Hotel Chevalier (2007)

Months ago, I watched Wes Anderson's The Darjeeling Limited for the first time and, as I was expecting, I loved it. Thanks to Steven from Surrender to the Void I learnt about Hotel Chevalier, a short film prologue to The Darjeeling Limited. 

In this short, Jack (Jason Schwartzman), one of the Whitman brothers, is lying on a bed, wearing a robe and ordering from room service. His peace is disrupted when he gets a call from his ex-girlfriend (Natalie Portman) who informs him she'll be there in 30 minutes. He tides the room, draws a bath, changes his clothes and puts on Peter Sarstedt's Where Do You Go to My Lovely.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)

I don't know why but The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou has always been the Wes Anderson movie that appealed me the least. Even though I had never seen it, there was something about it that just didn't click with me. I feel exactly the same now that I've seen it. 

The film follows Steve Zissou (Bill Murray), a famous oceanographer who, after losing his closest friend and colleague, Esteban, to a probably non-existent Jaguar Shark, sets out on a voyage with Team Zissou, which includes his estranged wife, Eleanor (Anjelica Huston), Ned Plimpton (Owen Wilson), a man who may or may not be his son, and a pregnant journalist (Cate Blanchett), to hunt down the mythical creature. 

Rushmore (1998)

I've heard a lot of good things about Wes Anderson's Rushmore over the years but, for some reason or another (I can't recall any of those at the moment), I never checked it out. 

The film follows Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman), a nerdy, precocious 15-year-old kid who earned a scholarship to the exclusive prep school Rushmore, where he is not doing very well in any of his classes as he doesn't bother to study and spends all of his time enjoying (too) many extracurricular activities. His life takes an unexpected turn as he befriends a depressed middle-aged local industrialist, Herman Blume (Bill Murray), and falls for a recently widowed teacher, Ms. Cross (Olivia Williams). 

Bottle Rocket (1996)

Having seen all of Wes Anderson most recent films, and having adored every single one of them, I decided to check out the rest of his filmography, starting with Bottle Rocket, his debut.

The film follows a group of friends who decides to rebel against the norms of everyday life to pursue a career of professional criminals. After Dignan (Owen Wilson) rescues Anthony (Luke Wilson) from a voluntary mental hospital, they convince their friend Bob (Robert Musgrave), who has a car, to join them and rob a library. After successfully pulling off the heist, they hide out in a roadside motel where the group of friends eventually breaks down and things take a turn for each one of them.

Isle of Dogs (2018)

Although I'm yet to see all of his films, I love Wes Anderson's work which is why Isle of Dogs was one of my most anticipated films of the year and I couldn't wait to see it. Unfortunately, I live in a city and country where most people don't care for his movies so I had to wait months to see it. 

In a dystopian near-future Japan, in the city of Megasaki, Mayor Kobayashi (Kunichi Nomura) banishes all the dogs to Trash Island after a canine flu has spread through the city. Six months later, a young boy named Atari (Koyu Rankin), the Mayor's nephew, steals a plane and flies to Trash Island and, with the help of five other dogs, Chief (Bryan Cranston), Rex (Edward Norton), King (Bob Balaban), Boss (Bill Murray), and Duke (Jeff Goldblum), he sets out to find his lost dog, Spots (Liev Schreiber). 

The Darjeeling Limited (2007)

There's still plenty of time since Isle of Dogs hits theatres here (May 17 unless they decide to postpone it for some dumb reason) so I decided to take advantage of this time to watch the Wes Anderson movies I haven't seen yet. The Darjeeling Limited was one of them and it was also the one that had been on my watchlist for at least 10 years (I added to my list because of Natalie Portman but I'm so glad that at the end I didn't watch the movie for her because it would have been a major disappointment since she's barely in the movie). 

