I can't make my mind up...

...about Wes Anderson. First the Royal Tenenbaums, and now the Life Aquatic - both movies I wanted very much to love, and I almost did... but not quite.

There's so much to like. Great casts - Bill Murray, Anjelica Huston, Jeff Goldblum and Cate Blanchett: together at last! Deadpan dialogue - "Be nice to Alastair, he's my nemesis." Cartoonish characters, cheesy design, beautifully framed shots. Marvellous details (like the renamed submarine, to match the scratched out tattoo). But, as Beloved put it, where's the content? I feel like I'm missing the point even asking, but it doesn't add up. It's a beautiful, empty container for a movie. Maybe I need to shake the box some more.