Now Playing — The Phoenician Scheme
Yup, Wes Anderson made another Wes Anderson movie. Continue reading Now Playing — The Phoenician Scheme
Tag: wes anderson
Top Ten Movies of 2023 — Number Two
Let it never be said that Wes Anderson is oblivious about the sometimes chagrined reactions to his peculiar, distinctive aesthetic. For me, all those precisely precious shot compositions and loquacious, snappy-patter cascades of dialogue generally give his films an added … Continue reading Top Ten Movies of 2023 — Number Two
Now Playing — Asteroid City
Wes Anderson knows who he is. it’s not as if he’s oblivious to his own artistic peculiarities: the mix of bone-dry humor and cartoonish tomfoolery, the characterizations so broad they actually feel more authentic than more restrained renderings, and, above … Continue reading Now Playing — Asteroid City
Then Playing — We Need to Talk About Kevin; The French Dispatch; Luca
We Need to Talk About Kevin (Lynne Ramsay, 2011). This pummeling drama was adapted from a 2003 Lionel Shriver novel about the heavy toll a troubled boy exacts on his family, particularly his mother. Tilda Swinton plays the beleaguered parent … Continue reading Then Playing — We Need to Talk About Kevin; The French Dispatch; Luca
Top Fifty Films of the 10s — Number Six
#6 — Moonrise Kingdom (Wes Anderson, 2012) Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom is enamored with stories and storytelling. The celebration manifests in part through the mils obsession of Suzy Bishop (Kara Hayward), a youthful resident of the island community New Penzance … Continue reading Top Fifty Films of the 10s — Number Six
Greatish Performances #42
#42 — Gene Hackman as Royal Tenenbaum in The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson, 2001) Gene Hackman didn’t want to play Royal Tenenbaum. As he recounted, history told him that instances in which a filmmaker had written a part specifically for … Continue reading Greatish Performances #42
Playing Catch-Up — Devil’s Doorway; Split; Isle of Dogs
Devil’s Doorway (Anthony Mann, 1950). This nail-tough western from the heart of Anthony Mann’s career (released the same year as Winchester ’73) boldly examines vicious bigotry against Native Americans at a time when most Hollywood Westerns still cheerily trafficked in … Continue reading Playing Catch-Up — Devil’s Doorway; Split; Isle of Dogs
Laughing Matters: The Max Fischer Players
Sometimes comedy illuminates hard truths with a pointed urgency that other means can’t quite achieve. Sometimes comedy is just funny. This series of posts is mostly about the former instances, but the latter is valuable, too. “She’s the smartest person in the world, general. I think we ought to listen to her.” I love this with an intensity I’ll never be able to truly convey. Previous entries in this series can be found by clicking on the “Laughing Matters” tag. Continue reading Laughing Matters: The Max Fischer Players
The Art of the Sell: Wes Anderson, “My Life, My Card”
These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. Wes Anderson is rightly earning a fleet of social media raves for his new Christmas-themed ad for H&M. Thankfully, it’s far better than what he came up with the last time he pointed his camera at Adrien Brody on a train. It also got me thinking about other commercial spots Anderson has directed, including his contribution to the American Express “My Life, My Card” campaign. The meticulous detailing that can swerve towards preciousness can get wearying across … Continue reading The Art of the Sell: Wes Anderson, “My Life, My Card”
From the Archive: The Darjeeling Limited
Usually I’d fill this space with some collection of observations about the film or the review, but I’m highly distracted today. So I’ll stick with just the older words. More than any other current director I can think of, Wes Anderson … Continue reading From the Archive: The Darjeeling Limited
Coffee for Two 