Owen Wilson Movie:

		List Price: $39.95		Label: Criterion Collection Salesrank: 5934 Released: December 16, 2008
		Our Price: $24.56
		Used Price: $28.93
		MPAA Rating: R (Restricted) Media: Blu-ray

Editorial Review:
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 South American 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.

DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL BLU-RAY EDITION FEATURES:
New, restored high-definition digital transfer supervised and approved by director Wes Anderson and director of photography Robert Yeoman
DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack
Commentary by director/co-writer Anderson and co-writer/star 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
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by executive producer James L. Brooks, an appreciation by Martin Scorsese, and original artwork by Ian Dingman

Description of Bottle Rocket: The Criterion Collection [Blu-ray]:
This quietly daffy comedy should have been an indie hit, but ended up ignored by audiences. Too bad; it's a wonderfully sustained caper movie about friends whose career choice is all wrong. Low-key Anthony (Luke Wilson) and high-strung Dignan (Owen C. Wilson--the two actors are brothers) are brought into a life of crime by Dignan's ambition to be a small-time thief. After a few amusingly laid-back trial burglaries, they (and a third buddy) find themselves over their heads when they hook up with an experienced crime boss (James Caan). Because this movie is so relentlessly deadpan, you really have to be dialed in to its brand of humor--but once there, Bottle Rocket shoots off plenty of sparks. Above all, Owen Wilson's portrayal of Dignan is a terrifically original comic creation; Dignan is so sincerely focused on his goals that he can't see how completely absurd his ideas are. Owen Wilson, who went on to supply similarly knuckle-headed performances in Armageddon and Permanent Midnight, wrote the screenplay with director Wes Anderson. --Robert Horton

Bottle Rocket: The Criterion Collection [Blu-ray] Reviews:
A nostalgic start
2009-07-18 - Bottle Rocket - Criterion Collection
This is a must-have for all indie film lovers! This is a beautiful and masterfully written story, a brilliant start for both Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson. As his first acting role, I feel like Owen Wilson was more genuine and close to this character than he ever has been. There is a lot of Dignan in Owen, and a lot of Owen in Dignan. He's charming and such a wonderful and lovable character, in a kind of "lost puppydog" way. The story is truly unique with a cast full of wonderful characters and unforgettable scenery and situations that will have you laughing until you are in tears. It's easy to get lost in the world of Bottle Rocket, and the Criterion Collection is just another great way to do that. This is a must-have for any collection, and especially for Owen Wilson fans that want to see how it all started!

Blueraine // Owenation

Bob Mapplethorpe, potential get-away driver: GO!
2009-04-17 - To this day this is still one of my favorite movies. I saw this on VHS originally in high school around 1996, when my buddy brought a copy over. I knew I liked it and later re-discovered it again a few years later and have since been a big Wes Anderson fan.

Bottle Rocket creates a world where low level crime seems appealing. "A life of crime does pay". Dignan plays a great ringleader of the gang with his odd, quirky behavior. His brother Anthony plays the level headed character who falls in love with a girl, Inez, under unusual circumstances. It's cool to watch the chemistry between brother Luke and Owen in their acting debut. The criterion addition also includes the original 13 minute black and white short which was a nice addition.

Great cinematography and music produced by Mark Mothersbaugh compliment the film very well. This is the movie that introduced me to the band "Love" as well as a host of others. Bottle Rocket's laid back breezy approach to crime is always a joy to watch.





Wes Anderson Lights the Fuse
2009-03-17 - The perfection of Wes Anderson's first film Bottle Rocket might lie in the fact that is isn't, and wasn't necessarily intended to be, a perfect film. Anderson tried to make perfect films later on (he failed with The Royal Tenenbaums, but came as close as any director can come with Rushmore), yet nothing he's done since has been as oddly affecting as his debut feature.

Part of the desperate charm of this "little" film can be attributed to its convoluted origins: the 13-minute short (directed by Anderson and co-written with college friend Owen Wilson) premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and attracted certain appropriate, important people. Despite the subsequent involvement, and unflagging endorsement of James L. Brooks (The Simpsons), the final script needed more time in the oven and more than a little TLC to get it ready for the big screen.

