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Wes Anderson\u2019s lat\u00adest, The Grand Budapest Hotel<\/i>, opens this week and next<\/a> in select\u00aded the\u00adaters, and reviews of the film seem to fol\u00adlow what at this point in the director\u2019s career almost feels like a tem\u00adplate: dis\u00adcuss the odd\u00adi\u00adties and per\u00adfec\u00adtions of Anderson\u2019s stal\u00adwart band of actors (always Bill Mur\u00adray, natch, and often a stand\u00adout young new\u00adcom\u00ader); dis\u00adsect the use of music as a kind of mood ring for the dead\u00adpan dia\u00adlogue; mar\u00advel at the intri\u00adcate scenery and cos\u00adtum\u00ading; frost with a thesaurus\u2019s worth of vari\u00ada\u00adtions on the word \u201cquirky.\u201d<\/p>\n The Guardian<\/a><\/i> gives us<\/a> descrip\u00adtors like \u201cnos\u00adtal\u00adgia-tint\u00aded\u201d and \u201cgen\u00adtly charm\u00ading.\u201d NPR writes<\/a> \u201cweird and won\u00adder\u00adful,\u201d \u201ca tum\u00adble down a rab\u00adbit hole,\u201d and \u201clike a trio of Russ\u00adian nest\u00ading dolls.\u201d And Dave Itzkoff in The New York Times<\/i><\/a> refers to the film\u2019s \u201cpas\u00adtel col\u00ador schemes, baroque cos\u00adtumes and del\u00adi\u00adcate pas\u00adtries.\u201d Itzkoff goes fur\u00adther and won\u00adders what we might find if we opened up Anderson\u2019s head. Among oth\u00ader options, he imag\u00adines \u201ca junk draw\u00ader crammed with kite string, Swiss Army knives, and remote-con\u00adtrolled toys\u201d and \u201ca well-orga\u00adnized tack\u00adle box.\u201d<\/p>\n The Times<\/i> review comes clos\u00adest to evok\u00ading the tac\u00adtile and hyper-spe\u00adcif\u00adic Ander\u00adson\u00adian mise-en-sc\u00e8ne<\/i>, but few of his review\u00aders, it seems, dare attempt the dif\u00adfi\u00adcult task of fit\u00adting the film\u00admak\u00ader into cin\u00ade\u00adma his\u00adto\u00adry. Were we to chart the aes\u00adthet\u00adic inter\u00adcon\u00adnec\u00adtions of a few-hun\u00addred well-known auteurs<\/em>, just where, exact\u00adly, would we put Wes Ander\u00adson? It\u2019s a lit\u00adtle hard to say\u2014the worlds he cre\u00adates feel sui gener\u00adis<\/i>, sprung ful\u00adly formed from his \u201cjunk draw\u00ader, tack\u00adle box\u201d of a mind. While his work has cer\u00adtain affini\u00adties with con\u00adtem\u00adpo\u00adrary styl\u00adists like Spike Jonze and Michel Gondry, it also seems to emerge, like an iso\u00adlat\u00aded only child, from (writes Itzkoff) \u201ca mem\u00ado\u00adry palace assem\u00adbled ad hoc from brown\u00adstone apart\u00adments, under\u00adground caves and sub\u00adma\u00adrine com\u00adpart\u00adments.\u201d<\/p>\n But of course, like every artist, Ander\u00adson has many con\u00adnec\u00adtions to his\u00adto\u00adry and tra\u00addi\u00adtion, and works through his influ\u00adences to make them his own. And he hasn\u2019t been shy about nam\u00ading his favorite films and direc\u00adtors. In fact, the Texas-born film\u00admak\u00ader has com\u00adpiled sev\u00ader\u00adal lists of favorites in the past cou\u00adple years. Below, find excerpts culled from three such lists.<\/p>\n From Rot\u00adten Toma\u00adtoes\u2019<\/i> \u201cFive Favorite Films with Wes Ander\u00adson<\/a>.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Asked about his five favorite movies, Ander\u00adson quipped, \u201cyou may have to call it \u2018The five movies that I just say, for what\u00adev\u00ader rea\u00adson\u2019\u2026 the five I man\u00adage to think up right now.\u201d Here are the \u201ctop three\u201d of that arbi\u00adtrary list:<\/p>\n Rosemary\u2019s Baby<\/i><\/a> (Roman Polan\u00ads\u00adki, 1968): \u201cThis has always been a big influ\u00adence on me, or a source of ideas; and it\u2019s always been one of my favorites.\u201d<\/p>\n A Clock\u00adwork Orange<\/i><\/a> (Stan\u00adley Kubrick, 1971): \u201cIt\u2019s a movie that\u2019s very par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar\u00adly designed and, you know, con\u00adjures up this world that you\u2019ve nev\u00ader seen quite this way in a movie before.\u201d<\/p>\n Trou\u00adble in Par\u00adadise<\/i><\/a> (Ernst Lubitsch, 1932): \u201cI don\u2019t know if any\u00adbody can make a movie like that anymore\u2014that per\u00adfect tone, like a \u201csouffl\u00e9\u201d-type of move. A con\u00adfec\u00adtion, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n From the New York Dai\u00adly News<\/i>\u2019 \u201cWes Anderson\u2019s 10 Favorite New York Movies<\/a>.