Finally watched bottle rocket last night 🙌🏽

The author had more to say than Wes Anderson. Half of Wes' responses to his suggestions were marked down as "hmmm." The book would be much improved if half of those "hmmms" were left out

A decades long conversation rather than the ultimate behind-the-scenes look, Matt Zoller Seitz's tribute to one of the most unique voices in American cinema is a beautiful and great read. It may be frustrating to see MZS probe the mind of Anderson's version only to be met with deflection, but the conversations are enlightening and entertaining nevertheless. Not to mention the pictures, artwork, and references are gorgeous. If you have any love for Wes Anderson you won't be disappointed in this book (just go in with certain expectations).

A nice complement to me watching/revisiting all of Wes Anderson's films before seeing Isle of Dogs (which is pretty great, btw). Next up is Zoller Seitz's book covering Anderson's 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'.

This book is gorgeous, beautifully laid out, and full of great "extras," including lots of pages from Wes Anderson's journal. The interview format can be a bit tedious at times, but overall it's a fascinating read. I really love hearing about all the films, books, music and art that Anderson has been influenced by and the only thing missing is a nice compiled list of all of those titles at the end (for the super nerds). You really get to take a visit inside Anderson's head and learn where his ideas come from, how he weaves together different ideas, and why he likes remote sets where everyone has to stay in the same hotel together. This is a MUST HAVE for any Wes Anderson fan.

Some great photos and insight into Anderson's films. I definitely need to rewatch Rushmore again soon.

The weakness in this coffee-table book is not at all in the graphics, design, or layout, all of which, as one might expect in a book devoted to Wes Anderson, are charming, meticulous, and revelatory (in addition to multiple on-set and film stills of Anderson, his work, and related miscellanea, Seitz helpfully includes stills and other pictures to complement his and Anderson's discussions of other films/visuals that have had conscious or unconscious influence on Anderson). The essays by Seitz are certainly well-written, and perceptive enough (his focuses wouldn't necessarily have been mine, but his readings are solid and enthusiastic). No, the trouble is something Seitz probably couldn't have helped: The copious interviews with his acquaintance Anderson, while not entirely superfluous (some good filmmaking anecdotes and bits of autobiography are certainly on offer), come nowhere near the insightfulness and informativeness of THE WES ANDERSON COLLECTION's forebear, the celebrated HITCHOCK/TRUFFAUT book-length, career-spanning interview compilation. Seitz is too much the fanboy, Anderson (predictably) much too reticent, for that. The interviews too often consist of Seitz's proffering of over-elaborated psychoanalyzing/projection/theorizing about Anderson's work, all of which, of course, the filmmaker refuses to be pinned down by. The reader will undoubtedly be amused and delighted at intervals, but he or she will also likely find him or herself responding to much of the written part of the book with the same noncommittal bemusement with which Anderson greets at least one of Seitz's questions or observations on nearly every page. To wit: "Hmmm."

I've had this on my to-read list forever, and I just finally flipped through it. I definitely want to spend more time with this. Even if I don't read the text (which I often don't with art books), the visuals fascinate me.

Preview of pages: http://www.abramsbooks.com/Books/The_Wes_Anderson_Collection-9780810997417.html