Despite the cast and crew's understandable confidence in what they ended up with, the initial test screenings were catastrophic, and Sundance inexplicably refused the full-length version of the film it had previously championed. Disillusioned but not defeated, Anderson and Wilson went back to the drawing board and (wisely) rewrote and reshot the entire beginning of the film. Their perseverance paid off. What could (and would) have, at best, been hailed (and/or discarded) as a cute, quirky effort instead arrived---after several years and more than a handful of detours---as a polished product, and a damn near perfect film.

All of that back-story is essential in order to properly appraise the not exactly auspicious evolution of this film. It also serves as (yet another) case study of how even the feel-good, left-field success stories are often only the final step in an arduous, sometimes painful artistic process. More importantly, the evidence of these two friends' unflappable natures underscores how their project came to fruition, and where the eccentric energy permeating the movie derives from.

Since lightning won't strike in the same place twice, it was a wonderful, albeit necessary happenstance that a first time director was working with a first time script with first time actors. Part of the innocent seduction people talk about when they talk about how they fell for this film is in no small part due to these aforementioned circumstances. In short, this balance of earnestness and ambition could never be duplicated by a veteran who has lived through the meat-grinding process of making a movie.

Now that Bottle Rocket is getting the Criterion Collection treatment, its status is officially elevated from cult-following to sanctified. Given its complicated history and the fact that it almost failed to make it out of the starting gate, what can we say, today, to elucidate how it (almost) flopped, and why it endures? Here is Martin Scorsese (taken from the DVD booklet, quoted from an appreciation of Anderson he wrote for Esquire in 2000): "A picture without a trace of cynicism that obviously grew out of its director's affection for his characters in particular and for people in general. A rarity." Bottle Rocket is indeed a rare type of movie: unimprovable casting, impeccable soundtrack (Anderson's first fruitful collaboration with the amazing Mark Mothersbaugh), and the creation of a world that is at once disarmingly peculiar and utterly unique.

And the plot? Well...that may explain why a majority of the movie's first viewers walked out of the theaters. And it certainly explains the typical, and predictable, critical indifference that the film generally received. The plot, such as it is, involves an increasingly outlandish series of escapades, masterminded by Dignan, the ringleader who is all heart and not exactly what one would call a masterful mind. But the plot (as, I would argue, is so often the case with some of our more influential, if unappreciated film and fiction) is mostly a delivery device for the characters.

And, as is the case with all Wes Anderson's films, the characters are a delivery device for the Wes Anderson aesthetic. This sensibility was still fresh and unfettered at this stage, and its propensity for preciousness, while for the most part deftly avoided in Rushmore, is in full effect throughout The Royal Tenenbaums. Bottle Rocket is, to be certain, very much a statement of purpose and a signal of things to come, just as Christopher Nolan's Following--for instance---is replete with images and obsessions that would come to the fore in his brilliant follow-up, Memento.

In the film's opening scene, Anthony (the almost indescribably likeable Luke Wilson) is ending his voluntary stay at a mental hospital, and his doctor admonishes him "don't try to save everyone." Enter Dignan, his best friend and imminent partner in crime. Dignan has been convinced (or has convinced himself) that he is helping bust Anthony out, and Anthony willingly plays along. While on the bus ride back home, we see the "75-Year Plan" Dignan has drawn up for them---a detailed exercise that is, like its author, at once endearing and exasperating.

Dignan's immediate mission is to prove that crime does pay, and the moment they return, they go to work. Their first heist, a robbery, is a success, albeit a quick one that yields a rather underwhelming bounty. Nevertheless, Anthony is caught up in the excitement, until he realizes that Dignan helped himself to his mother's earrings, which were strictly off limits. And at this point the viewer understands that all they did was "rob" Anthony's parents' house. These small-time hoods, it seems, aren't quite equipped to leave their own `hood.

