Doggone Movies: Puppies in Film

Monday, March 23 is National Puppy Day! I know! There's a day just for puppies! Isn't it awesome?!

So here is a list of all the cutest pooches who have ever wagged a tail on the silver screen. (I promise not to pick all dead-dog movies)

Asta- "The Thin Man" Series (1936, 1939, 1941, 1945, 1947, 1957-1959)

This Wire Fox Terrier (named Skippy) compliments the perfect pair of William Powell and Myrna Loy. The pup starred in all 6 Thin Man movies and the TV show (Peter Lawford and Phyllis Kirk replaced the original Charles's).

Skip- "My Dog Skip" (2000)

A Jack Russell Terrier becomes a boy's best friends, getting him through bullies, criminals, and a world war. 

(Warning: Bring tissues)

Buddy- "Air Bud" Series (first 2) (1997, 1998)

This is not your average Golden Retriever. He also can dunk and make touchdowns! This dogged, named Buddy, was only in the first 2 films. (This pup also played Comet on an episode of "Full House")

Zero- "Nightmare Before Christmas" (1993)

As Jack Skellington's ghost dog, Zero's life is quite a scream. With his glowing pumpkin nose, he is also able to lead the sleigh and save Christmas.

Lady and Tramp- "Lady and the Tramp" (1955)

These two love pups (an American Cocker Spaniel and a mutt) meet in the most unlikely of ways and have one of the cutest first dates ever.

Stitch- "Lilo and Stitch" (2002)

Ok, so this is a cheat. Stitch is actually an alien posing as a dog. But he sure does make a great best friend.

Toto- "Wizard of Oz" (1939)

This little brindle Cairn terrier (played by a female named Terry) was paid $125 a week (more than many of the human actors).

Milo- "The Mask" (1994)

A brown and white Jack Russell Terrier named Max played this little bundle of joy who confused "keys" with "cheese". At least he's cute right? It was the pups first movie and some of the times struggled to listen to his cues. One of the mistakes that made it to print was the scene when Milo wouldn't let go of the Frisbee so Stanley puts Milo and the Frisbee into the closet with the stolen money.

Hooch- "Turner and Hooch" (1989)

 This French Mastiff named Beasley is the true heart and soul of this movie. He just shows that big dogs are not scary but big softies.

Bolt- "Bolt" (2008)

Bolt is the actor dog who doesn't know he's acting. Played by John Travolta, he believes he lives life fighting crime as a superhero dog with his owner Penny (played by Miley Cyrus), but in fact the whole thing is set up for a TV show. Bolt's breed is never specified but animators based him off of a white German Shepherd.

Slinky- "Toy Story" Series (1995, 1999, 2010)

Again, a small cheat. Slinky is part dog part Slinky toy. But he is a loyal friend to Woody.

All 101/2 Dalmatians- "101 Dalmatians"(1961-animated) (1996-live-action), "102 Dalmatians" (2000)

The first animated film had 101 spotted puppies and the next movie introduced us to Dipstick's (one of the original 101 pups) children (one of whom takes a while to get her spots) and more than a few other spotted puppies to make a grand total of 102. So I guess that's a total of 202 puppies! Big enough for a Dalmatian Plantation.

Hercules- "The Sandlot" (1993)

Known throughout the beginning of the movie as The Beast, this English Mastiff turns out to be a big softy who loves baseball.

Hachi- "Hachi" (2009)

One of the saddest dog movies ever!! This loyal Akita Inu's movie is based off of a true story about a man (played by Richard Gere) who finds a lost puppy at the train station and the two become best friends forever.

Maya- "Eight Below" (2006)

This Siberian Husky bravely faces the wild Antarctic with her team of other Siberian Husky and Alaskan Malamutes when they get left behind by their owner Paul Walker. It's a Disney movie so you know it has a happy ending. (This pretty girl also was in "Snow Dogs")

Demon- "Snow Dogs" (2002)

This Siberian Husky named Don Juan or D.J. for short also played Max in "Snow Dogs". In this movie, he is the trouble making lead dog of a sled team who likes to give their new owner Cuba Gooding Jr. a difficult time.

