Wes Anderson is a hero of mine. He makes movies that I love and he makes movies that my friends love too. His last film The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou reminded us once again, that Bill Murray is the man, and always has been. His film before that, The Royal Tenenbaums is a testament to great film making and one of the best movies made this century…possibly even in the last 3. So it’s no surprise that his new film The Darjeeling Limited is being hotly anticipated, and what more could you want to whet your appetite than a short film by the director himself. Originally planned to be released in theaters and shown as a preface/prequel to The Darjeeling Limited moviegoers, Fox has now opted to release it for free in the Itunes music store. That’s right kids, it’s available right now, so if you haven’t yet, get your Wes Anderson worshiping ass over to Itunes and start downloading. Heres a link.
What I’m mostly excited about is what new..old music Wes Anderson is gonna get me excited about this time around. The Royal Tenenbaums gave me Jackson Browne and Van Morrison, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou had Bowie, so I wonder what the The Darjeeling Limited will offer. After hearing the Peter Sarstedt track from Hotel Chevalier, I’m already smitten.
Update: Here’s a soundtrack preview.
And after watching, I’m excited too. What’s not to love about Wes Anderson. The man is a genius and has a style all unto himself. Anyone who criticizes him for ‘more of same’ is all kinds of stupid, and probably has problems at home. I’ll get our resident Wes Anderson super-fan on this and see what she thinks about the new short and Wes’ style. Stay tuned for her review.
Hotel Chevalier - directed by Wes Anderson
well, using hotel chevalier as a indication, i suspect that darjeeling limited will be anderson’s darkest movie to date. it’s an early call to make (based off of 13 minutes of a prequel) AND also considering his previous endeavors feature such topics as unrequited love, washed up has-beens, and a suicide attempt. however, the feel of this prequel was different than his prior works. of course there’s the same incredible cinematography, brilliant use of vivid colors and light, and off-beat quality. however, there’s a certain je ne sais pais - a sense of quirky light-heartedness - that seemed strangely absent. therfore my read? forcast seems cloudy.
(oh and let me clarify for the record, i think the movie is still going to be amazing. just more “serious” perhaps than his other movies)
I saw “Darjeeling” at the opening of the NY Film Festival on Friday night, along with the short. I truly believe it is his best film since Rushmore. The short, on its own, didn’t really impress me, but it’s great in context with the feature. It seems Anderson has finally tuned in his storytelling to match his ’style’ with Darjeeling. Far better than Aquatic. Even better than Tennenbaums. I’m sure to see it again when it’s released.
even better than tennenbaums?!? i’m completely skeptical about that because of how much i love that movie. however, that is so exciting. thanks for the info… i’m looking forward to it even more
xo,
mp