GetPapa Far from Perfect, Far from Terrible

Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Leoni Haney Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

Phillipa Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Camera Obscura LOVE IS A DOG FROM HELL (a.k.a CRAZY LOVE) (Dominique Deruddere - Belgium 1987).Three Bukowskian tales set in a Belgian, mostly rural, setting. How about that? Despite good reviews upon its release, winning several awards and getting support by Hollywood heavyweights Sean Penn and Francis For Coppola, the film vanished into obscurity almost immediately after its release. Perhaps it was bad timing, because Barbet Schroeder's star-studded BARFLY was released almost simultaneously. Who knows? By any chance, this film is a beauty, clearly deserving wider attention.The film has a three-act construction, all set around the live of Harry Voss, focusing on his difficult search for love and affection. The first act is set in 1955 and follows Harry when he's twelve years old. He is struck by his first notions of true love when he sees a dream-like film in cinema, only to be helped out of his dream by a more mature friend who claims the only reason people get married is to get laid. Remember, it's fifties' rural Flanders we're talking here. In the second act, in the early sixties, Harry is a shy 19-year old, his face horribly disfigured by a grotesque form of acne. When driving in the bus, he is stared at by all the children, while the adults look away. There's a high school dance, but Harry can't get a girl. In the third act we get a more literal adaptation of Bukowsky's THE COPULATING MERMAID OF VENICE, CA., when Harry is a down-on-his-luck alcoholic, devoid of any aspirations, spending most of his time in shady bars. When he meets an old acquaintance, they go on a joined drinking binch and rehash old memories while patrolling the foggy streets. In their drunken frenzy ("for old time's sake") they decide to steal a body from an ambulance they see on a deserted street and take it to an abandoned house. This makes - how morbid it may sound - for one of the most beautiful and touching scenes of the film. The ending is a beauty. In the first act the film starts of a bit slowly with some awkward moments. I found the second and third acts the strongest, but all three segments show remarkable cinematic harmony. Beginning and ending the film with nicely contrasted mirror images of "the Princess" running across some dimly lit corridor and Raymond van het Groenewoud's haunting musical theme, it makes for a very neat composition indeed. Cars also feature prominently in all three segments. Most of the key scenes take place in or around cars. It all a very American feel to it, especially the second act. A homecoming dance, a prom, lampoons, American cars, it's small town USA transferred to Belgium. The lead performance by Josse de Pauw who plays the adult Harry in the second and third acts, is a joy to watch. All the more recommended, because of Mondo Macabro's excellent DVD-release. A bit of an oddity in their usual catalogue of all kinds of exploitational sewers of world cinema (which I often like, don't get me wrong), their treatment of the film is excellent, with a luminous new transfer and jam-packed with extras. Two documentaries, the "making-off" with some great footage of Bukowski and his thoughts on the film, a filmed interview with director Deruddere, a text essay on Flemish cinema, and Mondo Macabro's usual trailer reel of the wilder side of world cinema to top it all off. With an almost surrealist setting and touching subjects like necrophilia, it's not a film most audiences will embrace easily, but any fan of Bukowski, Belgian cinema or good cinema in general should really give this one a try. It might be a far cry from Bukowsky's usual settings but liberal interpretations usually make for far more interesting films. This is worth seeing. Damn, the man even approved of it himself!Camera Obscura --- 9/10

bluemouse1122 I saw this movie when it came out in 1987, but it was released under the original title, "Love is a Dog From Hell." For years, I've searched for it under that name to no avail, until today. I saw it in a mid-sized theater in Washington, DC...and I was the ONLY...and I mean only...person in the audience! The owners lost money that day, but I wasn't complaining. This movie made such an impact upon me, and I cried big, salty tears. Any adolescent who has had acne and/or been socially awkward (hello, everyone?) can relate on some level to the protagonist's horror and pain and gut-wrenching loneliness. Not everyone would ultimately go to his extremes, perhaps, but nonetheless.... I recommend this movie for folks who like their movies without the happy, crappy endings tacked on...and which show life as it really can be in that roller-coaster period called being a "teenager." Great direction and acting, too.

coreyjwade This film deserves more props. It is absolutely charming, and in a very poetic way. The filming in itself is very smooth with each transition and has great purpose in every scene each of which converge, including the fine details. The shadows of the spreading rain drops during the masturbation scene is phenomenal. The build-up and execution of the dance scene is also about as romantic as I have seen.I can see why this film did not get the props it deserves. It has some controversial material, though it is all executed with superb and poetic class. The diversity of the three sequences are also extraordinary. Very effective imagery, and a story that is told so well that you know where it is going at the end. There are no tricks, just a heartfelt love story with Bukowskian flair. And after watching a documentary on Hank, I can say that this captures the work of the true man inside, not the reputation that he developed as a womanizer during one stage of his life.

chinaskee Loosely based on the writings of Charles Bukowski,the first segment is actually based on a couple of paragraphs from a short story by John Fante,Bukowski's favorite writer. Director Dominique Deruddere has let his imagination run wild,so what the audience ends up with is a vision of Bukowski living John Fante's childhood, in the European countryside.Gene Bervoets looks very much like Buk's description of himself in "Ham on Rye" and other writings.The soundtrack is great.An interesting coming of age tale.