Bottle Rocket Blu-ray delivers stunningly beautiful video and great audio in this must-own Blu-ray release
Wes Anderson first illustrated his lovingly detailed, slightly surreal cinematic vision in this
witty and warm portrait of three young middle-class misfits. Fresh out of a mental hospital,
gentle Anthony (Luke Wilson) finds himself once again embroiled in the machinations of his
best friend, elaborate schemer Dignan (Owen Wilson). With the aid of getaway driver Bob
(Robert Musgrave), they develop a needlessly complex, mildly successful plan to rob a small
bookstore—then go “on the lam.” Also featuring Lumi Cavazos as Inez, the housekeeper
Anthony falls in love with, and James Caan as local thief extraordinaire Mr. Henry, Bottle
Rocket is a charming, hilarious, affectionate look at the folly of dreamers. Shot against radiant
southwestern backdrops, it’s the film that put Anderson and the Wilson brothers on the map.
As one of the most unique and gifted directors currently working, Wes Anderson has carved
out a very special artistic niche for his quirky and often strangely emotional films. Mr.
Anderson has developed an exceedingly artistic visual style that pays homage to Stanley
Kubrick, Jean Renoir, François Truffaut as well as French still photographer Jacques Henri
Lartigue, while still maintaining a unique edge and personality all to its own. It may come
as a surprise to some readers that Mr. Anderson is not the product of Hollywood royalty,
rather, he's a self taught film aficionado from the suburbs of Houston. Mr. Anderson's films
have all met with a large amount of critical praise and he is one of the few genuine auteurs
working today. A Wes Anderson film can always be counted on to be visually beautiful,
impeccably written, perfectly scored and filled to the brim with outstanding performances.
His first film, Bottle Rocket, is no exception. Born from his collaboration with fellow
University of Texas student, Owen Wilson, the duo wrote and produced a short film version
of their idea and successfully pitched the film to Columbia pictures. The rest, as they say, is
history. Thanks to the Criterion Collection, the film is now available on Blu-ray in a
spectacular high definition package that, for the first time, allows viewers an early glimpse
at movie-making genius.
Dignan aids Anthony's "escape" from the mental institution
Anthony Adams (Luke Wilson) is your average twenty-something misanthrope. He's bored,
fed up with the expectations of his family and generally burned out on life. As Bottle
Rocket begins, Anthony returns to his hometown, with his sneaky best friend Dignan
(Owen Wilson), after a prolonged stay in a mental institution. Dignan has decided that the
answer to the pair's boredom is to embark on a 75-year plan for successful lives as master
criminals and thieves. Their worrywart friend Bob Mapplethorpe (Robert Musgrave) happily
joins the duo as they conceive their first heist: robbing a bookstore. Dignan is clearly not
the best judge of a ripe target for robbery as the bookstore proves to be unsurprisingly
devoid of cash for them to steal. Convinced they the law is after them after the bungled
heist, the three head out to the middle of nowhere to hide in a border motel. It's there that
Anthony falls for a sweet young maid named Inez (Lumi Cavazos) while the bond between
the three friends begins to deteriorate. As the trio heads their separate ways, Dignan is
convinced that the influence of master thief Mr. Henry (James Caan) will bring the team back
together. But there is more to Mr. Henry than meets the eye.
Bottle Rocket is a sweet, funny and touching film. While much of the action is played
as broad comedy, themes of young love, friendship, alienation and confusion about life run
as a surprisingly rich undercurrent to the film. The film is brilliantly written in such a sly way,
that the movie can play out in different ways with each subsequent viewing. Initially,
Bottle Rocket might come across as slightly silly, but with time, the film's more
emotional core starts to come through. This seems to be a pattern in Wes Anderson's
movies as Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic and
The Darjeeling Limited all have a similar quality of evolving over multiple viewings.
Credit should be given to both Mr. Anderson as well as Owen Wilson (co-writers on
Rushmore, Tenenbaums and Bottle Rocket) for crafting an easy-
going story with such dramatic replay value.
Bottle Rocket is also noteworthy for introducing both Owen and Luke Wilson to
audiences. The brothers were complete unknowns at the time the movie was made and the
film catapulted them both to A-List superstar status. The supporting cast is also wonderfully
eclectic as Wilson and Anderson cast many friends and family members in the film.
Surprisingly, these novice actors all pull together and put in outstanding performances.
Lastly, James Caan, in the mere handful of scenes he occupies, is stellar as the mysterious
Mr. Henry. He seems to play the role as some sort of Sonny Corleone / Steve McQueen
hybrid and manages to supply some of the films most simultaneously dramatic and hilarious
moments.
Bottle Rocket is a truly beautiful film that has never really received much popular
attention. This Criterion Collection edition is a wonderful way to discover a remarkable film
that is too often overlooked. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
As one would expect from the folks at Criterion, Bottle Rocket arrives on Blu-ray
looking better than ever. Framed precisely in the film's original theatrical aspect ratio of
1.85:1 and encoded with AVC Mpeg-4, Bottle Rocket exhibits all the qualities of
projected film. Grain is present and delivered in levels appropriate for a twelve year old
low-budget film. It's never distracting and adds to the movie's remarkable cinematography
from Robert Yeoman. The film also displays rich, vibrant colors and many instances of stark
primary hues used to highlight the moods of the characters. It's a stunning presentation
that could only be possible with Blu-ray's exceptional visual fidelity.
