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Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audience Rated by buyers R (Restricted)
Type of bind: Blu-ray
EAN num: 0715515033428
Format: Color, DTS Surround Sound, NTSC, Special Edition, Widescreen
Label: Criterion Collection
Manufacturer: Criterion Collection
Quantity: 1
Publishing house: Criterion Collection
Region Code: 1
Release Date: December 16, 2008
Running Time: 164 minutes
Sale Popularity Level: 2557
Studio: Criterion Collection
Theatrical Release Date: 1996
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
Wes Anderson very first illustrated his lovingly detailed, slightly surreal cinematic vision in this witty and warm portrait of three young middle-class misfits. Fresh out of a mental hospital, gentle Anthony (Luke Wilson) finds himself once again embroiled in the machinations of his best friend, elaborate schemer Dignan (Owen Wilson). With the aid of getaway driver Bob (Robert Musgrave), they develop a needlessly complex, mildly successful plan to rob a small bookstore then go on the lam. Also featuring Lumi Cavazos as Inez, the South American housekeeper Anthony falls in love with, and James Caan as local thief extraordinaire Mr. Henry, Bottle Rocket is a charming, hilarious, affectionate look at the folly of dreamers. Shot against radiant southwestern backdrops, it s the film that put Anderson and the Wilson brothers on the map.
DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL BLU-RAY EDITION FEATURES:
New, restored high-definition digital transfer supervised and approved by director Wes Anderson and director of photography Robert Yeoman
DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack
Commentary by director/co-writer Anderson and co-writer/star Owen Wilson
The Making of Bottle Rocket : an original documentary by filmmaker Barry Braverman featuring Anderson, James L. Brooks, James Caan, Temple Nash Jr., Kumar Pallana, Polly Platt, Mark Mothersbaugh, Robert Musgrave, Richard Sakai, David and Sandy Wasco, Andrew and Luke and Owen Wilson, and Robert Yeoman
The original thirteen-minute black-and-white Bottle Rocket short film from 1992
Eleven deleted scenes
Anamorphic screen test, storyboards, location photos, and behind-the-scenes photographs by Laura Wilson
Murita Cycles, a 1978 short film by Braverman
The Shafrazi Lectures, no. 1: Bottle Rocket
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by executive producer James L. Brooks, an appreciation by Martin Scorsese, and original artwork by Ian Dingman
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
-
The Criterion 2-disc Bottle Rocket is outstanding, but don't toss your original disc just yet... the new edition is a slightly different edit that loses one laugh and adds another. I couldn't find any reference to these changes in the supplementary material at all.
MISSING: Originally, during the book store robbery, Anthony grabs a random book off the shelf and opens it, revealing the title page "Job Opportunities in Government - 1995" which always gave me a little chuckle. Now for some reason the book opens to a grey and white photograph of a military plane (it goes by so fast you'd have to freeze frame to make it out.)
ADDED: Originally, when Bob hands his earnings over to Future Man to cover his attorney fees, he asks if he can keep a few bucks for gas, and the scene ends. Now the scene plays a few seconds longer, and we hear Future Man's reply: "No, you can't."
In addition to these minor (and somewhat baffling) changes, I was also unable to find any images of the one-sheet art or logo anywhere on this set (as appears on the menu page and sleeve of the original release).
So if you're a hardcore Bottle Rocket fan or completist, hang onto your old disc and buy this set as well. In addition to a beautiful transfer, commentary track, documentary, the original short film, and other extras, the booklet insert is a miniature replica of Dignan's 75-Year Plan notebook, along with reproductions of Anthony's drawing of Inez on horseback, the book store heist plan schematics, etc.
Rated by buyers 
-
I saw "Bottle Rocket" at my local indie cinema upon its release twelve years ago and have rewatched it again many times since on DVD. Naturally, I was really looking forward to the Criterion version. Overall impression - disappointing. The commentary provided little insight into the actual making of the movie aside from comments like "Remember when we filmed there?", "That guy was a friend of ours" and "The movie tested badly" (over and over again). The phone call thing between Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson didn't work (in twelve years they couldn't get these two guys together in the same room for an hour and a half?) Wes seemed game but Owen seemed a little out of it (or at least, his voice was flat and disinterested). He had a lot more enthusiasm on the commentary for "Rushmore"; even "Wedding Crashers". The making-of documentary was really bare bones (25 minutes?) and again didn't shed any real light on the film. (Watch the "Iron Man" DVD for a REAL making-of documentary.) The high point was Laura Wilson's behind-the-scenes photos. The deleted scenes were okay and it was great watching the short film without the choppiness of YouTube. So - some nice features but the hastily put-together feel of the commentary and the documentary really put me off. It's too good a movie and it's been too long a wait for those involved not to have put their best efforts into all of the features on this disc.
