Attack Of The Auteurs

It's been a pretty dismal year so far, cinematically. But things are looking up. Three of our younger, more talented writer-directors have films coming out.

Today sees the relase of David O. Russell's I [heart symbol] Huckabees. I liked Russell's Spanking The Monkey (1994) and thought Flirting With Disaster (1996) was superb. He stumbled, though, with Three Kings (1999), even though that film has been insanely overpraised in some quarters. (I've also heard the best stuff came from the original John Ridley script, but can't confirm that.)

So far, the reviews of Huckabees have not been great, but that doesn't bother me. Strong vision often creates divided critical reaction.

And sometimes it doesn't: the early word on Alexander Payne's latest, Sideways, is it's a near masterpiece. To be honest, the plot--two old pals go on a wine-drinking trip and explore their failed relationships--doesn't sound compelling. But it's what you do with the story that counts.

Payne has done fine work such as Citizen Ruth (1996) and Election (1999). I was less impressed with his becalmed About Schmidt (2002), but even that showed clear talent. Sideways should be out in a few weeks.

A bit later, we'll get Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou. Anderson knocked me out with his feature debut, Bottle Rocket (1996). Since then, his films (Rushmore (1998) and The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)) have been a bit cutesy, but undeniably filled with great imagination. He also has pretty cool taste in music.

The Life Aquatic appears to be a weird comedy starring Bill Murray as some sort of Jacques Cousteau character. Whether it's a classic or a classic miscalculation, I'll be there opening night.