19. The Artificial Storyteller

G!

With a style more distinct than
Any other filmmaker, eccentric
Director Wes Anderson has
Made some neat little pictures
In his not yet two-decade old
Career that make the words
'Unique' and 'creative' sound
Like understatements when
Applied to describe his work.
Wes Anderson's style has not
Changed at all since he made
Bottle Rocket, a heist movie
I have not seen. I saw his
second movie: Rushmore,
Which might be seen as a
High school movie from the
Perspective of an autistic
Observer; and after that one,
The Royal Tenenbaums, a
Family drama also from the
Perspective of someone who
Is likely autistic. Anderson's
Characters all possess a blunt,
Deadpan quality that makes
Them quirky, almost likable;
A more introverted, naive, or
Loop-sided Monty Python,
If you will. The Life Aquatic
With Steve Zissou, a sea-
Adventure story, I have not
Seen. Then came two movies
That can arguably represent
The maturation of Anderson's
Style, which I maintain has not
Changed since his first picture:
The Darjeeling Limited, where
Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson
And Jason Schwartzman take
A train trip across India on a
Spiritual bonding journey to
Ditch their emotional baggage,
Which is sort of a continuation
Of The Royal Tenenbaums; and
Fantastic Mr. Fox, which proves
That Wes Anderson's style work
Just as well - if not better - in
Animation as it does live action,
After all, his movies all resemble
Storybooks (a narrator is some-
Thing used often in his films), the
Story is narrated while image,
So much like stills or illustrations,
Display on the movie screen; the
Stills themselves are usually and
Obviously artificial, which adds
To the impression of being a
Picture book. After Fantastic
Mr. Fox came Anderson's best
Film to date: Moonrise Kingdom,
A charming romantic adventure
Story that can be likened to a
More benign version of Malick's
Badlands. Then it is followed by
An epic of Anderson-proportions:
The Grand Budapest Hotel, where
Storybook images and multiple
Narrator-within-narrators work
At their most frantic to tell a
Quirky and surprisingly dark
Fable of a murder mystery, a
Prison break-out, and other
Grand story events best seen
Than told by me. After all,
Wes Anderson is the best
Storyteller (literally) who
Presently happens to work
In the medium of movies;
And a great storyteller is
All you need to enjoy the movies.