The French Dispatch

One of the worst half-movies I’ve ever seen. How bad is it? I watched, stopped watching about a third of the way through, later went back and tried to finish watching it, and had to stop watching it all over again, getting no further than halfway through. Hence, worst half-movie. The second half could rival Casablanca for all I will ever know, but I saw more than enough to make this call. The performances are dreadful all around, the script is an unfunny pastiche of unrelated and uninteresting vignettes, director Wes Anderson’s penchant for meticulous framing and visual design goes far overboard (he can’t even settle on an aspect ratio), and his usual wit—always in danger of falling too far into preciousness—is either well past the limits of tolerable or just outright absent. And all of the above comes from a viewer who typically counts himself as a fan. The over self-indulgence here is just too much, so much so that this can’t even count as a noble failure—it’s simply a disaster, and a waste of everyone’s time. It had better be back to simplicity and honest effort for this auteur, or else this misstep could signal a career that has reached its lovingly crafted denouement.

Isle of Dogs

Some dogs are cute and engaging; some movies, too. That's enough to make some people fall in love, with the dogs at least. I'm not sure this flick is love worthy, but it is a pretty enjoyable bit of work. It's probably not everyone's cup of tea, given it's a Wes Anderson film; Anderson probably lays on the preciousness just brushing his teeth in the morning, and this outing certainly delivers its share of the auteur's characteristic style. But the somewhat affected style is not an insurmountable obstacle; Anderson takes it right to the edge, but doesn't fly over the rim into an abyss of cutesiness. That balancing act is helped considerably by a terrific voice cast, who deliver--in English and Japanese--a pack of spot on performances. The foreign setting (to yours truly, at least) is a strength of the story; the language barriers help give the sense of a lack of communication that must by typical of people and their pets (whatever folks may believe to the contrary). And no, this cat lover didn't mind the movie's notion of feline villainy. All in all, every dog movie has its day, and you can give this outing its day--or at least a couple hours of your time.

Moonrise Kingdom

More cinematic mischief from the Quirkmaster General. Like other Wes Anderson movies, this film should be too precious and self-aware to be impressive, yet once again the final product is not just offbeat, but funny, charming, and highly entertaining. And if that’s not enough, this flick would be a delight based on its brevity alone--the end comes long before you’re ready for it. Most definitely worth a look.

A Mighty Wind

Christopher Guest is still pumping out the parodies; this time '60s folk music gets the treatment. This one's a little more uneven that prior efforts, but the laughs it does have hit strong when they come. Special mention goes to Eugene Levy, who never breaks from a very weird character, even when the temptation to go nuts had to be there.

The Majestic

There are deep wells of pain beneath this seemingly genial movie. Not just in its presentation of America's history of betraying its principles, nor the recognition of the cost in sorrow that war can wreak on those who survive, but also in the simple nostalgia (in the word's truest sense: an ache for home and the past) over how different we are from the nation that once was. This is a tough call; not everyone will respond to its vision and presentation, but I think those who do will find it worthwhile.

Best in Show

Satire goes to the dogs. A typical outing in Christopher Guest's oeuvre, with plenty of zany contributions from a lot of the usual comedic suspects. If you liked any of the director's other works, it's for you; if you're not a member of that fan base, the humor may fly a shade over your head. You'll have to decide for yourself if this is your dish of kibble or not. Personally, I like it.