Charlie- "All Dogs Go to Heaven" (1989)

Enough though this movie is on the "Kids Movie Not Made for Kids" movie list, the dog is still cute. Charlie is a German Shepherd who cheats death by stealing a watch from an angel. On the way he meets the sweet orphan Annemarie.

Jenna- "Balto" (1995)

This red husky is the dog of an adorable little girl and the love interest of the famous real-life dog Balto (although Balto is a wolf-dog hybrid in this movie he was a dog in real life).

Rhett- "Steel Magnolias" (1989)

Rhett is the St. Bernard of ill-tempered Ouiser from the cry-your-eyes-out movie that every mother and daughter needs to see.

Copper- "Fox and the Hound" (1981)

The tears are coming even thinking about this movie! Copper is the adorable Hound Dog who becomes best friends with Todd, a red fox. The pair are told that they should be natural enemies, but they would rather stay friends.

In Review: "Cinderella"

As the first installment of Disney's new trend of animated-to-live-action films, "Cinderella" is not a bad foot to start on.

The issues I have with this film are very slight and very forgivable- simply extra sparkle I feel they could have thrown in. This is very much the original 1950 film simply told with living breathing people. Remember that as I continue.

The Story

It's exactly what you know. A little girl lives a carefree life with her family until her mother dies. Then her father remarries a wicked woman who has two ugly-hearted daughters. The father dies, and the three torment the girl making her become a servant in her own house. One day, the king holds a ball and invites all the ladies of the land to meet the prince from which he will choose a bride. Cindy is dying to go so she does her chores and spouses up her mother's old dress to attend the event. But the wicked stepmother forbids her to go. The poor girl is a puddle of tears until her fairy godmother arrives and transforms a vegetable and some farm animals into her transportation, her rags into luxurious fabrics and her old shoes into glass slippers. Cindy and the Prince dance all night, fall in love, and Cindy must run away before the spell is broken leaving behind a single shoe. Without a name to identify the magnificent woman, he sends his advisers to try the shoe on every maiden in the land to find his true love. And so he finds his girl, and they are married and live happily ever after.

Phew!

This new version has a few updates to liven up the classic tale a little bit-- the prince has a personality, the stepmother has a reason, and there are secret plots afoot. But you'll have to see the movie for those.

The Stars

Lily James from the popular TV show "Downton Abbey" stars as the little cinder girl in the most elegant way she can. With grace and goodness, she brings the drawings of Disney artists to life. Encouraged to be kind and courageous her whole life, she is still a passive character. Like I said, this is not the modern version of the animated movie. Cinderella is still very much saved by the prince and refuses to spit in her evil family's tea-- giving her grace and a greater strength than I could ever accomplish.

Cate Blanchett is the perfect wicked stepmother with an air of sophistication, a dash of mischief, and a bucket of evil. But again, these are living breathing characters with sides and shades. There is a very interesting scene where we get to see that this woman's wickedness is not entirely her choice.

Richard Madden (RIP Rob Stark) plays a charming prince who is completely taken by this mystery girl who shows a little bit of spunk and wonderful heart. Madden is also able to give depth to the character through his interactions with the King (played by Derek Jacobi). This was a truly inspired story decision to give the prince something else to love other than a stranger.

Helena Bonham Carter plays the forgetful fairy godmother. A far cry from Bellatrix, but Carter is able to do it with flair.

The Message

The reason people don't like the original animated Disney films is because of the damsel in distress characters who are saved by the prince and seem to have everything happen to them instead of taking life into their own hands. The reason why the princesses were written that way is because that is how women were taught to behave. The greatest accomplishment a woman could have was to get married. Women didn't get jobs or have career goals. Women would never talk back or fight for any reason.

Things are very different now. So it's hard to watch a movie about a woman who has this passive mindset. A woman who believes that kindness is how you are able to get through life with flying colors. I absolutely agree that without kindness you will never be able to fulfill your life. But my core being fights against this idea that if you let people step all over you things will be alright in the end. Although I'd love to believe that, it is simply a fantasy.

