Close-ups: Wes Anderson

Close-Ups #1

by Sophie Monks Kaufman

The indispensable, illustrated pocket guide to the films of Wes Anderson, from Bottle Rocket to Isle of Dogs.

See movies through a new lens with Close-Ups, a series of pocket guides from the award-winning film magazine Little White Lies.

Wes Anderson is a distinctive auteur of modern American cinema, known for having created a personal universe out of pastel colour palettes, meticulous set design, nostalgic soundtracks and a troupe of familiar actors – all seen in films such as Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Grand Budapest Hotel and Isle of Dogs.

In this illustrated pocket guide Sophie Monks Kaufman delves beneath Anderson’s pristine surfaces to examine his emotional preoccupations with family, romance, failure, adventure and death. She carefully unspools the cultural threads that inform his aesthetic to explain why this precocious arthouse film nerd from Texas has become one of the most popular directors of his generation.

Genres: Nonfiction, Film, Media Tie In, Art

224 pages, Paperback

First published November 15, 2018

Reviews

[levi · Rating 4 out of 5]

started tearing up on the train when i first started reading this because i love wes anderson so much. a very short but sweet book about his world. felt like reading a video essay. great for reference, i could easily revisit this in the future - it both articulated some of my own feelings and taught me new things! i also loved the brush pen illustrations throughout :) needed another proof read through for grammar typos though lol

[Glendon Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The thing about seeing despair rendered on screen is that, conversely, it offers hope. If you have ever felt a crushing sense of life's improbability then seeing that state given full-guns-blazing cinema treatment reminds you that you're still connected to humanity, because art is made by humans."

Kaufman doesn't offer many radical new insights - after all, this is a brief pocketbook- but what she does offer is a succinct overview of Wes Anderson's core themes and ideas. This is a fantastic starter for literary criticism on Anderson, featuring a long list of other suggested materials and also a brief breakdown of some of Anderson's influences. Kaufman also does a great job at breaking down the often complex emotionality of Anderson's work into really digestible elements. You can get the broad strokes of it just be going through Anderson's canon, but it's nice to have it all accessibly written down like this.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wes Anderson is one of my favourite directors and when I saw this at work I knew I had to read it.
Any fans of Wes Anderson must read this. Sophie Monks Kaufman selects recurring themes in Anderson's work and analyses them in relation to each other, Wes Anderson himself and larger pop culture. The book is also accompanied by illustrations relating to Anderson's work. This was such an enjoyable read.

[celia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me ha hecho pensar muchísimo, y eso unido a hablar de Wes Anderson es literalmente mi combinación favorita.

[Ashley Choo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful love letter to some of my favourite movies.

[Carolina Urquidy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hay mucho amor, respeto, admiración y curiosidad en el trabajo se Wes, y la escritora lo transmite muy bien. Fue muy lindo leer las palabras que una fan y como analiza la obra desde varios temas importantes en las películas de Wes, en las que hay más que escenas bonitas. Sin duda me hace que disfrute mucho las películas

[Gal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A highly enjoyable book for Wes Anderson's films lovers

[Rita Mastbaum · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love wes anderson sm

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

i want to give it 3.5, 3 doesn’t feel enough but 4 is too many

v nice easy read about some of my fave films :)

[Beka Hanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun illustrations and just kinda.. fantastical.

[Jared Watterworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well thought out pocket guide, analyzing the films of Wes Anderson. Some thoughts and ideas I felt were a bit boring, but overall Sophie does a great job exploring his world.

Think the epilogue speaks volumes.

[Eduarda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally the perfect pocket book to help me deepen my understanding of Wes's outstanding aesthetic art.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed hearing a fans recollection of the work of someonenshe admired. It helped me appreciate the work more so to feel the admiration so lovingly given.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I share the writers love for Wes Anderson films do this was a no brainer and easy read.
I did feel like it was a little disjointed though and could have delved a bit more. There were lots of sections within the chapters that just as they were getting interesting, or felt like the author was trying to delve deeper, or provide answers, kind of suddenly ended. And then the next section would start with little to no relevance to the one before, leaving me a little underwhelmed.
It was good and well researched and the author clearly has put a lot into this. Just felt like there could have been more to it. But then maybe it would have been too academic.
The drawings were cool and Wes-esque.

