Movie of the Week – Bottle Rocket

This week’s movie: Bottle Rocket (1996).

Anthony is about to be released from a metal health sanctuary (one in which he checked himself into because he was having a hard time dealing with normal life and its pressures). Waiting for him with eager anticipation is his best friend Dignan (a mass of nervous energy who might actually be crazy). Dignan has big plans for the friends now that Anthony is out – plans that involve pulling off an elaborate theist.

Bottle Rocket is auteur Wes Anderson’s first film, which he co-wrote with Owen Wilson. Stylistically, the film least resembles what fans of Anderson have come to expect from his work, but it certainly embodies the genesis of his style and directing nuances. What is particularly evident is Anderson’s typical protagonist – a mixture of joy and sadness who is not quite sure how he fits into the world. Anderson worked with composer Mark Mothersbaugh, cinematographer Robert D. Yeoman, and production designer David Wasco, which fostered brilliant partnerships (Motherbaugh has scored four Anderson films; Yeoman has shot six Anderson films; Wasco has designed three Anderson films). James L. Brooks served as the film’s executive producer (and chief engineer in getting it made).

The film also launched the careers of the Wilson brothers – Owen, Luke, and Andrew, who were friends with Anderson at the University of Texas (and the film was made primarily in Austin). Robert Musgrave, Lumi Cavazos, and James Caan feature in support.

Bottle Rocket was not immediately accepted by audiences, finding much more of a cult following. However, critics took notice of it – most notably Martin Scorsese lists it as one of his ten favorite films of the 1990s. The film is a wonderful quirky comedy with rich characters (who are refreshingly different). For fans of Anderson and the resurgence of indie films and auteur filmmakers in the 1990s, this is a must-see.

Trailer: Here

Available on: Blu-ray and Streaming

Movie of the Week – Inglourious Basterds

This week’s movie: Inglourious Basterds (2009).

What if the Allies had killed Hitler and ended WWII early? Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds plays a bit like a revenge fantasy. It is split into five vignettes taking place in Nazi Occupied France that all tie together by the end.

Tarantino is one of independent film’s most celebrated directors. His films are mostly considered classics. With Inglourious Basterds, however, he made his most expensive (costing around seventy million) and subsequently most successful film to date (in terms of gross box office). He has said that it is the first part of a new trilogy, with Django Unchained being the second in the series.

Cinematographer Robert Richardson and production designer David Wasco produce brilliant work on the film, which overall is aesthetically fantastic (and maybe Tarantino’s best in that regard). The visuals (and especially the score, taken from classic westerns, war films and David Bowie) reference genre films that Tarantino grew up with.

As good as Tarantino’s writing is (and it is very good), the performances are maybe even better. The cast is universally wonderful, making stars out of a few European actors who before did not have that much exposure in the states. The ensemble includes: Brad Pitt, Melanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz (who won an Oscar for his work), Eli Roth, Michael Fassbender, Diane Kruger, Daniel Bruhl, Til Schweiger, Jacky Ido, B.J. Novak, Gedeon Burkhard, Omar Doom, August Diehl, Denis Menochet, and Mike Myers, with voice work from Samuel L. Jackson and Harvey Keitel.

Inglourious Basterds was nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Picture, but only won one. It is my favorite of Tarantino’s films (and among my 25 favorite films from the last decade), and a must-see for fans of Tarantino’s work and war films. It is brilliant.

Trailer: Here

Available on: Blu-ray, DVD and Streaming

Movie of the Week – Pulp Fiction

Movie of the week: Pulp Fiction (1994).

An ensemble group of characters intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.

Auteur writer-director Quentin Tarantino is maybe the most celebrated filmmaker to emerge in the 1990s (at least among his fans). Pulp Fiction is his greatest work (though, my personal favorite is Inglourious Basterds). Much like his debut, Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino’s wonderfully colorful characters in Pulp Fiction (his second film) carry the piece, and his dialog and the performances are what make it a classic.

Pulp Fiction is the film in which Tarantino fully established his working relationship with producers Bob and Harvey Weinstein (who also earlier produced True Romance, which Tarantino wrote). They have since produced all his films. He decided to reteam with cinematographer Andrzej Sekula (who also worked on Four Rooms) and production designer David Wasco (who has designed all Tarantino’s solo films other than his latest, Django Unchained), after their good work on Reservoir Dogs.

