Isle of Dogs

Wes Anderson's the Isle of Dogs is a creatively made, character driven comedy story, with a melancholic and satirical undertone.

The animation, editing and sound design are the main brass here, and are used to great effect to communicate much of the story.

The Isle of Dogs is on the nose about its storytelling, obligatory moments such as flashbacks and story structure are highlighted as to get necessary information communicated as quickly as possible, so the film can get back to living in the moment, exploring its quirky characters and scenery. There is an air of self awareness about the story that, rather than disengaging, is used to draw the viewer more into the inherently ridiculous story. There is an artistry to suspending disbelief, and this is an endlessly creative way to get the audience to do so. To make them aware they're getting conventional information or that certain things are ridiculous plot details, even tropes, and highlighting such details to actually enhance the storytelling rather than distance the viewer. After a point you accept the strange pacing and rapid editing style as part of the universe of this film, and when you do , The Isle of Dogs is an audio-visual experience so cathartic you won't want it to end.

I love Wes Anderson's films and I love animation films. 'Isle of Dogs' was absolutely incredible! It is a demented, unsympathetic and uniquely different film that is completely and utterly stunning! The stop-motion animation is great. The script and dialogue is very good, and you gotta love the (dog) characters!

The film featured some moments that had me belly-laughing and moments that just melted my heart. It never became sentimental or overly comical. The comedic moments were seriously funny. Wes Anderson pays great attention to detail and he obviously had a clear vision of what he wanted to portray. We don't always understand what the Japanese are saying, as they are not accompanied by subtitles, but that never mattered and - in fact - made it even more interesting, funny and unique.

'Isle of Dogs' will go down as one of my all-time favorite movies.

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.

I've just seen this movie at Berlinale and it is exactly what you would expect from Wes Anderson. I wasn't sure how he would do with a non-Western setting but he managed well.

He keeps his unique style and it works very well with the futuristic, but still traditional Japanese art. It also incorporates some cartooning along with interesting ideas - the Japanese dialogue is not always translated and when it is, it's by interpreters or foreign exchange students. Anderson manages to merge his style with the Japanese and it works seamlessly.

It's a very quirky film with an all too relatable story. I enjoyed the visuals more than the plot, I'll admit, but it was still a good movie, with the usual quick dialogues, jokes, strange characters - Tilda Swinton being the weirdest, no surprise there - and altogether it's a great experience.

Without spoilers, if you like Wes Anderson, you will like this movie. If you don't, buckle up, because this is jam-packed with everything that is his style, the quirky music works now fused with Japanese, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum and the usual cast having very well fitting characters (watch out for the credits Anjelica Huston is there as a Mute Poodle) and the cinematography being interesting and stunning.

P.S. It's still not a children's movie, don't let the format fool you.

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/