Dog Eat Dog

What did I miss?

The Academy Awards are on tonight, and while I won’t be watching the broadcast, I’m still wondering about Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog, which is nominated for 12 Oscars.

I remain mystified about all the praise this film has received. It’s not that I disliked it as much as I was incredibly unmoved by what I saw.

Please understand that I’m not here to trash Jane Campion’s film and if you enjoyed it, mazel tov.

When I was younger, I used to be quite harsh in my film criticism, and I often irritated my friends or family members who felt differently.

So instead of loudly declaring that a film is the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen in my life, now I’ll say something to the effect that I was disappointed with a particular flick.

It’s only a movie, for God’s sake. There’s no reason to insult people, especially those I care about.

And I'm not going to lambaste the critics who praised The Power of the Dog to hell and back.

Most times I agree with the reviewers, but we really went down different paths on this one.

My sister and I started watching the film about two brothers on a ranch in 1925 Montana, but we bailed when one of the characters snuffed a rabbit.

I did want to see how the thing ended, so I got back on Netflix a few days later and picked the story up from the expired bunny scene in hopes that I might understand why this film had caused such a fuss.

One More Time

That did not happen.

My problem with The Power of the Dog is that is lifeless; the film has no pulse. I feel like I’m watching zombies walking around in cowboy outfits.

There’s absolutely no energy and it seems like Campion was so obsessed with making a great movie that she forgot to make a good one.

I give her credit for being subtle in her approach instead of bashing us over the head like so many other films do.

But if you want to play things close to the vest, you have to give your audience a reason to stay in the game.

The film has sparked controversy following some idiotic comments by actor Sam Elliott and Campion herself.

You can google their respective stories if you’re interested.

If you’re looking for an understated but exciting western you could try Monte Hellman’s The Shooting, a 1966 B-movie featuring Warren Oates an incredibly young Jack Nicholson.

The film, which is available on YouTube, was made on a miniscule budget and yet it has held my interest to the final frame—unlike The Power of the Dog.

Still, some movies improve of the second viewing, so I’ve decided I’m going to watch Campion's film again.

I am still amazed at how much I hated Saturday Night Fever when it first came only to enjoy the movie immensely when I saw it again nearly 40 years later.

So, I’ll wait until all the buzz has died down and then I’ll watch The Power of the Dog in one setting with an open mind.

Maybe I’ll finally understand what all the noise is about.