Wes Anderson
Out of context: Reply #41
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- kingjulien0
1. Paul Thomas Anderson definitely should be included in the list of top directors. I'm not quite sure how I forgot to include him. Boogie Nights was awesome, and I enjoyed Punchdrunk Love. Magnolia, well, I need to watch that again before commenting.
2. How anyone could dislike The Life Aquatic or fall asleep during it, or claim that there was too much Bowie is beyond me. To me, the film is as much about the love of cinema as it is a touching story of redemption. When you see the documentaries that Zissou makes - this self reflexive film within a film - for me anyway, that's what is intruiging. We see a side view of the ship while Bill Murray explains each section, where the editing room is, where the sauna is, where the crew sleeps, etc, and it's all in one sweeping camera movement. Also, when the Sigur Ros song comes on at the end, and they're in that little vessel, approaching the giant shark, it's just beautiful cinematography. I also was touched by the transformation of Zissou's character, from this womanizing, selfishly humorous prick to one who grieves over the loss of his son, the dissolution of his marriage, and the abduction of his "bond company stooge", not to mention how sad he is that the giant shark has eaten his friend. I also appreciated the subtle touches, like the little Asian kid who helps them escape the island, and how sad Zissou is that they had to leave the one-legged dog behind. Also, how he comforts Cate Blanchett's character -the journalist - after hitting on her and being a jerk because of her involvement with his son, and her refusal to glorify him in her story. I also found the connection with William Dafoe's character, and his German son in the last frame, priceless.
I realize this is all a question of taste, but for me anyway, I thought The Life Aquatic was both hilariously absurd and also quite touching. Regardless, Anderson's films are not shallow, and they are not lacking substance, even if you didn't enjoy them.