The Darjeeling Limited
September 19th, 2007
What a relief. After The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, I wasn’t alone in diagnosing Wes Anderson with a damn-near terminal case of arrested development. With this story of three brothers on a spiritual quest through India, the precocious director with a sweet tooth for all things quirky proves that he has found a way forward: The Darjeeling Limited is his best work since Rushmore. With Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman. Roman Coppola, director of the underappreciated CQ, co-wrote the screenplay.
The film screens together with a short film, Hotel Chevalier, that serves as a prequel and stars a very naked Natalie Portman. We’ll have a full review and much more from the New York Film Festival on About.com as soon as we get rid of this leaden jetlag. The Darjeeling Limited will open on September 29.
Update: Marcy’s review of The Darjeeling Limited.
Hotel Chevalier. Wes Anderson, 2007. ****
The Darjeeling Limited. Wes Anderson, 2007. ****
The trailer:
The Wendell Baker Story
May 10th, 2007
Proving once again the infinite mutability of the coming-of-age tale, The Wendell Baker Story, written by Luke and co-directed by Luke and Andrew Wilson, grafts a number of borderline absurd conceits onto a ramshackle story about a small-time con-man trying to make his way in the world. In the dappled sunlight of Austin, Texas, Wendell Baker (Luke Wilson) sells fake IDs to immigrants and fails to appreciate his gorgeous girlfriend Doreen (Eva Mendes)–until he gets busted and shipped off to Huntsville Prison, where he comes across a copy of Conrad Hilton’s autobiography and decides to go into the hotel business.
But the “hotel” Wendell is sent to by his parole board is a retirement home under the command of a sadistic head nurse played by brother Owen. The inmates include Kris Kristofferson, Harry Dean Stanton, and Seymour Cassel as horny old men hiding a secret or two. With their help, Wendell has to thwart evil schemes and win back Doreen. Their adventures are thoroughly ridiculous and enjoyable, but like Doreen, we can see right through Wendell’s goofy charm. The Wendell Baker Story is silly but lovable, occasionally very funny, and no dumber than most movies at the multiplex. It’d be fascinating to see what the Wilsons might come up with if they really tried. Opens May 18.
The Wendell Baker Story. Andrew Wilson and Luke Wilson, 2005. ***
- The Wendell Baker Story at Rotten Tomatoes
- The trailer:
Wedding Crashers
October 9th, 2006
Owen Wilson is cute and Vince Vaughn can make me laugh, but by the second act, the formula takes over. Wouldn’t this story be a lot more interesting if Rachel McAdams’ fiancé wasn’t a complete asshat? Still, much more enjoyable than that other “must-see” comedy of 2005, 40 Year-Old Virgin.
Wedding Crashers. David Dobkin, 2005. **
[tags]film, 2 stars, comedy, vince vaughn, owen wilson, weddings, asshat[/tags]
