The Phoenician Scheme

If you love mid-century fashion and decor and Benecio Del Toro, they'll carry you at least a quarter way through the schemes of 1950's shady industrialist Zsa Zsa Korda (Del Toro) as he plans a byzantine scheme of stock battles to build a railway through old Lebanon. Then the typically precious, overelaborate Wes Anderson dialogue, animatronic cardboard characters in place of actual feeling ones and general sense of being caught in the slow turning pages of a hipster control-freak children's story book will gradually diminish your interest in the film. It's nice someone still employs Michael Cera, but even my grandparents would start checking their watches at The Phoenician Scheme.

While watching this film I felt a bit sad because it reminded me how funny Gene Hackman was as the disillusioned patriarch, a recurring theme in Wes Anderson films.

There is much to like in the Phoenician Scheme:

* Stravinsky - the use of music in the film is very good. I have always liked these pieces of music but to hear them together, in an up front way was special. I also loved Moonrise Kingdom for its extended use of Benjamin Britten.

*End Credits - worth watching as they tastefully but playfully hold your attention.

* Costumes and sets - as always of the highest quality * Colour Pallette - the most confectionary-like cinema has ever been; a mixture of stop animation, play within a film and situationist comedy.

It's easy to dismiss Wes Anderson films as being all the same but if this were the only film he'd made it would easily be the best of the year so far. Only because we as viewers have limited memory to store a few classics by each filmmaker, unfortunately Anderson's last few films have been slightly overlooked.

...but I just can't hack it anymore. His last three films have all been increasingly tedious. Best I can describe them is as a slog. Yes there is whimsy and great camera work and attention to detail, but the soul (always so present in his early work) is entirely gone. I'm really hoping he has a return to form and brings us something close to the mastery of what came before, or his last great film Grand Budapest, but I fear he is only going further down his ornate, soulless rabbit hole. It has its moments, but if you have felt, as I have, that is past few films have been a bit of a chore, you will be itching for the end credits.

This is a gloriously mad film from beginning to end.

Personally I laughed a lot and really enjoyed it, but it will definitely leave many people cold. There's no point to it, you won't be enriched, the plot never really becomes clear, and none of the characters is really sympathetic.

It felt very like a Monty Python film to me - absurdism, unexpected shifts, weird motifs, and recurrent dream sequences highly reminiscent of Terry Gilliam's cartoon interludes. And it's almost as silly.

An incredible cast of actors is reduced to a series of bit-part cameos, which should be annoying, but I couldn't help thinking that it was probably enormous fun to make. And Bill Murray as God is without doubt one of my favourite ever bits of casting. The Tom Hanks and Bryan Cranston double act is a total hoot.

So I certainly can't recommend it to everyone, but I will definitely recommend it to people who I think will get it. And l'll probably be wrong. The world needs more weirdness like this, to counterbalance the weirdness that matters. Enjoy.

I went into this movie not knowing exactly what to expect, but I came out pleasantly surprised. First off, the cinematography is absolutely beautiful-there are a few scenes that genuinely made me pause and appreciate how well everything was framed and lit. The pacing was just right for me, and it kept me interested from beginning to end without dragging.

The characters were actually one of the best parts. They felt real, not overly dramatic or exaggerated. You could really connect with their motivations and emotions, which made the story that much more impactful. I found myself rooting for some, questioning others, and overall just really invested in their journey.

Plot-wise, it had a good balance of drama, tension, and some lighter moments. It wasn't overly complex, but it had just enough twists to keep things interesting without feeling forced.

Overall, I really enjoyed the experience. It's one of those movies that sticks with you a little bit after the credits roll. Definitely worth a watch!