I went to see The Life Aquatic etc. on Christmas. I liked it quite a bit, even though it's Wes Anderson's least coherent movie. Word of warning: my wife, who was expecting a comedy, was very disappointed with it. It's not a very funny movie; most of the funniest parts are in the commercials. It would be more accurate to describe it as a sad and surreal movie with a few funny parts, most of which you've seen already. Please adjust your expectations accordingly.
Oh, no, oh, no! Spontaneous poetic exclamations. Lord, spare me college boys in love.
Dr. Walsh ,'Potential'
Buffista Movies 3: Panned and Scanned
A place to talk about movies--Old and new, good and bad, high art and high cheese. It's the place to place your kittens on the award winners, gossip about upcoming fims and discuss DVD releases and extras. Spoiler policy: White font all plot-related discussion until a movie's been in wide release two weeks, and keep the major HSQ in white font until two weeks after the video/DVD release.
Hayden - Dec 27, 2004 5:19:15 am PST #7393 of 10001
aka "The artist formerly known as Corwood Industries."
§ ita § - Dec 27, 2004 6:20:11 am PST #7394 of 10001
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.
I watched I'll Sleep When I'm Dead last night. Am I being terribly conventional and unimaginative and hidebound by convention by being dissatisfied by the ending? I feel Hodges skipped some of the narrative, and while I'm comfortable speculating on what comes next, I'm irritated by not being told what the penultimate events in the movie were.
Alicia K - Dec 27, 2004 8:04:42 am PST #7395 of 10001
Uncertainty could be our guiding light.
Yesterday I watched Shaun of the Dead. It wasn't as funny as I expected, and more gorier than I'd anticipated. Good, but not as good as I'd hoped.
Glamcookie - Dec 27, 2004 8:10:08 am PST #7396 of 10001
I know my own heart and understand my fellow man. But I am made unlike anyone I have ever met. I dare to say I am like no one in the whole world. - Anne Lister
I saw Bad Education on Friday and really really liked it. I'd give it 4 (out of 5) stars.
Mr. Broom - Dec 27, 2004 8:53:51 am PST #7397 of 10001
"When I look at people that I would like to feel have been a mentor or an inspiring kind of archetype of what I'd love to see my career eventually be mentioned as a footnote for in the same paragraph, it would be, like, Bowie." ~Trent Reznor
The not-as-funny-ness of Aquatic struck me too, hayden. I was impressed, though, with how connected I felt to it without constant humorous dialogue bits, because it reminded me that Anderson's films have really great straight dialogue, period.
DavidS - Dec 27, 2004 8:58:16 am PST #7398 of 10001
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."
I haven't seen it yet, but the local review glommed on to the fact that Owen Wilson didn't co-write on this project, and that it showed up in The Life Aquatic. I can definitely imagine that was a factor. Interviews I've seen with WA make clear how seamless and fruitful the collaboration has been for him.
Dana - Dec 27, 2004 9:04:36 am PST #7399 of 10001
I'm terrifically busy with my ennui.
It wasn't as funny as I expected, and more gorier than I'd anticipated.
That's a shame, Alicia. I watched it over the holidays and laughed myself silly.
Hayden - Dec 27, 2004 9:11:29 am PST #7400 of 10001
aka "The artist formerly known as Corwood Industries."
I feel the same way about the dialogue, Mr. Broom. Even when it was a bit arch or stilted, it completely worked for me within the cartoonish and artificial framework of the movie.
And yeah, David, I think the lack of OW as co-writer brought this one down a few notches. The theater where we saw Life Aquatic showed a good chunk of the original 5-minute b&w short for Bottle Rocket, which freakin' rocked. Owen & Luke Wilson were funnier in 5 minutes than the entirety of Life Aquatic.
DavidS - Dec 27, 2004 9:19:38 am PST #7401 of 10001
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."
And yeah, David, I think the lack of OW as co-writer brought this one down a few notches. The theater where we saw Life Aquatic showed a good chunk of the original 5-minute b&w short for Bottle Rocket, which freakin' rocked. Owen & Luke Wilson were funnier in 5 minutes than the entirety of Life Aquatic.
Of course, it's difficult to tell exactly what Owen's contributions have been to the scripts. But listening to his commentary on the Rushmore DVD you got a sense that his and WA's loopiness and ideas about the comic possibilities of social violations were similar. But also that Owen was a bit more humane, affectionate, self-deprecating, and that WA was more schematic, detail oriented, fixated on the production vision.
Jars - Dec 27, 2004 10:33:11 am PST #7402 of 10001
Aw, the kongisking.net chaps have put up a Christmas message - [link]