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Song of the Day #4,835: ‘The New Lobby Boy’ – Alexandre Desplat

In early 2020, I counted down my top 20 films of the previous decade, and Wes Anderson’s 2014 The Grand Budapest Hotel showed up at #17. In that post, I mentioned that I owed Moonrise Kingdom another viewing, but hadn’t gotten around to it in time.

If I were redoing that list today, Moonrise Kingdom would definitely be on it, and pretty high up. But The Grand Budapest Hotel wouldn’t lose any ground. In fact, I’d likely move it higher as well. Subsequent viewings have only cemented it as one of Anderson’s most accomplished and enjoyable films.

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Song of the Day #4,834: ‘Kaw-Liga’ – Hank Williams

Revisiting all of Wes Anderson’s films in order didn’t result in shuffling my ranking very much. I’ve seen most of these movies many times, even if some of those viewings were years ago, so my opinions are pretty baked in.

The one major exception is 2012’s Moonrise Kingdom. Pre-pandemic, I hadn’t revisited this one since it first came out in theaters, and it sat near the bottom of my Anderson ranking. Well, now I’ve seen it three times in the past 18 months (including twice in the past week), and it’s moving close to the top.

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Song of the Day #4,833: ‘Heroes and Villains’ – The Beach Boys

Continuing my assessment of the career of writer/director Wes Anderson, I’ve arrived at 2009’s Fantastic Mr. Fox. This was Anderson’s first adaptation and his first animated film.

Coming on the heels of The Life Aquatic and The Darjeeling Limited, both of which received lukewarm critical receptions, Fantastic Mr. Fox was greeted as a comeback and return to form for the auteur. It boasts a Rotten Tomatoes score in the mid-90s and grossed $47 million.

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Song of the Day #4,832: ‘Little Man, What Now?’ – Morrissey

The second track on Morrissey’s solo debut, 1987’s Viva Hate, ‘Little Man, What Now?’ takes its title from a 1932 German novel (later adapted into movies in both Germany and the United States). The song’s lyrics have nothing to do with the plot of the novel, however.

Instead, this short tune memorializes the career of a child star who faded into obscurity after reaching adulthood.

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Song of the Day #4,831: ‘Foolishness’ – Lucinda Williams

Here’s a track from Disc One of Lucinda Williams’ 2014 Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone, her 11th studio album. The album takes its title from a poem by Miller Williams, Lucinda’s father.

I haven’t spent a lot of time with this album but I enjoy the overall vibe. It’s a whole lot of blues rock, played by an all-star lineup of session musicians.

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