Isle of Dogs

             Written for the screen and directed by Wes Anderson, this stop motion animation features a great cast of vocal talent and is utterly charming. The screenplay is from an original story by Mr. Anderson, Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman and Kunichi Nomura.

              The film takes place in the fictitious Japanese city of Megasaki, 20 years in the future  where dog flu has run rampant through the canine population and the cat loving Mayor has banished all dogs to Trash Island. His young ward Atari steals a plane and flies to the island to find his own dog, Spots. He is befriended by a small band of particular dogs who agree to help him.

       Mr. Anderson makes many interesting choices for this film. He sets it in Japan and all the humans only speak in their native Japanese. There are no subtitles. The audience is deliberately told this at the beginning of the film as well as letting us know all the dog barking is translated into English. There is one American human character as well as an interpreter that help fill in the story for an English speaking audience. The story is steeped in Japanese culture and yet completely relatable to a wide audience. Coincidently, the story is very timely as the young adult population of Megasaki rally to bring about a major turning point in the film.

                      The team of puppeteers and animators Mr. Anderson has assembled have done nothing short of brilliant work with amazing attention to the smallest detail. Every dog character has a very distinct look and personality. The large vocal cast includes Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Scarlett Johansson, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Bob Balaban, Frances McDormand, Harvey Keitel, Greta Gerwig, F. Murray Abraham, Liev Schreiber, Yoko Ono, Kunichi Nomura and Koyu Rankin as Atari.

            While a serious story at its core, it's an adventure filled with suspense and yet plenty of sly humor. Cute as it may look, it's not a film for small children who may find it somewhat confusing and even scary at times. Canine flu is a real disease and while the film takes it to an extreme, dog owners should consider vaccinating their own pets if they are social and spend a lot of time around other dogs.

Annihilation

      Written and directed by Alex Garland, this new sci-fi film is based on the best selling novel of the same name. It is a dazzling trippy story that takes place in "The Shimmer", an area of earth that has been taken over by an alien lifeform for no apparent reason. The story starts when a meteor crashes into a lighthouse and the shimmer appears and starts to spread.

        Natalie Portman stars as an ex-military, biologist whose husband, played by Oscar Isaac,  returns after disappearing into the shimmer for a year. Once he returns, his health immediately deteriorates and to save him, Ms. Portman and four other scientists head into the shimmer to try to figure out the source of the phenomena.

         The other scientists are played by Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson, Gina Rodriguez, and Tuva Novotny. To Mr. Garland's credit, the fact that five woman make up the major cast never seems out of the ordinary and and perfectly natural. From an audience perspective, it's a pretty forward thinking casting choice and the women make the most of their roles.

         Once inside the shimmer, the film turns into a very trippy adventure. The landscape is beautiful, filled with strange plants and creatures that are mutating from the original fauna and flora. The soundtrack as well, creates an alien sensation as the five woman go deeper into the shimmer to reach the lighthouse and source of the mystery. There are moments of violent surprise and constant suspense throughout the film. Once the destination is reached, the story goes off the rails in surreal craziness, giving us answers but even more questions.

          This is a thought provoking sci-fi adventure that keeps its audience off balance. Truly cinema escapism.

Foxtrot

      Making the short list for Best Foreign Film but ultimately not getting a deserved nomination at this year's Academy Award, this is a mesmerizing new Israeli drama from writer/director Samuel Maoz.

       Lior Ashkenasi and Sarah Adler star as grief stricken parents who learn at the onset of the film that their son, Jonathan has been killed in the line of military duty.  At once a meditation on grief, the film becomes so much more in a surprising and deliberately paced story.

       The film is divided into three sections. It is a deeply moving film filled with moments that catch an audience off guard. Mr. Maoz use of unconventional camera angles and surreal flashes as the story unfolds keep the viewer in an hypnotic state even in moments of pure tedium.

       Ms. Adler and Mr. Ashkenasi are both terrific but Mr. Ashkenasi, already a well respected Israeli actor, takes his skills to another level as a man torn apart by grief and guilt. Even in moments of silence (of which there are many), his expressive face, at once breaks your heart, as well as keeps you on edge waiting for his inner turmoil to spill out.

        When art is done right, it should leave an impact on it's audience. This haunting drama will leave you reeling and deeply affected well after the final credits.

Game Night

              If you're looking for some mindless escapist fun, then this new comedy is for you. Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams star as Max and and Annie, a competitive, game obsessed, couple who enjoy having their friends over for game night.

              When Brooks, Max's super successful older brother, played by Kyle Chandler, invites everyone to his house for a live mystery night game, a real kidnapping changes the rules and suddenly everyone is not sure what's real and what's part of the game. It's a fun premise that has plenty of potential and makes good on a great number of laughs and twists.

        Max's and Annie's friends are played by Billy Magnussen, Sharon Horgan, Lamorne Morris, and Kylie Bunbury. Jesse Plemons plays a strange next door neighbor and Danny Huston, Michael C. Hall, and Jeffrey Wright have small but important roles.

             Most of the best laughs come during the first half of the film.  The second half dissolves into a typical crime comedy "wrap it up with the bad guys" to get to the end plot but still throws a few curve balls. Mr. Bateman and Ms. McAdams have great chemistry between them and it's fun to see Kyle Chandler having a good time since he usually plays more serious parts.

               Besides lots of physical comedy,  the script is filled with great one-liners and puns. You can't lose with this game. And stay past the credits for a quick but key sequence.