The Upside Can’t Decide: Funny or Meaningful

I don’t have a problem with movies that try to be both funny and insightful, to mean something as well as amuse – I just ask that they do it well. There has to be a balance and the jokes have to hit the mark well. Sadly, The Upside has a hard time finding that balance. There are some moments of humor, some bits of levity, and one or two moments that are really powerful in terms of the challenges the main characters face. Ultimately the story occasionally rings a little hollow, not all of the humor is as funny as it’s meant to be (especially since the two leads end up toning themselves down more than they usually would), and some of the influences from the movie it was inspired by end up showing you how much more it could have been. It is possible to enjoy yourself in the theater, but this is not one I would consider adding to any permanent collection.

Isle of Dogs: Fluid and Stable

This may have been one of the most advertised films I’ve seen that’s not a sequel, reboot, or part of a cinematic universe in quite a long time. I think I’ve been seeing commercials for Isle of Dogs in theaters as far back as December, if not before that (I definitely know I saw it before watching Three Billboards Outisde Ebbing, Missouri (2017)). This probably shouldn’t be surprising, considering Wes Anderson is widely considered to be the modern-day example of an auteur filmmaker. To be completely honest, this is the first work by Anderson that I’ve ever seen – though The Grand Budapest Motel (2014) and Moonrise Kingdom (2014) have been on my list because of recommendations; I’ve just never gotten around to them. Based on what I’ve seen from Isle of Dogs, there is no doubt that Anderson is good at what he does – I’m just not sure that what he does is quite my taste. I have seen a few reviews, however, that say this is not the strongest work that Anderson has ever presented, so perhaps I’m working with a poor example.