DOGGIE, DO

Gentle Readers,

TGIF!

All right. Let's get down to business. I have two potential DVDs for your viewing pleasure this weekend.

The first is called Year of the Dog, and it stars Molly Shannon as Peggy, but this is not the silly, wildly funny Molly Shannon of Saturday Night Live. This is Molly Shannon sweetly amusing and then Molly Shannon in mourning.

Peggy's dog Pencil is her beloved companion, and when he dies, her life falls apart. She grieves, tries adopting a difficult dog, falls in love with a person (gasp!), becomes a vegan, gets involved in animal rights, takes in far more dogs than she can handle -- and her life spins out of control, until she puts a leash on it.

Peggy: If you all didn't think I was crazy, I'm sure you will now. How do I explain the things I've said and done? How do I explain the person I've become? I know I've disappointed everyone and I'm sorry for that. I wish I was a more articulate person. I believe life is magical. It is so precious. And there are so many kinds of love in this life. So many things to love. The love for a husband or a wife, a boyfriend or girlfriend. The love for children. The love for yourself. And even material things. This is my love. It is mine. And it fills me and defines me. And it compels me on.

When Peggy knows what she truly wants, when she finds her love, she is transformed. I was quite impressed by this movie.

The second DVD for your consideration is Heavy Petting, starring Malin Akerman as Daphne and Brendan Hines as Charlie. If these two are successful thespians, I don't know anything about it. I'd never heard of them before, but they're cute as can be, and so is this movie.

I admit that while watching about the first 10 or 15 minutes, I thought, I'll have to give this movie a negative review. It's stupid and raunchy and it sucks. But when Charlie changes his tune about Daphne's dog Baby Doll and moves from hatred to love, I changed my tune too. As Charlie and Baby Doll become the best of friends, the movie becomes adorable. I especially enjoyed a sequence when Charlie took Baby Doll shopping and watched her model various outfits as if he were taking a girlfriend or wife shopping.

But when Daphne realizes how much Charlie likes Baby Doll, she worries that Charlie doesn't care for her the way he does for the doggie. How will they work it out? I can't tell you; it would spoil the movie. But I also recommend this movie if you want a really light comedy and you can put up with a little bit of moronic movie making at the beginning.

Year of the Dog will lead to your interest, enjoyment, sadness -- it may even lead you to think about making some changes in your life. Heavy Petting will chase your cares away.

Infinities of love,

Lola