plans

Contrary to my plans as outlined in my last post, I didn’t get to finish There Will Be Blood. Even amidst strong recommendations from friends, the fact that my copy of the film came straight from enterprising pirates possessing camcorders made me realize that, to hell with it. I’ll just wait for a better copy. (No disrespect meant to Mr. Day-Lewis.)

Instead, I re-watched Tulad ng Dati with my sister. Second viewing in as many nights. Rewatching films over and over… you could say that it’s is a hobby of mine, actually.

I did also get a chance to see The Darjeeling Limited. The film is proof that Wes Anderson has mastered the art of making beautiful things. Stylistically, the visuals are powerful and inspiring. The swiveling camera movements and the use of slow motion, while all trademark Anderson, aren’t excessively used to a fault.

As with Hotel Chevalier, I love the colors - reds, yellows, and blues - that brighten each scene. It accentuates the fact that the movie is set in India, and the colors help give it the local flavor it needs.

Owen Wilson’s role as Francis in this film reminds me of a similar role he had in another Anderson film, as Dignan in Bottle Rocket. Both are equally condescending, take-charge and immature leaders whose plans just somehow fail to materialize accordingly. I actually like that Wilson is typecast to play these egotistic sissy roles, and seems like he was born for this.

While it’s generally easy to find imperfections with Anderson’s adamant insistence on beautifying his films with the aforementioned visual characteristics and his placement of minuscule details, thereby sacrificing the film’s real content, it’s always easy to let this go. Especially in Darjeeling. Not to say it lacks substance. But the situations that the characters get themselves into, while not laugh out loud funny, are enough to get you by.