The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou

[rustinglass]

Hey, I think that black guy to the imediate left of Cate is the guy who played Mané Galinha in City of God.... how cool!

[MacGuffin]

Hey, I think that black guy to the imediate left of Cate is the guy who played Mané Galinha in City of God.... how cool!

Cinema em Cena reports that Brazilian actor and singer Seu Jorge ("City of God") has joined the Wes Anderson comedy playing a soccer-shirt wearing member of Bill Murray's crew, one who has a habit of singing Portugese versions of David Bowie songs.

[rustinglass]

I suck.

[modage]

i LOVE this.  

of course when i go away for the week, the life aquatic trailer hits.  it seems once again to strike the perfect balance between being funny and touching.  this doesnt look like something the masses will be lining up to see, but who gives a shit, i'm sure it will do okay.  there is nobody more exciting to me working today than PT or WES anderson.  i am excited HUGELY.  

[Pubrick]

hmm, i wonder if owen wilson's character hooks up with cate blanchett.. and if it's a major plot point.

*looks up*

oh shit.

[Pedro]

did you watch the trailer?

[md]

trailer looks really wide, whats the aspect ratio the film was shot in?  Is it the same his earlier films and what pta shoots. thanks

[Pubrick]

did you watch the trailer?

no, i just looked up.

[Stefen]

I liked the trailer, it was typical Wes Anderson it seemed, nothing slightly out of the ordinary than what youd expect. Seems a little more heartfelt of a film though.

[pete]

trailer looks really wide, whats the aspect ratio the film was shot in?  Is it the same his earlier films and what pta shoots. thanks

I think bottle rocket was 1.85, while rushmore and royal tenenbaums were both 2:35 anamorphic aka super35?  I'm a little shaky on these film formats, but I know the aspect ratio is 2:35.  I think when you shoot super 35 you have to downconvert it to a viewable format or something, maybe matt35mm can explain it.

stefen: looks like a typical wes anderson film is a GOOD thing right?  you better say yes, or I'll fuck you in the face.

[Stefen]

stefen: looks like a typical wes anderson film is a GOOD thing right? you better say yes, or I'll fuck you in the face.

I may lie, just to get what I may/not want.

[Redlum]

Royal Tenenbaums was 2.40:1, Life Aquatic is probably the same.

[Sal]

Quirky stories from America's most exciting gang of filmmakers

BY JOE NEUMAIER

New York Daily News

Filmmakers have always thrived on a sense of community. Joined by sensibility or the cultural ferment of a particular time, they get grouped under unofficial banners like the British Kitchen Sink school, the French New Wave, the American Movie Brats or the Chinese Fifth Generation. The latest in-crowd of American writers and directors should be called the New Geek Wave.

"Geeky" best describes the often brilliant, invariably quirky and decidedly un-macho films made by David O. Russell, Wes Anderson, Paul Thomas Anderson, Alexander Payne, Sofia Coppola, Spike Jonze, screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and actor-writer-producer Owen Wilson.

Three of them have films opening this fall: Russell's "I (Heart) Huckabees," Payne's "Sideways" and Wes Anderson's "The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou." Coppola's "Lost in Translation" was the buzz movie of last fall, and the smartest film of this past spring was "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," a second collaboration between French-born Michel Gondry and Kaufman (whose "Being John Malkovich" and "Adaptation" scripts were directed by Jonze).

These are filmmakers who don't spend much time in Hollywood and are known for being offbeat.

"I guess we're between the indie world and mainstream films - but that's always been my area, the middle ground," says Russell, who worked as a political organizer and documentarian for nonprofit groups before directing "Spanking the Monkey" (1994), "Flirting With Disaster" (1996) and "Three Kings" (1999). He describes "I (Heart) Huckabees," starring Jason Schwartzman, Dustin Hoffman, Lily Tomlin, Naomi Watts and Jude Law, as "an existential love story.

"I'm neither fish nor fowl in terms of accessibility," Russell adds. "But that style echoes the movies of the '70s, which taught me about cinema. Those films were mainstream but came from a very introspective place."

"This new group is very much the spiritual descendents of the '70s mavericks," says Robert Evans, who as a studio chief and producer shepherded many of that era's most important films.

"They have an intellectual outlook similar to that of Peter Bogdanovich, Hal Ashby and Mike Nichols. Like that bunch, they're fresh, they emphasize story, and they love movies," Evans adds.

Wes Anderson, a former philosophy student from Texas whose first three films had a singular style, helped bring Bill Murray back into vogue with "Rushmore" and "The Royal Tenenbaums." Murray stars in "The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou" as an oceanographer dealing with his dysfunctional family and colleagues; Owen Wilson co-stars.

"These (friends) are the only directors I know, but they're also making my favorite movies," Anderson says of the group. "We're all about the same age. When I met them five years ago, everyone was just getting to know each other."

But they know Hollywood may never "get" them.

"I don't know if I'm interested in being 'gotten,'" says Anderson. "But as for individualism, if someone's set on having a specific 'voice' in their work, it's a recipe for disaster. When it's organic, it may be less annoying."

[modage]

cool little article. i wish it had quotes from all involved.  the middle ground is probably my favorite place for movies/music etc.  not something totally weirdforweirdssake or something totally mainstream, but something just a little left of center that would be mainstream if people were cooler.

[bonanzataz]

i've felt for about a year now that every song off of the "ziggy stardust and the spiders from mars" album could cut together really nicely in a trailer. i guess wes felt like proving me right...

what were the songs in the trailer?

there are two bowie songs in the trailer. one is "queen bitch" which is off of hunky dory, the other is "starman" from ziggy stardust. both great albums. if you don't have them already, get them.


btw, i'll be a boston kid tomorrow. yippee!