The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou

[poliphilo]

The critics gave this one a hard time, but I thought I'd like it and I did.

It's not laugh-out-loud funny, but it keeps up a constant drizzle of tiny, small absurdities and sight gags. And of course it stars the great Bill Murray, who gets quieter and more mesmerisingly watchable with each succeeding film.

Wes Anderson (too many Andersons in Hollywood already!) is a great stylist. He creates zany, alternative universes, only a little off to the side of the one we all know and love. You could lose yourself in this one.

If Life Aquatic isn't eventually elevated to the status of cult classic I'll eat my patented Zissou diving helmet with special built in bunny aerial for the reception of music underwater.

Comments

[frumiousb.livejournal.com]

I thought that it was pretty great. The NYTimes liked it a lot, actually. So I don't think it really got panned.

[halfmoon-mollie.livejournal.com]

I think I must be the only person in the world who does NOT like Bill Murray.

[violaviolet.livejournal.com]

Wes has yet to disappoint me. His films are some of the few modern pieces of cinema I pay any attention to.

[four-thorns.livejournal.com]

hmm. of all his films, I like the royal tenenbaums best. the life aquatic seemed... i'll always love anderson from a stylistic standpoint, but this time it seemed like the characters were quirky just for the sake of being quirky. also, the world created in the life aquatic is a much colder world than that of tenenbaums.

[jackiejj.livejournal.com]

I liked it, too.

When Bill Murray is being droll, he is the best.

God, he was funny in that stupid diving gear.

[manfalling.livejournal.com]

i too felt like the quirkiness was there for no other reason than to just be quirky. tenenbaums was quirky and that made it cool and hilarious. life aquatic was quirky and it just kind of annoyed me cos yeah, there was no point. it was neither as funny or as cool as tenenbaums.