The Wes Anderson Collection

Cultural critic Seitz tours the quirky career of movie director Wes Anderson in this upbeat coffee-table book. Featuring a plethora of behind the scene photos, production artifacts, the author successfully conveys Anderson's creativity especially through the use of the director's original artwork. Every Anderson movie%E2%80%94from Bottle Rocket to the most recently Moonrise Kingdom%E2%80%94gets the royal treatment: a short essay from Seitz, an interview with the director, scrapbook's worth of photos. Anderson reveals the importance of his college library for aiding his interest in film, discusses his attraction to "old-fashioned special effects," and shares his favorite directors including Alfred Hitchcock and Francois Truffaut, along with how he attempts to evoke their style in his own movies. Seitz shows detailed knowledge of his subject's work, and Anderson is open about his creative process, making this tour especially worth taking. An introduction by author Michael Chabon is an added bonus. Color illus. (Oct.)