Wes Anderson's new film was financed by Studio Babelsberg and filmed entirely in Germany, a sign that the bobos have decided definitively on imagining Berlin as the locale for the next Belle Époque.  In this 100 minute matryoshka doll chase story of empty and problematic archetypes Willem Dafoe plays the Nazi sociopath, Jeff Goldblum plays the pragmatic Jew and Ralph Fiennes and Tony Revolori play the cultivated and civilized white European male and the brown comedic sidekick, respectively.  Going into nationalities, Fiennes is the only foreigner in this lineup.  That Revolori plays the foreigner character and is of Guatemalan descent simply adds another movie to the long list of movies where any shade of brown actor = any shade of brown character necessary to make a joke work.  The twelve women of the story, played by Tilda Swinton, Saoirse Ronan, Giselda Volodi and Léa Seydoux in the only speaking roles, are mostly scenery pieces to support the flimsy and violent male fantasy this film takes viewers on and three of the four (*spoiler alert) die at the hands of men.

***I must interrupt now to tell you that I just overheard someone say that Suckerpunch was "literally the worst movie ever made, but has a cool soundtrack."  Why are people allowed to speak?****

So I was talking about bobos and Berlin.  Anderson has been leading the bobos by the eye and ear to the cutting edge of uppermiddleclass fashion, music and kitch since Rushmore and he's showing no signs of stopping now.  GBH, although lacking in his traditional whoa I love this Rolling Stones song soundtrack style, has all the trimmings for his future and destined job as a fashion and architecture photographer working for Banana Republic and side gig as a pinterest blogger/cool hunter.  If you want to know what music, espresso drink, clothes, food and or sexual orientation is up and coming, Berlin and Anderson can tell you.  If you want to know what 100 minutes of me guphawing at typical Hollywood appropriation sounds like, you missed your chance, cuz I'm only watching GBH once.


-PW