdam,” for which he has assembled an all-star cast. Russell, known for Oscar nominated work such as “Silver Linings Playbook” and “American Hustle” writes and directs a tale set during and just after World War I. Three friends, two soldiers and a nurse, played by Christian Bale, John David Washington, and Margot Robbie, bond during their time together in Amsterdam. Separating after returning to the states, the three are reunited when Bale’s Burt (now a fringe doctor treating veterans) and Washington’s Harold (the lawyer helping him out) are called upon to investigate the death of their old unit commander, a respected general who died under mysterious circumstances. This death leads to a spiraling mystery involving rich families, powerful political cabals, and an attempt at facists to take over the United States government.
Continue readingDog’s Movie House: “The Suicide Squad” Trippy, Amoral, Violent, And Wonderfully Hilarious!
Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog here with an observation of what a difference a few years makes. Way back in 2016 David Ayer wrote and directed the first “Suicide Squad.” While being a massive hit it was considered by many to be a disjointed, somewhat neutered mess, especially coming from the guy who wrote “Training Day” and directed films such as “End Of Watch” and “Fury.” Now we find out that . . . surprise, surprise, Ayer was interferred with at the studio by suits who wanted to make the film more like the bubbly Marvel films that have been so successful. As a result, the cut of “Suicide Squad” turned out to have too many chefs in the kitchen and Ayer’s version of what the film should be is hardly recognizable as such. Cut to five years later and the idea of DC’s version of a connected universe is decidely in flux at the moment. Now we have James Gunn (“The Guardians of the Galaxy”) commissioned to do a soft reboot on our favorite gang of supervillains trying to do good. Only this time the studio kept their paws off of this film and Gunn has free reign. The result is probably the most entertaining, off-the-wall comic book films in years. It’s like “Deadpool” and “The Avengers” had a child and the result is, put simply, awesome!
Continue readingDog’s Movie House: What To Watch This Week!
Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog back from a long vacation ready to update you on what to see in the theater this week!
Disneyland is one of my favorite places, made all the sweeter by being able to celebrate Valentine’s Day with my lovely wife of almost 22 years. Unfortunately we were on the go for over a week and despite the presence of a laptop and Wi-Fi, yours truly couldn’t get around to keeping up with the movies that are coming out left and right. I did get a chance to watch the Oscars and will be posting a article about that particular ceremony in a few days. Until then, let’s get caught up, shall we?
Continue reading