Has anyone seen The Life Aquatic Yet?

[ProfGreen]

This has been in release in NY and LA for sometime now -- has anyone seen it yet??

I'd love to a review that's not from some lame, jaded movie critic.

[Yoda]

Wrong forum. I've moved it. Nice avatar.

[ProfGreen]

Glad you like it -- sorry about that.

[SamsoniteDelilah]

I'm thinking of catching it tomorrow.

[Holden Pike]

I'm thinking of catching it tomorrow.

But it doesn't open wide until Saturday.

[SamsoniteDelilah]

But it doesn't open wide until Saturday.
I'm in LA...... but after I said this, I went and looked to see where it was playing near me, and it's not really. So, Saturday it is. Or Sunday.

[The Silver Bullet]

It's been getting interestingly mixed reviews and doesn't get here until March...!

[SamsoniteDelilah]

March!?? Did you move to Africa?

[ash_is_the_gal]

My boyfriend keeps talking about this movie, he really wants to see it, he told me it came out here on Wednesday....hmm.

Anyway, we will probably go and see it over the weekend, and then I'll do my little review thing. :D

[The Silver Bullet]

Did you move to Africa?
Of course not. It's just that, here in Australia, we get Australian films [and films with Australian actors such as The Life and Death of Peter Sellers] before the States; blockbusters at the same time [if not earlier in cases where films get released on the "same" day everywhere]; and much later with that smaller foreign, independent and "Indiewood" movies.

[Tazz]

I'm going try to catch it tomorrow before i see The Aviator.

[MovieMaker5087]

I want to see it, but I'm not going on Christmas day.

[PimpDaShizzle V2.0]

This movie has Bill "F_cking" Murray in it. Mixed reviews or not, I think he's a genius.

[Garrett]

Saw it. I think it's great. And like Pimp said, it's got Bill "F_cking" Murray in it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2003/12/17/images/bill_murray_top.jpg

[Tazz]

Saw it. I think it's great. And like Pimp said, it's got Bill "F_cking" Murray in it.

Why did you think it was great? I yawned a few times in the movie...

[Garrett]

Why did you think it was great? I yawned a few times in the movie...

Because I love Wes Anderson's films and this one screams Wes Anderson, there wasn't a single moment where I was bored. I love how subtle Wes Anderson can be when it comes to comedy.

And Bill "F_cking" Murray.

[AboveTheClouds]

I loves this movie, Owen Wilson was EXTREMELY funny and Bill Murray was genius in this role.

[Tazz]

Because I love Wes Anderson's films and this one screams Wes Anderson, there wasn't a single moment where I was bored.

This Wes Anderson film disappointed me, some scenes were funny. It wasn't such a good dark comedy... And i couldn't believe Steve Zissou didn't get hit once in the gun fight. Also for no reason at all Cate Blanchett and Owen Wilson falls in love. Jeff Goldblum was running pretty good for a shot in the chest...

[AboveTheClouds]

I didn't see it as a dark comedy at all, I thought it was just a very fun movie with a good storyline and some hilarious acting.

[Tazz]

I didn't see it as a dark comedy at all, I thought it was just a very fun movie with a good storyline and some hilarious acting.

I think it was trying to be a dark comedy.

[Garrett]

This Wes Anderson film disappointed me, some scenes were funny. It wasn't such a good dark comedy... And i couldn't believe Steve Zissou didn't get hit once in the gun fight. Also for no reason at all Cate Blanchett and Owen Wilson falls in love. Jeff Goldblum was running pretty good for a shot in the chest...

I think you're reading too much into it. It's obviously intended to be a little over the top.

[Holden Pike]

Of course it was a dark comedy. It is a dark comedy. In what possible definition or understanding of that term would The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou not fit?


I liked it a lot.

Having said that, it's the weakest overall of his four films thus far. But the least of Wes' work is better than the best twenty seconds in any Michael Bay flick.


The same sense of humor and melencholy and character are there in Life Aquatic. But for me what keeps it from being on the same level as the other three is that it isn't based in as much of a reality - even a stylized one. With Rushmore, Bottle Rocket and even Tenenbaums, no matter how exotic the situations may become or odd the characters may be, the emotional core of the film was always firmly in a relatable reality. For me, anyway. But with Zissou, Wes tackles some genre stuff. And while it's very, very fun to see gunfight action sequences via Wes Anderson, it veers too far from an emotional reality. So the movie is way fun, has some brilliant stuff in it, but for me doesn't make the incredibly strong emotional connection the other films do.

So, absolutely worth seeing - especially a must for fans of Anderson's flicks. But while entertaining from start to finish with terrific character work by the actors (most especially Billy Murray, of course, who just nails every single second he's on screen), it doesn't ever graduate to that next level.


GRADES:
Rushmore, A+
The Royal Tenenbaums, A
Bottle Rocket, B+
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, B

http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1139230/photo_04.jpg

*and for the record, I didn't yawn once. I laughed a whole lot, and smiled the entire time.

[OG-]

It doesn't happen much, but I'd agree entirely with what Holden just said. It was a blast at times (especially the gun battles, as Holden pointed out), but it's held back by the manner in which it isolates the characters within the movie realm and doesn't extend them out to the audience, as all of Wes' other flicks have done.

