Moonrise Kingdom (Wes Anderson)

[Raiders]

imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1748122/)

http://static.getkempt.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Moonrise-Kingdom-poster-04.jpg

[Melville]

I thought this was terrific. The make-believe style works perfectly with the characters, their youthful love, and their escape from the beaten-down world. It was the first time since Tenenbaums that I cared at all about Wes Anderson's characters (though that might simply be due to the focus on romance rather than father-son relationships). And it was pretty hilarious—the ear-piercing had me laughing through most of the next scene.

[Pop Trash]

I read this might break per-theater-average records since it's only in four theaters in NY/LA apparently.

[MadMan]

I'm heavily jealous of everyone who has gotten to see this movie already.

[Sxottlan]

This isn't opening here until June 29th. :sad:

And Beasts of the Southern Wild is July 20th.

[Pop Trash]

This isn't opening here until June 29th. :sad:

And Beasts of the Southern Wild is July 20th.

Is there a USA Cosmopolis date set yet? These three are pretty much all I want to see until Batman.

Oh and Prometheus.

[Duncan]

Liked it. Kind of lost my interest in the third act, though. Mostly it just made me want to go rewatch Pierrot le Fou.

[Pop Trash]

The elusive Duncan chimes in.

[elixir]

Well, I loved it.

[Pop Trash]

Well, I loved it.

Me too. Just caught it. Some things I loved: the hit it n' quit it running time, that it's a big love letter to the boy scouts,* the decidedly untwee actors Willis and Keitel (whose character was awesomely the Winston Wolf of the boy scouts) in a typically twee Anderson film, the "I can't believe this was shot on super 16" gorgeous cinematography, the great music and not just in a "wow Wes Anderson has great taste in pop music" way, and how genuinely affecting a lot of it was while still often maintaining that typical Anderson archness.

I do agree with critics that this still has all the indulgences of previous Anderson films, but somehow it all works here. Plus there is a breezy filmmaking confidence that I don't even think Rushmore or Tenenbaums had.

*which makes me wonder if this aspect didn't work as well on Euro auds in Cannes. I'm sure most countries in Europe have some equivalent to the boy scouts, but there is a specificity to American scouting here that might be lost on non-Americans. Personally, I was never in the scouts myself, but my cousin made it all the way to Eagle Scout when he was like 18 or something, plus many of my friends were either in scouts or had a scout like mentality (plus a subscription to Boy's Life, which Anderson unfortunately didn't include with the ephemera here.)

[EyesWideOpen]

Practically a perfect movie. My favorite film of the year so far.

[eternity]

This was worth the 45 minute drive to go to a 10 pm screening. Nothing but hipsters.

[EyesWideOpen]

I don't have many hipsters in my area. My screening was completely filled with senior citizens.

[Mysterious Dude]

There were mostly older people in my theater, too. It was the middle of the day, though. Not atypical.

This is the first actual 2012 movie I've seen.

[Pop Trash]

Old people often have better taste in movies than a lot of young folks I know.

[Milky Joe]

I'll never forget the utter bewilderment expressed by the old people sitting behind us in The Life Aquatic, both at the movie and at my and my friends' stoned laughter. Made it all the better.

[EyesWideOpen]

Old people often have better taste in movies than a lot of young folks I know.

The local indie theater here is probably 70% frequented by senior citizens. I've gone at least 50 times and I don't remember ever even seeing a teenager there.

[eternity]

I don't have many hipsters in my area. My screening was completely filled with senior citizens.
I think we actually went to the same theater to see this. Camelview, right?

[Milky Joe]

This was immaculate.

[EyesWideOpen]

I think we actually went to the same theater to see this. Camelview, right?

Yep. It's the only theater around me playing it.

[MadMan]

I'll never forget the utter bewilderment expressed by the old people sitting behind us in The Life Aquatic, both at the movie and at my and my friends' stoned laughter. Made it all the better.That's fantastic. I would have loved to view TLA in theaters while really high. The movie is funny enough sober.

Still jealous of everyone getting to see this. Also as someone who's been in the Scouts, they sort of got the whole Scout camp atmosphere down. Although our uniforms and tents were not even half as cool as the ones in Moonrise Kingdom, though. Edward Norton sort of reminds me of a few Scout leaders I encountered over the years, though.

[Pop Trash]

Edward Norton sort of reminds me of a few Scout leaders I encountered over the years, though.

