Spotlight on: Wes Anderson

Spotlight on: Wes Anderson

Wes Anderson is the man of the moment (and no that’s not just amongst hipsters), his newest movie ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ is currently sat at No.3 in the UK Box Office. This is despite having only been released last Friday and in roughly 200 less cinemas than the Top 2. 

 I was lucky enough to see the film on Saturday and it confirms to me that Wes Anderson makes some of the most beautiful movies there have ever been. His attention to detail in all parts of production make a viewing of one of his movies, and I can assure you they are all as good as each other, a real event of entertainment. This unique style of his, that stretches right back to his first feature ‘Bottle Rocket’, has gone from being one only witnessed by his cult-like following, to a staple on the film calendar.

 The Grand Budapest Hotel follows the adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars, and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend. The story of the film was brilliant and through some impeccable dialogue, Gustave’s hilarious adventures were of an almost childlike, yet sometimes dark, nature. The achievement of this balance is entirely down to the stellar cast, who must be one of the best ensembles of all time, featuring: Ralph Fiennes; Edward Norton; Adrian Brody; Jude Law; Bill Murray (of course…it’s now their 7th Collaboration); Willem Dafoe; Jeff Goldblum; and with a fantastic debut for Tony Revolori, playing Zero. Extraordinarily that list still doesn’t even cover the breadth of stars this film roped in.

 Now for those who have seen Fantastic Mr Fox, and I hope that’s all of you because it is an amazingly styled and shot adaptation, Wes Anderson has delved back into this wonderful set creation for The Grand Budapest. This has allowed him to insert his stylistic touch on a much larger scale and thrust us deeper into the world he has so wonderfully created. 

 For me, the warmth of character relationships in Wes’s films (think Sam and Suzy in Moonrise Kingdom) are what makes them such a draw for me. Combined with the colourful, quirky sets (think Fantastic Mr Fox),  and extravagant costumes (think Life Aquatic), and that distinctive comic dialogue (think Rushmore) is what makes Wes Anderson’s films a step above the rest for me. I can be assured that when I go through the doors of the cinema, I’m escaping into another world, a spectacle of enjoyment. 

   

Films:

- Bottle Rocket (1996)

- Rushmore (1998)

- The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

- The Life Aquatic w/Steve Zissou (2004)

- The Darjeeling Limited (2007)- Favourite

- Fantastic Mr Fox (2009)

- Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

- The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Quiz Time: 

1. How many films has Owen Wilson co-written w/Wes?

2. What is the main character of Rushmore called? 

3.Who voices Mr.Fox?