Wes Ander-thon

With the recent box-office success of visually magic comedy The Grand Budapest Hotel, director Wes Anderson’s enthusiastic fan base has not only grown, but has become even more devoted. For fans old and new that are gasping for another hit of Anderson’s gentle comedy and exquisite pictorial eye, we have just the ticket. On the 30th of August at 9pm the Prince Charles Cinema in Leicester Sq. will be holding a Wes Ander-Thon, composed of 8 of his films; Bottle Rocket (short), Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, Cousin Ben Troop Screening with Jason Schwartzman (short), Moonrise Kingdom, and The Grand Budapest Hotel.

The run will last for 560 minutes, finishing early the next morning, but the mischievous, high-spirited adventures should keep the fans awake through the night.

 The marathon will be the perfect opportunity to get to grips with earlier films, particularly the impeccably awkward 1998 Rushmore, which follows the enigmatic hobbyist Max Fischer on his various romantic, social and extracurricular exploits at Rushmore Academy. The film launched the career of Jason Schwartzman, now a Hollywood staple, and his progress can be spotted in several of Anderson’s other films.

Viewers will be able to see a host of returning cast members play different parts in each of the films, The finest actors of recent times queue up to work with Anderson again and again. Angelica Huston, Gene Hackman, Luke Wilson, Ed Norton, Ralph Fiennes, Gwynneth Paltrow, Tilda Swinton, Harvey Keitel. Two are associated with him more than any other – Bill Murray, melted and mottled by cynicism and sour good humour, and Owen Wilson, innocent-faced, confused by life, too easy-going for the world.

Despite their wackiness, each film is truly about age-old themes of family, love and friendship. Behind the apparent childishness, they are subtle and kind examinations of people, places and things.

Given Anderson’s popularity we wouldn’t be surprised if this event sold out, so recommend that anyone interested book now to avoid disappointment.