Glocks and Recon-Dolphins

Wes Anderson is one of those hit-or-miss directors in that you either like him or you don't. I, for one, like him. His subtle humor and unique characters just register with me, I guess.

His movies are sort of like Napoleon Dynamite. Many people just saw that movie as a poor attempt at humor and a coming-of-age movie, devoid of any real meaning or class. I was able to appreciate the subtle humor in the ridiculous characters, setting, and interactions.

On this note, let's look at some of his unique (dare I say odd?) movie-making characteristics and trends upon which I have been so focused on.

To keep it simple, I will put a few of these in list form:

1. Long narrated opening scene introduces the characters, their personalities, and their situations
2. Completely unnecessary nudity (usually immediately after a transition for added shock value)
3. Ridiculous uniforms for the characters (see yellow jumpsuit or the red hat and Speedo)
4. A single Muslim character, sometimes with a turban
5. Fantastic setting
6. Fantastic situation
7. Fantastic characters

The Life Aquatic is Wes Anderson's most personal movie to date. Let me explain: For his previous movies, he was a relatively unknown director and had to keep his "creativity" in check in order to make it in the box office. That's right, believe it or not! Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, and The Royal Tenenbaums were what he made while keeping his uniqueness in check! Now imagine what would happen if he made a movie with the largest budget yet for him and the freedom to make what he truly wanted...and the result is The Life Aquatic.



The Life Aquatic is a mixed bag, to say the least. I'm not even going to try describe the plot. I'll just say that it involves Steve Murray trying to kill a "Jaguar Shark" that ate his friend. ('Nuff said, right?) Anyway, let's look at a mere sampling of the interesting occurrences in The Life Aquatic, again in convenient list form.

1. Bill Murray bought two dolphins and installed cameras on their heads to serve as scouts. He did this because he heard that they were extremely intelligent creature, "although [he] has seen no evidence of this."
2. Bill Murray had antennae installed on their diving helmets so that they could listen to soft techno whilst diving.
3. Bill Murray brought along a group of unpaid interns in exchange for class credit. He mainly uses them as servants, asking them to bring him lattes and such.
4. All of the crew members carry Glocks (except for the interns, they all share one).
5. Bill Murray navigates through unprotected waters to save on gas, which results in the ship getting taken over by pirates. He retakes the ship single-handedly with a single commandeered pistol.
6. Bill Murray adopts a dog left behind by one of the pirates. It only has three legs and he names it Cody.
7. Bill Murray runs into a room full of at least 40 heavily-armed pirates (equipped with only a pistol) to save his friend. The building then explodes, and Bill and his friend emerge unscathed.
8. When not drawn, the crew members' pistols appear to be Glocks. When drawn, however, they appear to be Beretta 92s.



As you can see, the movie is a tad unique, and full of Wes Anderson-y goodness. The oddity that is The Life Aquatic is the manifestation of Wes Anderson's uniqueness as a director, resembling his previous movies but with unbridled freedom this time around. The film is a great representation of Wes Anderson's style as a whole, and you will either love it or you won't.

I found a movie review ( http://efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=11325 ) which agrees with what I have been talking about. It just says it in a more succinct fashion.

When he said:

Wes Anderson creates a highly stylized and peculiar world, which either works for you or it doesn't. It works for me beautifully, and 'The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou' deserves to take its place with 'Bottle Rocket' (1996), 'Rushmore' (1998), and 'The Royal Tenenbaums' (2001) as a half-jocular, half-melancholy portrait of dreamers and losers.

I said: I couldn't agree more.

Super Coen Bros. 2

The Coen brothers should be called the Super Coen Brothers, because they are brothers and all of their movies are super. Where else can you find a hairstyle like Anton Chigurh's? Where else can you find a lone apocalypse biker that blows up bunnies and lizards? Nowhere, that's where. The movies of theirs that we saw were nothing short of mad genius, as I have trouble thinking of one thing that I didn't like about them. Their cinematography and camera work are second to none, and the characters are anything but forgettable. When it comes to the Super Coen Brothers, I find it difficult to seriously criticize anything. Now, about those accents in Fargo...

He may be an alte Mann (old man), but his movies are awesome!

For an alte Mann, Altman's movies are very fresh and interesting, and you can never predict what will happen next. The odd characters are great, and the music is always interesting. On the other hand, the overlapping dialogue is interesting and all, but it sometimes just adds unnecessary confusion to the sometimes confusing plot. Also, the long music sequences in Nashville were a bit excessive, but then again, I've never been very partial to country music. These things pale in comparison to the good aspects, however, and Altman's movies are always interesting. All and all, he is one of the "greats," and has definitely earned his auteur status. The fact that he really went against the groove in Hollywood to achieve this only adds to his accomplishments.

I have to admit, I'm kinda hitched on Hitchcock's movies...sorry...

I generally tend to dislike so-called classic artists and authors such as Shakespeare (In my opinion, his plays are generally of substandard quality). And, since Hitchcock has a legacy almost as big as Shakespeare, I was close to dismissing him as just another over-hyped director. However, I was pleasantly surprised as to the quality of his movies, and the hilarity of the intros for "Alfred Hitchcock Presents." He has a style truly of his own, and really is the "Master of Suspense." The plots in his movies are always superb, the camera work is second to none, and he often uses a lot of complex camera tricks way ahead of his time. His legacy and fame are truly well-deserved. All in all, there is not a whole lot to complain about when it comes to Hitchcock! (unlike Shakespeare...)

The film is called Spirited Away, because that is what is does to your sense of normalcy whilst watching this film!

My group watched Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki. Now, there are two ways to view a "very Japanese" movie such as this. If you are expecting a logical movie that makes sense, you are going to feel very lost, and generally unsatisfied. However, if you understand this style of cinematography and all of its collective kooky goodness, you will enjoy this movie a lot.

The movie uses a familiar Japanese animation style: "animeish" characters with a more detailed background, almost like a painting. The voice acting is of great quality and fits the movie perfectly, as it is very well synced and the voices are believable. These qualities are great and all, but what makes the movie unique and brilliant is the characters. All of the characters are deep and mysterious, and are almost never what they seem at first. Almost all of the characters have a "revelation" scene in which their past and true motives are revealed. This keeps the story going and the plot fresh and gripping, showing that there is in fact a method to the copious amounts of madness!

As crazy as the movie is, it is charming nonetheless. Everything that happens is memorable in its own, unique way. (However, I almost vomited when I heard "The spell can only be broken by love!" Can you think of anything more stock! Go back to Disney!)

All in all, this movie is a definite must-see for anyone who understands Japanese cinematography, and isn't expecting someone to get shot at least once every ten minutes. This is a long movie, but if you know what you're getting into, you'll love it!

Introduction

There are many different flavors of film. Some of them are bad, and some of them are good. I usually go for the good ones.