After they recruit their other friend (the impeccably named Bob Mapplethorpe) as a getaway driver---a role he is ideally qualified to perform, as he is the only one of them who owns a car---they knock off the local bookstore. Another success and, in Dignan's romanticized depiction, they are henceforth "on the run from Johnny Law." Whether they are exactly wanted men is, at this point, a dubious proposition, but off they go, regardless.

Of course, when they pass a fireworks stand on their way out of town, they immediately pull over to load up on bottle rockets. While this scene obviously gives the movie its title, it also provides its theme: these young men are clearly not ready (or willing) to embrace adulthood, so they engage in what they perceive---from watching too many movies---to be dangerous, authentic activities, yet they can't resist the urge to stop when they see a chance to buy firecrackers. This scene also provides one of the many masterful Andersonian touches that subtly conveys the innocence and absurdity of their adventure. Firing bottle rockets out of a moving car is not exactly the ideal way to avoid detection, just like Dignan's subsequent vision of matching yellow jumpsuits for their penultimate gig is...not quite the signal of an advanced criminal acumen.

Getting back to the issue of plot, it is never much in question that these rascals will fail in their quest to become legitimate thieves, it is only a matter of how spectacularly they will flame out (and for those who have not seen the movie, the denouement is at once appropriately over-the-top and indelible). But the actual payoff is all about the journey, and the somewhat refreshing resolution of lessons not necessarily learned.

Through their experiences, Bob manages to reconnect, however tentatively, with his bullying older brother. Anthony happens to meet the woman of his dreams, in a whirlwind courtship that manages, against all probability, to unfold in a fashion that is convincing and tender. Most significantly, Dignan comes closer to achieving, or at least understanding, his destiny. Or does he? He may not be in a different place by the time the action ends, but the viewer definitely is.

How does this happen? One explanation is that different viewers of this film could come up with any number of different scenes that encapsulate the entire story. And each person, each scene, would be the right one. An example: as they plan the make-or-break heist, while Dignan reviews his painstakingly prepared notes, Anthony completes, with an artistic sort of absentmindedness, a flip book of a figure poll vaulting (which, in its way, is equally painstakingly prepared). Genius in movies lies in the details, and the details in this extremely short scene are immaculate. Dignan with coat and tie, signifying he is in full business mode, albeit with his horrific white athletic socks---the ultimate not-ready-for-primetime oversight. Anthony, listening patiently while Dignan checks off his list, right there by his friend's side, but not entirely there. These few moments crystallize their personalities, and the dynamic of their very genuine friendship, in ways it would take dozens of pages in a very good book to convey.

Later, after the heist has gone predictably, hysterically astray, the cohorts visit Dignan at the state penitentiary, where he has traded in his yellow jumpsuit for a white prisoner's model. A moment follows that hits the trifecta for writing, acting and directing: Dignan pulls out a pile of belt buckles he has handcrafted and offers them around. It turns out the other, absent, accomplices (including Mr. Henry, played by tough-guy extraordinaire James Caan) whom he made buckles for might be partially responsible for landing him in jail, but he shrugs his shoulders and says there are no hard feelings. There has never been a character like Dignan in any movie, before or since.

That this restored high definition transfer is now available amounts to a win/win for fans or would-be first time viewers: anyone not yet convinced can likely pick up an older version of the DVD dirt cheap; repeat customers can treat themselves to an upgrade that truly looks and sounds stellar--an obvious technical improvement on the original.

And then there's the bonus material. The film has commentary provided by Anderson and Owen Wilson; they are both exceedingly soft-spoken and humble about their collective accomplishments, but their insights are, well, insightful. Suffice it to say, Anderson (and/or Wilson) aficionados will want to savor this stuff.

Sample nugget: Owen initially resisted the idea of playing the role he helped write, because he didn't feel he was "legit"; fortunately for everyone, Anderson was able to convince him otherwise. The bonus disc offers everything from a making-of documentary (including hilarious input from most of the cast, including James Caan), behind-the-scenes photos taken by sister Laura Wilson (this project truly keeps it all in the family!) and, above all, the original 13-minute short film, from 1992, that first lit the fuse.

