The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - Criterion Collection
by Wes Anderson
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Actor: Anjelica Huston, Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, Owen Wilson, Willem DafoeDirector: Wes Anderson
Writer: Wes Anderson
Producer: Barry Mendel
Producer: Dan Beers
Producer: Enzo Sisti
Producer: Rudd Simmons
Producer: Scott Rudin
Writer: Noah Baumbach
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Original Language); German (Original Language); Icelandic (Original Language); Italian (Original Language); Portuguese (Original Language); Tagalog (Original Language); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled)
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 119 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-05-10
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Miramax Home Entertainment
DVD Reviews of The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - Criterion Collection
DVD Review: Wes Anderson is a genius
Summary: 5 Stars
This movie is a wonderful viewing experience. Wes Anderson has a very distinct flair for storytelling (verbally and visually) that really shine in this movie, far more (IMHO) than his previous films. He does a great job of portraying the resolutely downtrodden - Bill Murray is a bordeline washed up naturalist/film maker, and his despair coupled with immense self contempt coupled with a seething disdain for the human race is brilliantly portrayed. I especially enjoy the camera work, another characteristic of Anderson. He's great at the wide angle shots, often including many actors in a single frame. This seems like a very difficult thing to pull off, but he does so masterfully. Can't say enough. DVD Review: A Strange Film Hard To Rate On One Viewng
Summary: 4 Stars
I find this a hard movie to rate, but I gave it four stars because it was entertaining. It's a odd film: one of these low-key black humor films which is a mixture of drama and comedy. What set this apart were a few other shocking scenes of violence, something not normally in this type of movie. For a comedy, albeit a tongue-in-cheek one, that violence doesn't seem to fit, but it makes the film all the more intriguing.
At times I was totally bored with this movie and at other times fascinated. I know one thing: this is a bizarre story! That automatically means it's a good vehicle for Bill Murray, who excels at wacky characters, even the low-key ones as he sometimes plays (i.e. Lost In Translation, The Royal Tenebaums, etc.). Speaking of the latter, this movie was written and directed by Wes Anderson, the same man who did "Tenenbaums." If you saw that, you have an idea of what you might get here, although I thought Royal Tenenbaums was funnier.
At 118 minutes, this a bit long for what it offers. I'd like to have seen it 15 minutes shorter with a tighter script. But it does offer some good photography in addition to the strange story. For the colors, I'd like to see this on Blu-Ray. This movie, as they say, is not for all tastes.
DVD Review: The Wonderful Life Aquatic of Murray & Friends
Summary: 5 Stars
I must have watched this film like 5 times already, and more viewings are bound to follow. It is just so hilariously amusing and strange that you can't but love it. Of course, this might not be everyone's cup of tea when it comes to comedy; the humour lies mostly in the rather large cast, quick lines and the strange situations these characters get entangled in, not in vulgarities and physical humour. Bill Murray is as always funny in his own corky kind of way, but the biggest star of the film to me and a friend that keeps joining me to watch this; Willem Dafoe! Dafoe in his character of Klaus Daimler, a German engineer that is Steven Zissou's (Murray) biggest admirer and fellow crewmember, is simply so good and amusing that I laugh to tears at some of the scenes he's in.
The "plot" of the film is that Zissou is a former star in a long range of underwater films, his stardom now apparently heading for rock bottom, along with his marriage. His nemesis, "Captain Hennessy" (Goldblum) is taking all the fame while Zissou suspects he's also after his wife, whom he used to date. This and another hint at miscegenation is mostly the only thing bad I can think of about this work of art. Zissou's best friend and long-time crew member; Esteban, is then killed by some kind of shark while they are filming, and the entire film is then about Zissou's mission for "revenge" on the shark and all their adventures spawned from that. In addition to this, Ned Plimpton (Wilson) makes his appearance, as Zissou's potential son, and their attempt to get to know each other has some role to play in the film.
Steve Zissou: Esteban was eaten!
Klaus Daimler: Is he dead?
Steve Zissou: Esteban was eaten! Check the scanning monitor before it dives too deep!
Klaus Daimler: He was bitten?
