— Marcus Aurelius
My six year old nephew has made himself an exercise chart, explaining: “I just wrote this exercise list down to get more muscles, that’s why I made this… to get stronger, and get more muscles.” I'm not really sure what exercise a "superman" is... I assume however that an "ultimate man" is a more intense version of whatever it may be. Getting started on the first item on the list: He may feel the need to increase his muscle mass due to the fact that their yard has apparently been overrun by sword and battle axe- wielding monsters: "If unwilling to rise in the morning, say to thyself, 'I awake to do the work of a man.'" — Marcus Aurelius
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On Saturday night I watched the 2022 movie Dog which stars Channing Tatum and a (actually three) Belgian Malinois as the titular dog. The late W.C. Fields famously said "Never work with animals or children," a piece of advice which has largely gone ignored ever since, with mixed results. I am happy to report that the result in this case is mostly positive; there are problems with this film, but they rarely if ever stem from the human/dog interactions. Tatum stars as Jackson Briggs, a US Army Ranger who was injured in combat and now suffers from the lingering effects of a concussion as well as PTSD. Despite this, he is desperate to return to active duty but is deemed unfit due to his injuries. Briggs gets word that a former army buddy of his- Riley Rodriguez- has died in a car accident: he wrapped his vehicle around a tree while DUI. A bunch of the Rangers gather at a bar to remember Rodriguez and Briggs takes the opportunity to ask his former commanding officer for the recommendation he needs to return to the service. His C.O. agrees to give it to him on one condition: Briggs takes Lulu, the military dog Rodriguez was the handler for, to Arizona; Riley's mother has requested her to be present at the funeral. This is a problem because Lulu, traumatized by her war service (during which she was shot) has become unpredictable and aggressive. She must be driven, because air travel now makes her freak out, and kept muzzled when around people. Briggs is reluctant to undertake the trip but does so because he's desperate for the referral. Before he leaves, his C.O. tells him that, after the funeral, he's to take Lulu to a nearby military base where she will be euthanized. Briggs packs an uncooperative Lulu- who tries to take a piece out of him- in a travel crate in his truck and heads out... and now we have a road trip movie. I must say, I was rather pleasantly surprised by Dog. It's not a perfect movie by any stretch of the imagination- which I'll get into shortly- but by and large this film exceeds expectations. This is due in no small part to Channing Tatum's performance; he's really pretty good in this role as a PTSD stricken soldier. I don't really know if this is the norm for him or not... I'm pretty sure the only other thing I've seen him in is Hail, Caesar! So sue me: I don't watch a lot of contemporary films. The dog(s) playing the part of Lulu is very good as well; she's in turn cute, sad, scared, and menacing, and believable in all of these modes. The times when Briggs and Lulu are travelling through amazing scenery, and Briggs is talking to Lulu are some of the best parts of the film. This allows us to hear his thoughts and feelings- frustration, anger, weariness, self-deprecating humour- without anything as annoying as a voice over narration. The name of the movie doesn't do it any favours... really, that was the best their writers could come up with? And the film is rather uneven in places, because it doesn't quite know what it wants to be. It's billed on Amazon Prime as a comedy, and there are comedic elements in it- generally the most cliched ones. Will Lulu destroy the truck seats while left unattended? Will she at some point escape and cause disaster? Will the truck break down? Yes, of course, is the answer to all these questions. There's also a -supposedly- comedic scene in the movie which involves him trying to pick up girls in a bar in uber-lefty Portland, Oregon. While this might have been mildly amusing, it drags on for too long and never quite lands. Yeah, we get it... Portlanders are a bunch of hippie-dippy weirdos. And a little of them goes a long way; the movie wastes 'way too much time here instead of spending it where it was more warranted, like Brigg's attempt to visit his estranged wife and three year old daughter. Dog is a film about a soldier and a dog who have been so damaged by their war experiences that they struggle to function in civilian society. Lulu's battle is almost at an end, as she is scheduled to be put down after the funeral due to her inability to reintegrate into society. Of course, no one is going to put down Briggs or any other soldiers due to their ongoing struggles to adapt to life outside the military, though one might argue that some- like Rodriguez- manage to euthanize themselves with booze, pills, etc. The movie does a good job of depicting this very real crisis. But it is a real problem with the film though, because there's nothing inherently comedic about trauma, PTSD, and addiction. So when the film flips from a serious examination of these issues to some sort of wacky hijinks, it can be somewhat jarring. This isn't to say that there should never be any humour in a film dealing with serious subjects, just that jumping from brain injuries, trauma, and disfunction straight into broad comedy doesn't really work here. I won't spoil the ending of the movie, but it's safe to assume that after having Lulu endear herself to the audience all along the road to Arizona, it's not going to end with her getting a lethal injection in the back of the neck. Is the ending a bit predictable? Yes, but it's also well done and moving. Likewise the funeral scene... am I aware that having Lulu go and lie down on the grave of her former handler, with her head on his empty boots, while The Last Post is being played is deliberately manipulating me to tear up? Of course, but this doesn't make the scene any less effective or sincere. And Dog is at its best when it is being sincere; the comedy bits always seem a bit tone deaf and try hard. So to sum up, I enjoyed watching Dog; it has its faults and is somewhat uneven, but these flaws are outweighed by its good points, of which there are many. And Lulu is very cute, to boot. Related Posts:What Are Heavy? What are heavy? Sea-sand and sorrow; What are brief? Today and tomorrow; What are frail? Spring blossoms and youth; What are deep? The ocean and truth. By Christina Rossetti Related Posts: |
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