Isle of Dogs

[grzegorz]

for me absolutely atrocious biggest mistake of this year's FF. plot-wise it was like one of the poorest Umberto Lenzi's gialli, over the top acting and good dose of misogynist crap - heroine dreams of being beaten by her husband, only to wake up and get smashed by masked attacker. and also scene, filmed like cheap porno flick - where she is offered to some gangsters. and this cage at the end credits - sooo cheap. ugh, can't get over it, that bad it was.

[kimblebee]

I really didn't think was bad at all - the story was great, it was the direction and overbearing sound that ruined it for me. All became clear when the Director, Tammi, revealed on stage that the her boyfriend/ partner was the music guy on the film - adds up then that it was all over the film.

I had really high hopes for this when I saw the Tarantino-style opening credits and music, but like everyone else has said, the music was just a bit too much and took away the impact of the film (as well as drown out the dialogue on many occasions).

I was really impressed with the two lead actors though, Barbara Nedeljakova (who I've only seen in Hostel before this) and Andrew Howard (who played the Sheriff in I Spit on your Grave remake, also at FF) we're both fantastic and IMO were what made the film worth watching.

[Alex J]

Dark, devious and occasionally humorous, a Brit thriller with a twisting plot, some gory violence and tense sequences. Also agree that Barbara Nedeljakova was good in this. I loved the giallo references and the style of the movie. 8 / 10

[itchysore]

i didnt like this at all, the music was horrible and it was very very dull 2/10

[Porkboy]

Wow. Just, wow. So many things wrong with this film! Did anyone notice how alive the dog was after being shot point-blank with a shotgun?

And for Christ's sake, don't have your 'masked killer' look like Rorschach from Watchmen, give him his own unique look.

*sigh* Anyways, nothing to say for this that hasn't already been said. Good performance from Andrew Howard, one or two humourous scenes and that's about it.

[Satans Puppy]

I liked it, I think it would have been a much better film had the score not been so overused and if you are going to use it throughout the film make it match the film... And give it a little variety!!!

The score totally killed the film.

[batterseablue]

Utterly woeful, went to the pub after about 25 minutes - I'd had to suffer a mockney 'carnnnt' being disagreeable over a deafening cod spaghetti western soundtrack for long enough...not a horror film, sorry. Didn't bother with "Dead Cert' on the Thursday night either, which appeared to be more of the same dross.

[suspiriorum]

And for Christ's sake, don't have your 'masked killer' look like Rorschach from Watchmen, give him his own unique look.

Um, actually the look of the killer is (as they said in the Q&A afterwards) a homage to/rip-off from Mario Bava's "Blood & Black Lace" - a 1963 film.

[Porkboy]

Um, actually the look of the killer is (as they said in the Q&A afterwards) a homage to/rip-off from Mario Bava's "Blood & Black Lace" - a 1963 film.

Aaah, haven't seen Blood And Black Lace yet and didn't stick around for the Q&A, so I stand corrected on that.

[maxmum]

A victim of attempted style over substance this one. Soundtrack needs dialling down a lot.

[gazadams]

Really enjoyed Isle of Dogs . Thought the music was really good but a bit too loud . The main Villan was excelant and very nasty . Got the blood and black lace straight away but did think at that point the killer was a girl ! Over all really good .

[suspiriorum]

This is a film I'd really like to be let loose in the editing room with. There was stuff about the film I really liked (mostly the giallo elements), but it was far too stodgy & focused on rubbish gangster elements to gel in a compelling way. I think with some re-structuring & considerable re-cutting this film could probably be turned into something reasonably cool; though it would most likely be about half the length making it somewhat tricky to release!

[Alex J]

Really surprised about some of the criticisms of this film, as I thoroughly enjoyed it and will be buying the DVD when it comes out. Still, everyone is entitled to their opinion.

However, some of the (implied or otherwise) criticism of why this film was selected for FF as it is not "horror" enough is beyond me. FF, as pointed out elsewhere and many times in the past, is not purely a horror film festival and encompasses horror and fantasy, with a dash of sci-fi and thriller thrown in. Therefore, there is no reason why this kind of film should not be shown - after all, it is a blend of giallo, thriller and slasher (and yes there are gangster elements but I think these are relatively minor), and it is not entirely dissimilar to the likes of The Cottage, Dream Home or even Halloween.

Consequently, I'll stand by the organisers for showing this and I hope they continue to show films of this nature - a narrower definition of what can be shown at FF is only likely to lead to too many films that are too similar.

Still, this is just my opinion and I'm not seeking to upset anyone or cause any arguments, just provide some defence for a film that I feel was right to be shown at FF and one that I (and hopefully others) enjoyed.