Steve Zissou: Eaten!
Klaus Daimler: [shocked] He was swallowed whole?
Steve Zissou: No! *Chewed*!
Enough said. Brilliant comedy that I guess you either love or hate, judging from the reviews here. 5 stars!
DVD Review: An 80's nature film crew joins the new century?
Summary: 4 Stars
The film is an obvious satire of the nature films popular in the 70's and 80's on TV and in theaters. The cast is a lot of well known actors and actresses, and instead of the film degenerating into an Hollywood glitz
piece of trash, it comes out funny and kind of really sad.
I think the success of the film has to be put on the shoulders of
Bill Murray who makes his megalomaniac character come alive.
Jacques-Yves (Jock) Cousteau and his boat Calypso would seem to be the main object of this satire.
Since he is dead and was actually a generation in advance of these people,
the people who imitate Cousteau are the ones taking the hit here.
I think it is a fun film with a pirate adventure,
that kids might enjoy;it is mostly just a silly film.
DVD Review: Merci, Cedric. Remind me, we'll send him a red cap and a Speedo
Summary: 4 Stars
Writer/Director Wes Anderson goes for the Smart Laugh, not the Big Laugh. In fact, there were no big or small laughs throughout this flick. I didn't laugh out loud once--yet I was enthralled--laughing to myself, like Billy Idol, only laughing, not dancing, to myself.
This film is somewhat like an inside joke that is so inside that even your laughter is inside.
Steve Zissou: We were pretty good while we lasted, weren't we?
Oseary Drakoulias: Oh, we were like glory's gate, my darling. We were like that bloody shark of yours, we swam with the... oh, damn it, I had it on the plane.
Bill Murray as Steve Zissou really owned this movie. He was the flawed leader who can (usually) inspire his crew to follow them on the journey, the adventure, he was taking them on. He may not really know anything, he may be totally full of it--but still, he leads on. It is an adventure. Murray could convey so much with even his smallest throw away gesture.
Owen Wilson's character Ned Plimpton was a good and pure man of integrity--very different from his usual role. He also had what was supposed to be a Kentucky accent, but he's no Meryl Streep, nor is he a Will Patton, on whom the accent was based. He tried something different, and for that he is to be commended--but he was somewhat the fish out of water, in comparison to Murray, who was made to play Steve Zissou, or vice versa. Steve Zissou was written with Bill Murray in mind and according to Wes Anderson, it "could have been no one else." Anjelica Huston, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Cate Blanchett, Bud Cort, even Matthew Gray Gubler--all added a lot.
The film is a parody of the Undersea World of Jaques Cousteau, not just the oceanic exploration documentaries, but the whole preposterous idea of the Life Aquatic, the idea of doing scientific research while also making a film of it, and using the film to gain funding. While Jauques Cousteau's ship is called Calypso, Zissou's is called Belafonte, because Harry Belafonte was a calypso singer. Get it? This project seems to be from the point-of-view of a child watching Jaques Cousteau and dreaming of living the Life Aquatic, then a little more grown up, realizing what a strange life that would be. That concept is certainly realized in this movie, and I would recommend that you see this movie just because it is so different. But don't blame me if you expected the Big Laugh and got instead only the Smart Laugh, because I warned you about that.
Steve Zissou: Supposedly Cousteau and his cronies invented the idea of putting walkie-talkies into the helmet. But we made ours with a special rabbit ear on the top so we could pipe in some music.
And what music it was. Seu Jorge portrayed Pel? dos Santos, a crew member who also strummed bossa nova guitar and sang David Bowie songs translated into Portuegese. He seemed to be playing David Bowie songs at every opportunity. Only they were played with a Brazilian back beat--in Portugese. All the David Bowie songs are arranged and sang by Seu Jorge. Except, like, "Search and Destroy," by Iggy Pop, but even that was produced by David Bowie.
There were some really unusual shots interspersed throughout, and some animation that melded seamlessly with the live action footage. Candy flavored seahorses, blowfish, you name it, any kind of fish one could imagine, and Bill Murray flicks one of those wondrous creations off, like it were a bug, and maybe it is. Maybe it is.
