A peculiar tension exists inside nearly every frame created by writer-director Wes Anderson. The geometric visual preoccupation of the framing; the actors, sometimes in motion but more frequently motionless;

"The Phoenician Scheme" (opening Friday throughout Houston), the latest effort from Houstonian Wes Anderson, is of a piece with all of the director's previous films. Whimsical to the point of droll distraction,

Wes Anderson will likely delight his most ardent fans but perhaps lose a few others with the plot, which becomes a bit exhausting to follow as we reach the midpoint of this tale.