Top Ten Wes Anderson Movies

Hey guys, it's Amber from The Film Magic and today I'm back to list my top 10 Wes Anderson films. Remember to like, comment and subscribe if you want to see more film content. So, Wes Anderson's style and his auteur is really iconic. He's one of my favourite directors for many reasons, as you're going to hear me say in this video. So, jumping into the list for number 10, we've got Castello Cavalcanti. And this is one of Wes Anderson's short films. So, Wes Anderson directed this film for Prada. And although I dislike the lack of narrative or story, I do recognise it's probably for some type of advertisement. But, Wes Anderson is still Wes Anderson and his stylistic approach is still very clear and very unique. So, you can still appreciate and admire the cinematography and the editing. I still find it very visually gratifying. And, yeah, it provides a lot for only being an 8 minute short film. It's still a display of Wes Anderson's talent and I think that can be appreciated. I think it's also a great example of how Wes Anderson's auteur has become so iconic that it's entered different mediums of art. Like fashion, for example. I just think that this solely conveys how prominent he is in pop culture. So, in number 9, I've put Hotel Chevalier. And this is another short film. It's 13 minutes long. And at the end credits, it's listed that it's part 1 of the Da Zhi Ling limited film, which is the feature length film. I'll be getting to that later. Also, it just surrounds these two characters with not much context. But it's still really intimate and I really enjoyed it. There really is only one setting in this short film and it's the hotel room. But it doesn't feel enclosed at all or trapped because I think Anderson's cinematography captured every part of the room and let the scene flourish. So, yeah, this film is definitely something to enjoy if you can't watch one of Wes Anderson's feature length films. Like, if you just want to watch something short of his but still want to grasp his auteur and his style and the way he utilises his camera to capture everything in the setting. Moving on to number 8, we've got Rushmore. Rushmore is one of Wes Anderson's earliest feature length films. And the stylistic atmosphere isn't as distinctive as his later works. But this film is still really, really great. I'd say some of his traits like the satirical humour and the dialogue is present in Rushmore. But other later traits like the symmetry and the use of colour aren't as seen in this film. But that's not to discredit the film. I think this film is really unique when viewing the journey that Wes Anderson's filmmaking took throughout the years. And it just goes to show like how you can improve as a filmmaker. I think this film has a lot of traits from the French New Wave cinema movement and its stylistic choices are influenced off of that. Things like the subtitles, the card panels between scenes, the fast paced movement of the camera and editing. So it was really nice to see that someone like Wes Anderson has been influenced from previous movements in his filmography. Moving on to number 7, we've got Moonrise Kingdom. Although this film is more slow paced than Wes Anderson's other films, it doesn't feel futile or boring. And I quite enjoyed the slow burn of it. Most of the scenes are set outdoors or in forestry, which definitely creates a more peaceful and relaxing tone. So this film is definitely one of Wes Anderson's more feel-good films. Alan Anderson orchestrates the audience's emotions with the use of colour in this film. And it's really prominent and pigmented. Although a lot of the scenes are outside, there is still this contrast of forestry and saturated colours. And it is difficult to describe the effect that the colour has on the audience in this film. So I would definitely recommend watching this film just for the cinematography alone. Moving on to number 6, you've got The Darjeeling Limited. I would label this film as one of Wes Anderson's more fast paced films. A lot happens in the film, but it doesn't ever feel cluttered. And the directing and editing allows you to flow with the narrative and flow with the scenes and what's happening. There's a variety of different shots. The camera work is really in depth. And you can tell that he definitely knew what to do at certain points, knew what shots to do at certain points. Wherever Wes Anderson takes you in his films, like for example, this film is set in India. For some reason, it always feels at home. I would also label this as one of his most colourful films. And The Darjeeling Limited is also an example of his entrance to symmetry in his films. And you can see it emerging throughout the film in real time, comparing the start from the end. So halfway through the list, we've got number 5. And that's The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. So I would say there's a really youthful feel in this entire film. And whether that's because of the David Bowie soundtrack or Bill Murray's comical performance, there is something buoyant with the tone and it makes each watch more enjoyable. A lot of the time, Steve Zissou feels like a real life character, and that we're just watching another one of his documentaries, which just goes to show how realistic Bill Murray's performance is. And that also makes it more heartbreaking when we see him going through hardships, like him having