MovieChat Forums > Red (2008) Discussion > Any other people for animals movies?

Any other people for animals movies?

posted 13 years ago by MyOpinions
9 replies | jump to latest

What I mean by that is, movies about people who either seek revenge for the harming/killing of an animal or the harming/killing/death/life of an animal they care about impacts them greatly. There are shows/movies where an animal dies and the parents act like the only problem with that is the child might get upset. I hate those movies. Movies that aren't overly childish and that show the impact an animal can have in an adult's life are what I'm talking about. I watched one last night. The movie wasn't great but I liked the fact that the animals involved were deeply cared about.

Any others from say the last 20-30 years or more recent ones? Don't really expect them to be of the high quality of Red, but would like to know. Do NOT want to see gruesome animal images, just a decent movie about the impact they can have on our lives. I also do not want to see movies with live exotic animals in them, as they belong in the wild, not in movies.

I'm aware of The Future but also basically know how it ends for Paw-Paw, the cat. Saw Harry and Tonto was a good movie with a cat. Loved the dog and their relationship in I Am Legend. Wendy and Lucy was a good movie with a dog.

I've already seen the worst movie ever made, so it can only be uphill from there.

[–] WarpedRecord 13 years ago

I wish there were more animal movies for grown-ups. I wind up watching a lot of children's or "family" films (<---- basically, what used to be called children's films) just to see dogs. Quite often, the dogs are more plot devices than actually developed characters, and they wind up dying in a surprising amount of films (even the children's movies). Many of them, like "Marley & Me," play irresponsible behavior for laughs, while others feature talking animals or assorted other ridiculousness.

Here are a few decent films I'd recommend:
"Best in Show": Hilarious mockumentary about dog shows. I suspect you've already seen this.
"Babe" and "Babe: Pig in the City": Even though the animals talk here, the dialogue and action are quite entertaining. You've probably already seen these.
"Wendy and Lucy": A homeless woman struggles to find her lost dog. Very touching.
"Year of the Dog": Comedy about a woman struggling after the loss of her dog.
"A Dog Year": Decent comedy-drama with Jeff Bridges suffering a midlife crisis while trying to train a border collie.

[–] MyOpinions 13 years ago

Exactly! Animal movies for grown-ups is a more succinct way of saying what I was trying to say. LOL

Good list. I've seen them all but "Year of the Dog." Don't know how I missed that one, unless I got it mixed up with "A Dog Year." I liked "A Dog Year" but after seeing it I read what happened to the dog in real life so feel the movie was very misleading, as there was no happy ending for the dog, mostly through the guy's fault.

A movie that was made for HBO or something like that in 1999 called "The Jack Bull" with John Cusack is a western about his caring and compassion for some neglected/abused horses. I haven't seen it since then but loved it at that time and have been wanting to see it again. Western or not, it was an excellent drama made for grown-ups, with horses being a pivotal part of the story.

"Year of the Dog" looks good. Thanks!

I've already seen the worst movie ever made, so it can only be uphill from there.

[–] WarpedRecord 13 years ago

You're very welcome on "Year of the Dog." It's a very quirky and indie film that's not for everyone's tastes, but I found it very entertaining. It stars Molly Shannon, whom I love.

I shall seek out "The Jack Bull," which sounds interesting. That reminds me of an old chestnut from the early '70s, "Bless the Beasts and the Children," about misfits at a summer camp trying to save buffalo from slaughter. It's a great film, but hard to find on VHS or DVD. But it looks like it's available to watch online, if you do that (I don't):
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068286/

A few others that occur to me:
"White Dog": Very controversial Sam Fuller film about a dog raised to attack black people. It's not nearly as gruesome as it sounds because it has a major twist at the end where you learn that race wasn't the issue.
"Amores Perros": Hard-hitting and effective film by Alejandro González Iñárritu that has a major subplot involving a dog-fighting ring. It's very disturbing and graphic, but the bonus features show that the dogs are actually very gentle are were trained to act vicious.
"Milo and Otis": Beautiful Japanese film about a cat and dog on a journey.

I'm such a fool for animal movies, especially involving dogs, that I sit through any number of benign romantic comedies like "Dog Park," "Must Love Dogs" and "The Truth About Cats and Dogs" just to see dogs. Plus, there are children's films like "My Dog Skip," "Shiloh" and "Because of Winn-Dixie," all of which are excellent but are clearly aimed at a younger audience.

I hope this helps. Have you seen any of these?

[–] MyOpinions 13 years ago

I think I'd like Year of the Dog, based on the summary.

I've heard of Bless the Beasts and the Children and may have seen it way back in the day but hardly remember anything about it so I'm not sure. I would probably get much more out of it now than back then, anyway.