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Ander\u00adson, says the Dai\u00adly News<\/i>, \u201calways fan\u00adcied him\u00adself a New York\u00ader\u201d even before he\u2019d set foot in Man\u00adhat\u00adtan. Below are a few of his top films set in his adopt\u00aded city (Rosemary\u2019s Baby<\/i> is num\u00adber 7).<\/p>\n 4. Moon\u00adstruck<\/i><\/a> (Nor\u00adman Jew\u00adi\u00adson, 1987): \u201cI\u2019ve always loved this script. It\u2019s a very well-done Hol\u00adly\u00adwood take on New York.\u201d<\/p>\n 6. Sweet Smell of Suc\u00adcess<\/i><\/a> (Alexan\u00adder Mack\u00adendrick, 1957): \u201cHere\u2019s a clas\u00adsic sta\u00adple of New York movies. The look of it is this dis\u00adtilled black-and-white New York and Clif\u00adford Odets writes great dia\u00adlogue.\u201d<\/p>\n 8. Next Stop, Green\u00adwich Vil\u00adlage<\/i><\/a> (Paul Mazursky, 1976): \u201cI saw the movie many years ago and I don\u2019t real\u00adly remem\u00adber much oth\u00ader than lov\u00ading it. I love Paul Mazursky\u2019s films. He\u2019s a New York\u00ader who is a great writer-direc\u00adtor.\u201d<\/p>\n From the Cri\u00adte\u00adri\u00adon Collection\u2019s \u201cWes Anderson\u2019s Top 10<\/a>.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Ander\u00adson pref\u00adaces this list with: \u201cI thought my take on a top-ten list might be to sim\u00adply quote myself from the brief fan let\u00adters I peri\u00adod\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly write to the Cri\u00adte\u00adri\u00adon Col\u00adlec\u00adtion team.\u201d Here are a few of his picks:<\/p>\n 1. The Ear\u00adrings of Madame de\u2026<\/i><\/a> (Max Ophuls, 1953): \u201cMax Ophuls made a per\u00adfect film.\u201d<\/p>\n 4. The Tak\u00ading of Pow\u00ader by Louis XIV<\/i><\/a> (Rober\u00adto Rosselli\u00adni, 1966): \u201cThe man who plays Louis can\u00adnot give a con\u00advinc\u00ading line read\u00ading, even to the ears of some\u00adone who can\u2019t speak French\u2014and yet he is fas\u00adci\u00adnat\u00ading\u2026. What does good act\u00ading actu\u00adal\u00adly mean? Who is this Tag Gal\u00adlagher?\u201d<\/p>\n 7. Classe tous risques<\/i><\/a> (Claude Sautet, 1960): \u201cI am a great fan of Claude Sautet, espe\u00adcial\u00adly Un coeur en hiv\u00ader<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n 10. The Exter\u00admi\u00adnat\u00ading Angel<\/i> <\/a>(Luis Bu\u00f1uel, 1962): \u201cHe is my hero. Mike Nichols said in the news\u00adpa\u00adper he thinks of Bu\u00f1uel every day, which I believe I do, too, or at least every oth\u00ader.\u201d<\/p>\n So there you have\u2026 at least some of it (I am sur\u00adprised to find no Georges M\u00e9li\u00e8s). Depend\u00ading on your famil\u00adiar\u00adi\u00adty with Anderson\u2019s choic\u00ades, a perusal of his favorites\u2019 lists may give you some spe\u00adcial appre\u00adci\u00ada\u00adtion of The Grand Budapest Hotel<\/i><\/a>. Then again, it may just be the case that the only real con\u00adtext for any Wes Ander\u00adson film is oth\u00ader Wes Ander\u00adson films.<\/p>\n Relat\u00aded Con\u00adtent:<\/b><\/p>\n Watch Wes Anderson\u2019s Charm\u00ading New Short Film, Castel\u00adlo Cav\u00adal\u00adcan\u00adti, Star\u00adring Jason Schwartz\u00adman<\/a><\/p>\n Bill Mur\u00adray Intro\u00adduces Wes Anderson\u2019s Moon\u00adrise King\u00addom (And Plays FDR In Decem\u00adber)<\/a><\/p>\n Watch 7 New Video Essays on Wes Anderson\u2019s Films: Rush\u00admore, The Roy\u00adal Tenen\u00adbaums & More<\/a><\/p>\n Wes Anderson\u2019s First Short Film: The Black-and-White, Jazz-Scored Bot\u00adtle Rock\u00adet (1992)<\/a><\/p>\n Josh Jones<\/i><\/a> is a writer and musi\u00adcian based in Durham, NC. Fol\u00adlow him at @jdmagness<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Wes Anderson\u2019s lat\u00adest, The Grand Budapest Hotel, opens this week and next in select\u00aded the\u00adaters, and reviews of the film seem to fol\u00adlow what at this point in the director\u2019s career almost feels like a tem\u00adplate: dis\u00adcuss the odd\u00adi\u00adties and per\u00adfec\u00adtions of Anderson\u2019s stal\u00adwart band of actors (always Bill Mur\u00adray, natch, and often a stand\u00adout [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":1038138,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[81],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-86601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-film"],"yoast_head":"\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n