Stray Dogs (Ws)

Starring:Guinevere Turner, Bill Sage, Dot Jones, Zach Gray, Ryan Kelley
Director: Catherine Crouch
Studio: Spectrum Entertain
Product Type: DVD

Description

Mamoru Oshii has created and directed some of Japan's most celebrated motion pictures including highly acclaimed movies like `Ghost in the Shell', `Patlabor', and `Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade'. Now available for the first time outside of Japan are three of Oshii's early live action theatrical features: `Talking Heads', `Stray Dogs', and `Red Spectacles'. These are the stories of of men whose lives are forever changed by deceit, betrayal, and murder and whose sole purpose is either to live as wolves or to live as sheep. Prepare yourself for a cinematic collection that delves into the mind of one, Mamoru Oshii.

KEY SALES POINT
From one of the premier directors of Japanese Cinema - Director Mamoru Oshii
Filmography includes - director 'Ghost in the Shell', creator 'Jin-Roh', director 'Patlabor'
Live Action Theatrical Feature
Anamorphic Widescreen
Mamoru Oshii's Cinema Collection Contains an EXCLUSIVE original CD Soundtrack from the features
DVD Features:
Interactive Animated Menus
Dolby Digital Surround Sound
Japanese Language
English subtitles option
EXCLUSIVE Original CD Soundtrack
DVD Extras:
Mamoru Oshii Text
Theatrical Trailers

Customer Reviews:

Unique.......2004-05-25

These movies certainly won't appeal to everyone, but I personally found them refreshingly different, interesting and very enjoyable. Whether or not you will enjoy them depends not only on personal taste but also what you intend to get out of seeing movies. If you've dismissed movies such as David Lynch's "Eraserhead" or "Lost Highway" as 'arsty pretentious rubbish', these won't be the films for you. The directing draws attention to itself (especially in "Talking Head"), which means if you just want to be told a story, you're already missing the point. These can be seen as 'experiments' in movie-making, and the results are very interesting, provided you're into that sort of thing.

Understandably, some people may be interested in these movies because of the connection to the Oshii-written anime "Jin-Roh". Don't expect a similar film, or much relation to it. At first, these films seem to have little relation to each other, let alone other films. Don't expect action, either. There are occasional action scenes, though if that's why you're watching the film you're once again likely missing the point.

It occured to me that "The Red Spectacles" is, in a way, a parody of itself. Any event or aspect of the storyline that may have been slightly far fetched, silly, or seen as a mistake in a normal film, is made very deliberate, exaggerated and displayed in an over-the-top manner that is somewhat remeniscent of comedic anime.. yet it doesn't feel out of place. It seems to fit right into the world Oshii has created in the film.

"Stray Dog" is a mellow, aesthetically beautiful film, rich in color, which is a startling contrast to the schizofrenic "Red Spectacles", which was predominately in black and white, and generally far from mellow. If you're not a fan of slow movies, or are expecting some action, you'll likely look at the time an hour into the movie and be amazed that seemingly nothing's happened yet. This isn't actually the case, of course, and while the film may be less complex, and generally less active, than the other two in the series, it still has plenty of ideas to express. This is the film that probably has the most in common with Jin-Roh, but again, don't expect the same film.

"Talking Head" defies convention even more than "The Red Spectacles" did, and presents a story about filmmaking full of bizarre characters and events, and commentary on various aspects of the art. This should be fascinating viewing for appreciators of 'arty' cinema, not just for it's bold direction and quirkiness, but also for the ideas expressed about the medium of film (and more specifically, animation), and the creative process.

I've long appreciated Oshii's animated works (such as Patlabor 2, Ghost in the Shell and Jin-Roh), and was very interested to see his live action films. Between his anime films, these films, and the absolutely stunning "Avalon", Oshii has shown diversity and unique vision, and has more than earned a place among the giants of cinema.

Great work with some flaws.......2004-05-13

I loved these movies and the soundtrack that came with them. Mamoru Oshii is a genius but there were quite a few flaws that kept me unsatisfied. I wouldn't recommend these for everyone but only for those who like Oshii and anime. If you do it's a definate buy!

I'll be honest..........2004-02-17

These movies flat out suck. For one thing, the box art and movie trailers will show you that these movies are action packed (by showing constant gun fights, and armored soldiers running around), when in fact they are not. My main reason for buying this set was because I loved Jon-Roh, as well as Ghost in The Shell. So I figured a live action version would be awesome, but it's not. In Jon-Roh, there was quite a bit of action involving the awesome looking armors the soldiers wear. In the live action movies, you barely see this at all. At the start of the films you see a tiny bit of action, and then for almost an hour and a half later, it's nothing but slow pacing footage of people wondering what's going on.