[Amy Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall an interesting and relaxing read. Kaufman presents us with new references and film reccomendations that help us to understand the inspiration behind Anderson's works, whilst still keeping her language simple and enjoyable to read. I wasn't a big fan of the illustration style and felt they added nothing to the book other than simplicity. However, if the objective was to have illustrations that make you want to focus on the text; they were effective.

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Wes is more interested in building worlds than in laying bare his own one – which isn’t to say that he lacks emotional depths, rather that he camouflages those depths within a bigger picture, never dialing back his theatrical style to expose something naked and quivering."

Excerpt From: "Wes Anderson (Close-Ups, Book 1)" by Sophie Monks Kaufman.

Finished this while The French Dispatch was premiering at Cannes and it lessened the blow of not being there myself like 2%.

[elliepe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ενδιαφέρουσα, αν και αρκετά αυτοαναφορική, έρευνα για τη διαδικασία πίσω από την παραγωγή εμβληματικών εικόνων. Αναφέρεται μεν, αλλά αποσπασματικά, στην προσοχή στη λεπτομέρεια, τη *φροντίδα* που χαρακτηρίζει το έργο του Wes Anderson.

Random συνοδευτική σκέψή: Αξίζει να μελετηθεί ο τρόπος με τον οποίο ο Anderson αγγίζει, επεξεργάζεται, διασχίζει διαφορετικά εκφραστικά είδη (λογοτεχνία, περιοδικό τύπο, ντοκιμαντέρ, κα) χρησιμοποιώντας το σινεμά ως ενοποιητική βάση.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really readable, relatable and personal overview of Wes' work up to and including Isle of Dogs. I love that the author Sophie Monks Kaufman makes herself a part of the discussion - not intrusively, but in a way that validates her readings and responses to the films. Her enthusiasm for Anderson as a filmmaker and an artist informs her insightful writing on his work.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aside from some TMI on the part of the author (the unnecessary personal stories in an attempt to set themselves aside from every single Wes Anderson fan who has had the exact same moments she shares), this was a worthy and fun read.

[Steph – BookSirens ‘R’ Us · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, what a wonderful book to have for any film fan, let alone Wes Anderson fanatic. Full of info and illustrations, it’s quite simply a must-have! I’ve adored Little White Lies (magazine) from its early days, and this was just a spectacular treat from them.

[Klaudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Książka, która zawiera wszystko, czego brakowało pozostałej literaturze o tej tematyce.

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very thin analysis.

[Mira · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and lovely read all about Wes Anderson and his films. Possibly a little light for the hardcore fans and movie buffs this is a sweet love letter to Anderson's oeuvre.

[Eef · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting view

[Angela Brooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting examination of Wes Anderson movies.

[Katrina Feraco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Endeared me further to a director whose art means a tremendous amount to me.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It was a beautiful love letter to Wes Anderson. It was fun to learn more about the details of his film-making process. I listened to the audiobook and it was really nice. I have watched almost all of Wes Anderson's films. This book provides a bunch of ideas, inspirations and information relevant to the film-maker. I wasn't as jazzed about all the other movie/book references. It's great if you have read/watched them or hear but harder to follow if you haven't. I definitely believe there should be more books read about Wes Anderson's work. This is a great start!

[El]

for music 464w - a lovely little book and ode to the joy, pain, and beauty of wes anderson films.

[Gala :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I forgot to say i finished this and it was so wonderful bc i love Wes i love cinema and i love reading about other people connecting to art i love. Yeah it was so so special.

[Thibault · Rating 2 out of 5]

You either have to be a movie critic, studied film or be an elitist to really like this. I am none.