I'm here tonight not to write a review for a film but to tell you about a director that I can't help but adore. One who has shown me that it is ok to be a bit over the top when making a film.
Now, if you know me, you know that one of my all time biggest celebrity crushes is the one and only Jason Schwartzman. Not only do I love him, I love his whole family. I wish I could be part of his family lineage. Brother to Rooney frontman (and yes Michael Moscovitz from The Princess Diaries) Robert Schwartzman, cousin to Nicolas Cage, Roman Coppola, and Sofia Coppola, nephew to Francis Ford Coppola, and the son of Talia Shire. How can you not love that lineup!?
I was introduced to Jason Schwartzman when I watched Rushmore for the first time. I could probably quote that film from front to back if I needed to. Instantly I fell in love with the Jason and film. The way it was shot, the wardrobe, the coloring, the music, the cast, just absolutely everything. From there I knew I needed to know everything about Jason and whoever directed it. Turns out the gem who directed it was Wes Anderson.
I dove right into Hotel Chevalier and The Darjeeling Limited. After realizing that Wes Anderson could in fact be my favorite director, I had to continue with a marathon of his films. I completed his whole filmography in just a few days. (Not including Moonrise Kingdom at the time!)
Wes Anderson is a unique director to me. Many may think of him as the 'hipster' director because his films are different than your normal Speilberg film that everyone knows of. However, everything that is included in his work is something I genuinely adore and love. There's also that returning cast of his that you can't help but be infatuated by...I mean it includes Bill Murray for crying out loud!
Wes uses color as a big part in his films for emotion. I was talking to a friend earlier today and this is the perfect example. In The Royal Tenenbaums, the main color throughout is this sort of yellow hue to display their normalcy, as it is in MANY if not all of his films. You see blue tones in a certain scene when something controversial happens. The scene I'm talking about is when Luke Wilson's character tries to commit suicide. The blue shows a dark time in the characters life.
One of my favorite things that I love about Wes the most is his camera movements. My favorite display of this would be in Moonrise Kingdom. His perpendicular and horizontal camera movements blew me away. It makes for a perfect long shot too. It's never all over the place and it never falls under the illness of the shaky camera syndrome, which is something I cannot stand in a film.
His scripts always seem to be relatable for someone in one way or another. You'll have a character dealing with a relationship issue, personal issue, family issue, or even an economic issue. Sometimes, Wes makes the saddest parts filled with some kind of joy through his selection of music. I've always enjoyed his touch of French influence in any of his choices. (The best is when Jason Schwartzman starts to speak in French in Hotel Chevalier…swoon!) His choices of French music are always the best pieces of music in each of his films. I would have to say my favorite is when he uses Les Champs-Élysées by Joe Dassin in The Darjeeling Limited. It's definitely a head bobbing song!
Wes's attention to detail is absolutely beautiful. He always seems to fill the frame with anything and everything possible. I love it. You can watch his films over and over again and pick up on something new each time.
Wes's quirky style attracts me to his films more than any other director, and I like a lot of directors! Wes has four films in the Criterion Collection…Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and The Darjeeling Limited. As of now I only own two of the four, but don't worry because these will all be in my possession at some time. I'm hoping that Moonrise Kingdom makes it's way into Criterion as well. This doesn't mean that his other films are bad. I think it's very hard for me to actually hate an Anderson film!
If I had to rank my least favorite to favorite films of his they would be:
1. Rushmore
I can only cross my fingers that with the LARGE and highly anticipated cast, that The Grand Budapest Hotel will be amazing. Only time can tell, so we'll have to wait and see!
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