Life Aquatic: Effing Great!!

NickMilo

NickMilo

Well-known member
I just saw it, Wes Anderson has done it again.  If you even remotely like Wes Anderson movies, then you'll love this one.  If you guys are able to make it to LA, go see this DAMN movie!! It's funny, after I saw it, I ended up calling 'The Movie Fanatic' radio show on 97.1 FM Talk (LA) and I talked to the host guy about it.  I think he got mad at me and hung up because I said that I liked it better than Lost in Translation.  Sorry, but I like Anderson a lot better than Coppola (Sofia).  All the preformances were superb: Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Dafoe, and even Goldbloom (SP?) were effing great.  So, bottom line: Check it out when you got the chance.
 
Re: Life Aquatic: Effing Great!!

doesnt come out till christmas in canada :(

but atleast it'll be a good christmas
 
Re: Life Aquatic: Effing Great!!

What a torment the current ad is--it shows the trailer and says--Now Playing in New York and LA. >:( I'm really looking forward to The Life Aquatic and it's good to hear you liked it.
 
I thought "Rushmore" was brilliant, easily one of the best films of the '90s.

This one, I was *relieved* when it was over.
 
I felt the same way the first time I saw it in the theater, but it really grew on me with repeated viewings.

"Sorry about that. You caught me with one foot off the merry-go-round."

This is an interesting read about a major difference between LA and earlier Wes Anderson films:


http://www.slate.com/id/2123292
 
I dont know. I saw this last night and parts of it were good. But for the most part it was just hard to get into. I guess I just expected it to be funnier. I love "Lost in translation" but I dont think I will watch it again. I think the problem is they were walking a fine line between drama and comedy. they should have just stuck with one or the other. It had a cood ending though!
 
My conplaint is that theres no arc. Bill Murray is fantastic as always, and I love the look, but its completely hollow. Bill Murray ends the film right where he starts it, quite literaly. At the French film fest, pushing a substandard movie, feeling bad about himself, morning the death of a loved one. The 2 hours in between mean nothing and don't lead anywhere, nothing happens.

This was a movie I wanted to love before I saw it, and tried to convine myself I loved it after I saw it. But it's just not very good :(
 
I disagree. I think the film reaches its climax when they're face to face with the Jaguar shark and Murray says...

***Potential Spoiler***




"I wonder if he remembers me?" What a character and film-defining line! In that instant the audience can completely understand Murray's character. This is a man who is lonely and screaming out for recognition on the inside. Even if that's recognition from the shark that ate his best friend--who, if you notice, is the only one that really recognized Zissou in the first place. "He's the Zissou."

I love The Life Aquatic because it was such a tragic portrayal of this character, while still being a rather funny film on the surface. The arc isn't so much plot, as it is more of a Mammet-like character piece.
 
Certainly there is resolution for Bill Murray - he takes the boy and puts him on his shoulders in the final shot of the film. Zissou embraces Ned posthumously, and that represents the resolution of his inner conflict. The shark lives and Ned dies, but it is Zissou who is transformed and benefits for the loss.

I have personal bias, but I think Wes continues to grow with each progressive title. I agree that Aquatic may not be representative of his best work, but the film stands as a great character study nonetheless.

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And just incase there was any question, i'm a huge Wes Anderson fan and an even hugerist Bill Murray fan, just couldn't connect with this film :(
 
While l liked this film, it just doesn't have the emotional arc that The Royal Tenebaums or Rushmore had. I'm a huge Wes Anderson fan but I just really failed to connect with any of the characters and I thought the ending (the encounter with the Jaguar shark) was very forced. Overall the film was just hitting one emotional note.

On a small tangent--I saw The Squid and the Whale over the weekend. It's written and directed by Noah Baumbach, who co-wrote The Life Aquatic with Wes Anderson. I also think it suffered from just hitting one emotional note. Also the editing was incredibly frustrating (yes, I know it's heavily influence by Goddard) and just poorly executed on a structural level. Very, very overrated.
 
Many (not just here) tend to hedge their comments by saying "I'm a huge Wes Anderson fan, BUT . . . "

This started with "The Royal Tenenbaums," actually.

Given than Anderson only has four films, and people hedged on the last two, isn't it more accurate to say they're "huge" fans of maybe one of Wes Anderson's movies? Maybe two? Batting .250 to .500 isn't "huge."

Just an observation.
 
I am a "huge" Wes Anderson fan even though I feel "The Life Acquatic" is his weakest. You could basically hedge your comments the same way with any director...

Example: I'm a huge Steven Spielberg fan but I think Amsitad, A.I., 1941, The Terminal, and Minority Report are weak films.

Example: I'm a huge Uwe Boll fan but I think...wait a second...Uwe Boll sucks.

Anyway...

Honestly, I think the huge fan thing applies more to a director's style/vision rather than just a single film. While I think Acquatic is his weakest film, there are still parts in the film that exemplify why I am a huge Wes Anderson fan.
 
Shaun Patrick said:
I am a "huge" Wes Anderson fan even though I feel "The Life Acquatic" is his weakest. You could basically hedge your comments the same way with any director...

Example: I'm a huge Steven Spielberg fan but I think Amsitad, A.I., 1941, The Terminal, and Minority Report are weak films.

Example: I'm a huge Uwe Boll fan but I think...wait a second...Uwe Boll sucks.

Anyway...

Honestly, I think the huge fan thing applies more to a director's style/vision rather than just a single film. While I think Acquatic is his weakest film, there are still parts in the film that exemplify why I am a huge Wes Anderson fan.
Click to expand...

I see your point except the Spileberg thing analogy doesn't work! He's shown greatness for 30 years. Not like 5.

But I see the point you are trying to make. Maybe Cameron would be a better example.
 
I think the analogy still works (I forgot even to mention Always, Hook, The Lost World, or *gasp* Saving Private Ryan) but I see your point in saying that Spielberg has a larger body of work and has demonstrated greatness over three decades. Also, Spielberg has proven that he can work in different genres--something that Wes Anderson has yet to really prove...I don't think "quirky" qualifies as a genre.

Anyway, maybe Soderbergh is more apt to the analogy--ex: I'm a huge Soderbergh fan but I can't stand Ocean's 12, Full Frontal, or Solaris but I love The Limey and Sex, Lies, and Videotape.

---
 
That's all I'm sayin'. If the next Anderson movie is weak (as in, his weaker movies outnumber his stronger), and people are still saying "I'm a HUGE fan, BUT . . . "

I mean, how far can "Rushmore" carry someone?

And maybe "Rushmore" was the EXCEPTION.
 
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