Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000/Magnolia DVD)

 

Picture: B-     Sound: B-     Extras: C     Film: B

 

A young unemployed man with a demanding expectant wife is being driven crazy, the final straw on his back however... is his neighbor's yapping dog.  The man goes to extremes to get rid of this 'problem', but things don't always goes quite as planned when a janitor, an accountant, homeless man, and a few other dogs get involve, things get more than just a little crazy.  For each action there is reaction, and fate seems it is not without bit of irony in store for him.
 
This is a comical film about a man and his pet peeve of dogs.  In his attempts to get rid of the dog(s), he not only discover there are more dogs, but a janitor with an appetite for canines, a girl who wants to protect the dogs, and a homeless man who throws a wrench in everyone's gears.  Things go from bad to worst when he discovers he had the wrong dog, then his wife bring one home.  It seems each time he tries to 'solve' his problems it comes back at him twice fold.
 
This was a funny movie of the story of man and his so called 'best friend' (or worst foe in this case), the dog.  While is revolves around a man and canines, unlike the movie Beethoven (the dog movie), the stories focus is more on the people who live around them, than the dogs themselves.  The characters started out as strangers, but because of twist of either fate or karma, their own lives get intertwined.  Each character has their own 'agenda' with the dogs, but can they keep others from getting involved?

 

Director Bong Joon-Ho (Mother, The Host) made his feature film debut here and it is effective enough.  This was filmed in 35mm film and looks good fir its age and this was a Dolby Digital release, so the sound is good here too.  Extras include interview with the actress, storyboard and film comparisons, movie montage and trailers.

 

 

-   Ricky Chiang