For the
sake of not having to write the same intro a million
different ways throughout the rest of time, just know that
this column avoids the overly long and sometimes dull
process of full film reviews and instead opts to break
things down based on what I thought going in, what happened
while I was there and what I learned at the end of it all.
Thanks for reading!
The
Breakdown - Moonrise Kingdom
The Impression:
Moonrise Kingdom, the new film by Wes Anderson, may
have had the best trailer of any film all year. Perfect
cast, a top three favorite director, and a trip to 1960s
camp life - most anticipated film of all of 2012.
The Reality:
The man behind me at the screening tonight said this to his
viewing partner, "I hated Royal Tenenbaums, hated The
Fabulous [sic] Mr. Fox and hated Life Aquatic.
I don’t know if there’s any film by Wes Anderson I do like."
I wanted to turn around and scream, "I think you might be at
the wrong movie sir." Wes Anderson is an auteur, perhaps the
strongest currently operating, and his films follow a very
specific aesthetic and a very specific style. If you haven’t
signed on to that bandwagon yet, I’ve got some news for you,
you aren’t going to like Moonrise Kingdom or anything
else Wes Anderson ever does. Moonrise Kingdom feels
like a logical step in the wake of Fantastic Mr. Fox,
the film, the story of two runaway children on a small
island and the dysfunctional families that attempt to find
them, seems more rooted in sillier aspects. Anderson, who’s
films have always existed in a world just shy of magical,
allows the plot in Moonrise Kingdom to veer directly
down the path of fantastical fable. Sam (Jared Gilman) and
Suzy (Kara Hayward) run away from their respective homes,
troubled kids trying to escape the world that oppresses
them. The community of their small New England island town,
including Suzy’s parents played with a tinge of sadness by
Bill Murray and Frances McDormand, seek out to find them,
and concurrently themselves. Anderson, though embracing his
more childlike sensibilities, seems touched with a bit of
sadness here, the characters seem more potently aware of the
inadequacies of their lives, the runaway kids the only
characters smart enough and brave enough to do anything
about it. The film takes place almost entirely outside, and
Anderson’s visual style, at times enjoyably claustrophobic,
is given a bit of space to breath and he runs with it. Every
scene is a breathtaking bit of set design - the minute long
tracking shot at the Fort Lebanon Hullabaloo a particular
favorite - tiny details scattered across the frame.
Touchingly melancholy, Moonrise Kingdom doesn’t break
the boundaries of Anderson’s oeuvre, but instead showcases
the capable hand of a true master.
The Lesson:
I can’t believe I have to wait another three years for
another fucking Wes Anderson movie.
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