The film has a great ensemble cast with John Travolta (completely resurrecting his career), Samuel L. Jackson (who often gets Tarantino’s best material), Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Eric Stoltz, Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames, Maria de Medeiros, Rosanna Arquette, Uma Thurman, Frank Whaley, Steve Buscemi, Christopher Walken, Harvey Keitel, and Tarantino.

Pulp Fiction is arguably the best film of the 1990s (with The Shawshank Redemption, Schindler’s List and Goodfellas – I would also put forth Rushmore, The Big Lebowski and Trainspotting as my favorites). It was nominated for seven Oscars including Best Picture, but only won one for Best Writing. Like the films listed above, it is an essential film for fans of cinema and those who want to have a good working knowledge of the best films ever made. The dialog and performances are some of the best and most entertaining of the decade.

Trailer: Here

Available on: Blu-ray, DVD and Streaming

Movie of the Week – The Royal Tenenbaums

This week’s movie is The Royal Tenebaums (2001).

The dramedy is about a family of child prodigies that has grown apart. When their estranged father pretends to have cancer in a veiled attempt to make amends for being an asshole his whole life, the family reunites. It is the third feature film from writer-director Wes Anderson, and it is co-written by Owen Wilson (who also co-wrote Rushmore and Bottle Rocket) – he also has a supporting role. Anderson has the same principal crew from his first two features with composer Mark Mothersbaugh (of Devo), director of photography Robert D. Yeoman and production designer David Wasco. The film has a brilliant cast with Gene Hackman, Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, Luke Wilson, Bill Murray, Danny Glover, Anjelica Huston, and Owen Wilson. Alec Baldwin serves as the narrator. Anderson’s style is at its apex with The Royal Tenenbaums, building off of Rushmore. Every frame has been specifically designed with no detail left unkempt (I love the paintings in Eli’s house, for example). Just from an artistic perspective, the film is marvelous – should you take the time to watch it multiple times paying attention to the background, how the camera moves and how the blocking is staged. Also, how the images flow with the great soundtrack. However, it is also very good from a comedy and drama perspective. The dry witty humor is wonderful, but the drama and characters are even more powerful. It is quite a sad film really. All these characters are damaged, and while there is reconciliation, many are still left with pain. This is a must-see for fans of Anderson’s work. Check out the trailer.

Available on DVD and Streaming

Movie of the Week - Rushmore

This week’s movie is Rushmore (1998).

The comedy is about a boy, Max, whose whole life revolves around going to school at Rushmore Academy – so much so that he is the founder and participant in many clubs and activities at the school – but he is also one of the worst students they have. Max falls for a new young teacher and after hatching a grand scheme to win her affections is kicked out of Rushmore. He now must find himself and a new life outside the school. Directed by aesthetics aficionado and master Wes Anderson (who stages everything in every shot) based on the screenplay by himself and Owen Wilson (Anderson is college friends with the Wilsons), the film features Anderson’s directing at its best – shots and scenes are presented as if acts or scenes in a play (which is then taken even further by having plays acted out in the film). Anderson uses the same principal crew members for many of his films and Rushmore has essentially the same crew as his first feature Bottle Rocket. His collaboration with these people enables him to prefect his craft as a director and put out the film just how he wants it to be. His work with director of photography Robert D. Yeoman has always been excellent. Devo front-man Mark Mothersbaugh provides a really great score, accompanied by Anderson’s perfectly placed found music. Editor David Moritz and production designer David Wasco round out the principal group that made Rushmore one of the most aesthetically interesting and innovation films of the 90’s and helped Anderson establish a foothold in Hollywood as an auteur. The film has a great cast overall with good supporting characters, but it is the three leads that truly are wonderful – Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray and Olivia Williams. What makes this film great is its quirky comedy and filmmaking. It is certainly on of the best films of the decade (one of my top 25 favorite all-time films) and a must see of film fans. Check out the trailer.

Available on Criterion Collection and DVD on Amazon.com or to rent at Netflix.com