Lontano da casa

I found this to be a most enjoyable little film. The scenery magnificent and the young stars acting I thought most enjoyable. Even the dog was good. Hell it made me want to cuddle my own dogs.

A wee bit sentimental, but whats wrong with sentiment now and again. I can recommend this movie.

The plot is the standard fare, touched on by quite a few viewers already. Boy meets dog, Dog and Boy get lost in the wilderness, dog and boy get attacked by wolves ( but no bears surprisingly). Good acting but no real standouts, beautiful cinematography ( the film's strongest point) Direction is weak in points, but enough to keep the film flowing. Overall a decent effort. The problem is in the script. This is a young fellow who clearly has some survival skills yet manages to throw them aside at every turn. At one point he has access to a dead deer and a cabin, yet he continues on! Give me a break. Well I suppose you need to keep the suspense in order to have a movie. However some attempt does need to be made to keep things realistic. It is very frustrating to watch a film and constantly have to ask, "now why did he do that!" Well,this film is entertaining enough, but the writer is certainly no Jack London.

If your a dog lover who's in for a good family film full with adventure as well powerful friendship, this is the movie to see, to share and to watch it with your family over and over again. "Far from Home: the Adventures of Yellow Dog" is probably on of the best family films ever made and of course Philip Borsos' last film until his death came along, the story is really good, the characters are quite unforgettable and the music score sounds mighty epic which sounds like something you hear from a motion picture released in 1940s or 1950s during the era of Hollywood's Golden Age. but of course the chemistry between Angus and Yellow (a Labrador Retriever) is really nice and has some beautiful compared to Bingo and Chuckie Devlin from "Bingo" (1991), touching scenes that will make you cry and even laugh, shot in British Columbia, Canada and yet I recommend this to any dog lover out there who really wants to watch a perfect family/animal movie.

Personally this has many memories for me, as I was friends with the editors son when I lived in Vancouver in 1993 and was lucky enough to see it being edited. I still have a cut from the reel somewhere. It brings back many memories, both from seeing the film 1st hand and also from viewing the fantastic scenery of British Columbia which has great childhood memories.

Over all, it's a well shot film with some good long outdoor shots. The story is a little clichéd but what else can you expect from a family film! The dog does an amazingly good job as do the actors. They were only in their early teens when it was shot so I've gotta hand it to them for doing such a good job considering they were the main characters. There are some moments where they the supporting actors lack fluidity in their delivery and let's be honest, the concept isn't ground breaking.

If your looking for a good, well filmed family film look no further. One of the lost gems in film history.

Far from Home - The Adventures of Yellow Dog

Despite a rather ridiculous title ("The Adventures of Yellow Dog"?), this winning tale of a 14-year-old boy's bond with a yellow lab will warm your heart. Okay, I'm lying--but it will entertain the kiddies. It's a children's version of "Cast Away" after Jesse Bradford is stranded in a Canadian wilderness with his pet dog, left with only a few items for survival. Really, it's not as bad as it sounds.

1995, PG (violence).

*** / *****