"Show Dogs": A Conversation About Being Appropriate

Why does this family film feel like it's targeted at parents?


"Show Dogs" is a comedy flick about a dog in the police force that is entered in a dog show to rescue a kidnapped baby panda.  In this world, animals can talk to each other and sometimes humans.  Basically, it's a talking animal movie for kids that involves crime and comedy elements within.


I originally went to see "Show Dogs" to discuss the controversial scene in which the main male dog, Max, is grabbed by the genitalia in preparation for the big show.  In the original cut, there was an issue with how Max was told by another dog to let this harassment happen in order to have a chance at winning.  A mommy blogger wrote an article about this scene after seeing a pre-screening of the film, concerned over how this could affect the children as well as how it relates to the Me Too movement.


"The movie shouldn't have shown scenes like that..., but they ultimately changed it," said Luke Shrader, an employee at Marcus Southbridge Crossing Cinema.


Unfortunately, in the edited version I saw, there still was testicle touching.  If I hadn't heard about the controversy, I wouldn't have been able to tell a difference.  At the end of the day, all this debacle resulted in was more publicity for this forgettable film.


Even though this film is boring and offensively bad at times, I believe something more sinister lurks below the surface.  This movie with funny animals targeted at small children seemed to occasionally border on PG-13 territory.


The tone of the entire movie felt very inappropriate.  There was a drug reference early on, many sexual references throughout, language and a rapper voicing the main dog character.  I don't find that last instance to be controversial in theory, but how many kids would be excited to see Ludacris in a movie?


Some parents may be okay with inappropriate jokes in family movies.  It can be argued that inappropriate humor is okay because most kids won't get it and the parents deserve to get entertained as well.


"I like a lot of the adult jokes in the 'Shrek' movies," said Jodi Exsted, my mother.  "If the kids are old enough to get the joke, then it's okay for them to experience it."


I think clever adult jokes can be used sparingly as long as the film respects its target audience.  No matter how one may feel about inappropriate jokes, this movie is awful and definitely not good for kids.


This film is not only inappropriate because of its content but also because of how it treats the kids.  "Show Dogs" disrespects children by avoiding creativity at all costs and replacing it with overused jokes that aren't worth anybody's time.  This film is simultaneously generic, stupid and extremely convoluted.


On one hand, there is a bit of juvenile humor combined with talking animals for younger viewers.  But, at the same time, there is a plot that seems a bit too complex for children along with offensive humor that is not funny.  The film even has pigeons that provide exposition to let the audience know what's going on, which younger viewers wouldn't even be able to understand.


To be honest, I'm speculating that this film doesn't care about the children.  This film thinks talking animals is all the children need to stay entertained, and instead offers a pathetic attempt to entertain the older viewers dragged to see it.  While Pixar and Disney have taken the approach to make their kids films better in order to entertain, this film thought to include a lot of easy adult jokes and celebrity voice cameos that kids won't get.


Please, filmmakers, make more great films for children because they need it more than adults do.  Children differ from adults not only in the content they enjoy but also in how they think.  Put some more creative effort in because the kids deserve better than this.

"Man on the Moon": A Forgotten Gem

Andy Kaufman was one of the craziest figures in all of show business, and this is a biography that lives up to the absurdity.


Even though "Man on the Moon" received mixed reviews upon release, it features one of Jim Carrey's best performances and has a story so bizarre that the film is truly stranger than fiction.


"Man on the Moon" is about the life of Andy Kaufman, one of the most unique performance artists of all time.  Kaufman was often considered to be a comedian, but this film explores him as much more than just a funny man.  Kaufman was an enigmatic person who played many different characters throughout his life while never exposing his true self to the public.


This film is filled with both childlike fun as well as mean-spirited publicity stunts that detracted from Kaufman's image.  Even though the audience does get some clear cut answers as to why Kaufman acted in the way he did, the film ends up showing Kaufman in an uncertain yet positive light.


One of the main complaints people make about the film is that Carrey's performance is too goofy, whereas Kaufman used to act with extreme seriousness to the point where nobody could tell when he was playing a character.  However, Carrey is very convincing because of the variety of voices and mannerisms he presents.  Also, he was so invested in becoming Andy Kaufman that there's a documentary on Netflix all about how Carrey prepared for the role.