That being said, this is not a modern story. The strength that Ella does have is the strength to endure every evil and torture done to her with grace and an unfailing love and faithfulness. She is determined to stay in this house because she made a promise to her parents. She believes that there is always a possibility for good. She forgives when she should feel hatred. And that takes a more powerful strength than spatting back a well phrased and well timed comeback.

Overall

The costumes and cinematography in this movie are absolutely gorgeous. I could write a whole other review on how pleasing this movie was to the eye. But I will spare you. All I'm saying is costume designer Sandy Powell deserves her fourth Oscar!

One of the issues I had is the slight lack of continuity between the animated and the live action. Yes, the mice don't talk. Ok fine that would look weird anyway. But you didn't have to change Jacques to Jacqueline. And you didn't have to get rid of Bruno the awesome dog.

Also, fine you won't make it a musical. Ok, I can live with that. (I don't want to, but I will.) But why not even include the original songs in the score of the movie? (They could have been dancing to an instrumental version of "So This is Love") The music that's in this movie had no correlation to the story or the film's history. The theme song of the film, originally sung by Cindy's mother, "Lavender Blue" is actually from another Disney live-action movie called "So Dear to My Heart" and sung by Burl Ives. (The song won an Oscar) The lyrics are a little different than the original, but it is definitely the same song. The pop theme of the film is Ellie Golding's "My Blood" which is about-- BLOOD! and the loss of a love. Nope. That has nothing to do with Cinderella. And the other pop theme song is "Strong" by Sonna Rele which is about how life is not like a fairytale and you can't treat it as such. "In a perfect storybook, the world is brave and good/A hero takes your hand, a sweet love will follow/But life's a different game, the sorrow and the pain/Only you can change your world tomorrow" Was I not just talking about Cinderella as a passive character? Isn't this like a slap in the movie's face?

Overall, this movie was exactly what I wanted it to be with a few hiccups here and there. It sticks to the classic tale, is pretty to watch, and has some great actors that bring depth and life to one of the most recognizable tales ever told.

3 out of 4 Glass Slippers 

P.S. In the movie they were actually Swarovski crystal

P.P.S. "Frozen Fever" (the short before the film) is absolutely adorable!!!

Four for the Price of One: Oscar Movies Reivews

If you're like me, and you failed to watch all of the Oscar-worthy films before the big night, I have a cheat sheet here for you to determine if the Best Pic noms are worth binge-watching. Here are four of the eight best picture nominations and whether they are still worthy watching even after the buzz has died down.

"The Theory of Everything"

Nominations: Best Picture, Actor (Eddie Redmayne), Actress (Felicity Jones), Adapted Screenplay (Anthony McCarten), Original Score (Johann Johannsson)
Wins: Actor (Eddie Redmayne)
Deserved: None of the Above
Worth Watching?: Yes, but not to own. It's a great look into a very important figure in modern science and medicine. He has had huge obstacles to face and he has done it with dignity and still given more to the world than people who aren't in science will never understand.
It's an enjoyable watch for a thoughtful night.
Theaters/DVD/On Demand: All of the Above

"Whiplash"

Nominations: Best Picture, Supporting Actor (J.K. Simmons), Adapted Screenplay (Damien Chazelle), Editing, Sound Mixing
Wins: Supporting Actor (J.K. Simmons), Editing, Sound Mixing
Deserved: Supporting Actor (J.K. Simmons), a Nom for Actor (Miles Teller)
Worth Watching?: J.K. Simmons is the Farmers Insurance guy and you would never guess that he makes commercials in his spare time. Never. He rocks his part of the violent, abusive teacher of Miles Teller who also puts out a moving performance. If you love music, specifically jazz, this is a must-see for you. If you had one of those teachers who pushed you in all the wrong ways, this is the movie for you. If you like either of these actors, this is the movie for you. It was very stressful to watch (I freaked out for the poor kid the whole time), but it's a thinker. What would you do?
Theaters/DVD/On Demand: DVD and On Demand

