The World of Wes Anderson
Hello everyone, I wanted to let everyone know that we’re still here. The last few months have been crazy and we’re going to start updating RA again shortly. The world of Wes Anderson is rich and the news on his latest opus is buzzing the internet. We want to make sure that we’re your choice for Wes Anderson related content. Please keep checking back.
Sincerely yours,
RA
We’re happy to announce Matt Zoller Seitz’s (freelance critic, and author of one the earliest and best profiles of Wes, and this incredible series of video essays from earlier this year) The WES ANDERSON Collection is available for pre-order at Amazon.com. “It’s a book length interview of Wes Anderson, by me, with critical essays by me, and an intro by Michael Chabon, plus art, pix.,” says Matt on his twitter. The Amazon proudct page is a little weak on the details and even incorrect according to Matt, but he explains more information will be available once they nail down the issues.
The book is set to be released in August 2013. No details on digital copies, but why would you not want a hard cover?
If you haven’t heard or read some of Matt’s critical works, we encourage you to watch his video series called the Substance of Style available for free on Moving Image Source.
Finally. After massive amounts of rumors of who Wes Anderson would be casting for his next film Grand Budapest Hotel, even allegations that actor Johnny Depp had a small role in the film ,which were denied by Anderson. Thanks Internet. But of course there is only one person who can confirm the headlines, and that’s Mr. Anderson himself. In a recent the Hollywood Reporter (THR) interview, Wes Anderson teased the plot for his latest project and announced his amazing ensemble.
Well, yes, [my next film is] Grand Budapest Hotel. It’s a Euro movie. It’s a period picture. I can tell you the cast — maybe you already know the cast, but I can tell you properly who it is: We have Ralph Fiennes, and we have Tilda Swinton and Jeff Goldblum, Willem Dafoe, we have F. Murray Abraham and Jude Law, and we’ve got Adrien Brody, Edward Norton, Harvey Keitel, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, and Mathieu Amalric. And I think Owen [Wilson] is gonna have a little part, too. Oh, Saoirse Ronan has quite a big part. I’m thinking if I’ve forgotten anybody. Yeah, we have a good group.
A good group indeed Mr. Anderson. Besides casting Saorise Ronan and his usual entourage of Anderson Alumni, a person we’re very excited for is Oscar-winner (for masterfully playing Antonio Salieri in Amadeus) F. Murray Abraham. A very underrated actor, it’ll be good to see him take a break from his stage career.
Despite the cast and what little get out of that, we can confirm that the film takes place about 85 years ago and gathers inspirations from by Billy Wilder and Ernst Lubitsch films. Confused? If you haven’t heard of these two filmmakers, we would suggest you’d start with these titles.
Billy Wilder’s the Apartment (1960)
Ernst Lubitsch’s To be or Not to Be (1942)
The Grand Budapest Hotel is set for release in 2014. Keep checking back at RA.com for more updates.
Bill Murray and Olivia Williams (Rushmore) reunite as Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt in Hyde Park on Hudson. Don’t tell Dirk. The Rushmore Academy is giving away a $25 American Express Gift Card for a night at the movies, courtesy of Focus Features. To enter, comment on this post, the relevant Facebook post, or @rushmoreacademy and tell us which two Wes Anderson characters you would most like to see reunited in a historical drama. Who would they play?
Details: Entries must be received by Friday, 7 December 2012 at 11:59 pm ET. You must reside in the United States to enter. Winner will be chosen randomly from entries.
Ever wondered what the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs would look like in slow motion set to the music of the Kinks? Well, you’re in luck, because the folks over at Conan have created a funny short of Wes Anderson’s (fictional) test reel for Star Wars: Episode VII. Check it out here over at Flavorwire where Judy Berman comments:
Forget Grand Budapest Hotel; any man-child filmmaker worth his daddy issues would drop everything to direct Disney’s Star Wars: Episode VII, so of course Wes Anderson has put together some test footage for consideration. And somehow (i.e., they made it up) Conan got their hands on that reel. Titled A Life Galactic, Anderson’s take is just as twee and intricate as you might hope, featuring a stylized showdown between Han and Greedo and the sweetest two-creature motorcycle ride you’ve ever seen.
Ryan Reft, of the Tropics of Meta, has written an interesting piece exploring the role of gender and sexuality in the films of Wes Anderson, highlighting that few filmmakers have made being cuckolded seem so adorable and so tragic. Interested? Check it out here. Reft notes:
Anderson’s embrace of Salinger/Charles Schultz/Roald Dahl universe need not exclude adult realities. In a recent backlash against the backlash, NYC Poet Austin Allen argued that critucs have developed a formula for dismissing Anderson’s work. Throw around the word “twee,” “dollhouse” or any derivation thereof, add a bit of “arrested development” and a dash of retromania and instantly you’ve encompassed the rhetorical structure for Anderson film criticism. Yet, as Allen points out, “whimsy” need not mean flimsy. The best moments, he argues, happen when “adult reality snaps us out of childlike fantasy.” Anderson never avoids these problems but with the help of contributing actors and writers, he is able to weave them into the composition with an understanding that exceeds immature visions of marriage and fidelity.
Oscar season is coming, when December movies will be dumped on us to make the breaking point for an Academy Award consideration. But let’s take a step back and not forget our friend Wes Anderson and his critically acclaimed film Moonrise Kingdom. Slant Magazine has written a terrific article detailing the possible nominations MK might obtain. Read more about it here. Oscar Prospects: Moonrise Kingdom. Slant Magazine hosts a weekly analysis of possible awards contenders and predictions for Oscar nominations.
We’ve stumbled upon a clever tumblr account called KanyeWes. Pretty much your average Kanye West lyrics overlaid onto Wes Anderson stills. Here are some of our favorites so far.
Art by: “We Are Legion” by Aaron Jasinski
With all of the casting confusion the internet is producing, we’re happy to set the record straight and report that both Variety and the Hollywood Reporter (THR) have confirmed Ralph Fiennes is in negotiations for Wes Anderon’s The Grand Budapest Hotel. He’s set to play a character named M. Gustave, who serves as the hotel’s perfectly composed concierge. This role was originally reported to be filled by Johnny Depp, but Wes Anderson denied this two months ago. But Anderson’s frequent cronies Bill Murray, Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman are in the cast. Couldn’t imagine an Anderson without them. Fiennes recent projects have been acting alongside Daniel Craig in 007: Skyfall and portraying Charles Dickens in The Invisible Woman.
Also, THR has noted that Murder She Wrote‘s Angela Lansbury is no longer involved with the movie due to commitments to a stage version of the Academy-award winning film Driving Miss Daisy (also a Pulitzer Prize winning play). Lansbury has been performing on stage every year for the past six years. Lansbury will be playing alongside James Earl Jones and will open next year at Her Majesty’s Theater. Tickets will be on sale October 22nd.
The Grand Budapest Hotel is set for release in 2014. Keep checking back at RA.com for more updates.
A little light today, but still full of love. We’re in between movies and casting and we’re feeling the strain. Hopefully soon, we’ll hear more about the official cast and plot for #8, which starts filming in the fall. Until then, let’s get down to it:
