grade Movie Reviews

• Reviewed by SnoopyStyle grade 7 / 10

  unique vision

  In the city of Megasaki, Japan, Mayor Kobayashi has banished all dogs to Trash Island fearing an outbreak of dog flu. Scientist Watanabe insists that he will soon have a cure but he is ignored. Atari Kobayashi flies to the island to search for his dog Spots. The boy is an orphan and is a ward of distant uncle Mayor Kobayashi. He is assisted by 5 dogs who voted to help him find Spots. Tough street dog Chief refuses to have a master and is the only to vote no. They go on a journey while the cat loving mayor is planning a final solution.Director Wes Anderson returns to stop-motion animation after Fantastic Mr Fox. While I've loved his movies, his stop-motion stuff is problematic personally. His deadpan structured filming style leaves me feeling tired from repetition. In live action, I can get involved with the actors but I'm less connected with these artificial figures. I did laugh several times for the first half but like before, the style does wear down on me slightly. Nevertheless, it is enjoyable and darn it, I laughed. It's fun while it lasts.

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• Reviewed by BiiivAL grade 9 / 10

  A dog is a friend of man

  If you watched such films as "Grand Budapest Hotel" and "Kingdom of the Full Moon", then for sure you know what created these wonderful films Wes Anderson. And if you are a fan of his work, it's enough to say that he is the director and scriptwriter of the cartoon "Island of Dogs".First of all, the visual component of the cartoon, unusually distinguished against the background of frankly children's Pixar and Disney, attracts attention.This puppet cartoon event takes place 20 years later in the Japanese city of Megasaki, where, as a result of the epidemic of canine influenza, the ruling kitten party led by the mayor Kobayashi moved all the dogs to a garbage island, condemning them to death from disease and hunger. However, one 12-year-old boy decides to save his dog and goes in search of him.The cartoon is wonderful, touching, funny and sad at the same time. This kind of anti-utopia, which shows the impartial nature of people. Some plot scenes are very similar to the modern reality and are perceived as a political satire. The highlight of the cartoon is that conversations of people are not translated, except for the necessary cases and the audience hears the Japanese speech, while the language of the dogs is translated into Russian.The dogs are the main characters of this story, in the original they are voiced by movie stars: Cranston, Norton, Murray, Goldblum, McDormand, Johanson, Swinton, Yoko Ono and many others. Unfortunately in dubbing we do not hear their voices and maybe because of this the dogs came out not so individual, stand out and bright.Despite this, the cartoon is extremely positive emotions, there is something to mourn and laugh about, what to think about. The cartoon raises issues of ecology, political structure, rights and freedoms of people and animals, so do not take this picture as entertainment for children, there are enough tough and unpleasant scenes.Occurring on the screen is accompanied by colorful music with pronounced Asian notes, complementing the picture with a certain emotional color.A wonderful cartoon and I hope that against the background of the "Avengers" he will not get lost and find his audience.

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• Reviewed by ajr93 grade 10 / 10

  I Love Dogs...and Japan...and Great Films

  I had very high expectations going into Isle of Dogs, being a great admirer of Wes Anderson's work, and especially off the fumes of his previous film, The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). If you look at Wes' filmography, you will notice that each of his films progressively become more focused, detailed, and "Wes Anderson-ey". It feels as if his films have been building to a culmination of sorts, which can be represented with Isle of Dogs.The story revolves around a young boy, Atari, who is seeking his lost dog with help from a pack of dogs on Trash Island, right outside of Megasaki City (word-play on Nagasaki), a fictional future city of Japan that is exiling dogs due to a "canine flu" outbreak.From a filmmaking viewpoint, Isle of Dogs has it all in spades, and more. The characters are well rounded and relatable, even though the majority of them are dogs. The presentation of the story is very fresh and unique, and the humor is always smoothly intertwined with the narrative and visuals. With a runtime of an hour and 40 minutes, it flies by, always keeping your attention and further engaging you. The stop-motion animation is very well done, and the way it is contrasted with beautiful Japanese imagery is stunning. The soundtrack is also excellent, and aids in telling the story. There are many nods towards Japanese cinema, chiefly Akira Kurosawa's films, which you can tell that Wes has a passion for. The voice cast is star-studded and wonderful as always. There are plenty of twists and surprises, and the film leaves the viewers with some important messages/themes to ponder over. It is best to go into the movie knowing as little about the story as possible, and let it take you on its journey.This film will greatly reward repeat viewings. The attention to detail in every frame is incredible, and there is always so much on the screen to absorb and process, in the best way possible. I believe that Wes Anderson has the most distinct and easily discernible style of any filmmaker to ever live, and this quality alone is something to be praised very highly.If you love dogs, Japanese cinema/culture, stop-motion, and animation in general, then you will love this film all the more so. Isle of Dogs, shows Wes at his full unfiltered creative power, stretching his capabilities, and giving us something truly remarkable.Ineffable Films: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls052767730/

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