trouble reconnecting with his son and his failing relationship with his wife. It really pulls at the emotive strings of the audience. I think the reasoning for that specific tone, the familiarity of the film, is because of some of Wes Anderson's editing choices. At some points, you've got breaks between each scene, where it's just one of the characters playing, I think it was a guitar, and playing renditions of old songs, like David Bowie's songs. It felt really familiar and it allowed the audience to reflect on what they've just watched in a subconscious way. So it lets the emotions develop and it lets the relationships between the characters develop too. I think it's kind of risky to do that, to put breaks in your scenes, but it didn't feel pointless at all and it kind of felt needed. Upon a second watch, you can notice how your emotions start to change as you're just allowed to reflect on the scene. Moving on to number four, we've got Fantastic Mr. Fox. So Fantastic Mr. Fox is like nostalgia to the maximum. I feel like this film is marketed as a child's film, but regardless of your age, I think there's an aspect that anyone could enjoy from the film. This film is Wes Anderson's first stop-motion film, but nothing feels amateur about it. The level of precision and how pristine the setting and the characters were took the film to another level and it's something to be really appreciated. The voice acting and the voice performances are also very notable in the film. If you watch the behind-the-scenes clips of some of the scenes, Wes Anderson's literally got some of the characters, like George Clooney, who plays Fantastic Mr. Fox, running around outside whilst recording the voice for the scene to create that extra level of realism and so that there's nothing lacking in how the story is being told. So the attention to detail is why I put it as number four. Because it was so pristine and meticulous within its production, it really created a well-done, well-executed story and film. So number three, we've got the role Tenenbaums. I would say each Wes Anderson film has its own aspect of filmmaking that stands out and for the role Tenenbaums, it's definitely the soundtrack and the music. From Bob Dylan, The Velvet Underground, Nico, Elliot Smith, The Clash, just to name a few. And that really iconic soundtrack kind of blends with the more pop-culture references in this film compared to his other films. And the music is really well incorporated with each of the scenes and with the pop-culture references and this film feels different from his other films which I would describe as oddities and contemporary antiques. Even though this is one of Wes Anderson's more melancholy films and it deals with heavier subjects, it still has a happy and content ending but without feeling cheap. Number two, you've got The Grand Budapest Hotel. For its outstanding dialogue alone, I had to put it as number two. The dialogue is something amazing, probably the best dialogue in the decade or definitely in the year 2014. 2014 being a great year for films in general, The Grand Budapest was one of my favourites. The performances were beyond entertaining and some of the characters in this film are some of my favourite from the Wes Anderson cinematic universe. I would say my favourite characters were definitely Monsieur Gustavo and Dimitri, especially that one scene where they're arguing at the will reading and they've got that chemistry and they're arguing back and forth and it's really humorous and really well done, really well directed. Also the symmetry in this film is very pristine and it's consistent throughout the entire film. It just goes to show the attention to detail in The Grand Budapest and how dedicated Wes Anderson was to his project. So now moving on to number one, and this is honestly one of my favourite films of all time and definitely my favourite Wes Anderson film, you've got Isle of Dogs. Isle of Dogs is storytelling to its finest. It's another stop motion film by Wes Anderson and the level of dedication and precision is amazing, it's outstanding. And this film took two and a half years to produce, two and a half years, which is crazy to me. I've watched this film like five times and I'm just incapable of being bored or not liking it. I don't understand how anyone couldn't like this film. The dialogue is witty, the characters come to life even though they're literally just dogs and the soundtrack is so memorable and every time I hear it, it just invokes the emotion that I felt whilst watching the film. I honestly put this as my number one because the feeling of watching this in the cinema for the first time in 2018 is still so memorable to me. For about an hour and 45 minutes, I was just completely glued into the story. It was so enticing, so striking, I couldn't stop watching it. And there's just something really special about how things play out. I will never not recommend this film to my family and friends. It's just such a great watch and if you guys haven't seen it, you definitely should. There's so much to grasp from it, so much to take from it. If you're just part of the audience or if you're a filmmaker yourself, there's so much to learn. Anyways guys, that's my top 10 Wes Anderson films list. I hope you enjoyed it. If you agree or disagree with any of my picks, let me know in the comments. And don't forget to like, comment and subscribe. And have a good day. Bye guys.