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.

Bad Lieutenant

"Lurid" hardly covers it. There's barely a story here--just Harvey Keitel in some mid-career adventures in vile behavior. It's little more than a travelogue of sin and perversity, though the film does include a lot of unintentional comedy in many of the earlier scenes--if you watch it in the right frame of mind. But really, you don't need to watch it at all.

The Piano

More like "The Pian-Ho." Even setting aside the storyline's ugliness, there's way too much pretentiousness and self-awareness in the direction. Practically every shot screams "this is deep and significant" in an overly obvious way. None of the characters are particularly sympathetic either. An award-winning mess that, in these eyes, hits all the wrong notes.

U-571

Mostly, it's your standard WWII submarine flick (they are legion) until the story takes a turn for the interesting, and the movie really grabs your attention, until by the end it's finally...your standard WWII submarine flick. Got that? Nevertheless, I must admit that the action/battle sequences are top notch, and Matthew McConaughey gives a first rate performance as the would-be leader of men. If you can't get your hands on Das Boot, this will do.

FairyTale: A True Story

A beautiful little movie about a couple of English kids who claim to be on speaking terms with fairies during the Great War years. A sweet tale, good for the whole family. And Harvey Keitel, playing Harry Houdini (!), goes effectively against type. A must see.

Cop Land

Yes, there really is such a thing as a good Sylvester Stallone movie (at least since the original Rocky).