Steller cast. Wonderful director, writer, and cinematographer. Amazing art. There is one set where you see the ship in cut away view. Is that all there is? Is that all there is? If that's all there is, then let's keep dancing. Bring on the booze and have a ball, if that's all... there is.
#$#$#$#$#$#
Margot at the Wedding (2007) .... Written & Directed by Noah Baumbach
Notes on a Scandal (2006) .... Cate Blanchett was Sheba Hart
RV (Full Screen Edition) (2006) .... Matthew Gray Gubler was Joe Joe
The Squid and the Whale (Special Edition) (2005) Written & Directed by Noah Baumbach
Wedding Crashers - Unrated (Widescreen New Line Platinum Series) (2005) .... Owen Wilson was John Beckwith
"Criminal Minds" .... Matthew Gray Gubler is Dr. Spencer Reid .... (80 episodes, 2005-2009)
The Aviator (2004) .... Cate Blanchett was Katharine Hepburn
Lost in Translation (2003) .... Bill Murray was Bob Harris
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) .... Written & Directed by Wes Anderson
Shadow of the Vampire (2000) .... Willem Dafoe was Schreck
Rushmore (1998) .... Written & Directed by Wes Anderson
Wild Things (1998) .... Bill Murray was Kenneth Bowden (with Kevin Bacon)
Bottle Rocket (1996) .... Owen Wilson was Dignan
Ted & Venus (1991) .... Bud Cort was Ted Whitley
Wild At Heart (1990) .... Willem Dafoe was Bobby Peru
The Grifters (1990) .... Anjelica Huston was Lilly Dillon
The Fly (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) (1986) .... Jeff Goldblum was Seth Brundle
Prizzi's Honor (1985) .... Anjelica Huston was Maerose Prizzi
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984) .... Jeff Goldblum was New Jersey
Harold and Maude (1971) .... Bud Cort was Harold
Alistair Hennessey: How are things going with your - what are you calling it? Leopard fish?
Steve Zissou: Jaguar shark.
Alistair Hennessey: Jaguar shark! So tell me - does it really exist?
Steve Zissou: [hesitant] You know, Allie, I don't want to give away the ending.
Description of The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - Criterion Collection
Internationally famous ocenaographer steve zissou & his crew set sail on an expedition to hunt down the mysterious elusive - possibly nonexistent - jaguar shark that killed zissous partner during the documentary filming of their latest adventure. Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 05/16/2006 Starring: Bill Murray Cate BlanchettIn The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, director Wes Anderson takes his familiar stable of actors on a field trip to a fantasy aquarium, complete with stop-motion, candy-striped crabs and rainbow seahorses. And though Anderson does expand his horizons in terms of retro-special effects and a whimsical use of color, fans will otherwise find themselves in well-charted waters. As The Life Aquatic opens, Zissou (Bill Murray), a self-involved, Jacques Cousteau-like filmmaker, has just released a documentary depicting the death of his best friend Esteban, who was eaten by some sort of sea creature--possibly a jaguar shark. Zissou's troubles also include his waning popularity with the public, and a nemesis (Jeff Goldblum) who hogs up all the grant money. Hope arrives in the form of Ned Plimpton (Owen Wilson), an amiable Kentuckian who may be Zissou's son. Despite his lack of enthusiasm for fatherhood, Zissou welcomes Ned--and Ned in turn saves Zissou's new documentary (in which he seeks revenge on the jaguar shark) in more ways than one.
One of Wes Anderson's greatest achievements as a director to date has been launching the autumnal melancholy phase of Bill Murray's career, starting with Rushmore in 1998, and Murray delivers a similarly comedic yet low-key performance here. Unfortunately, Zissou is one of the few characters in this ensemble to achieve multi-dimensionality. Even co-star Wilson doesn't get to develop Ned much beyond Noble Southerner, and he ends up seeming more like a prop for illustrating Zissou's emotional development rather than his own man. The Life Aquatic probably won't be remembered as a great film, but it is still one that no Anderson (or Murray) fan can afford to miss.--Leah Weathersby
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