Oh Natalie Portman Naked...

These viewings were on previous dates:
Hotel Chevalier(dir. Wes Anderson)
*** out of ****
Hotel Chevalier(dir. Wes Anderson)[rewatch]
*** out of ****
Today:
Hotel Chevalier(dir. Wes Anderson)[2nd rewatch]
It all really comes down to dialogue and aesthetics with this since it's set in a hotel room, it's only 13 minutes long, and well, it's by Wes Anderson. The dialogue isn't so strong in this one. A line like "I'll make sure we will never be friends" is mean-spirited and is rather poorly conceived. Portman is able to deliver her lines fine, but Schwartman struggles most likely due to some poorly written lines. He's not exactly a great actor to begin with so maybe the problem lies with his performance instead of the dialogue. Wes's camera gazes at objects in a fetishistic way creating a nostalgic sensation with a hint of sadness. He definitely has a profound ability in creating a sense of setting even if the setting basically looks like a stylishly decorated set. While I don't want to jump on the anti-Wes bandwagon that seems to be gathering new converts by the second, the slow motion shot in this film serves little purpose other than to ogle Portman's nude ass. It's difficult to find another reason for it other than that and Wes feeling the need to have it in there to please his fans with a trademark since it doesn't really underline anything emotionally given the film's brief duration. When I started this review, I was going to give it **1/2 on this viewing, but now I came around and am going to give it *** instead. It's definitely his weakest work so far and hopefully, it stays that way. I really hope The Darjeeling Limited is good.
*** out of ****