Yes, Grand Budapest says Wes Anderson all over it... I've been watching Wes Anderson films from the start and with each film, he loses the human aspect along the way, one after the other. It's almost like his ALL STAR cast becomes suppressed and in anticipating their performances you'd hope to see, but instead falls flat. They just become ordinary people to be honest.
Yes, Wes Anderson is praised for having hyper attention to detail in his scenes (which is appreciated), but do you watch a movie to see how organized a bookshelf is in the background? Wes Anderson feeds into these praises for his great attention to detail and sticks to it and then keeps refining it to where his films have fallen off for me. I think he forgot about the rest of us who liked him for being "unique enough". Since Moonrise Kingdom, he's gone too far off that I could not appreciate a decent story because it focused too hard on small details that was unnecessary to pay attention to. I'm sorry, but someone has to say it, after watching the trailer for The French Dispatch... I already know what street Wes Anderson took. Yes I want to watch it, but it's only because i'm looking for that next Royal Tenenbaums or Rushmore. However, I'm afraid he's too far past those stages now.
I'll say this, one time I found myself among Wes Anderson fans at a Halloween party and we all went around claiming our favorite film of his and our least favorite... Honestly, we all had different answers because each film struck different heartstrings, which made each of his films equally appreciated. Now, that's the big question, which Wes Anderson film is the best and which is the worst? I saw The Grand Budapest in theaters with another fan of Wes Anderson and we both struggled following each detail of the movie because overall, it was not necessary to pay attention to all the small details and the overly did narrations. It's really cool to have a visually aesthetic backgrounds or scenes, but to say "hey, look how cool the set is, focus here." It shouldn't steal the attention away from the storyline. It's not a psychological thriller where we need to know if some detail in that scene will affect the story down the line.
To put everything simply, at first I felt like Wes Anderson catered towards extroverts and the introverted characteristics followed slightly behind. Now, I can say his films are more introverted, they make you look, think and analyze each scene, but oh and look Bruce Willis... oh well... its cool he's in this movie... Wes Anderson needs to come back to a balance I think. Some of these Directors have a climax and peak in their career, I'd say maybe some of Wes Anderson's older fans would agree that he's past his peak. Like M. Night. Shyamalan, who focused too hard on making an epic twist in his films, he fell off over time ( but took the time off and is due for a comeback, hopefully).
Wes Anderson will get the praise for his symmetrical scenes, quirky humor and very cordial character roles. Of course, Wes Anderson fans will say after each film, "yep thats Wes Anderson." However, I refuse to be blind and say that's okay or say what else would you expect from him. There's a niche market, but Wes Anderson has gone Hyper-niche. I could introduce one of his earlier films to any of my friends or family and they could get into it and would likely enjoy it. Although, I feel like with his later films, I have more difficulty to pulling in someone brand new rather than someone who's already exposed to his style. That's the huge difference with old vs. new Wes Anderson and so I'll rest my case there.
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