Dog Art Today

Film: Jon Katz’s “A Dog Year” Tonight on HBO

Written by

Moira McLaughlin

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Jeff_bridges_a_dog_year

Jeff Bridges and Ryder, photo by James Bridges/HBO

I was just going to write a quick post that Jeff Bridges stars in the movie adaptation of Jon Katz's bestselling book A Dog Year tonight at 8pm on HBO.  I plan to watch it even though the NYT gives it a tepid review because a.) I refuse to watch America's got Talent which seems to be the only thing on right now  b.) I think Jeff Bridges, while not the greatest actor of our time, is thoroughly watchable (I think it is his voice, his dreamy hair, and his refusal to be typecast)  and c.) I always hear about these dog-themed-Jon-Katz books but have no intention of ever reading them.  Dog books to me are like listening to someone else's dream.  I know it is the most exciting, cosmic, love-soaked experience in a person's life to have a dog, but it's just not that interesting to me.  I have my own exciting, cosmic, love-soaked thing going on.  And I don't want to read about your dog dying (John Grogan).

Anyway, what was intended to be a short post began to grow when I dug a little deeper into Katz's bio.  Turns out he was steeped in the frantic media elite world before moving to a farm in upstate NY where he lives with dogs, donkeys, sheep, cows, cats, and chickens.  After my recent giddy infatuation with my foster goats (who, I don't think I've mentioned, now board at a fenced-in pasture across the street, since Girl Goat escaped my pen and gave me too much anxiety, and, yes, I am disappointed that I don't have the pioneer spirit to fix the pen and keep the goats, but the truth is they were not mine and I was getting too attached to creatures whose lives I had no say in), I became intrigued with Katz's new life (being a former member of the frantic media elite turned aspiring rural maven myself) and his ability to approach it with a farmer's practicality and not an urbanite's idealization.  Read his post Why I Shot My Lamb and Why I Want to Shoot My Neighbor's Lamb, Too and you will see what I mean.

Which brings me to another aspect of Katz I want to share.  He has a cool website called Bedlam Farm with lots of photos, a blog, an archive of his Slate articles, and more.  Warning, the blog was a bit cumbersome to navigate.  Jon, if you're reading this, I couldn't click through your photo album and I really wanted to see and share your images.  Here is the shot from his homepage that I like very much:

Picture 1 

Bedlam Farm


Then there are the Katz controversies: the Afghanistan-nerd-Slashdot incident and the Border Collie community's outrage.   Whoa.

I could go on.  I have spent hours digging around in Katz's world today.  And now, I really want to see the movie tonight and see more.  I had this idea that he was some corny writer who thinks he is the first person to fall in love with a dog.  But the truth is he is more complicated, edgy, and perhaps disturbed than some second career Dr. Dolittle.  Maybe he likes putting down animals.  Anyway, I am intrigued.  And I look forward to tonight.

If you watch or have other opinions on Katz, let me know.  I am going to try the new and hopefully improved commenting system since I saw it in use on my new favorite blog, The Amateur Gourmet.

Hat tip to my mom for sending me the NYT link about the movie and the one to The Amateur Gourmet.  Doesn't she have excellent taste?

P.S. Can't figure out the new commenting system. Will try harder later.  Got to go water my tomatoes.

P.P.S. I activated the new commenting system.  Let me know what you think and if you have any problems.  Feel free to email me at moira@dreamdogsart.  Thank you.

Comments

8 responses to “Film: Jon Katz’s “A Dog Year” Tonight on HBO”

  1. Moira Avatar
    Moira

    this is a test of the new commenting system.

    Reply
  2. Gwen Avatar
    Gwen

    Jon Katz is no cutesy-poo kinda guy. ‘A Dog Year’ is one of my all time faves. And yes, steeped in controversy. I have great respect for him, and would recommend him to those who find ‘Marley and Me’ and the like too conventional.

    Reply
  3. Moira Avatar
    Moira

    Excellent word, cutesy-poo. Wish I had used it. And, that’s how I thought of him before I decided to find out more about what I thought I knew. Thanks for your recommendation, Gwen.

    Reply
  4. JenK Avatar
    JenK

    Being an owner of a rescued Border Collie, I was handed “A Dog Year” before I even had picked up my pooch from her Foster Home. “You want a Border Collie? Read this book first” a friend told me. It was an awakening…
    This book is NOT cutesy-poo, nor are any of his books. In fact, they are the most “real” dog books out there. Katz looks deeper into dog ownership, our fascination with dogs and how we manifest our our issues with these creatures. His study of dogs in fact, is a study of the human race and how we interact, or don’t interact with one another.
    I highly recommend “The New Work of Dogs,” which is a series of non-fiction short stories about different types of dog owners and their relationship with their animal. It’s a good insight to WHY we love our dogs so much, and what burdens we put on them, and how they help us throughout our time here. It’s a fascinating look into the canine owning (and sometime obsessed) world.

    Reply
  5. Moira McLaughlin Avatar
    Moira McLaughlin

    Hi Jen – Thanks for your insights as a Border Collie owner. What do you think about him putting down Orson (his first Bordie) because he bit two people. The Bordie owners on the forum I linked to in the article were completely outraged. I would love to hear your thoughts.
    My two cents about the movie. It felt like just the first 3 acts of a 5 act story. I think it should be made into a series. Jeff Bridges and his co-star Ryder were terrific and Katz certainly has a lot of material in all his books.
    Thoughts?

    Reply
  6. Moira McLaughlin Avatar
    Moira McLaughlin

    P.S. this is the Border Collie forum I mentioned…
    http://www.bordercollie.org/boards/index.php?showtopic=2532&st=0&start=0

    Reply
  7. loisthelibrarian Avatar
    loisthelibrarian

    What? A comment almost two years after your post? Yep!
    I hope that your digging into Jon Katz caused you to read at least a few of his books. I had read “The New Work of Dogs” several years ago and only recently re-read it and most of his books. I also read his blog (as I do yours) and anticipate updates about his dogs, his barn cats, and especially his newest donkey, Simon. Truly a great story.
    I think dog lovers, maybe artists too, often dream of living in a rural setting where they can have other animals and not be judged for their love of them. I know I do. Katz’s books are pretty matter-of-fact and unemotional about dogs (while his blog is increasingly more emotional and introspective). I often pause when reading them to relate his experiences with my own. It keeps me from taking in every stray and unwanted pet I see – and that’s a good thing.
    I look forward to more Darby collages (it is 2011 after all) and am currently working on a collage of Katz’s barn cat Mother.

    Reply
  8. Moira McLaughlin Avatar
    Moira McLaughlin

    Hi Lois – there is no time limit on my love for comments. I recently received one from someone who knew the correct name of Grace Kellys Poodle (I had the gender and the name wrong) from a post from 2007. I still feel ambivalent about Katz and his detachment when it comes to putting animals down. I understand that it is part of life with animals, but he seems to revel in his emotional distance from having to do it. Regardless, I would love to see your collage of Katzs cats. I am struggling with my own process, but looking forward to getting back to my Darby collages. Keep in touch.
    Moira McLaughlin
    Dog Art Today
    https://dogarttoday.com

    Reply

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