I had a bit of a film geek sesh with a colleague the other day who had recently binged on Wes Anderson films and it got me thinking. Two years ago I posted my top ten directors and Wes only got an honourable mention. Now that I have caught up on his films (I hadn’t seen Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel had yet to be released and I hadn’t seen The Life Aquatic all the way through – I still haven’t seen all of Bottle Rocket or The Darjeeling Limited) I actually think he might be my favourite. I think Interstellar could make or break my opinion of Nolan and I need to see Michel’s Gondry’s last three offerings but Wes is so damn consistent that I think he’s more than worthy of the top spot. Here’s why…
Image via
1. He made me fall in love with Bill Murray. Don’t get me wrong, I liked him as an actor before I saw Rushmore nearly ten years ago but his Anderson-esque persona is brilliant. The only thing I like him in more is Zombieland.
Image via
2. He keeps casting Owen Wilson when no-one else does. Midnight in Paris aside, what have you seen Owen in since You, Me and Dupree?
Image via
3. He brought the much-loved children’s classic Fantastic Mr Fox to life.
Image via
4. And accepted his award in style.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTMSJ_qDC6o]
5. He can take the piss out of himself.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbO3BS0Uzm0]
6. And maintains his quirky style throughout all of his projects, regardless of the screen size they’re intended for.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJ3dtPlD-8Q]
7. He writes child roles just as well as ‘grown ups’.
Image via
8. He has an incredible posse.
Image via
9. He writes or co-writes his own scripts.
Image via
10. He also assists with other shoots, receiving ‘thanks’ on Lost in Translation and producing The Squid and the Whale.
Image via
Want more Wes Anderson? Get your blurays from Amazon (I love the look of the imported Criterion Collection DVDs but I think they’re Region 1) and take a look at the books on offer:
The Wes Anderson Collection
Wes Anderson: Why His Movies Matter
The Films of Wes Anderson
Also, take a look at these great articles online:
Wes Anderson Palettes
The Greatest Wes Anderson Characters
Interview
The Science Behind Why We Love Wes Anderson Movies
14 Whimsical Motifs That Every Wes Anderson Film Has in Common
Finally, everyone loves a quiz. Which Wes Anderson character are you? I’m Francis.