Calum Gilchrist
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Review: The Royal Tenenbaums
21st February
Wes Anderson is one of those directors that I just find interesting. All of his films just have this mould breaking view on the world. I’ll admit that they are beginning to follow their on special Wes Anderson mould, but it’s still a wonderful combination of writing and directing.
Now this is the third time that I have watched The Royal Tenenbaums. The first time, I didn’t really enjoy it but it was my first time watching a Wes Anderson film and they take a little getting used to.
There’s just this very laid back feel about the whole thing. Characters in Wes Anderson films always have this strange approach to life where they don’t show they’re upset but will SAY how they feel. There are plenty of parodies of Wes Anderson’s style on the Internet which shows his uniqueness it style, but maybe not the variance in style to his films.
The Royal Tenenbaums is one of my favourite, if not my definite favourite of Wes Anderson’s films. There’s just this really well structured set up to the film and it all flows very well. It has a few, quite funny sections and it has a pretty good cast; Bill Murray, Danny Glover, Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller, The Wilson brothers and a few more. Quite a few of the actors are playing different roles than I’m used to and I really like it. The performances by the whole cast just meld together really nicely and the inner conflicts between almost ALL of the characters keeps the story really interesting.
Cheerful blends of acoustic and just nice songs make for a really interesting soundtrack. I really like it and I just noticed that the majority of tracks from the film are in my Spotify playlist that I share with my cousin. There’s just so much that I like about the movie; the fact that key scenes open with a shot of a paragraph from the book: The Royal Tenenbaums. It’s just little touches like this that make the film a joy to watch.
New comers to Wes Anderson should probably give this film a shot. It’s a very sort of hit and miss type film as my family hated the film when they watched it - which was also the first time that I’d ever watched it. But do give it a shot and if you like it pick up the rest of Wes Anderson’s films as they all have the same kind of unique charm.
Royal Tenenbaums 4/5This is one of those films that I’m just not sure about my rating. 4 sounds about right…
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Review: Jay and Silent Bob Strikback
7 Jan
Kevin Smith is probably my favourite director, I love all the films I’ve seen and love most things that he’s been involved in (Smodcast). There’s just a simplicity to his films that you don’t get in Blockbuster Comedies. He doesn’t follow the norms but he still keeps his films hilarious.
Jay and Silent Bob Strikeback was just as good as any of his other films. I loved it. Jay and Silent Bob are pretty good characters, Jay being a mirror of Jason Mewes. There’s just a nice dynamic between them and Kevin Smith playing the silent partner is fun to watch.
Stupidity is mainly what the films are and that’s what I love about them. The basis of the film is that there is a film being based around the two characters in the movie: Jay and Silent Bob, so they go to Hollywood to try to stop the movie so that people on the Internet can’t make fun of them anymore. It’s a basic plot but it works really well.
There are a large amount of call backs to Kevin Smith’s other films which is nice for those that have seen them. I was surprised by the dozens of cameos from popular Hollywood actors like, Matt Damon, Jason Lee, Mark Hamill (biggest surprise), and a ton of others.
The shooting isn’t amazing but it holds it together. Overall it’s just a silly and funny movie. If you like any of Kevin Smith’s other films I’m sure you’ll like this one just as much as the others.
Jay and Silent Bob Strikeback 3.5/5