Rated by buyers -
Taking a trip into Wes Anderson's head is like going into a parallel universe where most things are the same, but the nature of reality is just slightly warped.
And while the world of "Bottle Rocket" -- Anderson's very first collaboration with actor Owen Wilson -- is a little rough around the edges, the absurdist crime caper is a jewel. And while it sounds like yet another goofy comedy, Anderson's signature quirkiness is already in place -- a heavy dose of his dry, erratic, clever wit and some lovable misfit characters.
After being treated for exhaustion ("You haven't worked a day in your life. How could you be exhausted?"), Anthony (Luke Wilson) has just been released from a voluntary mental hospital.
His "rescuer" is his idealistically weird pal Dignan (Owen Wilson), who has decided to become a master criminal. To this end, he has created an elaborate 75-year plan of theft and heists. You can guess where that's going to take them. After an absurd very first heist, they recruit the timid Bob (Bob Musgrave) as the getaway driver, as he is the only one who has a car.
And so the odd little trio practice for a while on smaller-time burglaries, such as robbing a bookstore and Anthony's own house -- then hiding out at a motel, where Anthony falls in love with the pretty South-American maid (Lumi Cavazos). However, the guys find themselves in hot water when they bump into a REAL master criminal (James Caan), and Bob bails out on them. The hot water is rising.
Comedic crime caper movies are hard to make, because of the need for balance between the criminal activities and the comedy... without making any of it too stupid or over the top. Wes Anderson solves this dilemma by making this a caper carried off by affluent young slackers who could easily do stuff other than thieving their way through life. And that's half of "Bottle Rocket's" comedy appeal right there -- the unlikely criminals.
The other half is handling humour that would be stupid and forgettable in another auteur's hands. Wes Anderson's uniquely quirky touch is a little rough in his full-length debut, but it's that slightly unpolished touch that makes his offbeat style such a delight here -- as an example, Anthony "escapes" from a hospital that he can leave anytime he wants. That unnecessarily complex opener sets the tone of the rest of the movie, of thrill-seeking young men who are just a little out of sync with the rest of the world.
And "Bottle Rocket" shares the dry, funny, erratic humour of Anderson's later movies, albeit in a slightly more energetic manner ("Here are just a few of the key ingredients: dynamite, pole vaulting, laughing gas, choppers..." Dignan explains). And the scripting is peppered with a thousand funny little lines ("Which part of Mexico are you from?" "Paraguay"). Anderson and Wilson avoid being self-consciously cool, in favor of being earnestly quirky.
And the Wilson brothers -- Owen and Luke both -- are in fine form here as the Odd Couplish friends, especially when interacting with one another. Anthony is calmer, more laid-back and thinks a lot, while Dignan is idealistic and wacky almost to the point of mental illness. This pair have a certain innocence despite their illegal ambitions, and while they're goofy misfits, they're not the kind you laugh at.
Since most of Wes Anderson's work has been released in a Criterion deluxe edition, it's about freaking time someone gave similarly loving care to "Bottle Rocket." Both the forthcoming double-disc DVD edition and the Blu-ray edition are going to have a wealth of extras for fans of Anderson's, and it's hard to imagine that there's any more it would need. Criterion has apparently not only put in everything it needs, but actually slightly more.
In particular, it has newly restored picture, eleven deleted scenes that were left on the cutting room floor, actor/director commentary from Anderson and Owen Wilson, a new documentary about the making of the film, screen tests, storyboards, behind the scenes photographs, and a booklet with essay by James L. Brooks and "appreciation" by Martin Scorsese. As an extra bonus, it has some short films as well -- a 1970s half-hour film called "Murita Cycles" about a bicycle repairman/philosopher, and the 1994 short film "Bottle Rocket" that served as the basis for the full-length one.
"Bottle Rocket" is a bit erratic and rough around the edges, but it's also fresh, weird and delightfully zany. Anderson should try his hand at this sort of stuff again, because he has a rare talent for such films.