A year after the accidental death of their father, three brothers, Francis (Owen Wilson), Peter (Adrien Brody) and Jack (Jason Schwartzman), meet on a train, the Darjeeling Limited, and embark on a journey across India in an attempt to bond with each other. But Francis has something else in mind, visiting their mother (Anjelica Huston) who didn't even show up at their father's funeral. 

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Genres

Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Romance

Director

Wes Anderson

Country

USA

Cast

Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Francis McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Jason Schwartzman, Harvey Keitel, Bob Balaban

Storyline

On an island off the coast of New England in the 1960s, a young boy (Jared Gilman) and girl (Kara Hayward) fall in love and run away together, and most of the people of the town mobilize to search for them. 

Opinion

I haven't seen many Wes Anderson's films but I loved those I've seen and I'm getting addicted to his quirky style which is why I finally watched Moonrise Kingdom, easily my favourite from Anderson as it is a wonderful, charming, quirky, sweet and fun film.

Although it sounds quite cheesy, the story is original and very imaginative. It still is pretty basic and yet it's a delight. It has a slow pacing, but the unexpected and very enjoyable subplots and plot turns will definitely keep you interested.

And it features one of the most beautiful love stories ever. It is sweet, pure and innocent. It's a tender love story that will make your heart melt, and Anderson does a wonderful job capturing that kind of love with some memorable scenes, from the young lovers' first kiss to the dance on the beach to the purely symbolic wedding. And you know the best part? It's not sappy at all!

Just like all of Anderson's movies I've seen, Moonrise Kingdom is filled with quirky, colourful and charming characters, especially the two leading kids beautifully portrayed by Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward. The two young actors have a great chemistry both in terms of romance and comedy. In fact, the scenes featuring them are some of the most humourous. The supporting characters are a little less charming, but the great acting from the supporting cast, mostly from Bruce Willis, but also Edward Norton, Bill Murray and Francis McDormand, makes the characters more interesting.

At last but not least, the film is also a visual splendour. The colours are vivid and warm, the shots are incredibly symmetric and they all are pretty much perfect. This film is gorgeous simply from start to finish.

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

Genres

Animation, Adventure, Comedy

Director

Wes Anderson

Country

USA

Voice Cast

George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Owen Wilson, Wallace Wolodarsky, Eric Anderson, Michael Gambon, Jarvis Cocker, Wes Anderson, Karen Duffy, Robin Hurlstone, Hugo Guinness, Helen McCrory, Adrien Brody

Storyline

Many years after giving up the criminal life, Mr. Fox (George Clooney) cannot resist raiding the three nastiest and meanest farmers, but it ends up in a horrible way and the lives of the entire animal community are put at stake.

Opinion

Although I've only seen a couple of Wes Anderson's films, I've always been intrigued and fascinated by his quirky directorial style. So when I found out he was the man behind Fantastic Mr. Fox, a movie that has been on my watchlist for a very long time, I had to watch it. And it was exactly as I was expecting it to be, a brilliant and fun stop-motion animation film. 

I never read Roald Dahl's book upon which the film is based, but to my understanding, the two couldn't be more different. What I do know is that the story Anderson brought to the screen is incredibly gripping, engaging and well developed. Also, despite the short running time, Anderson was able to incorporate several interesting subplots.

The most astonishing aspect of Fantastic Mr. Fox is the characters. The characterisation is impressive. Each character has its own rich personality and an actor/actress giving a great vocal performance, but what makes each one of them truly memorable is that something, that special feature they have thank to the wonderful animation. Let's think of Mr. Fox's grinding his teeth, the rat clicking his fingers, or the opossum's hypnotized eyes. These are the kind of things, in addition to their quirky personalities, that are truly mesmerising.

Which brings me to the fantastic stop-motion animation. It's beautifully crafted and fits Anderson's style and sense of humour to perfection.

Very fascinating is the way Anderson was able to incorporate his typical dysfunctional family in a movie that targets kids. And he delivers also some good messages, like the importance of family, people together are better and stronger.