Distracting artifacts are also never an issue with Bottle Rocket. I didn't detect a hint
of edge enhancement, haloes, ringing or any of the normal culprits that detract from the
viewing experience. Black levels are robust and the film displays an exceptional level of
contrast throughout. Image detail is also outstanding with well-defined skin and fabric
elements. The image also displays a great sense of dimensionality and depth of focus. It's
worth noting, that as with every Criterion Collection release, the film's creators were
involved in the transfer process. Both Cinematographer Robert Yeoman and Director Wes
Anderson supervised the newly minted Blu-ray transfer. Therefore, it's doubtful that
Bottle Rocket will ever look better.
Bottle Rocket also benefits on Blu-ray from the inclusion of a fantastic 5.1 DTS HD-
Master Audio soundtrack. Criterion has clearly demonstrated their renowned commitment to
quality by utilizing the best of the best technologies in their initial Blu-ray releases.
Hopefully film fans will rejoice at these technologies being used on lower budget films that
have never had such careful white glove treatment on home video before. As such,
Bottle Rocket is primarily dialogue driven with a nice surround mix of Mark
Mothersbaugh's eclectic score and Mr. Anderson's favorite British Invasion tracks. There's
not a whole lot of surround activity to speak of, but the aforementioned dialogue and music
is presented in a flawless manner. I've stressed on many occasions the importance of
utilizing lossless audio on every release, regardless of action scenes. Bottle Rocket
once again proves this to be true with crisp dialogue and rich, enveloping music. Bottle
Rocket sounds fantastic.
· Commentary by director/co-writer Anderson and co-writer/actor Owen Wilson
· The Making of "Bottle Rocket": an original documentary by filmmaker Barry Braverman
featuring Anderson, James L. Brooks, James Caan, Temple Nash Jr., Kumar Pallana, Polly
Platt, Mark Mothersbaugh, Robert Musgrave, Richard Sakai, David and Sandy Wasco,
Andrew and Luke and Owen Wilson, and Robert Yeoman
· The original thirteen-minute black-and-white Bottle Rocket short film from 1992
· Eleven deleted scenes
· Anamorphic screen test, storyboards, location photos, and behind-the-scenes
photographs by Laura Wilson
· Murita Cycles, a 1978 short film by Braverman
· The Shafrazi Lectures, no. 1: Bottle Rocket
· Booklet featuring an essay by executive producer James L. Brooks, an appreciation by
Martin Scorsese, and original artwork by Ian Dingman
Wow. Criterion has really done a fantastic job with the supplements selected for Bottle
Rocket. Just about every aspect of the film's production is well covered in the set and
the inclusion of the "Making Of" featurette adds a tremendous amount of background to the
film's development. The Wes Anderson / Owen Wilson commentary is informative, funny and
entirely entertaining. It's a definite must for fans of the film. The real prize in this set is the
original black and white Bottle Rocket short film from 1992. It's intriguing to see the
story's transition from idea to the big screen. Wes Anderson's unique visual style is evident
even in this early film, proving his expertise is more than accidental. The remaining features
veer into the area of written critical acclaim with prominent filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese
praising the film and an odd "Shafrazi Lecture" delivered on the film's themes. There are
also a number of interesting deleted scenes included which offer a glimpse at the editing
process and story development for the film. Bottle Rocket fans are bound to be
thrilled with this exemplary set of additional features. Criterion continues to impress!
Bottle Rocket is an exceptional debut film from a startling talent. Wes Anderson has
become one of the most acclaimed directors of his generation and it is a thrill to experience
his debut film with the quality and attention to detail that Blu-ray and Criterion provide. The
film looks marvelous and film-like on Blu-ray with rich colors that showcase the film's
outstanding cinematography from Robert Yeoman. Audio is also well presented in a
fantastic DTS HD-Master Audio 5.1 mix that delivers crystal clear dialogue and robust musical
cues. Supplements are also well thought out with the original 1992 black and white version
of Bottle Rocket as a definitive highlight. I hope that this Criterion release is the
motivation for many people to experience Bottle Rocket for the first time. It's a
remarkable and rewarding film that is sure to become a classic. This Wes Anderson fan is
thrilled to finally see a Wes Anderson film in glorious Blu-ray high definition. Highly
Recommended!
Since the days of Laserdisc, the Criterion Collection has dedicated their efforts to collecting the greatest classic and contemporary films from around the world, and make them available to the general public at the highest quality possible. Today, they release ...
Criterion Collection has announced that they have delayed their first wave of Blu-ray releases by about a month. 'Bottle Rocket', 'Chungking Express', 'The Third Man', and 'The Man Who Fell to Earth' have all been delayed until December 16th, while 'The Last Emperor' ...
