Dogman

Released in 2012, "Dogman" is about Michigan's legendary half-canine, half-human creature first supposedly sighted in 1987 in the northwestern quadrant of the Lower Peninsula. The star is that goofy rotund guy from the sitcom According to Jim (who has since lost the weight). Mariann Mayberry plays his wife, Kimberly Guerrero a Native American neighbor and Stacie Mitchell (aka Stacie Hadgikosti) an investigating deputy.

Despite an outstanding opening & closing folk-rock song, presumably by Grant Floering (who's credited for the music), and the presence of a few formidable actors, you can tell this is a micro-budget flick right out of the gate. The slow-going, mundane proceedings don't help. For instance, there's a scene of the deputy interviewing two teens at the hospital that's just tedious and unnecessary. The runtime could've easily been cut in half. Then there are some inexplicable elements, like all the time spent on the tree camera, but we mysteriously never get to see the footage. The ending leaves you with a big question mark and the potential for a sequel (which materialized in 2014 with, amazingly, the same cast). Speaking from someone who appreciates low-budget woods-oriented flicks, "Dogman" is just too uneventful and pedestrian with uninteresting characters. Still, it's competently made for a no-budget flick. It's just not that entertaining and entertainment is the name of the game.

The movie runs 90 minutes and was shot in Benzie County, Michigan.

GRADE: D+