1996
1998 2001
Bottle Rocket Described by Anderson as ‘a Mean Streets where the streets aren’t so mean’, 1996’s Bottle Rocket was a likeable expansion of his i rst 13-minute short, and featured long-time collaborator Owen Wilson and his brother Luke as two spectacularly incompetent crooks. Featuring James Caan as Abe Henry, a role Anderson originally considered Bill Murray for. Rushmore The i rst i lm for his own American Empirical Pictures company, Anderson’s i rst cult hit from 1998 featured Jason Schwartzman as the wily high-school student Max Fisher, who battles jaded millionaire Herman Blume (Bill Murray) for the love of schoolteacher Olivia Williams. There’s also a bonus in Stephen McCole’s wild performance as Scottish bully Magnus Buchan.
The Royal Tenenbaums Taking some inspiration from JD Salinger’s Glass family of child geniuses, this NYC-set 2001 comedy/drama saw Gene Hackman’s failing patriarch Royal Tenenbaum attempting to rule the roost over ex-wife Anjelica Huston. Ben Stiller, Owen and Luke Wilson are among the rebellious children, and of course, Bill Murray also features.
2012
2014 2018
Moonrise Kingdom Opening with a typically elaborate sequence which uses the compartmentalised structure of Benjamin Britten’s ‘Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra’ to introduce his cast of characters on the i ctional island of New Penzance, Anderson’s gentle love story offers a similar blend of sweetness and innocence as Alan Parker’s whimsical 1971 drama Melody. Set in 1965, two children fall in love and elope leaving concerned parents in their wake, plus police and social services in the form of Bruce Willis and Tilda Swinton. Bill Murray comes included in the package.
The Grand Budapest Hotel In 2014, taking inspiration from the writings of Stefan Zweig, Anderson created this multi-layered wedding-cake of derring-do and well-deserved revenge, set between the two world wars, with Ralph Fiennes channelling his inner Leonard Rossiter as concierge Gustave H. Much like the ship in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Anderson constructed the hotel as an elaborate ten-foot tall handmade miniature. This i lm also contains Bill Murray. Isle of Dogs Despite his many live-action successes, Anderson has retained his interest in animation, including an unheralded performance as Daniel the giraffe in 2016’s hit Sing! (Anderson performs Michael Jackson’s 1972 hit single ‘Ben’). A nod to Japan’s Akira Kurosawa is expected, and rest assured, Bill Murray is involved.
Isle of Dogs, Glasgow Film Theatre, Wed 21 & Thu 22 Feb. General release from Fri 30 Mar. 1 Feb–31 Mar 2018 THE LIST 19