Favorite Wes Anderson film.
I’m partial to The Royal Tenenbaums, but right now I’m pretty caught up in The Darjeeling Limited.
Has got to be…
The Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
Amazing!
Ranked high to low:
1. Moonrise Kingdom
2. Rushmore
3. Fantastic Mr. Fox
4. The Royal Tenenbaums
5. Darjeeling Limited
6. Bottle Rocket
7. The Life Aquatic (which I pretty much hate)
I really dug Hotel Chevalier for a 15 minute short.
Is it me, or do the ladies love Wes Anderson films?
I get the impression that there is a niche female audience that digs the Wes Anderson vibe.
I’m glad you made this thread OP. I wanted to ask this question but don’t think it would go over well as a stand alone thread.
could u please not refer to us as ‘the ladies’? thank you
i’m also partial to tenenbaums, darjeeling is #2 and i still haven’t seen moonrise kingdom!
But how will we know who loves James Todd Smith?
Rushmore was the first of his I saw (back in 98 or 99, whenever it was released on VHS), didn’t care for it, but watched it six years later, and I did. The Royal Tenenbaums I loved from the first, and it was my favorite for a long time. I didn’t like The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou when I first watched it; or rather, I was unsure how I felt about it, but was leaning toward dislike. I was fairly neutral on both Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Darjeeling Limited (though “Darjeeling” has grown a bit on me, and I still have not rewatched “Fox”), but I really like Bottle Rocket, and, in part because it is his least affected, I think it may be his first or second best (“Tenenbaums” being the other which contends for best). I haven’t seen Moonrise Kingdom, though I am eager.
All that said, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou has been my favorite for a while now, but it’s difficult for me to explain why. However, the line “I wonder if he remembers me” sums up both the film and humanity in general incredibly well, and it nearly always brings me to tears, especially coming after “Staralfur”. (edit2) And everyone sitting together in the sub, together but individualized (alone) by their placement in the frame (each person being clearly visible with an unrealistic amount of space between them) and their coming together (finally) in empathy which justifies both the ending along the dock and the crew at the beginning (that they have probably shared similar moments in the past—hence the shared costumes—but have drifted over time—hence the differences in the costumes) bringing a certain circularity to the relationships I find appealing (though this last bit may be me forcing my own thoughts onto the movie).
(edit) Add to all this that Anderson took the independent niche he helped popularize/shape (simply composed talkies with quirky characters) and applied to a genre (action film, sub-genre, high seas adventure) rarely, if ever, associated with the types of movies he makes, and I believe it is his most experimental film. (which, obviously, doesn’t make it better, but, in my estimation, makes it more admirable than it would otherwise be)
o lawd ms. stevens lighten up. I’m glad you didn’t read my post before I edited or you woulda been real irate.
I’m going to give Wes another go round. Not a fan of his. But every time I see Wes discussed (as in the recent Darjeeling Limited thread) I feel like I’m missing out on something special.
Moonrise Kingdom. I was just ok with all his movies until Moonrise Kingdom.
I wonder how Ruby felt about The Help…
Moonrise Kingdom will go down as his masterpiece.
20 years from now, you can remember that Nathan M… called it.
@Nathan M…
Yes
The ladies? haha
ok i can’t stop myself
you’re not as tough as I thought you were Ruby. Got to get back on your game.
¡cállate tomás!
i’ve never seen the help but if women liked to be called ladies in the 1950s that was their prerogative. more recently the term is reserved for cleaning ladies, ladies of the evening and used otherwise condescendingly
I get so much abuse from you…
The Help is terrible.
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and it’s not even close for me (though I haven’t seen Moonrise yet). Such an inspired, bizarre premise. It’s by far his funniest in terms of laughs, and the visual inventiveness (like the tour through the ship) throughout is a marvel. A top notch cast as well. I also loved fish and sharks and sea creatures as a kid, maybe that’s coming back to me. I don’t know, this film works on every level for me. I liked Darjeeling and Fox a lot as well, there are many moments of brilliance in each. Hated Rushmore.
I would also say The Life Aquatic. I love the whole universe he created in that film and the characters. I also really liked Fantastic Mr Fox a lot, how Anderson was able to let his visual style come back so distinctly in an animation film. And again, love the characters in that film.
I don’t really get why people find Moonrise Kingdom such a good film. Didn’t see anything special about that film.
Recently posted in another thread:
The Royal Tenenbaums
Rushmore
Moonrise Kingdom
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Life Aquatic
Bottle Rocket
The Darjeeling Limited
I think they’re all pretty good.
I’m not much of a fan as the complaints about Anderson’s arch twee-ness are accurate. His films are essentially cartoony so it makes sense that Fantastic Mr. Fox, an actual cartoon, is his best.
Also, regarding women and his films, my wife hates his work. I at least admire them even while not caring for their execution.
Just watched Bottle Rocket. It was great. Exceeded all my expectations. 4/5. And might be higher upon subsequent viewings.
I’ve seen Rushmore, Royal T and Darjeeling. Did not like any of those. Bottle Rocket didn’t seem as emotionally cold/distant as those films.
I didn’t expect to be legit LOLing throughout BR.
Please, never say “legit LOLing” ever again…
Glad you liked Bottle Rocket though!
well excccuuuse me but that’s just my vernacular.
The heist scene at the end was exquisite. I don’t recall his other films sharing that sort of sense of humor.
What’s the difference between legitimately LOLing and illegitimately LOLIng?
I have only seen one of his films and that is Moonrise Kingdom
“What’s the difference between legitimately LOLing and illegitimately LOLIng?”
I think it mostly has to do with OL.
Definetley, Rushmore. Especially considering it recently crept into my top 5.
I think it mostly has to do with OL.
This. I wanted to make it clear that I was indeed emitting laughter.
John
He is one of the most unique directors working today, but what is your favorite?