The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

Genres

Comedy, Drama

Director

Wes Anderson

Country

USA

Cast

Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Danny Glover, Bill Murray, Stephen Lea Sheppard, Kumar Pallana, Seymour Cassel, Andrew Wilson, Alec Baldwin, Aram Aslanian-Persico, Irene Gorovaia, Amedeo Turturro, James Fitzgerald

Storyline

Royal (Gene Hackman) and his wife Etheline Tenenbaum (Anjelica Huston) had three children, Chas (Ben Stiller, adult - Aram Aslanian, young), Richie (Luke Wilson, adult - Amedeo Turturro, young), and Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow, adult - Irene Gorovaia, young). They were a family of geniuses but then they separated. After two decades of betrayal, failure and disaster the family reunites when the father announces he is terminally ill.

Opinion

After watching "The Grand Budapest Hotel" and loving it, I told myself I had to know better Wes Anderson. I'm just disappointed with myself because it took me so long to watch another of his masterpieces.

My second Anderson, but Anderson's third, The Royal Tenenbaums is a brilliant, appealing, funny, quirky, sarcastic, sentimental and poignant dramedy, perfectly balancing drama and comedy, whose strength lies in its eccentric characters.

Wes Anderson's direction is absolutely magnificent, and he manages to make interesting the daily life of a dysfunctional American family, and, through the irony of the characters, he manages to talk about feelings in a odd, soft way. The camera angles goes from right to left, top to down - or the other way around -, not never forward. 

The Anderson/Wilson writing is definitely unique, and witty, the storyline is bizarre, and the characters are quirky. I did love the chapters structuring, and the loquace narration by Alec Baldwin, which gives the same sensation of reading a book. The characters are all memorable, starting from the childish, dandy father, passing through the former infant prodigies in need of love, arriving at the loyal servant.

The scenography is lit up with bright, garish colours, and the looking-oldish cinematography is absolutely stunning. The soundtrack is sublime and appropriate, and among the songs definitely pops out The Beatles "Hey Jude" performed by the Mutato Muzika Orchestra.

The acting is top-notch. Gene Hackman plays the role of Royal with confidence, and delivers an intense performance. Gwyneth Paltrow is wonderful as the depressed Margot. Bill Murray also gives a great performance as Paltrow's cuckold husband. Ben Stiller and the Wilsons' brothers really surprised me: I ain't gonna lie, I was afraid they were going to ruin the film.

Royal: He saved my life, you know. Thirty years ago. I was knifed at a bazaar in Calcutta, and he carried me to the hospital on his back.

Ari: Who stabbed you?

Royal: He did. There was a price on my head, and he was a hired assassin. Stuck me in the gut with a shiv.

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Genres

Comedy, Drama

Director

Wes Anderson

Countries

UK, Germany, USA

Cast

Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Saoirse Ronan, Edward Norton, F. Murray Abraham, Matthieu Amalric, Jude Law, Harvey Keitel, Bill Murray, Léa Seydoux, Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson, Owen Wilson, Bob Balaban

Plot

1985, a young woman approaches a writer's monument in a cemetery and she starts reading a chapter from The Author's (Tom Wilkinson) book. The Author begins narrating the tale about a trip he made to the Grand Budapest Hotel in 1968. The young writer (Jude Law) encounters Zero Moustafa (F. Murray Abraham), the hotel's owner. Over dinner, Mr. Moustafa tells him the tale of how he took ownership of the hotel and why he doesn't want to close it down.

Opinion

The Grand Budapest Hotel, eighth by Wes Anderson, is an example of great cinema, refined and intelligent. The story loses its importance in front of the charm of colours, costumes and elegant humour. Loved the fact that the film was shot in three aspect ratios, one for each timeline.

Quotes

Monsieur Gustave: You see, there are still faint glimmers of civilization left in this barbaric slaughterhouse that was once known as humanity. Indeed that's what we provide in our own modest, humble, insignificant... oh, fuck it.