[..]


How a test screening failure, commercially unsuccesful film became one of the top cult films of all time!
2009-03-13 - "BOTTLE ROCKET" is most definitely a hilarious but yet an insanely awkward film that just sticks in your head because of how wild and crazy it is.

Released in 1996, the film would be the directorial debut for Wes Anderson ("RUSHMORE", "THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS", "Life Aquatic with Steve Zizzou") and the debut of the Wilson brothers: Owen Wilson (Co-writer) and Luke Wilson (plus brother Andrew) and Robert Musgrave who all grew up together in Texas.

Back in 1992, the first initial concept of "BOTTLE ROCKET" was shot in 16mm film on B&W after the group was able to raise about $4,000 and raise more money and eventually have the 13 minutes extra to have a short film and submit it to the Sundance Film Festival in 1994.

After being screened for the festival, the film was able to attract a few producers who were willing to invest in making "BOTTLE ROCKET" to a full-length film and thus, Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson had their first major opportunity.

As the story goes, the film did terrible in its first test screening which shocked everyone. The film then had its final released cut which then was released in theaters in 1996 and the film bombed. In fact, to everyone's surprie, the film couldn't even get screened at Sundance (where the short film version was able to be screened years prior).

But there were many people who loved the film and for critics, it was a critically acclaimed film that some critics were quite passionate about such as the LA Times (blasting Sundance Film Festival for not screening it) and then followed by director Martin Scorsese calling it one of his favorite films in the 1990's, the film reached cult-status.

Flash forward 12 years later and with three of Wes Anderson's films released on THE CRITERION COLLECTION on DVD, what an awesome way to kick off THE CRITERION COLLECTION's entry to Blu-ray in Dec. 2008 with the release of "BOTTLE ROCKET", Anderson's first film.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

THE CRITERION COLLECTION is all about gathering the greatest films around the world and publish them in the highest technical quality but the focus is to present the film the way the original director intended. For film fans, THE CRITERION COLLECTION is known for its quality and rarely do fans question the releases, the releases are embraced as fans are introduced to important classics or contemporary films.

For "BOTTLE ROCKET", the film is presented in its original aspect ration of 1:85:1. The film's presentation was supervised and approved by Wes Anderson and the Director of Photography Robert Yeoman. The high definition transfer was scanned on a Spirit 2K Datacine from a 35mm interpositive and thousands of instances of dirt, debris and scratches were removed using the MTI Digital Resotration System and Pixel Farm's PFClean.

The video quality of this film looks great especially for a film created in the early to mid-90's. Typically films released on Blu-ray during these years have been clean but have this softness effect where the vibrancy of the colors are not as beautiful as I would like it to be. With "BOTTLE ROCKET", the film had many outdoor scenes and literally from the red's to the blues and greens and the yellow jumpsuit that the guys wear, these colors are vibrant in Blu-ray HD.

As for audio, audio was mastered at 24-bit from the original magnetic tracks and audio restoration tools were used to reduce clicks, pops, hiss and crackle. The film is primarily a dialogue based film, thus a lot of the audio is coming from your front channel speakers. There are scenes with gunshots and music that come out quite live on your home theater channels but the film is primarily a dialogue-based film.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

For the special features, the following are included:

