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foggy eyes wrote:

Does "In Select Theatres" strike anyone else as being a bit snobby?

It sounds more realistic than snobbish to me. Certainly here in the UK Anderson's films have been more confined to the arthouse than multiplex circuit.

If it's going to be like The Life Aquatic, it started off as a limited release, and a month later was shown at practically all the multiplexes here in L.A.

Love the poster, but it broke my heart that he's not using an original score. It really does. Less and less filmmakers are using original scores, and what I loved about the Wes Anderson scores were the fact they stood out among most Hollywood filler music.

What a damn shame.... still gonna watch it though! (winking faceshould go here)

But this could prove to be an amazing turn for Wes. You don't how well he could use this music, and I have faith and hope in being very surprised, because he's more than capable of being great, I think...

exte wrote:But this could prove to be an amazing turn for Wes. You don't how well he could use this music, and I have faith and hope in being very surprised, because he's more than capable of being great, I think...

define great.

The poster is out....and it has the Venice Competition logo on it. Whoops! one week before press conference!

The Elegant Dandy Fop wrote:Love the poster, but it broke my heart that he's not using an original score. It really does. Less and less filmmakers are using original scores, and what I loved about the Wes Anderson scores were the fact they stood out among most Hollywood filler music.

Well, Anderson's films as as much known for their pop music as for Motherbaugh's scores. I would imagine the music from Merchant and Ray's films will be used at pivotal moments in the film, like how Anderson used pop songs for key moments in his other films. It's still not confirmed if Mothersbaugh is involved or not and hell, even Natalie Portman who is widely credited as being in the film isn't mentioned on the poster.

However said Big Star's "India Song" will probably appear in this film is spot on.

Antoine Doinel wrote:Well, Anderson's films as as much known for their pop music as for Motherbaugh's scores. I would imagine the music from Merchant and Ray's films will be used at pivotal moments in the film, like how Anderson used pop songs for key moments in his other films. It's still not confirmed if Mothersbaugh is involved or not and hell, even Natalie Portman who is widely credited as being in the film isn't mentioned on the poster.

I don't think Mothersbaugh is involved at all. Portman's character does not appear in the original script either. I can't find the source now, but I believe I read that she appears in a cameo role in a prologue with Schwartzman that is largely unrelated to the body of the film.

Great trailer. It immediately welled up in me all the things I just love about Anderson's work. I'm really looking forward to this.

Could this guy get any smugger? When his commercial for AmEx showed at MoMA's recent "best commercials" program, it was quite satisfying when the audience booed it.

Damn, that looks funny.

Barmy wrote:Could this guy get any smugger? When his commercial for AmEx showed at MoMA's recent "best commercials" program, it was quite satisfying when the audience booed it.

Speaking of smug....

alternate title for the film: Wes Anderson's Treading Water

This film looks terrible. First the hipster colors, the hipster soundtrack, the hipster camera angles, and now there are lines like "i wonder if we would have been friends if we weren't brothers" or "is that my belt?"

justeleblanc wrote:This film looks terrible. First the hipster colors, the hipster soundtrack, the hipster camera angles, and now there are lines like "i wonder if we would have been friends if we weren't brothers" or "is that my belt?"

What are "hipster" colors and camera angles? Just curious.

see: any Wes Anderson movie.

Man, I was holding out hope, especially with Roman Coppola involved, but I'm with justleblanc, this just looks atrocious.

I guess I didn't realize the music of Merchant Ivory and Sanjayit Ray films were considered "hipster".

I still don't get what "hipster camera angles" means. Are French New Wave films too hipster? The opening crane shot of Touch Of Evil? The entirety of Rope?

Criticizing a film as being "too hipster" is essentially meaningless. But certainly, if you didn't like Wes Anderson before, it doesn't seem like The Darjeeling Limited will convert you.

P-U. Smells like backlash in here.

I did like Anderson until he decided to make moving set designs instead of films

Ok, now that's an interesting critique. I think it would be fair to say that all of Anderson's films have been highly stylized, but which film in particular did you feel style trumped story?