"Birdman"

Nominations: Best Picture, Actor (Michael Keaton), Supporting Actor (Edward Norton), Supporting Actress (Emma Stone), Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Director (Alejandro Inarritu), Sound Editing, Sound Mixing
Wins: Best Picture, Cinematography, Director (Alejandro Innarritu), Original Screenplay
Deserved: Cinematography!! and Michael Keaton for Best Actor
Worth Watching?: This is a strange one because it is very much an art film. It has great character development and character exploration but the main reason people watch it is for its critically acclaimed cinematography. I have never seen Michael Keaton like this before-- so open, vulnerable, and yet utterly crazy. If you're up for something completely different, give this a try. But remember to go with the flow and don't think too much about the logistics of it all. It's just supposed to be fun to look at.
Theaters/DVD/On Demand: All of the Above

"The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Nominations: Best Picture, Cinematography, Costume Design, Director (Wes Anderson), Film Editing, Makeup & Hair, Original Score, Production Design, Original Screenplay
Wins: Costume Design, Makeup & Hair, Original Score, Production Design
Deserved: Production Design, Director (Wes Anderson)- Someone give this man an Oscar! How does he not have one yet?!
Worth Watching?: Just like all of Wes Anderson's other films ("Royal Tenenbaums", "Moonrise Kingdom") this is a buffet for the eyes. With pastels and sarcasm everywhere, you can't help but giggle in all the right places.
Theaters/DVD/On Demand: Few theaters, DVD, On Demand

I already did a full review of "American Sniper" that you can check out here.

There you go! Now you have reviews for 5 of the 8. That's more than half. 

Feelin' Hot, Hot, Hot: Warm Movie List

I don't know about you, but I'm tired of this cold. And I'm tired of complaining about it. But let's be honest, that's what we Chicagoans do. We say things like "I hate this weather", "I'm moving to (enter state with perfect warm weather year-round here)" and we never move! We are the most stubborn people you can find when it comes to weather. We somehow feel that because we live in this frozen wasteland we can say the cold never bothered us anyway. And still live here!

Well, to warm up your cold days, weeks, and months, I decided to come up with a list of movies that will have you dreaming about the days you can leave the house without your puffy coat, hat, gloves, scarf, and snow boots. That may be sometime in April... ok, maybe more like late June.

Sahara (2005)
Matthew McConaughey and Steve Zahn go on a treasure hunt to find a Civil War ship in the Sahara Desert. They run into Penelope Cruz, a WHO doctor, on the way. Pretty much this entire movie is covered in hot, hot sand.

Volcano (1997)
A volcano blows up LA. So much lava...

The Sandlot (1993)
If you have never watched this movie, you must've had an unhappy childhood. The quintessential summer movie about a bunch of kids who love to play baseball.

High School Musical 2 (2007)
Yeah, yeah, go and laugh. But it is a movie about summer! And it has singing!

Hidalgo (2004)
Aragorn (aka Viggo Mortensen) enters in a horse race through the desert. One of those movies if you haven't seen yet, you really should.

Three Amigos (1986)
The Kings of Comedy Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Chevy Chase are actors who think they are hired to be actors in a fight for a town, but they are actually hired to save the town for real.

Heavy Weights (1995)
The 90s summer camp movie that I must've watched 100 times on Disney channel. Ben Stiller plays the evil camp counsel who whips the poor vertically-challenged kids into shape.

The Parent Trap (1998)
The 90s summer camp movie that every girl wished could happen to them. Think smores, swimming in the lake, camping, and California vineyards.

Dirty Dancing (1987)
Another summer camp movie but this time with dancing and romance.

Do The Right Thing (1989)
A single day of over 100 degrees with kids playing in the firehydrant water, sexy ice cubes, and hot racial confrontations.

National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)
The movie that started a phenomenon.

Caddyshack (1980)
What could be more summer than putting on the green?

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
A single scene will make anyone feel the heat- that fire pit over boiling lava to which human sacrifices are made.

Feel any warmer now?