Monday, September 3, 2012

Retrospective: 6 Wes Anderson Films


Bottle Rocket (1996/US)   **

Three incompetent young men plan and embark on a life of crime.
Thin and familiar but consistently witty little independent feature that set its stars and its director on interesting paths.

d – Wes Anderson
w – Wes Anderson, Owen Wilson
ph – Robert D. Yeoman
pd – David Wasco
m – Mark Mothersbaugh
ed – David Moritz
cos – Karen Patch

p – Cynthia Hargrave, Polly Platt

Cast: Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, James Caan, Robert Musgrave, Lumi Cavazos, Ned Dowd



Rushmore (1999/US)   *
            `
A precocious 15-year-old student and a wealthy businessman compete for the affections of a school teacher.
Peculiar little comedy about youthful determination that becomes tired rather quickly. The fun is in the details.

d – Wes Anderson
w – Wes Anderson, Owen Wilson
ph – Robert D. Yeoman
pd – David Wasco
m – Mark Mothersbaugh
ed – David Moritz
cos – Karen Patch

p –Barry Mendel, Paul Schiff

Cast: Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Olivia Williams, Seymour Cassel, Brian Cox, Mason Gamble, Sara Tanaka, Connie Nielsen, Luke Wilson, Stephen McCole, Kumar Pallana



The Royal Tenenbaums (2001/US)   ***

A selfish lawyer who has run out of money attempts to weasel back into his family, all of whom are geniuses, after abandoning them twenty years ago.
Brilliantly deft, exquisitely detailed, endlessly witty comedy; it is written and performed with a delicate touch that proves irresistible.

d – Wes Anderson
w – Wes Anderson, Owen Wilson
ph – Robert D. Yeoman
pd – David Wasco
m – Mark Mothersbaugh
ed – Dylan Tichenor
cos – Karen Patch

p – Wes Anderson, Barry Mendel, Scott Rudin

Cast: Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Danny Glover, Bill Murray, Seymour Cassel, Kumar Pallana, Alec Baldwin



The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004/US)   *

With a plan to exact revenge on a mythical shark that killed his partner, an oceanographer rallies a crew that includes his estranged wife, a journalist, and a man who may or may not be his son.
Like the ocean itself, this is a rather queasy film overall, with scenes and situations coming and going without any real reason. But as always with this director, the details of the craftwork are always interesting.

d – Wes Anderson
w – Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach
ph – Robert D. Yeoman
pd – Mark Friedberg
m – Mark Mothersbaugh
ed – David Moritz
cos – Milena Canonero

p – Wes Anderson, Barry Mendel, Scott Rudin

Cast: Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Anjelica Huston, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Michael Gambon, Noah Taylor, Bud Cort



The Darjeeling Limited (2007/US)   **

One year after their father's funeral, three brothers travel across India by train in an attempt to find their mother.
Ultimately minor, but always enjoyable road-film with the director’s influence from other filmmakers most evident. Characteristically, it is strikingly handmade and the delicate touch from all involved charms to no end.

d – Wes Anderson
w – Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman
ph – Robert D. Yeoman
pd – Mark Friedberg
ed – Andrew Weisblum
cos – Milena Canonero

p – Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola, Lydia Dean Pilcher, Scott Rudin

Cast: Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman, Anjelica Huston, Waris Ahluwalia, Amara Karan, Wallace Wolodarsky, Bill Murray, Camilla Rutherford, Barbet Schroeder, Irrfan Khan



Fantastic Mr Fox (2009/US)   ***

An urbane fox cannot resist returning to his farm raiding ways and then must help his community survive the farmers' retaliation.
Making his first animated feature, this feels somewhat like a distillation of the director’s previous work (at least more than usual). It is spirited, delightful and visually striking throughout.

d – Wes Anderson
w – Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach   (Based on the Book by Roald Dahl)
ph – Tristan Oliver
pd – Nelson Lowry
m – Alexandre Desplat
ed – Andrew Weisblum

p – Wes Anderson, Allison Abbate, Jeremy Dawson, Scott Rudin

Cast: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Eric Chase Anderson, Wallace Wolodarsky, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Owen Wilson, Michael Gambon, Robin Hurlstone, Hugo Guinness, Helen McCrory, Jarvis Cocker, Brian Cox, Adrien Brody, Garth Jennings


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