Ahoy Lifers. I recently watched a film called The Royal Tenenbaums, directed by Wes Anderson. I've always been a huge fan of Mr. Anderson's (see title of blog), but I was particularly impressed by his directorial work in this film in spite of the fact that I'd rate it below most of his other work. Why? Because I don't particular care for Gene Hackman and I don't particularly care for Ben Stiller--actors who play two of the lead roles in the film (including the eponymous Royal Tenenbaum)--yet I loved them in this movie. I know many aren't fans of Anderson's admittedly-offbeat style, including blond-haired sisters to remain nameless, but even non-fans have to admit the guy knows how to get a great performance out of his actors.
I also love the man for revitalizing Bill Murray's career, as the last thing the world needs is less Bill Murray. We all knew he was funny, but the guy can flat out act. For evidence, I direct you to the climactic jaguar shark scene in The Life Aquatic. Normally I'd post the link, but I feel like to truly appreciate the scene you've got to see it in context. And yes, I realize how pretentious that sounded. But seriously, if you haven't seen it, put on your list. NOTE: Sleeping through it doesn't count as seeing it, aforementioned person to remain nameless.
I wish I could be that little German boy in lederhosen. Okay, that was weird.
Yes, the characters are totally unrealistic. Yes, no one actually talks the way people talk in his films. But come on, it's the movies! And I think it's damn entertaining. Nobody uses music in films better than Wes Anderson, whose knowledge of obscure classic British rock causes me great envy. Also, nobody does better slo-mo work, and if you've been unfortunate enough to have seen any of my own celluloid creations, you know how I feel about slo-mo.
So in conclusion, I say critics be damned, Wes Anderson; we here at the Life Despotic salute you!
P.S. Two bonus points to the first commenter to figure out the title of this post.
From the virtual desk of Ivan Zissou
dictated but not read
cth
2 comments:
Well, rooibos is a type of tea, as is the darjeeling. Rooibos, from my experience, is a full-bodied tea and can be rather spicy depending on pairing flavors (unbounded, if you will), whereas darjeeling is light tasting (limited in body) and I usually drink it in the afternoons or on the mornings when I don't want to drink a black tea, such as Irish Breakfast. One of the best Anderson movies ever is The Darjeeling Limited. So obviously you are taking a turn on that with The Rooibos Unbounded. Duh...
+2 points to the representative from Norway. I realized how obvious I made it by putting a clip from The Darjeeling Limited at the end of the post, but decided to just go with it because I love that clip.
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