For me, while I liked The Life Aquatic (it definitely grew on me after two or three viewings) it was the first time where I felt he didn't have a complete grasp on the story. As for this film, I think the collaborative spirit of the script may produce much better results. But as we can see, the trailer is already creating some divisive reactions.

justeleblanc wrote:This film looks terrible. First the hipster colors, the hipster soundtrack, the hipster camera angles, and now there are lines like "i wonder if we would have been friends if we weren't brothers" or "is that my belt?"

I kind of understand what you mean, but are Godard's colors and angles hipster? Sure every person I know 18-30 is going to see this the first day, and think Wes Anderson can do NO wrong (including Life Aquatic) which I disagree with, but it hardly looks terrible.

Antoine,

The hipster music is the 1970s nick drakey eliott smithy folk rock.

The hipster camera angles is his obsession with one or two types of camera angles, mostly the "dead on" or "planimetric" shot. It's more of a gimmick or shtick at this point, or maybe even a silly signature (like his credit fonts) and its no longer interesting.

Then the colors, his obsession with "cute" coloring, light blues, yellows, it's no different than LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE or GARDEN STATE or NAPOLEON DYNOMITE. It's very subversive.

Dare I also mention the now annoying understated characters and dry humor?

macaca wrote:

justeleblanc wrote:This film looks terrible. First the hipster colors, the hipster soundtrack, the hipster camera angles, and now there are lines like "i wonder if we would have been friends if we weren't brothers" or "is that my belt?"

I kind of understand what you mean, but are Godard's colors and angles hipster? Sure every person I know 18-30 is going to see this the first day, and think Wes Anderson can do NO wrong (including Life Aquatic) which I disagree with, but it hardly looks terrible.

Godard at times was very hipstery. His whole Masculine Feminin through Weekend through Dziga Vertov period was motivated by his want to have a younger/teenage audience. I do love a few of these films since they are substantive and are far from shallow, but yes, he falls into the hipster category for sure. Though, maybe it was at a time when it was original or fresh. Now it's just bad art. And I think Wes Anderson is a charlatan.

justeleblanc wrote:even a silly signature (like his credit fonts) and its no longer interesting.

Dare I also mention the now annoying understated characters and dry humor?

You've just described every Woody Allen movie. I guess he's a hispter filmmaker as well? Also, that is first time I've ever heard someone call out dry, understated humor as a problem. Somewhere Adam Sandler is thanking you.

Also, the film happens to be set in India, a country hardly known for its understated color scheme. As for the other films, Rushmore's color scheme was very much in line with it's prep school setting, the "frosting" look to the Royal Tenenbaums was in keeping with it's fairy-tale like vibe and obviously the blue tones to The Life Aquatic don't need to be explained.

I guess we'll have to disagree with the music. As far as I know, he's never used a Nick Drake song, and only one Elliot Smith song. I see what you're driving at, but I would argue that his pop music selections are far more effective any current modern filmmaker and thankfully avoid using current popular bands (*ahem* Michael Mann). And he's certainly added a unique dimension to his films with the scores by Mark Mothersbaugh which sound like no other.

So are Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, The Zombies, The Kinks, Cat Stevens, The Ramones and David Bowie are insufferably hipster? Yes, there are people who wear the t-shirts for nothing more than "cool factor" but I don't Anderson uses those songs for that factor. The moments and placement are very carefully selected and in my opinion, usually quite effective.

But again, calling some a "hipster" as a critique is fairly empty and frankly, means nothing. Even most Anderson detractors wouldn't call him a charlatan. He certainly knows about film and is an assured hand behind the camera.

So would you only take Anderson seriously if he used traditional film scores, shot his films in black & white and released them completely outside the studio system? It seems to me your dislike of him is more based on his popularity or audience than anything else.

I personally like the trailer. First time they pass off one of his films as more than a wacky comedy. That was the problem with The Life Aquatic trailer, and regular audience members weren't prepared for what the film was like.

No ones yet mentioned that many of the shots he uses are the same kinda of shots Kubrick used.

What I do like is he's not focusing too much on set-design this time, and using pre-exsisting locations. This will at least same him the criticism of his films being too over the top.

Can't wait for this, my most anticipated film.