I think it's one of my favorite films of all time.

I saw Hotel Chevalier several times (and loved it) before seeing The Darjeeling Limited on Wednesday. Then on Thursday night I saw The Royal Tenenbaums and Rushmore back-to-back at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica.

I bought Tenenbaums on VHS years ago but never got around to watching it. Rushmore was my first Wes Anderson film (seen on DVD) and I loved it. I'm glad I finally watched Tenenbaums as I noticed all the connections between his films, but it's my least favorite. I just couldn't get into the characters. I've only seen pieces of Life Aquatic and rented Bottle Rocket but only saw a few minutes of it.

I saw The Darjeeling Limited again today wondering if I'd find anything wrong with it, but I loved it even more. I can't wait to see it again. The 3 people I saw it with (their first time) liked it as well, and I made them watch Hotel Chevalier beforehand. I would feel bad for anyone who doesn't see Hotel Chevalier before seeing The Darjeeling Limited.

I kind of wish The Darjeeling Limited was Wes Anderson's first film, people might enjoy it more by not comparing it to his prior work.



The following is off-topic, but for me to call The Darjeeling Limited one of my all-time favorite films, you're probably wondering what else I like.

Before the late-90s, I saw maybe 1 or 2 movies a year. Then my girlfriend dumped me and my college roommate introduced me to Chungking Express and watching it over and over again helped me get through that time. Since then I've been watching tons of movies trying to find others that affect me the same way.

I think that movies are personal - whether you like something or not depends on what you know and care about, what you've been through, and what you've seen before. So if I don't care about the story or for the characters I won't like a film even if it's critically acclaimed with great acting, directing, cinematography, etc. I've seen and enjoyed many films that would be considered great, but I don't feel the need to watch them again or own them. Films I love contain characters I love in worlds I would love to experience.

Other all-time favorite films:
Chungking Express
Fallen Angels
Happy Together
Dolls
The Taste of Tea
Survive Style 5+
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
The Squid and the Whale
Punch-Drunk Love
Three: Going Home
Last Life in the Universe

(In other words, I need to travel to New York, Hong Kong, and Japan.)