#5- Rushmore- Wes Anderson- 1998

"You guys have it real easy. I never had it like this where I grew up. But I send my kids here because the fact is you go to one of the best schools in the country: Rushmore. Now, for some of you it doesn't matter. You were born rich and your going to stay rich. But here's my advice to the rest of you: Take dead aim on the rich boys. Get them in the crosshairs and take them down. Just remember, they can buy anything but they can't buy backbone. Don't let them forget it. Thank you."
Wes Anderson is an amazing director and this film was the first of this kind of film that I truly appreciated. Up to this point, my love of film didn't go past action movies and blockbusters and the occasional classic. Then I saw this preview and my young, 8th grade mind saw Bill Murray and a smart mouthed youngin on the previews and said to my dad "Lets see this!" Well, I saw it and was blown away so much that I had no idea wether I liked it or hated it. Well, after a year and waiting and waiting for it to come to VHS, I rented it and discovered I didn't like it or hate it. I loved it.

Wes Anderson has the style that I love the most of any modern director. Its quirky, funny, melancholoy and filled with genius moments. He has a way of working with actors as well. His ensemble spirit is seen in almost every movie, but where Royal T's and Life Aquatic get bogged down with ensemble (not a bad thing, just not the thing I love th ebest about his movies), Wes directs two stunning performances with great support in this film. The two best performances of this film (and in any Wes film) are executed by Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray. Schwartzman (who I believe was 16 during the shooting of this film) plays the fast talking, smart mouthed "genius" Max Fischer who to this day stands as one of my personal anti-heroes. He is actual the class clown and failure as he has too many extra-curricular activities. He befriends a man who gives a speech at his school, Rushmore named Herman Blume (Murray.) Here is yet another genius melancholy Murray role, and the first of his new trend in this style (Lost in Translation, Broken Flowers, Zissou). Fischer falls for a school teacher who donated a book to the library (about Jacque Cousteau) and falls into a strange love triangle between himself, Blume and Ms. Cross.

As most of Wes' works go, they are comedy, but with serious relationship issues and dramatic build-up. As Royal T's is his best drama (but its still riotusly funny), Rushmore is more comedy. For me, the more funny Wes can get, the better (another reason why I love Life Aquatic so much... I think I laughed the most at a movie during LA.) Anyway, his films strike a chord with me so much. I can't wait to see what else he can do as his career is just only ten years old.