Movie #1532 ........................."Isle of Dogs"

Movie #1532 "Isle of Dogs" --- we are Wes Anderson fans, but that doesn't mean we have liked everything he has ever done (however, "The Grand Budapest Hotel" is one of our favorite films of all time).  This one was very different, but very enjoyable, and very skillfully done. (is there any doubt this should be an early film to be nominated for animation?)  but boy, what dry humor throughout --- and it never really detours from that focus throughout the film ---- If you need more razzle dazzle in your film watching, this film will not do for you.  It also has a lot of japanese spoken and not translated for us (not sure why) by the boy in the film --- a dog turns to the audience and says he wishes he knew all that he said, and I kind of agreed, but all that seemed to be part of how stylish the film is --- it's in a particular style and it steadfastly  holds that throughout the film.  The story and the animation are the strongest ---- Anderson knows how to tell a tight story, and so it goes here.  Bill Murray knows how to deliver the funnier lines, and so it goes here.  Because the characters are stiff, the humor is dry, the animation is choppy (stop motion action), and the story sails from one moment to the next, I wasn't personally drawn in to the film emotionally , and I'm thinking many people were not.  I sat back and laughed occasionally, followed the intricate story, enjoyed the introduction to new cultural adventures, and tried to guess who was doing all the voices, but I always stayed a distance.  But that was okay with me, with this one.  I rate it 4 stars out of 5 and recommend it.  But not all of us are Wes Anderson fans.  But this fan liked it!

"ISLE OF DOGS"     2018    PG-13  

Featuring a star-studded voice cast and set against the landscape of rural Japan, this animated adventure follows a game young boy on his long and often-dangerous search to find his beloved dog.

Cast: Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bill Murray