A biscuit-size film about animal lovers and other crazies By Jeff Anyone who's ever been close with a pet will instantly identify with Year of the Dog , a film which plays off the special kind of relationship that can exist between humans and animals.  Molly Shannon is Peggy Spade, a socially mal-adjusted secretary who is forced to reexamine her life after the sudden death of her beloved dog, Pencil. Shannon is in fine form, not just as a comedian, but as an actress. For those of you expecting her to portray an annoying SNL-cutout character (a la Mary Katherine Gallagher) will be sorely disappointed. In fact, most of the laughs come from the rock-solid supporting cast. Regina King is hilarious as her best friend who has a habit of speaking her mind ("Even retarded crippled people get married," she says to Peggy in an attempt to sympathize over her dismal love life). Then there's Laura Dern as her sister-in-law who is convinced the nanny is secretly drugging her … [Read more...]