MYST POST #1: The Darjeeling Limited

A little while ago, a friend of mine introduced me to director Wes Anderson. After watching Grand Budapest Hotel, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Moonrise Kingdom, I became infatuated with Anderson's unique style of directing, which is why I chose to watch and analyze his film The Darjeeling Limited.

The Darjeeling Limited is a humorous, touching movie about three brothers: Francis, Peter, and Jack (played by Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman) who haven't spoken since their father's funeral one year ago. They decide to take a train journey across India to try and restore the bond they once shared, encountering a poisonous snake, a funeral, a runaway mother, and an attractive stewardess. Each brother is dealing with his own personal struggle - a pregnant wife, a recent break up, a smashed-up face - and with the help of each other, they each learn to overcome or accept their predicament. 

The themes of sibling bonds and abandonment are woven throughout the film. The brothers were abandoned at some point by their mother, whom they track down as part of their trip, only to be abandoned by her yet again. Jack is abandoned by his girlfriend before the trip and Peter abandons his very pregnant wife to go to India with his brothers. Sibling bonds are prevalent throughout the whole movie between each brother. If two brothers share a secret, the third is bound to find it out not long afterwards, and none of them can stay mad at each other for very long. The whole movie is about the three men fortifying their brotherly bond.

I think that Anderson has tried to break free from his usual whimsical, "dollhouse" movies by incorporating relatable, almost adult themes into Darjeeling. Alas, this film also seems very whimsical and quaint, suffocating the touching themes that could otherwise be very engaging and sensible. Although I do like the feel of Anderson's movies, I was a little disappointed that he failed to break out of his usual style with this movie.

Despite Wes Anderson's lack of variance in the movie's feel, I actually really loved this movie. There were humorous parts all the way through, even in the serious portions of the film. The casting was fantastic - Wilson, Schwartzman, and Brody fit their characters like a glove. The cinematography was classic Anderson - lots of close ups and direct shots - making the film feel peculiar in a good way. I give this movie a 4.5 out of 5.

Review of the Reviews

Electrick Children (dir. Rebecca Thomas)

A few months ago while stuck at home battling a bout of the flu, I decided to browse Netflix. I didn't know exactly what I was looking for or what I would find, but I stumbled upon Rebecca Thomas's 2013 film Electrick Children and fell in love with the interesting story line and unique directing.

Having received an 86% on Rotten Tomatoes' "tomatometer", it proved a little difficult to find a negative review from a legitimate film critic. Joseph Walsh of British film review website Little White Lies argues that "the film falls apart structurally, most notably in its transition between the second and third act" and later says that the movie is unsatisfying and generic by the end. Walsh begins his review giving a brief summary of the movie. He then touches on Thomas's inspirations, touching on a couple of her previous movies and her real-life experience. When the actual review part of the review starts, Walsh praises many aspects of the film. He doesn't mention the movie's downfalls until the second-to-last paragraph of the article. He focuses mainly on the plot, specifically the way Electrick Children seems run-of-the-mill by the end. He mentions that the redeeming feature of the film was the good acting done by the two main characters.

Stephen Holden of The New York Times thinks differently, however. A majority of this review is taken up by a lengthy summary of the movie. At the end, Holden describes the film as being sweet and refreshing, his only criticism being that the scenes don't always transition nicely. The vocabulary that Holden uses ("residual glow", "refreshing", "sweetness") reminds the reader of something simple and fresh, like a glass of lemonade or a relaxing summer's day. He may have used these words because like that vocabulary, the film is simple and fresh, and reminds viewers of innocence and simplicity. 

I like Walsh's comment that "One of the film's greatest successes is the juxtaposition of life within the [Mormon] community with that of the youth culture of Las Vegas (where much of the film is set), offered without any simplistic judgements over which way of life is morally and socially preferable." I agree with this statement. Many movies are biased and would try to persuade viewers that one way of life is better than the other, but this movie does a great job of not taking sides. I also agree with Holden's point that "...its narrative continuity is tenuous at best." The movie is very choppy and at times hard to follow. A lot of transitions leave the viewer disoriented and confused about what is going on.

If I had never seen the film before, I would most likely be persuaded by Walsh's negative review than Holden's positive one. Holden spent most of the article describing the movie's plot. Walsh kept his summary of the film short, making sure to quickly move on to the more important part: reviewing the movie. Holden's actual review was very short and slightly vague. Walsh went into more detail, therefore proving that he knows more about the movie than Holden does.

If I were to write my own review, I would be sure to go into detail. Learning from Holden's mistakes, I would keep my summary of the movie short. Readers do not need a deep understanding of the movie in question in order to understand the review. I would also reference certain points in the movie to further my arguments. Lastly, I would include both the good and bad in my review, which is something I liked about both reviews that I read. There are pieces of every movie that are good and pieces that are bad. No movie is absolutely bad or entirely good, and it is important to me that readers of my review know that.

Film Intro Survey

1. What is the first movie that really made a strong impression on you? Moonrise Kingdom. Before this movie, I hadn't paid much attention to detail in movies, but this movie changed that for me. 
2. What are 3-4 of your favorite genres? Indie/arthouse, romantic comedy, and comedy. 
3. What are 3-4 of your LEAST favorite genres? Horror, sci-fi, and mystery/thriller.
4. What are your 5 favorite films? Notting Hill, Love Actually, About Time, Boyhood, and Electrick Children.  
5. List 3 characteristics of what you consider to be a good movie: Good casting, clever script, and thoughtful directing.  
6. What are some (3-5) of your least favorite movies? The Lego Movie, Saw, Pitch Perfect, the Scary Movie series, and Avatar. 
7. List 3 characteristics of what you consider to be a bad movie: Bad acting, boring script, and movies that drag on unnecessarily.  
8. If you have any favorite directors, list them: Wes Anderson and Richard Curtis.
9. If you have any favorite actors/actresses, list them: Hugh Grant, Ryan Gosling, Jonah Hill, Angelina Jolie, and Meryl Streep. 
10. List 3 films that you consider important films for people to see: Silver Linings Playbook, The Black Swan, Harry Potter.  
11. What’s your oldest favorite film? Love Actually
12. What’s the best movie you’ve seen that’s been released in the past 2 years? About Time. 
13. What are the next 5 films on your “queue”? Pulp Fiction, If I Stay, Unbroken, Magic in the Moonlight, and What If.