Fantastic Mr. Fox

Wes Anderson, 2009 (8.5*)
A hilariously adult animated comedy, but still G-rated, in which the star, George Clooney as Mr. Fox, has no constructive line of work (he's a chicken thief), which causes constant stream of harangue from Meryl Streep as Mrs. Fox. The dialogue is a throwback to the 30's screwball comedies style, so it's sparkling in comparison to most talking animal pictures, which seem aimed at five year olds. The talented comedic cast also includes Bill Murray and Owen Wilson.

The animation has the old style claymation/puppet look, which makes it look more like real objects than cartoons, so that adds to the element of reality the storyline establishes. This was a refreshing antidote to all the Disney-esque animated ventures which always seem to follow a similar heart-tugging path that requires sad violin music. If you're looking for a different kind of comedy, check this out.

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Bottle Rocket

Wes Anderson, 1995 (8.4*)

This is a fine debut for director Anderson (Life Aquatic, Rushmore, Royal Tenenbaums, Darjeeling Unlimited), and is also the debut of the Wilson brothers, Owen Wilson and Luke Wilson - in addition, Owen co-wrote this screenplay with Anderson. This quirky comedy pokes fun at all the heist films where small crime gangs are put together to plan and execute the perfect heist. This gang is all buddies going nowhere, and one even tells the leader (Owen) that he can't go do a crime because "my wife won't let me".

This also becomes a road film, as the gang goes 'on the lam' at one point, getting stuck at a desert motel in nowhere USA. In a way, the story is really going nowhere, but like life, most of the experience is gained from the journey, not the outcome. Same here - if you don't expect a lot from this small indie film, you may be more open to its small pleasures. Owen Wilson is appropriately dopey here, Luke is appropriately more romantic and serious, so they make a nice team. There is much argument on the forums at IMDB, if this is Anderson's best. I may side with Fantastic Mr. Fox (review to follow) just because of it's originality, but this is certainly a worthy debut effort, better than most.

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