This is why I go to movies

Rating: 9/10 (6 June 2012)

Wes Anderson creates spectacular quotidian worlds. Every detail in every one of his frames is meticulously realized; like Dickens, he leaves no loose ends. The shot that still has me dizzy is the view we get of the Bishop's living room, all violently clashing plaids, set off by the incredibly garish slacks being sported by the bare-chested Mr. Bishop (Bill Murray) on his way to "find a tree and chop it down". What other directors, seeking to emulate Anderson's whimsy and tweeness, don't understand is the sheer amount of bloody diligence which goes into creating these immaculate universes. Where Anderson's hermetically ordered worlds are allowed breathing space is in the latitude he gives his actors to bring their characters to life, and in this film the adult actors relax nicely into their roles. Where Anderson really gives free reign is to his juvenile actors, the Khaki Scout troop as well as the two leads, and they reward him with energetic, fully inhabited performances.
The sole sour note on the evening was having to see this wonderful movie at The Sundance Kabuki, where the "amenity fee" brought the price of my ticket to $13.50. In no way do I regard having to choose my seat before seeing the house an amenity; in fact, it is quite the reverse. This website won't let me publish my true, "Deadwood"-ian opinion of Mr. Redford, so I will just state that it will hopefully be a long time before I have to patronize his theater again.