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Directed by: Wes Anderson
Starring: Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Edward Norton, Billy Murray, Frances McDormand
Reminds me of the upcoming MoFo Prom.
I have a problem when I watch Wes Anderson films. I finish the movie, receiving a sweet, scrumptious experience, but that never means I loved it. A critic described Anderson's films as a huge dessert, and that's entirely true. My sweet tooth is squashed and I'm all happy-go-lucky from the sugar but I hardly feel warm and full. My insides are still empty, so to fill the hollowness, I rewatch one of his films yet again. And I'm still not full. The cycle continues.
Moonrise Kingdom probably has the most sugar and syrup out of all desserts on his gratuitous menu. Consequently, it is the quirkiest and rapidly edited and paced film, but crafted with smoothness and clarity, out of all his filmography. Quirk here, quirk there, every single frame is filled with quirkiness. In fact, there's so much quirkiness that it overflows and strikes the people viewing it. When I got out of my seat to take a nap after I was finished, I felt all quirky, and I tried to lie in bed while keeping a symmetrical view of things.
Quirkiness, if used wrong, can end up extremely campy and have unbearable annoyance. Anderson is the master, and he found out a way to make a new brand of quirk which is lively and entertaining, but still keeping the fine, artistic touches. Such uses are when a scissor is stabbed into a boy. Instead of showing the gritty and gruesome impact, the moment of bloodshed is replaced by a cartoon drawing of a scissor bursting into a red color. It is creative and helps keep the overall tone of the film – an innocent, simple tale about a pubescent young couple.
But sometimes he goes a bit too far. Yep, style over substance. It shows the most when the characters are exchanging dialogue that needs a significant amount of emotion. In an attempt to create sublime quirkiness in every moment, the acting is sacrificed. The actors' facial muscles seem to be controlled by invisible, malfunctioning strings, as the strings don't seem to have the ability to go up (what's wrong with a cheerful smile?).Thus, a blank expression is usually what they have. Their heads move like pigeons, and they twist and turn like puppets. This doesn't mean the acting isn't great, from the leads (the two main young actors are exceptional) to the little roles, it's hard to find a flaw. They are acting well, but they're acting eccentric, overly quirky people well.
The plot revolves around Sam (Jared Gilman), an unpopular scout of Camp Invanhoe, led by Scout Master Randy Ward (Edward Norton), coincidentally encountering Suzy (Kara Hayward) and becoming pen pals. The two fall in love and escape to a nearby wilderness successfully. When Suzy's parents (Billy Murray and Frances McDormand), a local policeman (Bruce Willis), and of course the Scout Master find out about the escape, they try to make things right.
The plot is not what matters in the film; it's the bits and pieces and the world around it. As the music flows and the people dance, you realize the personal love and affection Anderson put into the film. It shows that he simply wanted to have fun, creating his own puzzle and putting the parts together to do what he enjoys best. Even the colors and background look better, and while you can say it's because the setting is a nature oriented island, I say it's because a director's personal touch can look just that good.
Then again, he gets lost in his fantasy often, though I tried to ignore them most of the time. The random lightning coming from the sky, striking Sam and the sudden mood swings did bother me, but the harm done is minimal. Because Moonrise Kingdom is a story stringed by weird, off-beat situations, a lot can be nitpicked, but it beats the purpose of magical realism.
This film is an adult fairy tale chock-full of non-disturbing adolescence, sexual jokes and profanity. Just don't expect to be completely blown away or have an out-of-world experience. Moonrise Kingdom is a shallow, though never "empty"delight that may leave you somewhat unsatisfied, but nonetheless content when narrator tells you the couple will be fine, because it's impossible not to care about them, and the entire film.
Moonrise Kingdom (2011)
Directed by: Wes Anderson
Starring: Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Edward Norton, Billy Murray, Frances McDormand
Reminds me of the upcoming MoFo Prom.
Moonrise Kingdom probably has the most sugar and syrup out of all desserts on his gratuitous menu. Consequently, it is the quirkiest and rapidly edited and paced film, but crafted with smoothness and clarity, out of all his filmography. Quirk here, quirk there, every single frame is filled with quirkiness. In fact, there's so much quirkiness that it overflows and strikes the people viewing it. When I got out of my seat to take a nap after I was finished, I felt all quirky, and I tried to lie in bed while keeping a symmetrical view of things.
Quirkiness, if used wrong, can end up extremely campy and have unbearable annoyance. Anderson is the master, and he found out a way to make a new brand of quirk which is lively and entertaining, but still keeping the fine, artistic touches. Such uses are when a scissor is stabbed into a boy. Instead of showing the gritty and gruesome impact, the moment of bloodshed is replaced by a cartoon drawing of a scissor bursting into a red color. It is creative and helps keep the overall tone of the film – an innocent, simple tale about a pubescent young couple.
But sometimes he goes a bit too far. Yep, style over substance. It shows the most when the characters are exchanging dialogue that needs a significant amount of emotion. In an attempt to create sublime quirkiness in every moment, the acting is sacrificed. The actors' facial muscles seem to be controlled by invisible, malfunctioning strings, as the strings don't seem to have the ability to go up (what's wrong with a cheerful smile?).Thus, a blank expression is usually what they have. Their heads move like pigeons, and they twist and turn like puppets. This doesn't mean the acting isn't great, from the leads (the two main young actors are exceptional) to the little roles, it's hard to find a flaw. They are acting well, but they're acting eccentric, overly quirky people well.
The plot revolves around Sam (Jared Gilman), an unpopular scout of Camp Invanhoe, led by Scout Master Randy Ward (Edward Norton), coincidentally encountering Suzy (Kara Hayward) and becoming pen pals. The two fall in love and escape to a nearby wilderness successfully. When Suzy's parents (Billy Murray and Frances McDormand), a local policeman (Bruce Willis), and of course the Scout Master find out about the escape, they try to make things right.
The plot is not what matters in the film; it's the bits and pieces and the world around it. As the music flows and the people dance, you realize the personal love and affection Anderson put into the film. It shows that he simply wanted to have fun, creating his own puzzle and putting the parts together to do what he enjoys best. Even the colors and background look better, and while you can say it's because the setting is a nature oriented island, I say it's because a director's personal touch can look just that good.
Then again, he gets lost in his fantasy often, though I tried to ignore them most of the time. The random lightning coming from the sky, striking Sam and the sudden mood swings did bother me, but the harm done is minimal. Because Moonrise Kingdom is a story stringed by weird, off-beat situations, a lot can be nitpicked, but it beats the purpose of magical realism.
This film is an adult fairy tale chock-full of non-disturbing adolescence, sexual jokes and profanity. Just don't expect to be completely blown away or have an out-of-world experience. Moonrise Kingdom is a shallow, though never "empty"delight that may leave you somewhat unsatisfied, but nonetheless content when narrator tells you the couple will be fine, because it's impossible not to care about them, and the entire film.