Isle of Dogs (Wes Anderson, 2018)

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mfunk9786
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Re: Isle of Dogs (Wes Anderson, 2018)

#251 Post by mfunk9786 » Mon Feb 04, 2019 6:42 pm

Worth mentioning that the 4K digital copy of this film available through iTunes is on sale right now for $4.99 for a purchase - it unlocks the film in 4K on FandangoNOW as well if you're a Movies Anywhere user. So, provided you have a way to watch either of those two things on your 4K TV, you can stream this in a higher resolution than is available on disc for less than 5 bucks!

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Michael Kerpan
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Re: Isle of Dogs (Wes Anderson, 2018)

#252 Post by Michael Kerpan » Mon Feb 04, 2019 8:35 pm

I re-watched this on BluRay -- and liked it even more than when I saw this at the theater -- despite finding the American exchange student even more annoying than I did initially (which was already a lot).

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Re: Isle of Dogs (Wes Anderson, 2018)

#253 Post by therewillbeblus » Thu Oct 15, 2020 12:11 am

I wasn't very enamored with Isle of Dogs when I first caught it in theatres, though I never understood any of the criticisms either. I think I was expecting a Fantastic Mr. Fox-level heavy-existential allegory regarding one's nature vs agency to flex one's decisions to self-actualize within the realm of limitations. This is that to a degree but only in part- deceptively detouring because instead of becoming wrapped up in the 'self' like the first section of Anderson's filmography, this follows the Moonrise-kickoff of expanding peripheries to areas beyond one's isolative identity as the only focal point for change. Of course all of Wes' films involve characters learning to shed their narcissistic parts and find humility, but these later works focus their attention more comfortably in the external, so when Chief has a revelation it's due to finding acceptance in the nature of relationship dynamics and the desire for traditional social roles, rather than trying desperately to change the tides- like Grand Budapest clearly, or even Moonrise Kingdom did with scout-skills and gender roles in relationships. There’s a freedom in some degree of conformity rather than spending one’s time miserable proving to be an exception to the rule, which is an authentic kind of humility too, as well as an optimistic view of reciprocal love as possible -just not in direct mirroring of action.

I've now seen this film four times and its attention to detail joins the 2010s gang as a Tashlin/Tati mesh of visual gags and setpiece construction that just lands repetitively. It's hard to think of a film offhand that has a script, and scope of vision, this clever and creative. The space normally populated by gestures orbiting magnetically around philosophical musings are shared generously with an inspired narrative that can detach from those concepts, and even though this is not my favorite of the director's work, it's surely his most purely entertaining. This may be strange to say, but that movement away from the dense emotional core, toward ethereal magic of movies, is a brand of maturity for Anderson, and the manner in which he continues to find his favorite themes without getting his feet stuck in quicksand of self-absorption is heartening and still impactful even if seemingly diluted (and this is from someone who generally prefers his earlier period works, regardless of this assessment). If viewed as a Sci-Fi Adventure film, which this undoubtedly is in its roots, its borrowings range from post-apocalyptic to sociopolitical dystopia on either side of the island, and make for a very fun hybrid homage too.
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I love the final lines, where despite having a home and identity he's somewhat secure with, Chief feels as lost as ever in wondering 'who' he is.. that violence is not 'him' as he wants to see himself. Nutmeg's response validates that part of him, and relieves him of the shame he can't escape from alone. It's a simple, playful exchange, but one of the most powerful in Anderson's canon

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Re: Isle of Dogs (Wes Anderson, 2018)

#254 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Mon Jan 11, 2021 7:19 pm

This premieres on Disney+ Friday

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Monterey Jack
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Re: Isle of Dogs (Wes Anderson, 2018)

#255 Post by Monterey Jack » Wed Jan 13, 2021 3:57 pm

flyonthewall2983 wrote:
Mon Jan 11, 2021 7:19 pm
This premieres on Disney+ Friday
Wonder how much they'll edit out...

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mfunk9786
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Re: Isle of Dogs (Wes Anderson, 2018)

#256 Post by mfunk9786 » Wed Jan 13, 2021 6:15 pm

Maybe they'll snip the Greta Gerwig character out and make it a better movie?

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Isle of Dogs (Wes Anderson, 2018)

#257 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Tue Jan 19, 2021 1:04 pm

Fantastic Mr. Fox is on there too. Neither in UHD disappointingly.

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