It's funny (not haha) you should mention White Dog. I was thinking about that very movie several days ago. Don't know why. Don't think I'd seen Red yet so it wasn't triggered by seeing a dog movie. I hadn't seen it since it first came out.

Amores Perros looks kind of hard to watch. I've watched literally hundreds of real-life animal abuse videos (until I emotionally maxxed out) but a non-documentary with abuse is still hard for me to watch. Both are very hard to see, but when it's not real and graphic animal abuse I have a really hard time watching it. Probably because I've seen so much of the real deal, I suppose. It took me months to finally watch Red and then I covered my eyes during the shooting scene. Kind of perplexing, considering the real stuff I've made myself watch and have cried over is far worse than they show in a movie.

I haven't seen Dog Park but I like Luke Wilson so I may enjoy that. Not a big fan of romcoms but they do seem to have more animals in them than other genres, except for children's movies. I haven't seen Because of Winn-Dixie because when it came out I thought it would be too childish, but I happened upon it a couple months ago here on IMDB and thought it might be good, afterall.

I thought My Dog Skip and Shiloh were very good. I didn't recognize the name Shiloh but when I looked it up, I realized I had seen it. I would not mind seeing them again.

You have been helpful, indeed! Thank you. Some of these I'd forgotten about but would like to see them again, or had not heard of.

I've already seen the worst movie ever made, so it can only be uphill from there.

[–] MyOpinions 13 years ago

Don't know if you'll ever read this but it doesn't hurt to post it just in case.

Maybe you've seen "Hachiko"/"Hachi"? I actually have this movie but totally forgot about it until I came across it today. I will tell you right now I haven't seen this yet but I wanted to mention it before I forget about it again. It stars Richard Gere, who I like and know he cares about animals in real life, and it's based on a true story. It's rated G but doesn't look (or sound, per posts) like a typical children's movie. It has good reviews, too. The trailer made me tear up, which is why I have kept postponing watching it.

Here's a link because it has two different names in IMBD:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1028532/

I've already seen the worst movie ever made, so it can only be uphill from there.

[–] WarpedRecord 13 years ago

Thanks so much for the recommendation of "Hachiki"/Hachi." I remember reading reviews for that when it came out, but it disappeared rather quickly and it slipped my mind until you mentioned it. I'll definitely seek it out. The G rating in itself is not a hindrance to me, though often those movies come with a cloying cuteness that gets old once you're no longer the target audience. I take it that's not the case here. It's not like I want to see violence or hear profanity, and there was a point when movies for grown-ups were still rated G and even tackled adult subjects.

Apologies for not replying to earlier regarding "Ameris Perros." The dog-fighting scenes are indeed very shocking, and I didn't even know that was a major part of the film when I saw it. It's an excellent film overall, but Alejandro González Iñárritu's works require quite a bit of the viewer that I'm not always ready to give.

Another film that occurred to me recently that I would not recommend is "Barking Dogs Never Bite," a Korean film billed as a romantic comedy but that involves that old chestnut of dog-eating as a major subplot. It's not that I am opposed to watching a movie about dog-eating – though I am certainly opposed to the practice – but this film is not very well directed or acted. And frankly, I didn't find the lap dogs in the movie all that cute, but that's my bias:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0269743/

Thanks again for the recommendation. I'll seek the Richard Gere film out.

[–] MyOpinions 13 years ago

No apologies are necessary.

I took a look at the info on "Barking Dogs Never Bite." That's definitely not something I'd care to see. Throwing a dog off a roof and eating dogs makes me feel ill. I'm putting a link on there.

You are very welcome. I know what you mean about cloying cuteness. "Hachiko" doesn't really seem to be like that. I hope to watch it soon, with tissues on hand.

I appreciate your recommendations.

I've already seen the worst movie ever made, so it can only be uphill from there.

[–] Mousuke 12 years ago

As already mentioned, Year of the Dog is excellent and I loved Wendy and Lucy too.

If you are okay with animation My Dog Tulip is a lovely film about an ageing man and his relationship with his German shepherd.

Outisde of English language films the Argentinian film Bombon el Perro is a charming road movie about a man whose life is changed when he is given a dog.

There is also the Australian film Red Dog - not seen it yet though, it's on my LoveFilm list (going through finding dog films! )

The lute is the coolest of all medieval stringed instruments.

[–] floriangray 8 years ago

Max (2015). And I agree, I wish that more movies would explore the bonds between pets and their owners/friends. It's a very important bond, and people can grieve for their deceased pets just like they would for any human companion. I can't read the rainbow bridge poem without tearing up.