[Garrett]

I agree with you on this one Holden, it is his weak, but under no circumstances is it bad.

[linespalsy]

I actually liked both this and Bottle Rocket better than the other two. For me the best part of Anderson's films is the clever ways they find to poke fun at themselves by leveraging the character/drama against the mechanics of the storytelling/acting (sorry, can't can't think of a less obnoxious way to describe the effect on me). I didn't find it less affecting than Rushmore or Tennenbaums and actually found it to be a worthy step up on the extended-family motif Anderson made in his previous film.

[HellboyUnleashed]

my fav line from the movie was when they were all in the yellow sub and the shark came and the lady asked "Are We Save in here?" and he said "Probably Not." thats just classic. great humor from a director who i like but my parents wont let me see any of his movies for some wierd reason. but my aunt owns em so i watch them with her. my parents are kinda wierd about movies.

[projectMayhem]

I still need to sit down and watch Rushmore the whole way through, but so far this has been my favorite Anderson film. Although that may change with repeated viewings (but I doubt it). There wasn't a frame of this film that I didn't enjoy. Stop motion animation rules, and Anderson is all the more interesting a filmmaker for using it instead of computers to create his underwater fantasy creatures.

That scene with Murray dancing to techno music while in full scuba gear is one of the funniest I have ever seen.

[Lance McCool]

Does anyone know when it comes out on DVD?

[Contender]

This movie was incredible. It's hard to make a subtle movie about BIll Murray as a failed oceanographer-filmmaker searching for the monster shark that killed his diving partner while fighting off terrorists and flirting with a pregnant women who's having a fling with his long lost son, but Anderson pulled it off. Everyone talks about Wilson and Murray's roles, but I think it was Willem Dafoe who really gave the best performance. He was robbed of a Supporting Actor nod if you ask me.

[Ezikiel]

Does anyone know when it comes out on DVD?
It's going to be released May 10 on a 2-disc Criterion Collection DVD.

[Kong: The Sequel]

The first Wes Anderson film that Kong didn't like.

It was full of quirk like his other films, but that was never what made his other films good. His previous efforts (particularly the middle two) have a strong, and resonant emotional core that gave them life, but The Life Aquatic... was underpinned by forced pathos.

Occasionaly humorous, but largely a disappointment.

[PimpDaShizzle V2.0]

my fav line from the movie was when they were all in the yellow sub and the shark came and the lady asked "Are We Save in here?" and he said "Probably Not." thats just classic. great humor from a director who i like but my parents wont let me see any of his movies for some wierd reason. but my aunt owns em so i watch them with her. my parents are kinda wierd about movies.
You need ta' tell yo' parents like dis'.

"Yo' Pops, I gotsta' break it down like dis'. I rented this movay', I feel like chillin' wit' it, so don't break my freakin' balls if it's got some titties and gun play. Holla'!"

If that doesn't work give up your allowance, beg, and promise you'll never talk like that again.

[MysticalMoose]

When Murray lights up with the hot air balloon, simply genius.

[nebbit]

I really liked this movie, it's one of those movies that you can watch again and again, and never hate, :yup:

[Karl Childers]

I liked it overall, although the first 35-40 minutes were pretty dull and challenging.

I found the film to vascillate between stretches of utter subtleness and explosions of slapstick farce. It's as if the alternative rock group Pixies made a comedy. It had that off-kilter tone.

[lucy_jaimes]

i havn't seen it yet, but i really want to, i am totally in love with bill murray!!

[RESIST]

loved it muchly
yet to see a anderson film that disapointed me

[rikkidunbar]

beautiful!

[Philmster]

I really enjoyed it, even though its my least favourite of his films, there are some great bits in this thats for sure!

[Darth Stujitzu]

Got to admit to feeling dissappointed in Wes' latest offering.
His films are humourous rather than laugh out loud, but TLA just didn't push any of my buttons. I loved the Royal Tenenbaums and Rushmore, Bottle-rocket was O.K., but IMO this is his worst film to date.
I have to be honest, IMO Luke Wilson is so one dimensional as an actor, and always plays the same character type.
I won't be adding this to my DVD collection. :down: :indifferent:

[Sedai]

Owen Wilson, and yeah, I didn't like his character much either. Still, I thought many of the other players were pretty damn good. Always good to see Anjelica Huston.

The film does have it's warts, though.

[Darth Stujitzu]

Owen Wilson, and yeah, I didn't like his character much either. Still, I thought many of the other players were pretty damn good. Always good to see Anjelica Huston.

The film does have it's warts, though.


Great ensemble cast as usual;
Angelica Huston
Cate Blanchett
William Dafoe
Jeff Goldbloom

It just lacked something, and I can't put my finger on it. :rolleyes:

[Sexy Celebrity]

I couldn't get into The Royal Tenenbaums, so I was avoiding this flick for some time. But it kept calling me, so I rented it last night - and actually liked it a lot. This is kinda sad for me since I like the apparent "worst" Wes Anderson movie and don't like one of the best (I haven't seen the others).

[inibriated]

i know wat it lacked humuor the movie was stupid and pointless it sucked and was a waste of 6.50