The Week That Was (10/29 - 11/2)

Truer Words: "I know there are some people in this world who give Wes Anderson an absolute carte blanche, can do no wrong. I think that’s malarkey. The man can do wrong, and does so often, but because the films have the earnestness of a thrift store cardigan worn by the ingenue in your freshman English literature survey class but whose number, alas, you never succeeded in getting, he gets away with cinematic sloppiness." - Steven G. Harms, "The Darjeeling Mumbledy," stevengharms.com, 10/30/07. If I ever ever write a line this artful and amusing in one of my film reviews, please be kind enough to alert me. Mr. Harms, in his review of Wes Anderson's new film The Darjeeling Limited, expresses the very non-hipster viewer that Anderson isn't always a genius. I tend to agree, and quite frankly, I haven't meaningfully enjoyed a film of his since 1998's Rushmore and it's wonderful predecessor, 1996's Bottle Rocket. This makes me not hip, because people who like offbeat modern comedies are supposed to lavish praise on Anderson. Of late, I just can't find the inclination to do so. Having seen the trailer for The Darjeeling Limited, it appears to be just another film I'll add to my Netflix queue; there is nothing about it that would compel me to trek to the multiplex (which, with all the hassles, inconveniences, and distractions, is quite a journey these days). The real question: How did Mr. Harms know that girl in the freshman literature class would never give me her number?


Above: The trailer for 2007's The Darjeeling Limited.


Above: The trailer for 1996's Bottle Rocket.


Above: The trailer for 1998's Rushmore.