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Post by Mr. Atari on Jun 28, 2005 18:21:00 GMT -5
I think Wes is a great visual director who works with great ensemble casts. He gave Bill Murray's career a nice goose.
He tells an interesting story and uses eccentric characters and directing to deal with great themes like family, loss and finding fulfillment in life. He also has great soundtracks and an overall quirky feeling to his films that stands out from the standard cookie cutter Hollywood fare.
I loved Bottle Rocket. The romance between Anthony and Inez is great. And no matter how big a star he becomes, Owen Wilson will always be Dignan to me. It's too bad that the third act really drags the movie to a halt.
So my vote goes for Tenenbaums. It had more emotional depth and a better payoff.
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Post by mightyjack on Jun 28, 2005 21:11:33 GMT -5
Yeah he's repeating himself, but Wes does the sharpest, smartest, funniest films today. He's this eras Preston Sturgeous in that he combines humor and the human elements which are fresh in a largly stale genra.
The Life Aquatic is my favorite. Yes it has a lot of the same style and theme of his earlier flicks, but for some reason everythng clicked with me. Rushmore, for example, is a film I liked a lot and yet there was a distance between me and the characters. I was an observer but not a participant, which often occcurs with Anderson's movies.
But Steve Zissou drew me in. I liked Murray's half nuts, cynical, tired old character. Yes that describes a lot of characters in Wes' flicks - why this particular one spoke to me... who knows - maybe I liked the hats.
And Willem Dafoe was hilarious.
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Post by Gorphax on Jun 28, 2005 22:34:22 GMT -5
"Son of a B*tch, I'm sick of these dolphins."
...and with that line, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou gets my vote. But yeah, basically what everyone else said here: great ensemble cast performances with slightly off-kilter worlds built around them. He's really great.
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Post by NerdGroupie on Jun 28, 2005 23:13:49 GMT -5
Rushmore I saw purely for the "Oh are they?" line, which still cracks me up. Royal Tennebaums just about bored me to tears. I am leery of Zissou, but will probably watch it sometime.
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Post by mummifiedstalin on Jun 29, 2005 9:30:28 GMT -5
I can't really choose. I can think of reasons to put each one, even Rushmore, above the others. So I won't vote.
But as for repeating himself: is he? The mood among them is at times the same, but the treatment of the characters and the overall direction of the films seems different in each one. Maybe it's the style that seems repetetive rather than the themes?
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Post by Shep on Jun 29, 2005 10:12:13 GMT -5
I'm gonna hold off on my vote until I rent "Life Aquatic."
Of the three films I've seen, "Royal Ts" is easily my fav. Just freakin' hillarious! One of Gene Hackman's finest performances ever.
(Fake doctor) "Continue to administer the stomach cancer medicine."
"You called me Coltrane?"
"Don't ever stab me again!"
"We get two for the price of one." (Hackman upon discovering his son's wife is burried at the same cemetary)
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jun 29, 2005 12:09:14 GMT -5
Don't forget the classic, "Let's shag ass."
And the understated, "I've had a rough year, Dad." Some dust got in my eye when he said that...
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Post by Shep on Jun 29, 2005 12:39:08 GMT -5
And the understated, "I've had a rough year, Dad." Some dust got in my eye when he said that... Me, too. That was a great scene. Another funny one: "Can Dudley tell time?" "Oh my no!"
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Post by mightyjack on Jun 29, 2005 21:52:37 GMT -5
Mummi, that's the general critisism of his work. And if you watch closely he does do the same things. The slow motion walk at the end for example. But it doesn't bug me so far, it his style.
I don't know why, But Tennenbaums is my least favorite. I know many consider it his best work, but it just left me cold and I only laughed a few times (the biggest during the discussion of the suicide note... Is it dark?" - "Of course it's dark, it's a suicide note!") Not a bad movie, but it didn't click with me.
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TomServo69
Moderator Emeritus
Gone but not Forgotten
Nothing ever changes........
Posts: 5,467
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Post by TomServo69 on Jul 1, 2005 1:28:18 GMT -5
The Life Aquatic, definitely. It's just so beautiful, funny, and sad at the same time. The music is perhaps one of the best scores I've ever heard. Jeff Goldblum and Willem Dafoe are so damn great.
Everyone, please rent this movie. You won't regret it.
Servo
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Post by losingmydignity on Jul 1, 2005 1:33:59 GMT -5
The Life Aquatic, definitely. It's just so beautiful, funny, and sad at the same time. The music is perhaps one of the best scores I've ever heard. Jeff Goldblum and Willem Dafoe are so damn great. Everyone, please rent this movie. You won't regret it. Servo Nah, I didn't think too much of this film. It really dragged on...Every damn scene seemed to have an emotional peak and stop the movie dead in its tracks. I'll have to finally see some of the others esp. the much touted Tennebaums.
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Post by Citizen Kane Hodder on May 9, 2006 10:13:33 GMT -5
Bottle Rocket for sure. I liked them all though.
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Post by Chuck on May 9, 2006 12:32:19 GMT -5
I have heard Rushmore is terrific, but I've never seen it. I will have to correct this soon.
(not having seen all of the choices, I could not ethically vote in this one)
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Post by Melting Manos on May 9, 2006 16:03:26 GMT -5
Rushmore has my favorite section of all of his films (When Herman and Max keep trying to get back at each other. The part where Herman runs over the bike and then neatly puts it back in the bike rack all mangled is priceless), but my favorite overall would have to be The Royal Tenenbaums. It's got the offbeat tone of Rushmore, but is a funnier and more enjoyable film thanks in big part to Gene Hackman- "Oh, that's right. We got another body buried here." Funniest line in the film as far as I'm concerned!
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Post by Joseph Javorsky on May 9, 2006 17:06:05 GMT -5
Ive only seen The Life Aquatic and Royal Tenenbaums and they were both very good but I'd have to go with Hackman in Tenenbaums
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