In Red Spectacles, a former Kerberos soldier comes back to Japan to find his team mates he left behind, and goes to find out what's been going on ever since he left. He finds out what happens to his buddies, but the ending leaves you questioning if he did in fact find out anything at all. The Movie starts off in color, but the rest of it is in black and white, which gives the movie an odd look. Also, instead of being a serious film, the characters end up trying to be comical like in anime, but it's never funny because trying to do cartoon gags in live action never turn out right because live action films never get the timimg right.

In Stray Dogs, most of it is serious, but at times they will go off doing stupid gags that never work (again, because the timing is off). And just like Red Spectacles, we never see any action except towards the end. In Stray Dogs, a former Kerberos soldier is released from prison, and he leaves japan to search for his master. The pacing in this movie is too slow as well. Most of the movie is just wandering around, not really doing anything. When there's a small fight between these two characters, it's all in one angle, and one angle only. Not only can you see the kicks not even making contact (they just swing them over each other) but the actors reactions for being hit are way off. One guy kicks, delay, other guy finally reacts. Had they had quicker timing for this, and different angles and sound effects, it would have been better, but instead just looks cheesy.

Amazon.com

This backwoods thriller starts slow but builds to a taut and harrowing conclusion. Guinevere Turner (Go Fish, American Psycho) stars as Darla, the mother of two boys by her boozing husband Myers (Bill Sage, Simple Men, High Art). One boy is bookish and fervently religious, the other reckless and wild. When Darla finally resolves to leave their mountain shack and return to South Carolina, Myers comes home determined to keep them there--only to find that his sister Jolene (Dot-Marie Jones) may not be on his side. Stray Dogs is a lean movie, taking place mostly in the shack and the surrounding yard, but the characters are so fully realized and their relationships are so multifaceted that the movie will hold you through sheer narrative craft. The performances are solid all around, with Sage in particular giving the movie a genuine jolt of menace. --Bret Fetzer

Average customer rating:

Stray Dogs
Starring: Gol Ghoti , Zahed , Agheleh Rezaii , Gol-Ghotai , and Sohrab Akbari
Director: Marziyeh Meshkini
Manufacturer: Seville Canada
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Average customer rating:

A moving look at the resiliency of children in crisis

Chiens Egares / Stray Dogs (Widescreen)

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000GPK7QG

Product Description

Dolby Digital

Customer Reviews:

A moving look at the resiliency of children in crisis.......2007-03-15

Marziyeh Meshkini's latest film, STRAY DOGS, from 2004, vividly illustrates that her earlier work, THE DAY I BECAME A WOMAN (2001), was no fluke - she is a filmmaker with a unique vision, with the technical abilities to translate that vision to the screen. Great filmmaking runs in the family - Marziyeh is the wife of renowned Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf, who has 18 features to his credit, including GABBEH (1996), A MOMENT OF INNOCENCE (1996), SILENCE (1998), and KANDAHAR (2001). Their daughter Samira has followed in the artistic footsteps of her parents, directing THE APPLE (1997), THE BLACKBOARD (1999), and 5 IN THE AFTERNOON (2003). Their son Maysam and daughter Hana have begun their own careers with shorts and documentaries. The Makhmalbaf Film School was established by Mohsen so that Iranian students interested in working with cinema would have the opportunity to learn their craft in their own country - his family members who are working in film, as well as others, have been given a chance that might well have been outside of their grasp if not for his devotion to his art.

STRAY DOGS is filled with memorable images - Marziyeh's eye, spirit, intelligence and skill work together, along with her talented team, to tell this story in such a way as to carve it into the heart and soul of the viewer. The film is set in Afghanistan, after the fall of the Taliban - the two central characters are a sister and brother, Gol-Ghotai and Zahed, respectively. Their ages are never given directly, but I would guess that she's around 7, and her brother perhaps 11. For all practical purposes, the two are war orphans - their parents are alive, but both are in prison and unable to care for the children. Their father is a Taliban mullah who has been imprisoned by the Americans. When he went off to fight in the war, disappearing without a trace for 5 years, the mother assumed he was dead and, unable to properly provide for her children, remarried - their father reappeared and, finding his wife married to another man, charged her with adultery. Her second husband is now dead - she begs the children, who are at first allowed by prison guards to spend the night in their mother's cell, to go to their father and convince him to forgive her, so that she can be set free and take care of them. He continues to refuse, saying that `she can burn in hell'. Talk about kids being caught in the middle of a domestic dispute!

