Brandon at Random Reviews

There’s something so comforting to me about a movie by director Wes Anderson. The aesthetic he has been using cinematography-wise in all of his movies since “The Royal Tennenbaums” is beautiful, and quite interesting to look at. I would describe Anderson’s movies as being the closest a movie viewing experience can feel to reading a book. With his movies there is typically narration, plenty of eccentric characters, and enough incredible feats of visual set pieces to whet your appetite (great example: Steve Zissou’s voice over and boat tour from “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” https://youtu.be/d1RnYfFZK2k ).

This movie, is a bit different from most Wes Anderson movies in that it’s a collection of smaller stories, focusing on mostly different characters each time. First we get a little bit initially regarding this titular newspaper and a bicycle tour of the town. I guess it’s the French Bureau of a Kansas newspaper if I understood that right. Then the next story, it’s an artist and his muse in a mental hospital. Following that is a young aspiring revolutionary writing a manifesto which is edited by a much older woman. Then lastly there is a story around a food journalist who tells of his experience dealing with a policeman’s son’s kidnapping.

The other element that is a given in a Wes Anderson film is also an immense cast full of household names and sometimes up-and-comers. The cast also usually contains at least a few Anderson newcomers (often in major roles). In this one we get Benicio Del Toro as the artist and he’s pretty Benicio Del Toro-y still despite it not initially appearing so, Timothée Chalamet as the revolutionary, who is on top of the fucking acting world these days, he’s just been in everything recently it seems like. And I mustn’t forget the immensely underrated Jeffrey Wright who leads the third story of the food journalist. In addition to those three, Christoph Waltz, who is still a spectacular actor in case everyone forgot, has a bit part here and I hope he keeps getting good work in the film industry.

The cinematography is beautiful as always with this director, specifically the captivating choice of camera work and presumably difficult shots. The movie shifts between color, black and white, widescreen, 4:3, and uses each to great effect. The acting is superb as it only could be with the talent involved here.

My only real gripe might be that all of the movies by this director feel so similar in many senses. The tone, the aesthetic appearance, the cinematography (despite doing new things, it still feels pretty similar). I just want to see Wes branch out away from the formula even more than he does here.

Forewarning that I enjoy the work of this director, but his films are not for everyone. Say what you will, I haven’t been disappointed by much of his work to date.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2