...in celebration of tomorrow's home release of the royal tennenbaums and this new polling feature

I will rent the The Royal Tennenbaums so I can respond to this poll.

i should do the same.

Damon and TF, you are in for a *big* treat!

This was a really hard choice to make (between RT and Rushmore). Rushmore had better character development; I liked that it focused on a smaller group of characters. Rushmore made better use of Bill Murray. Also, I just love Max! But I had to choose RT, because I think it was just better written, produced, and directed. The cinematography in RT is amazing, and there are an abundance of really interesting characters. Especially, I really love Owen Wilson's character.

(Edited by jamiecarroll at 7:29 pm on Jul. 8, 2002)

As much as i thought the royal tanenbaums was robbed out of a best pciture nomination i still think bottle rocket was the better movie.

It pains me to vote against Rushmore, but Tenenbaums is just a more mature film. It's a better story, with a better resolution, and, as jamie said, the cinematography is simply incredible. They did things with that 40mm anamorphic lens that I couldn't believe, and Wes has a way of composing shots so that the subject is centered (usually taboo according to any rules of composition) and making it a visual stunning image. Such a great movie, I can't wait for tommorrow.

Will

I had to go with Rushmore only because I haven't been able to give Tennenbaums an equal chance. Even though I saw it twice in the theater I can't compare it to the innumerable times I've viewed Rushmore, Which got better each of the first 5 or 6 times I saw it. I think Tennenbaums could definatley overtake it soon, though. Hackman's hilarious, along with Owen Wilson.

"Did you just call me Coltrane?"

I voted for RT. I love Rushmore, but it has some slow moments. Whoever said Bill Murray was better used in Rushmore is right, and that almost swung my vote. Rushmore has a lot of individual scenes that are funnier than anything in Tennenbaums, however RT is a slightly better movie overall. I am going to see Bottlerocket again before the end of the summer to give it its fair, sober chance.

(Edited by Keith at 11:45 pm on Jul. 8, 2002)

Rushmore has my vote hands down. Max Fleischer is one of the most interesting & endearing film characters of all time. And I thought we had already established that "These are OR scrubs" "Oh, are they?" was also one of the best lines of all time? Add to this one of the best soundtracks of all time & you have a winner. I'd actually pick Bottle Rocket over RT, even though it's a lot more rough & immature. Dignan is just too lovable. So I guess my response is character-driven & I just wasn't as moved by the characters in RT. It was still one of my favorite movies of last year, though.

this is a very close race! i am actually thinking about buying a dvd player today just so i can watch the RT dvd.
i voted for rushmore, but if you ask me in a few weeks i might change my mind.
i like the way luke wilson's voice sounds.

also, does anyone have any experience with the dvd option on playstation 2? does it work alright?

When I lived in Knoxville my roomate had a PS2 and we watched dvds on it for a while. I never noticed any big differences, but the dvd option crapped out before the thing was 6 months old.

To those that have gotten the Tenenbaums DVD.... watched the Peter Bradley clip yet? That is the funniest, most bizzare thing I've ever seen.

Highlight: "Kumar, that man sitting next to you has your last name. Are you related?"
"My son."
"Ahh... Nepotism!"
The man eyes Bradley very deliberately.
"ahh... sorry. Didn't mean anything."

Or when he asks the psychiatrist about antidepressants that allow you to have an orgasm.

Amazing the things they put on these DVDs.

Will

By the way, Circuit City, who I wouldn't frequent otherwise, had the double dvd set for $17.99. A steal!

OK, so I got the Tenenbaums DVD today. I thought I was getting a steal for $23.99 (Blockbuster), but now I hear Tower has it for $19.99 and Circuit City for $17.99. Oh Well.

I watched the movie tonight and it was every bit as fantastic as I remembered it being in the theater. One thing I had forgotten, though, is just how much more gloomy RT is than Rushmore - it's a pretty emotional movie. I haven't watched any of the other disc yet (special features), but I hope to do that soon.

Anyhow, Wes Anderson is a genius. I can identify with so many elements of so many of his characters. I really like what Kent Jones has to say in the liner notes:

"As a form, the expectation of change vs. the reality of sameness once seemed like a strictly artworld / philosophical opposition...Now it's pervasive, the perfect form for a depressed age...Anderson has mastered the form to perfection, making winning, warm movies about angry, dissociated people who never consciously arrive at reconciliation but always stumble into it on their neverending quests to recover what they've lost."

(Edited by jamiecarroll at 6:40 am on Jul. 10, 2002)

true, anderson's latest was far more mature, and an all around incredible film, but it made me reaslly sad, in this eerie way that 'normal' sad movies don't make me feel. i bought it and all all the same. bottle rocket just plain rules. me and luke wilson are gettign married.

I went with Rushmore on this one. While RT has a much more complete cast of characters (all acted-out extremely well), nothing beats the complex relationship between Max Fischer and Herman Blume. I gain something new everytime I watch Rushmore. While I've only seen RT twice (opening day and last tuesday), I find it extremely compelling, but in a sillier, more superficial way. Maybe it's because we have way too many characters to develop.

Bottle Rocket was a bit rough, but it still had it's moments. It's light years from his most recent work, though.

OK, I've had three Tenenbaum nights in a row now. Movie Tuesday, Commentary Wednesday, and Special Feature Thursday. It really is a great movie, but I don't put it above Rushmore quite yet. The cast is better and the story a little more involved, but I wish the hilarious first third didn't give way so much to the sullen final third. I still will watch it over and over as I haven't seen a better movie in a long time. Bizarre is definately an accurate description of the Peter Bradley Show, "So, Brian, what do you look for in a script?"

(Edited by deevol at 10:13 pm on Jul. 11, 2002)