The Criterion Collection Release of Wes Anderson’s first movie, Bottle Rocket (which Owen Wilson & Wes Anderson wrote together) was one of the most exciting DVD releases of my life, partly because Bottle Rocket’s original cover was one of the most horrendous I have ever seen:
When I learned Ian Dingman (remember when we interviewed him?) would be doing the cover art for the Criterion Collection, I knew that Bottle Rocket would finally get the justice it deserved. And now that I’ve seen the work in real life, I am more than satisfied.
One reason I love this DVD so much is because my FAVORITE part of the film, when Dignan (Owen Wilson) shows off his “75-Year Plan” after Anthony (Luke Wilson) gets out of the mental hospital and they decide to pursue a life of crime, is an intricate part of the specialness of the Criterion Collection:
The DVD insert is both the “notebook” describing the 75-Year Plan as well as the DVD booklet, containing credits, little essays by the likes of Martin Scorsese, and extra drawings matching those in the movie, such as Andrew’s doodle of Inez and a map for their bookstore robbery.
Besides the booklet and the inside and outside of the DVD cover, Ian Dingman has drawn fabulous images for all the on-screen DVD menu pages.
The DVD itself has lots of special features and footage, like the original black and white short that started the whole thing. The DVD commentary is a bit of a bust (Wes Anderson & Owen Wilson can’t seem to remember anything about the film, but it’s entertaining enough if you’re a big fan), but the Making Of feature is pretty informative, and really gets into how these nobody-boys ended up making a movie that… failed miserably, but later became a kind of cult classic and started the careers of some great writers (Wes & Owen), a director (Wes), and actors (Owen, Luke, Andrew — the three Wilson brothers who all appear in the film).
Further Info:
on Amazon.com ($35)
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
8 Responses for "Bottle Rocket: Criterion Collection w/Ian Dingman"
CONFESSION: Eons ago, I didn’t want to watch Bottle Rocket, because the original movie case is so hideous. I am lame.
I know. ME EITHER! And then when I saw it, I realized what a SHAME that was.
I am so glad that I can proudly recommend the movie now!
This makes me want to crawl back to Cornell and watch all the Wes Anderson movies in a row!
You wouldn’t even have to crawl back to Cornell to watch all of the Wes Anderson movies in a row!
But then she couldn’t work in a way to let everyone know she went to cornell in a completely unrelated topic.
hahaha Gah. it might sound like that, but a few people who haunt this blog know angelica from cornell. i think her comment was related to an event or memory her friends who come here would know about.
yes, Gah. my love of wes anderson developed at cornell, thanks to a certain boy named allen strickland williams. allen, you’re the best!
[...] has just gotten a new banner from one of my favorite artists, Ian Dingman, who also designed the Criterion Collection art for Bottle Rocket, and who we once interviewed with great gusto here on [...]
Leave a reply