Gire: Why critics shouldn't let behind-the-scenes controversies impact reviews

Universal Pictures canceled last weekend's press junket and premiere of "A Dog's Purpose" after someone released a disturbing video showing a frightened dog being forced into raging torrents of water on the movie set.

In the video, a German shepherd named Hercules appears unwilling to jump into a large pool with churning water. Later, the dog appears distressed while trying to stay afloat in the pool, designed to suggest water at the bottom of a dam in Chicago.

The dog did not get hurt, but the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals called for a boycott of the movie to "send the message that dogs and other animals should be treated humanely, not as movie props."

So where does this leave film critics? Should they consider the Hercules controversy as a factor in evaluating "A Dog's Purpose"?

In a word, no.

Did critics shave star ratings off "Twilight Zone - The Movie" because a director ordered a helicopter to come in too close, and it crashed on set, killing star Vic Morrow and two child actors?

No.

Should critics retroactively devaluate John Ford's classic westerns because the common practice of using trip wires (to make horses "fall" on cue) often injured and sometimes killed the animals?

Then, should critics downgrade movies from directors who harass or humiliate their co-workers (hello, Alfred Hitchcock)? Where would the line be drawn between on-screen and off-screen criticism?

Critics can only evaluate movies on the basis of what they see and hear in a theater. It's up to PETA and the public to either support or boycott films based on what happened behind the scenes.

'Dirty Dancing' returns

You can have the time of your life on the silver screen one more time.

The 1987 romance "Dirty Dancing" will be shown at 24 Chicago-area theaters at 2 and 7 p.m. on both Sunday, Jan. 29, and Wednesday, Feb. 1. Go to fathomevents.com for tickets and locations.

'Groundhog Day' again

The city of Woodstock celebrates the 25th anniversary of the filming of Harold Ramis' beloved comedy classic "Groundhog Day" with the appropriately titled Groundhog Days Festival from Wednesday, Feb. 1, through Sunday, Feb. 5.

The 1993 movie was shot in Woodstock, which will undoubtedly celebrate the 25th anniversary of the movie's actual release in 2018. Festivities include walking tours of the movie's settings and movie showings (over and over and over) at Classic Cinemas' Woodstock Theaters. For a schedule of events, go to realwoodstock.com.

During a 2014 interview, I told screenwriter Danny Rubin I found the ideas behind "Groundhog Day" to be so profoundly spiritual, I used them as the basis for a guest sermon at my church in Schaumburg.

I made the case that "Groundhog Day" is a modern biblical parable, with God cast as the unidentified entity that forces Bill Murray's weathercaster to relive the same day - Groundhog Day - for what seems like eternity.

"I won't say you're wrong," Rubin told me. "It's a lovely interpretation, and lots of people have had that. Keep in mind that a lot of people from a variety of religions, including Buddhism, which isn't God-centered anyway, have also embraced the lessons of the film."

So why has the movie become such an enduring work?

"Many people draw different conclusions from the movie," Rubin said. "That's one of the reasons that it's become so personal to so many people."

Rubin said he spent about seven weeks brainstorming the plot and characters. He spent one week cranking out the initial screenplay.

Then came time for him to market the script, for Columbia Pictures to option it, for Chicago's own Harold Ramis to be hired as director, and for changes to be made all along the way.

"So, depending on how you look at it, it either took me a week to write it, or three years," Rubin said.

The writer lived in Evanston while picking up his master's degree at Northwestern University, then moved to Uptown.

"I love the people of Chicago," he said. "I love the Midwest. People are kind and no-nonsense. And real. There's something unpretentious and, uh, normal, about Chicagoans that I really like."

He can say that again.

And again. And again.

Dann, Raymond, Oscar

It's time for the Oscars!

Dann & Raymond's Movie Club presents the annual Academy Awards show, the first of several Oscar programs in February, starting at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 2, at the Schaumburg Township District Library, 130 S. Roselle Road, Schaumburg. Free admission! Clips from Oscar nominees such as "La La Land," "Moonlight," "Fences," "Hidden Figures" and many more. Go to schaumburglibrary.org.

• Dann Gire's column runs Friday in Time out!