* AUDIO COMMENTARY - A commentary featuring Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson. The commentary is not more on the filmmaking perspective but more of nostalgia as the guys talk about memories of people they worked with, areas they shot and how some of the people on the crew have moved on to bigger things.
* THE MAKING OF "BOTTLE ROCKET" - A featurette with interviews with Wes Anderson, the Owens brothers, James Caan, Kumar Pallana, the producers and more. You learn a lot about the behind-the-scenes of the film from creating the short film, Sundance, how the test screening was a bomb, how the film was not a commercial success but became a cult hit and much more. Great insight on the actors about being part of the job, how they were able to get James Caan for the film and how the producers felt about the talent at the time. A fun and informative documentary by filmmaker Barry Braverman.
* The Bottle Rocket Shorts - The actual 13-minute B&W short film that was created back in 1992.
* Storyboards - Wes Anderson's original storyboards and sketches for the film.
* Anamorphic Test - Anamorphic test shots of several scenes from the film and how Anderson originally planned to shoot the film in widescreen Panavision. Test shots.
* "The Shafrazi Lectures, No. 1 Bottle Rocket" - A guy who is reviewing the film and talking about why he loved it.
* "Murita Cycles" - A Short film created Barry Braverman (friend and collaborator for Anderson and the Wilson family) about his father, a Staten Island bicycle shop owner which inspired the guys to create "BOTTLE ROCKET".
* Behind-the-Scenes Photograps by Laura Wilson - The Wilson brothers also had a talented mother who is a photographer that took pictures of Wes, Owen and Luke during the planning stages of the film and also at Sundance.
* Deleted Scenes - There were a quite a number of scenes that were cut and eleven featured on the disc. Scenes that would have explained how "Futureman" got his name, what Dignan and Applejack were up to when they went to by Bob's place, another scene of how the pot was found in Bob's home and much, much more.

Also included is a booklet that features an appreciation by director Martin Scorsese (which is a tribute that appeared in the March 2000 issue of ESQUIRE Magazine), an essay book by executive producer James L. Brooks (written as an introduction to the "RUSHMORE" screenplay published in 1999) which really goes into detail of how "BOTTLE ROCKET" was created and things that happened behind-the-scenes not mentioned on the special features and artwork by Ian Dingman.

JUDGMENT CALL:

"BOTTLE ROCKET" is just an amazing, awkward and hilarious film. Forget about the "Oceans #" type of films that try to bring comedy to heist films, BOTTLE ROCKET" was special because it came from these young people who were not known at the time but their vision of filmmaking and storytelling just sticks into your mind.

You know that feeling about pulling a prank that got a lot of laughs during your younger years and you remember it to this day. This is how I felt about certain scenes from "BOTTLE ROCKET". There were a lot of humor that was not meant to be taken in as a joke but for these characters of Dignan, Anthony and Bob, you can't help but be entertained and laugh.

From memorable scenes of the group putting tape on top of their noses before their heist, to how rob the bookstore but at the same time, those being held hostage just look at them as non-dangerous and almost humorous (despite Dignan carrying a gun).

And then scenes of love as Anthony falls for this woman who can't speak any English and goes where she goes as she cleans each hotel room and just falls in love. And his far out drawings of his love for Inez.

And also the team assembled by Dignan for their major heist. One would think, why he would select really old men (especially one who had some major memory loss issues) to bring with him for a major robbery? But you realize it's Dignan and you just accept his approach to pulling of a heist and enjoy the ride.

There are many of these moments in the film that you just think back and just be amazed of how much of those type of scenes were included. Wes Anderson and Owen Williams are just an amazing duo and although at the time, they were not known in the industry, it just showed you how much potential these guys had when they first emerged and eventually they would go on to have successful careers making many more films together.

As for the Blu-ray disc, again, THE CRITERION COLLECTION manages to pull of another wonderful release. Wonderful picture quality that is vibrant in colors and again, I've reviewed many major films released in the early and mid-90's and although cleaned up, never have the vibrancy or sharpness but this softness that always bugged me. This was not the case of "BOTTLE ROCKET", the film looks great!

And the amount of special features and also the booklet that really help enhance one's appreciation for the film. You wouldn't expect anything less from CRITERION and sure enough, they delivered.

"BOTTLE ROCKET" is a fun, hilarious and well-written film that is so different from any film that has come out. It's not a moronic film, nor is it a serious heist film. It's just a film that is just all-out fun and one can understand why it has become a popular cult film.

Highly recommended!

Bottle Rocket - limited appeal
2009-02-01 - I am a fan of a wide range of movies, including "cult" films of many genres. I am biased to think that movies in the criterion collection are usually good to exceptional. In this case I was disappointed. I imagine that there are some who will disagree and see this as a well executed film and as a clever statement for our times (it probably is, but that wasn't enough) but I think that it was just a waste of time to watch.