Rated by buyers -
I am a huge Criterion fan and a newly discovered Blu ray addict. To find the greatest distributor contributing to the world of HD is so fantastic. It allows me to start at the beginning of the collection and gradually build up with them. I absolutely love this film. I can't wait for Rushmore to come out on Blu Ray. The new Criterion Blu rays I have to pick up our Chungking Express, The Wages of Fear, The Third Man, The Man Who Fell to Earth, The 400 Blows, Walkabout, Contempt, and El Norte. I can live without the others. The Last Emperor will look great on Blu ray but there is no way I could watch that all the way through again.
Taxi Driver is going Blu soon, not through Criterion but excited to see what they can do to it.
Rated by buyers -
Taking a trip into Wes Anderson's head is like going into a parallel universe where most things are the same, but the nature of reality is just slightly warped.
And while the world of "Bottle Rocket" -- Anderson's very first collaboration with actor Owen Wilson -- is a little rough around the edges, the absurdist crime caper is a jewel. And while it sounds like yet another goofy comedy, Anderson's signature quirkiness is already in place -- a heavy dose of his dry, erratic, clever wit and some lovable misfit characters.
After being treated for exhaustion ("You haven't worked a day in your life. How could you be exhausted?"), Anthony (Luke Wilson) has just been released from a voluntary mental hospital.
His "rescuer" is his idealistically weird pal Dignan (Owen Wilson), who has decided to become a master criminal. To this end, he has created an elaborate 75-year plan of theft and heists. You can guess where that's going to take them. After an absurd very first heist, they recruit the timid Bob (Bob Musgrave) as the getaway driver, as he is the only one who has a car.
And so the odd little trio practice for a while on smaller-time burglaries, such as robbing a bookstore and Anthony's own house -- then hiding out at a motel, where Anthony falls in love with the pretty South-American maid (Lumi Cavazos). However, the guys find themselves in hot water when they bump into a REAL master criminal (James Caan), and Bob bails out on them. The hot water is rising.
Comedic crime caper movies are hard to make, because of the need for balance between the criminal activities and the comedy... without making any of it too stupid or over the top. Wes Anderson solves this dilemma by making this a caper carried off by affluent young slackers who could easily do stuff other than thieving their way through life. And that's half of "Bottle Rocket's" comedy appeal right there -- the unlikely criminals.
The other half is handling humour that would be stupid and forgettable in another auteur's hands. Wes Anderson's uniquely quirky touch is a little rough in his full-length debut, but it's that slightly unpolished touch that makes his offbeat style such a delight here -- as an example, Anthony "escapes" from a hospital that he can leave anytime he wants. That unnecessarily complex opener sets the tone of the rest of the movie, of thrill-seeking young men who are just a little out of sync with the rest of the world.
And "Bottle Rocket" shares the dry, funny, erratic humour of Anderson's later movies, albeit in a slightly more energetic manner ("Here are just a few of the key ingredients: dynamite, pole vaulting, laughing gas, choppers..." Dignan explains). And the scripting is peppered with a thousand funny little lines ("Which part of Mexico are you from?" "Paraguay"). Anderson and Wilson avoid being self-consciously cool, in favor of being earnestly quirky.
And the Wilson brothers -- Owen and Luke both -- are in fine form here as the Odd Couplish friends, especially when interacting with one another. Anthony is calmer, more laid-back and thinks a lot, while Dignan is idealistic and wacky almost to the point of mental illness. This pair have a certain innocence despite their illegal ambitions, and while they're goofy misfits, they're not the kind you laugh at.
Since most of Wes Anderson's work has been released in a Criterion deluxe edition, it's about freaking time someone gave similarly loving care to "Bottle Rocket." Both the forthcoming double-disc DVD edition and the Blu-ray edition are going to have a wealth of extras for fans of Anderson's, and it's hard to imagine that there's any more it would need. Criterion has apparently not only put in everything it needs, but actually slightly more.
In particular, it has newly restored picture, eleven deleted scenes that were left on the cutting room floor, actor/director commentary from Anderson and Owen Wilson, a new documentary about the making of the film, screen tests, storyboards, behind the scenes photographs, and a booklet with essay by James L. Brooks and "appreciation" by Martin Scorsese. As an extra bonus, it has some short films as well -- a 1970s half-hour film called "Murita Cycles" about a bicycle repairman/philosopher, and the 1994 short film "Bottle Rocket" that served as the basis for the full-length one.
"Bottle Rocket" is a bit erratic and rough around the edges, but it's also fresh, weird and delightfully zany. Anderson should try his hand at this sort of stuff again, because he has a rare talent for such films.
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