Explosive Screening

When watching Wes Anderson's 1996 directorial debut, Bottle Rocket, there are several "firsts" that the viewer will notice. Bottle Rocket is a stunning first film for Anderson as well as the local hero power couple, Luke and Owen Wilson. Outside of Boz Scaggs and Steve Miller, the boys are probably...

By John Freeman

January 17, 2008

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When watching Wes Anderson's 1996 directorial debut, Bottle Rocket, there are several "firsts" that the viewer will notice. Bottle Rocket is a stunning first film for Anderson as well as the local hero power couple, Luke and Owen Wilson. Outside of Boz Scaggs and Steve Miller, the boys are probably the most famous alumni of Dallas' own fancy-pants private school, St Mark's. They've come a long way, baby. The film sets the template for Anderson's style (quirky characters, artsy camera work, slow motion endings) and marked the beginning of a fruitful writing partnership with Owen Wilson. The college buddies worked together on the screenplays for all of Anderson's films through 2001's The Royal Tenenbaums, cutting a singular swath through the cinematic world. This movie is to the DFW area what Mystery Train is to Memphis, simultaneously celebrating and lampooning the city and its eccentric "local color." I remember living in Denton in the mid-Nineties, driving past the hotel from Bottle Rocket and feeling a pang of local pride that my crappy town was in a "real movie." So show a little solidarity and support for your hometown when Bottle Rocket plays midnight Friday and Saturday at Landmark's Inwood Theater. Visit landmarktheatres.com for details.
Fri., Jan. 18; Sat., Jan. 19, 2008

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