Of Dogs

The dog is the ultimate human creation. With 400 breeds and counting, the dog is more varied in size and behavior than any other species on the planet. National Geographic looks at man's evolutionary manipulation of dogs' appearance, talents and temperament - and the accelerating efforts to create breeds to suit our needs (more than 80 percent of today's breeds did not exist 150 years ago). From desirable traits like supersensitive hearing and smell to the unintended consequences of genetic diseases, learn how nature and man have partnered to deliberately create new and specialized versions of man's best friend.

Costa Botes takes us far, far north of his native New Zealand for this magical documentary about man's four-legged friends. Brian Ladoon is an eccentric, lone-wolf Canadian who has dedicated his life to saving the extinction-threatened Qimmiq - a species of canine used by local Inuits for centuries as hunting-hounds but now abandoned in favour of motorised skidoos. The snowy wilds of remote northern Manitoba make for a stirringly picturesque backdrop for footage of the rugged but irresistibly cute Qimmiq, not to mention the polar bears who occasionally amble by. Doing their best to make an impact among such furry scene stealers are the crustily ornery Ladoon and his unflappably laid-back younger Kiwi assistant, former teen-TV pinup Caleb Ross.

A documentary telling the story of Joe Cocker's historic "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" tour through the lens of the Tedeschi Trucks Band's reunion of the Mad Dogs.

Yoshino Hikari is a young woman with a bright and friendly personality. She quits her job working at a credit association in her hometown in order to move to Tokyo and work at a pet salon. Unfortunately, the salon she works for goes bankrupt and she loses her job, but somehow she manages to impress Bailiff Obara Itsuki who is the one carrying out the work. Obara Itsuki is not comfortable being around dogs, but the animals all seem to like Hikari. Obara sees this “gift” as an opportunity, and as a result, Hikari forms an uneven partnership with Obara and begins a new career path as a bailiff assistant.

The saga of the Trudeau family and the trials and tribulations of dealing with each other while trying to run a small hotel. It seemed like a good idea at the time. The family patriarch, George, spent the family fortune and bought the Inn. When the old man passed away, his last will and testament, delivered on video, bequeathed the Inn to his beloved black dog. Now, his three sons and their families, his ex-wife, mistress and various employees must find a way to get along and manage the family business without driving each other completely crazy.

Four twenty-something women, crammed into a small Manhattan apartment, have dead end jobs (or no job) and overdue rent. They discover cash and self esteem when they set up an illegal bookie joint in their kitchen. Suddenly they can pay their bills; they imagine joining the middle class; they even make corporate donations to charity. The film also explores their relationships with men, most of whom are unfit for anything lasting, and with their mothers, who appear in surreal, imagined conversations with their daughters.

This documentary examines the mysterious practice of mummifying animals in ancient Egypt as researchers explore the labyrinth of Tuna el-Gebel.

Two Japanese scientists investigating uranium deposits in Indochina's Laotai country were kidnapped by the local guerrilla Patriotic Front.

Australian band the Atlantics supply the surf tunes that accompany renowned cinematographer Ray Hollowell's spectacular footage of some of the world's top surfers performing amazing feats on Hawaii's waves. Kea and Pal, the famous surfing dogs of Waikiki, join in the action as well, along with some beautiful beach babes. Concert footage and interviews with surfer Jamie O'Brien and the Waikiki Beach Boys are included.

Flores, a ghost who has been trapped for 100 years in the house where he died, remembers how he got there.

Czterej pancerni i pies was a Polish black and white TV series based on the book by Janusz Przymanowski. Made between 1966 and 1970, the series is composed of 21 episodes of 55 minutes each, divided into three seasons. It is set in 1944 and 1945, during World War II, and follows the adventures of a tank crew and their T-34 tank in the 1st Polish Army. Although both the book and the TV series contain elements of pro-Soviet propaganda, they have achieved and retain a cult series status in Poland, Soviet Union and other Eastern Bloc countries. The T-34 tank Rudy with the identifying number "102", a German Shepherd dog from Siberia Szarik and to a lesser extent the crew Jan Kos, Gustaw Jeleń, Grigorij Saakaszwili, Tomasz Czereśniak, and their commander and mentor Olgierd Jarosz, as well as other heroes of the series, have become icons in Polish popular culture.

Travel inside of the Vietnam conflict with an examination of the brutal events that transpired in Southeast Asia in the late 1960's and early 1970's.

Truth as held to be self-evident, however inconsequential or ludicrously subjective. Truth as not a matter of opinion. A meaningless game of arbitrary pronouncements that hopes to suggest other contexts in which similar games are far more insidious, while still giving viewers a good time. Ultimately though, a film that is probably too delightful to be anything but cute.

Three teenagers are confined to an isolated country estate that could very well be on another planet. The trio spend their days listening to endless homemade tapes that teach them a whole new vocabulary. Any word that comes from beyond their family abode is instantly assigned a new meaning. Hence 'the sea' refers to a large armchair and 'zombies' are little yellow flowers. Having invented a brother whom they claim to have ostracized for his disobedience, the uber-controlling parents terrorize their offspring into submission.

Senator Ted Kennedy and his dog, Splash, invite children along on a typical whirlwind day on Capitol Hill.

The sole surviving human and her canine companion, Haru, wander a desolate wasteland after the destruction of civilization, but this is no dark doomsday tale. Haru, a wise-beyond-his-years talking shiba inu, makes sure his master stays one step ahead of post-apocalyptic pessimism with his clever antics, hilarious observations and philosophical ponderings. She may be the last girl on earth, but with Haru at her side, the road through the apocalypse will never be boring!

An idle part-time college lecturer is annoyed by the yapping sound of a nearby dog. He decides to take drastic action.

Where did dogs come from and how did evolving alongside humans shape both them and us? MADE FOR EACH OTHER considers the history of the remarkable bond between humans and dogs and the many ways that dogs make our lives better.