Directors: Wes Anderson


2005-4878AndersonWes_IMG_x900BIOGRAPHY (from Wikipedia)

Wesley Wales Anderson (born May 1, 1969) is an American film director and screenwriter. His films are known for their distinctive visual and narrative style.

Anderson has chosen to direct mostly fast-paced comedies marked by more serious or melancholic elements, with themes often centred on grief, loss of innocence, parental abandonment, adultery, sibling rivalry and unlikely friendships.

He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for The Royal Tenenbaums in 2001 and Moonrise Kingdom in 2012, as well as the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for Fantastic Mr. Fox in 2009. He received his first Academy Award nomination for Best Director and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for The Grand Budapest Hotel in 2014. Wes Anderson also received the BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay in 2015.


DIRECTOGRAPHY

1996 – Bottle Rocket
1998 – Rushmore 
2001 – The Royal Tenenbaums
2004 – The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
2007 – The Darjeeling Limited
2009 – Fantastic Mr. Fox
2012 – Moonrise Kingdom 
2014 – The Grand Budapest Hotel
2018 – Isle of Dogs
2020 – The French Dispatch


Reviews

PosterMovieYearCommentsRating
Bottle Rocket 1996 Click here for our Film Club review. 2.6
Rushmore 1998 This film suffers greatly when watched after The Grand Budapest Hotel. It doesn't manage anywhere near the heights of GBH and felt like a writer/director learning his quirky craft rather than expressing his obvious talent. 5
The Darjeeling Limited 2007 A charming tale that doesn't resort to tricks or gimmicks to get us to like it's characters, just good writing, gentle humour and a wonderful setting. Anderson's most accessible film to date. 8
Moonrise Kingdom 2012 A step forward from Rushmore in terms of script and filming, but the film still feels formulaic, slight and a little empty. 6
The Grand Budapest Hotel 2014 If you can get past the art style, GBH is a very funny and original tale. Ralph Fiennes performance is superb and he has some of the best comedy swearing I have seen in a long time. 9
Isle of Dogs 2018 A wonderful oddball film that comes so close to greatness, only to run out of steam half an hour too soon. Wes Anderson shows no signs of running out of steam and can now add 'acclaimed animation director' to his resume. 8
Isle of Dogs 2018 Quirky, charming and funny with great voice acting and several truly dramatic moments. You could fault Wes Anderson for not properly exploring the political subtext that is hinted at during this tale, but you definitely can't fault his imagination. 7

The Verdict

WES ANDERSON MOVIE REVIEWS AND DIRECTOR RATING
  • Rushmore
  • Moonrise Kingdom
  • The Grand Budapest Hotel
  • Bottle Rocket
  • The Darjeeling Limited
  • Isle of Dogs
3.5

Summary

Typecast by his own design, Anderson is a master at producing amazingly visual films. But he holds himself back by insisting on delivering variations on a well worn theme. I hope that now he has reached the heights of The Grand Budapest Hotel we will see him try something new.


DIRECTORS LEAGUE

This page will be updated as I watch more Wes Anderson films and therefore his overall rating will change over time. You can see where Wes sits on in the Directors League here.


 

What do you think?

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