963. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

Running Time: 109 minutes
Directed By: Wes Anderson
Written By: Wes Anderson
Main Cast: Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, Gwyneth Paltrow
Click here to view the trailer

A DOUBLE SHOT OF ANDERSON: 2 of 2

"The Royal Tenenbaums", get this, tells the story of the Tenenbaum family, a wealthy, eccentric crew who are headed up by patriarch Royal (Hackman), the estranged father of the bunch, who separated from his wife Etheline (Huston) when the Tenenbaum children were fairly young. There are three Tenenbaum children, each raised (almost) solely by their mother and who would grow up to be prodigies, in their own right. Chas Tenenbaum (Stiller) is a genius in international finance, who would go on to sue his father on two separate occasions and have him disbarred for stealing from him. Margot Tenenbaum (Paltrow) is the adopted daughter and a famous playwright, who could never gain her father's approval and who is constantly reminded that she isn't a true Tenenbaum. Lastly, there's Richie Tenenbaum (L. Wilson) a.k.a. "The Baumer", a renowned tennis pro, who had a nervous breakdown in his last professional match. During the beginning stages of the film, all three Tenenbaum children find their way back under Etheline's roof, for different reasons. When Royal gets wind that his family has reunited under the Tenenbaum roof, he feigns cancer to try and get back into their good graces and make amends with them.

Where do I even start with "The Royal Tenenbaums", a film I saw for the first time, probably close to ten years ago and one that I loved from the get go. It's always fascinated me how this film manages to juggle both comedy and drama so evenly and so flawlessly. Speaking of flawlessness, lets talk about the script, one that doesn't come with flaws, at least not any that I can see. I love how the film is based on a non-existent book and tells the story as if it were reading from it's pages, complete with narrator Alec Baldwin. We see some trademark Wes Anderson, as he uses the writing of words on the screen to establish key points and introduces the cast of characters in the beginning of the film, as if they were about to put on a play. The film holds together many different characters, including all the Tenenbaums mentioned above, as well as Raleigh St. Clair (Bill Murray), Margot's husband, Eli Cash (Owen Wilson), Richie's best friend and Margot's lover and Henry Sherman (Danny Glover), Etheline's suitor. The entire cast turns in fantastic performances, most notably Gene Hackman, who shows up ready to be a Wes Anderson character. It's funny how actors in Anderson's film can't just show up and phone in their performances. You actually have to go through a transformation, deliver your dialogue different and be unique to fit into Anderson's world.

The film also features some great music, that sometimes lingers in the background, providing some added "oomph" to emotional scenes. Other times the music makes itself well known and Anderson knows when to let the music low key and in your face. I just love this story, as it's just so original. A man, who it's hard to sympathize with during the introductions of the film. A callous man who pays no thought to anyone's needs except his own. It doesn't take long for us (me anyway) to start to feel for this man. We realize that he's realized that he's made a mistake, that he's taken his family for granted and that, now, he wants to make amends for his wrongdoing. He's forced to make-up an illness, just to spend time with him, ask for forgiveness, meet his grandchildren and win his family back.

Eli Cash: I always wanted to be a Tenenbaum
Royal Tenenbaum: Me too. Me too.

RATING: 10/10  I absolutely love this film and I always have. It wasn't one that had to grow on me, it won me over from the start and now we have another film fighting over the #1 spot of the next TOP 20.

MOVIES WATCHED: 472
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 529

June 4, 2012  12:22am

928. RUSHMORE (1998)

Running Time: 93 minutes
Directed By: Wes Anderson
Written By: Wes Anderson, Owen Wilson
Main Cast: Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Olivia Williams, Seymour Cassel, Brian Cox
Click here to view the trailer

A DOUBLE SHOT OF ANDERSON: 1 of 2

Arriving at the "70 watched, 30 to go" mark of this batch of 100, I decided to slip in one of the two remaining "double shots" I had planned for this batch, which focuses on Wes Anderson and his two films from THE BOOK.

Max Fischer (Schwartzman) is a fifteen-year-old student at Rushmore Academy, a prep school and is on the verge of being expelled. His predicament is that he takes part in far too many extracurricular activities (including the Stamp and Coin Club, Bombardment Society, Kung Fu Club and Calligraphy Club) and tends to neglect his studies. Max treats Rushmore Academy as his career, pretending he's an adult and treating his club meetings as the important daily appointments of his life. In his mind, he just doesn't have time to study. After a while, Max decides that he needs to start taking an interest in women and sets his sights on Ms. Cross (Williams), a widowed first grade teacher. Max tries hard to win the affections of Ms. Cross, going so far as to draw up plans for an aquarium to be built on the school grounds, when he learns that she is mildly interested in fish. Ms. Cross comes to enjoy Max's company, but doesn't show signs of romance. Max also strikes up a friendship with wealthy industrialist Herman Blume (Murray) and the two gain a mutual respect for one another. Later, when Max is expelled from Rushmore Academy, Ms. Cross and Herman do their best to try and help Max fit in at his new, public school. However, when Ms. Cross and Herman begin to strike up their own romance, Max's world comes crumbling down and his two most notable relationships become strained.

I saw "Rushmore" probably about ten years ago and remember hating it. At the time, I just didn't understand the appeal of these characters and I can remember chalking it up as "oddball characters in stupid situations". Well, here is another perfect example of giving things a second chance, because this time around I absolutely loved it. The oddball characters are what make this movie original and unique, because these people aren't acting in a particularly normal way. In fact, the entire atmosphere of the film has a different aura about it and that's why it doesn't blend into the crowd, but rather, stands out. Max Fischer is a fantastic character - one that you kind of love to hate in the beginning, but one who ultimately learns his lesson and becomes likeable. The story itself is rather commonplace: a man falls in love with a woman, who doesn't feel the same way about him and later, the woman falls in love with a different man (a friend of the first man) and a feud between the men ensues. Except in this situation, the first man is fifteen-years-old, the woman is a teacher at his school and the second man (the friend of the first) is a fifty-year-old man. It's perfectly written, perfectly executed and a lot of fun. It's not the type of film that will have you laughing out loud too much, but one that will have you chuckling a lot to yourself.

The cast do a fine job too, especially Schwartzman and Murray who both knock a couple of home-runs right down the middle. I've always loved Bill Murray and he looks as if he's right at home playing Herman Blume, a quiet, bitter, wealthy man, who dislikes his own children and who's best friend is fifteen. I can't say enough good things about Schwartzman, as he plays the role of Fisher perfectly. The soundtrack is also easy on the ear, filled with great songs, such as: "The Wind" by Cat Stevens and "Oh, Yoko" by John Lennon, to name a few.

RATING: 8.5/10  I'll go ahead and warn you now that "The Royal Tenenbaums" will probably get an even higher rating than that, as it has been a favorite of mine for many years.


MOVIES WATCHED: 471
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 530

June 3, 2012  6:28pm