The Darjeeling Limited

[Fjodor]

Mr. Fox postponed, india movie next

[pete]

does anyone know about the steven brill/ sex lies and videotape story that's mentioned on that site?

[Ghostboy]

I forget the exact details, but they promised to star in each other's first films, or something like that. There was a wickedly humorous element to the bargain, I think, but I forget what it was and I don't have the diary or the DVD to reference at the moment.

[polkablues]

Soderbergh and Brill went through school together, and they made a pact that whoever made a movie first would cast the other in it.  Luckily for Steven Soderbergh (who would have had to appear in "Heavyweights"), he made "sex, lies..." first, and Steven Brill played the character of Barfly.  Soderbergh tells the story on the DVD, this is just a pieced-together memory of listening to the commentary a few years ago.

[modage]

The following is just a tiny tidbit, a morsel, a hint of what Wes Anderson's project after the upcoming THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX will be. Under most circumstances, such a small mention would not be blown up into full story but since we're talking Wes "I'm one of the best filmmakers working today" Anderson here (he insists people use that nickname at all times), I think we can make an exception. In an interview with CNN, frequent Anderson collaborator Owen Wilson said this: "But I am going to do a movie with my friend Wes [Anderson] in India, and that's not going to be a buddy comedy movie. [I play] one of three brothers, and they go on this journey in India. I haven't really spoken to Wes yet in regards to what I can really talk about." Fair enough. Thanks to Steve for the heads up.

[tpfkabi]

it's hard for me to picture him doing a movie set in India unless he changes styles drastically. then again, Life Aquatic was shot in Rome.

[Pubrick]

i don't think wes has ever accomodated his style to fit the setting of his films. if anything his trademark style allows him to shoot anything quite easily without consideration to where it is. visionary directors like him find their biggest challenge in different genres, or to be precise in the dissolution thereof. by incorporating their style to the limitations set by pace requirements and different thematic tones.. the most exciting parts of Life Aquatic were not when he departed from his "look" -- which is impossible for him i think because it includes costumes, set decoration, and all that stuff -- but when he pursued a different film altogether than that which he has done before.

compare Fernando Meirelles, what would appear as insurmountable weight of style and visual flare in City of God was done away with in Constant Gardener. GT called this a departure from genre in his style, mostly i agree in that the fault and blessing was his marriage to the material and expansion of all the themes in the story by stripping down his own style and using what was necessary to sell it. it's still markedly a meirelles film.  ultimately wes feels like the kinda guy who will make the same movie no matter what. so yeah i hope he does try new things in india, if the mere fact of being in india is not sufficient novelty.

he remains true to scorsese's own appointment of him as his successor, and in the same way scorsese has not disappointed when telling the same story in many different guises, i can't say i'm tired of wes' story yet.

[Ravi]

he remains true to scorsese's own appointment of him as his successor, and in the same way scorsese has not disappointed when telling the same story in many different guises, i can't say i'm tired of wes' story yet.

He's certainly told some diverse and interesting stories while repeating only his style.  I'm waiting for the next good film from him after Life Aquatic disappointed me.  I have to remind myself that it was just one film and not necessarily a "slump."

[modage]

me too.  i lost a little faith with TLA, so this is really make or break time for me.

[pete]

I didn't lose shit.  so FUCK you all.

[tpfkabi]

to those that were disappointed - did you at least see the film a second time?

[Gold Trumpet]

I hated it and yet I saw it twice. The first time was in theaters and the second time was with friends on video.

Was the movie still beyond me on second viewing? Should I have gone that third viewing for complete revelation?

[edison]

I'll jump in and say that it took me a few viewings of random scenes last month when it was on constant rotation on Starz and TLA really has grown on me...yeah, I was severely disappointed when I saw it in the theater.....but alas, my faith is still there and even more so with the AMEX commercial.

[tpfkabi]

when i saw TLA the first time in theaters i left a little underwhelmed, but there's just so much fun stuff in there. i know of several people who love all Wes A films with the exception of TLA and i just can't really contemplate how it's just such a deviation from the prior 3 films.

[Ravi]

to those that were disappointed - did you at least see the film a second time?

Not yet.  A friend of mine "gave" me the DVD of TLA and 2 other movies in payment for losing my DVD of The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, but I haven't watched it again yet.