Check "Man on the Moon" out if you get the chance.  The less you already know about Kaufman, the more interesting this true story is.

"Deadpool 2": A Sequel to "Deadpool"

If you liked the first one, chances are you'll like this one.


This review is two weeks late, but I finally got a chance to see "Deadpool 2" and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  However, while I believe that "Deadpool 2" is a better film than the original, I enjoyed it a bit less. 


When I say that "Deadpool 2" is better film, I'm saying that it is made better than the original.  The action is shot better, the story is more interesting and the film had a much larger budget.  My major issue with the film is that these more professional aspects make "Deadpool 2" feel like less of an anomaly. 


When I recently re-watched "Deadpool", I really appreciated how surreal it is that a film like this could exist.  The original is a low-budget superhero film that thrives on irreverent comedy more so than action and emotional investment.  "Deadpool 2" tries to have more of an emotional impact and themes, which could have been executed better.


"Deadpool 2" really worked for me when it was being comical, even in just a small way.  Whenever the film became serious or more focused on making sense, it began to feel like every other superhero flick out there.  There are certain beats that most major blockbuster films hit in their plot to make the film coherent and familiar to audiences, but if any character could pull off something crazy, it would be Deadpool.


Chances are the people who wanted to see "Deadpool 2" have already done so, and they probably loved it.  In the future, though, I'd like to see a truly off-the-wall Deadpool film just to see how weird the filmmakers can make this franchise.

Why I made this blog

In short, I made this blog because I’m taking a journalistic blogging course over the
summer.  However, this blog is not just an assignment for class. Exceptional Film
Reviews is a passion project I’ve wanted to do for years.

There were many routes I could have taken with this blog, but the clearest option was a
film review blog.  I love movies, but I probably love film reviews even more.

I find that film reviews can be almost as entertaining as the films themselves.  Film
reviews are an educational way to create a discussion. Every person has different criteria
when it comes to deciding if a film is good or bad, which I find fascinating.

Exceptional Film Reviews is a film review blog that will focus on new releases as well as
other film related content.  I am still figuring out my writing style, so there will most likely be
some diversity with my first few posts. I will attempt to blog once a week for as long as
I can, but I will post more than once a week for the next five weeks.

I chose the word exceptional in the title of this blog because I am searching for movies that
stand out in some way from others.  Even if I dislike something a film does, I will always be
more forgiving if the filmmaker attempts something out of the norm.

I am very confident in my ability to read film and write properly.  Not only that, but I am also
aware of the loose formula film critics on the internet use to critique film, which will translate
into exceptional film reviews.

One of the reasons I created Exceptional Film Reviews as a blog is because I wanted to
learn how to blog.  Blogging seems like a very important skill not just in journalism but in any
field of work. By writing what I believe on the internet and taking the feedback given by my
audience, I am better preparing myself to work with others in my career.

The second reason I am blogging is to practice my writing skills.  As a journalism major, the
most frequent advice I receive is to read and write as much as possible.  This blog is a fun
exercise in maintaining and expanding my writing skills.

I believe that I am an adequate journalist.  I take my time proofreading my works and
checking facts online.  My one major flaw would have to be my social anxiety when talking
with others.

My experience with blogging thus far has been minimal.  In the past, I have frequented the
Roger Ebert film review blog.  However, I am very interested in YouTube film reviews and
podcasts, which draw a lot of similarities to blogs.

My greatest fear is being the same as all the other film bloggers out there.  I want to find a
way to stand out and make opinions worth hearing. Also, I am a little scared about putting
my opinions on the internet because I am unsure how people are going to react to criticism
or even praise of certain films.

I hope this blog is a stepping stone in my quest to better understand the art of film.  It is
amazing how much my views on certain movies have changed throughout the years, and
I’m sure my thoughts will only grow more complex as time passes.  To all the people in my
audience, I sincerely hope you can help me learn by letting me know your opinions in the
comment sections of my reviews.