Gol-Ghotai and Zahed have nowhere to live - they do their best to survive on the streets, foraging for anything salvageable that can be eaten, sold or burned for warmth. One day they cross paths with a large group of boys, brandishing torches, chasing a stray dog. `Kill him!' one boy shouts. `It's a Western dog!' The boys trap the dog in what appears to be some sort of deep outdoor kiln - it cowers and barks below as they shout taunts at it, now and then tossing down a torch to torment it. Gol-Ghotai slips into a horizontal shaft leading to the area where the dog is trapped - she grabs it and pulls it to safety just as its pursuers toss down the rest of their torches, creating an inferno intended to kill it. The dog becomes the constant companion of the sister and brother - and fittingly, as the two of them have been living as little more than stray dogs on the streets already.

The children are informed by a formerly friendly guard at the prison that a crackdown by the governor makes it impossible for them to spend the night with their mother any more. Desperate to be with her, aching to reestablish a sense of family, they concoct a scheme to commit a crime and get arrested in order to be placed in prison with her. The idea comes, fittingly enough, from the two of them viewing Vittorio De Sica's classic film BICYCLE THIEVES - an honest and respectful nod by Marziyeh to the great Italian director - and the scene in which Zaheb steals a bicycle and gets arrested is a beautifully realized visual echo of the scene in De Sica's 1948 film where the father steals a bicycle and is surrounded by a mob of citizens and taken into custody by the police.

In an oft-repeated quote, W. C. Fields once said `Never work with animals or children' - Marziyeh Meshkini has done both here, and brought it off with great success. The two child actors are astonishingly believable and natural - especially Gol-Ghotai. The emotions they were called upon to portray come across as very real, and are never overplayed. While the subject matter and setting are dark, the director and her actors also manage to inject a few elements that are nothing short of playful - in one scene, after having little success in coaxing the dog they've adopted into eating from a piece of flatbread, Gol-Ghotai holds it over strips of meat smoking on a grill so that it will absorb some of the odor. Her character (whether by instinct or by direction) is obviously pleased with herself for thinking of this - and the twinkle in her eye shows it, and is very real.

I'm not sure how widely STRAY DOGS was distributed to theatres in the US - I believe the edition of the DVD on this page was released by a Canadian studio, but is no longer readily available, and that's a shame. I picked up a region 2 copy released by Artificial Eye in the UK - their releases are generally transferred to digital media with great care (although they contain few `extra items' as a rule), and this one is no exception . It looks and sounds great - one more reason for having a region-free DVD player - and however you can see it, I recommend it wholeheartedly.

Average customer rating:

Stray Dogs
Starring: Bill Sage Dot-Marie Jones
Manufacturer: Echelon Entertainment 2
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

Set in 1958 and adapted from the award-winning stage play by Julie Jensen, Stray Dogs is a southern goth film about the last night of a bad marraige. Darla Carter reaches her turning point this October day, when most of the men in her Appalachian town are engaged in a vicious, chaotic hunt to round and up and kill starry dogs. In the afternoon, Darla gets terrifying news: she is pregnant agin., and she believes the baby will be a girl child. Legend has it that female children cannot survive on Carter Mountain. Darla has lost three female infants in a row and has come to believe the curse is real. For the sake of her children's future, she resolves to leave her husband Myers and Carter Mountain once and for all.

Mamoru Oshii Cinema Trilogy Collection (Talking Head/Stray Dogs/The Red Spectacles) + Soundtrack CD

Average customer rating:

Unique
Great work with some flaws
I'll be honest...

Mamoru Oshii Cinema Trilogy Collection (Talking Head/Stray Dogs/The Red Spectacles) + Soundtrack CD
Starring: Mamoru Oshii
Manufacturer: Bandai
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Anime & Manga | Genres | DVD | Video

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Anime | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Avalon
Stray Dog of Anime: The Films of Mamoru Oshii
Jin Roh (Special Edition)
Patlabor - The Mobile Police The Original Series Collection
Patlabor 2 - The Movie

ASIN: B0001BMM9U
Release Date: 2003-11-04

Customer Reviews:

Unique.......2004-05-25

Great work with some flaws.......2004-05-13

I'll be honest..........2004-02-17

Product Description

Set in 1958 and adapted from the award-winning play by Julie Jensen, Stray Dogs is a Southern gothic film about the last night of a bad marriage. Darla Carter reaches her turning point this October day, when most of the men in her Appalachian town are engaged in a vicious, chaotic hunt to round up and kill stray dogs. In the afternoon, Darla gets terrifying news: she is pregnant again, and she believes the baby will be a girl child. Legend has it that female children cannot survive on Carter Mountain. Darla has lost three female infants in a row, and has come to believe the curse is real. For the sake of her children's future, she resolves to leave her husband Myers and Carter Mountain once and for all.

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