See this film: Bottle Rocket @ the Brattle

The advance word on Wes Anderson's new movie Moonrise Kingdom (of which there's a free preview screening on Thursday, May 31 @ 8 pm) is very positive, but in some ways his best film might be his first - the sunny and absurd Bottle Rocket (1996; Wednesday, May 30 @ 10 pm + Thursday, May 31 @ 5:30 pm), which was also the film that established, for better and worse, the brothers Owen and Luke Wilson. Those two play pals in the film, feckless dreamers whose innocence and poor judgment involve them with the karate-chopping crime lord Mr. Henry (James Caan), the beautiful motel maid Inez (Lumi Cavazos), and the indomitable Kumar (Kumar Pallana) and Applejack (Jim Ponds). The Brattle is at 40 Brattle Street, Cambridge | $9.75; $7.75 students; $6.75 seniors | 617.876.6837 or brattlefilm.org.