People of the Internet: Isle of Dogs is a movie that is stunning to look at, but without much soul (for a movie about dogs!) Also, the American exchange student storyline needs to be cut. 50% better movie without the Greta Gerwig Character. UPDATE: I just saw the French Dispatch. I enjoyed it. Anderson's use of meticulous detail in every frame means there's always something interesting going on, even if the thread connecting the pieces of this anthology film is unclear. I think by deeply diving into small, intensely crafted vignettes Anderson aims to illuminate something larger about humanity; restating the argument for his overarching methodology since Rushmore. He may not always be successful, but his films are usually entertaining, and never boring. Here is the definitive list of Wes Anderson movies from best to worst:
1. The Royal Tenenbaums 2. Rushmore 3. Asteroid City 4. Grand Budapest Hotel 5. Fantastic Mister Fox 6. Bottle Rocket 7. The French Dispatch
7.5 (american express commercials) 8. Life Aquatic 9. Moonrise Kingdom 10. Isle of Dogs 11. Darjeeling Limited
People of the Internet! I've been thinking about the movie Annihilation a lot recently. A great movie about troubled humans dealing with a very believable alien? troubling situation. It needs to go on the updated list of top 10 sci-fi movies. Also, I moved Solaris in front of Zardoz and BSG...I don't know what I was thinking there.
1. 2001 2. Blade Runner (You know, one of the director's cuts) 3. Moon 4. Solaris (Tarkovsky) 5. Zardoz 6. 2003 Battlestar Galactica Pilot 7. On the Silver Globe 8. Annihilation! 9. Dark City 10. Matrix Honorable Mention: Primer, Ex Machina, Flesh Fair sequence of AI
People of the Face: Here are the DEFINITIVE Top Five All Time Best Movie Soundtracks: COMPILATIONS Only*
1. Until the End of the World: REM, Talking Heads, Lou Reed, Elvis Costello, KD Lang, Neneh Cherry, Nick Cave's I'll Love You Till the End of the World is a top 10 great story song.
2. The Harder They Come - If you made a movie about a renegade reggae singer then this is the soundtrack you would have to have. Cheating a little because it's mostly Jimmy Cliff.
4. Repo Man This movie and the Decline of Western Civilization Part I taught me everything I know about 80's L.A. Punk. Great movie, great songs
5. Royal Tenenbaums - The best of the twee Wes Anderson soundtracks: Kinks, Eliot Smith, Nico's These Days, John Lennon, Me and Julio, Clash, Lou again.
Honourable Mention: Jackie Brown, Pulp Fiction, Rushmore, 24 Hour Party People, O Brother Where Art Thou, Inside Llewyn Davis, Pretty in Pink, Zero Effect, Natural Born Killers without the stupid movie dialog, Pump up the Volume
*Rules: 1. No single artist movies: Leaves out all time greats - Superfly, Purple Rain, Hard Days Night, Shaft 2. No performance movies: No Stop Making Sense, The Last Waltz, Woodstock 3. No music docs: No DOA, Muscle Shoals, Buena Vista Social Club
Others: Do The Right Thing - Out because it hinges too much on one great song Baby Driver - not eligible because it feels like he picked the songs first then built great sequences around them to hold together a mediocre film Guardians of the Galaxy- doesn't count because they just made a cheesy, catchy 80's mixtape Big Chill - Boomer nostalgia mixtape