Yeah, his character is really great. He's one of those guys that invests a lot of his life into scouting (which also could be teaching, coaching, etc.) to give himself some meaning and purpose in his life, but you get the feeling deep down he is compensating for some loneliness or pathos. I love what a humanist Anderson is. There are no villains or caricatures in his films.

[Milky Joe]

Norton finally chose a role here that takes advantage of his natural self, a la Death to Smoochy, a good hearted dweeb. He was great. His telling Sam how good a pitch tent he made on the beach was really touching.

God, I loved this film. Everyone always talks about how Anderson's cinematography and mise-en-scene are "whimsical" or "precious" or whatever but nobody seems to want to mention just how brilliant and meticulous and beautiful it actually is. This one should force some people to see it. That opening shot... wow. It was like he was filming his usual diorama set except... without the diorama, if that makes sense. The shot of Balaban giving the rundown on the weather and setting the scene just before the hurricane hits, ending with him walking off screen and the scouts' canoes coming into frame... the colors, ahh. I can't wait to see this again.

[eternity]

Yep. It's the only theater around me playing it.
Only one in the state, I believe. This was the first time I've been to a movie there and wasn't the youngest person in attendance, but I almost always go to matinees.

[Ivan Drago]

This isn't opening here until June 29th. :sad:

Me. . .too? Where do you live again, just out of interest.

This is the first Wes Anderson movie I'm actively looking forward to. Considering how much I hate The Life Aquatic, this is a milestone.

[Pop Trash]

This is the first Wes Anderson movie I'm actively looking forward to. Considering how much I hate The Life Aquatic, this is a milestone.

I don't hate it, but TLA is my least favorite Anderson and I loved this fwiw.

[EyesWideOpen]

I didn't like The Life Aquatic when I saw it in theaters but I'm due for a rewatch.

[Sven]

Norton finally chose a role here that takes advantage of his natural self, a la Death to Smoochy, a good hearted dweeb.

"Natural self..."?

[Milky Joe]

I just think he's more convincing as a scrawny dweeb with perhaps latent aggression than as a macho ex-con or whatever. See Fight Club, Smoochy, The Score, Moonrise, Primal Fear, Hulk. Maybe I'm in the minority with that opinion.

[Sven]

Okay, I get you. But from many accounts, he's a vigilant control freak. "Natural self" confused me.

[Sven]

Good movie is good.

[Watashi]

Poor lonely Derek.

[Derek]

Poor lonely Derek.

Pff, I've got Kurt Loder, Leonard Maltin and Rex Reed on my side.

[Spaceman Spiff]

And me! (Although it's more 'meh' than 'nay')

[Watashi]

I like the movie quite a bit, but it's not my favorite Anderson. I'm actually surprised by the number of critics who cite this as their favorite film from Wes using quotes like "this is the film he's been building up to" (what does that even mean?). Like the Coens, Anderson's films need multiple viewings to digest everything accordingly. I was lukewarm on Life Aquatic initially, but after a second viewing, it became an instant favorite.

I enjoyed the fairy tale aspect of the film. There was several fairy tale allusions that I spotted (most notably Peter Pan) and it was nice to see a earnest romance that captured the awkward essence of adolescence. The film felt like a live-action Fantastic Mr. Fox more than a live-action Wes Anderson film (if that makes sense).

[Ezee E]

Will see this during the week. Not a huge fan of Wes now that I look at his filmography. Tenenbaums and Life Aquatic are actually the only ones I have a positive rating for, yet I've seen them all.

[Lucky]

I wouldn't have guessed you a dissenter of The Fantastic Mr. Fox.

[Mr. McGibblets]

Wes Anderson has been making movies about the breakdowns and repairs of families (natural and surrogate) for decades now, so it's odd to see him make a movie about the formation of a family. It feels less personal than his other movies; in all of them, there was always a familiarity between the director and the world of the characters the audience is not part of. Everything in the movie existed closed off from everything real (time, space, the audience).

I'm not sure this works as well. Some of the characters (Willis especially) don't feel like fully formed Anderson-creations. To me, he seems like someone who doesn't yet fit (or who grows to fit) into this world. In some ways, being about the creation of a family, it has to also be about the outside and the before, when and where everything wasn't fully formed. But to me, that doesn't jive with Anderson's style where there is no outside and no before.

On the other hand, I loved everything with Norton and with the kids and I think Jason Schwartzman absolutely stole the show in his two minutes of screen time.

[Bosco B Thug]

A weirdly non-pacifist film... childhood is war, and the film is a series of battles and warrior principles, as acted out by freakish children. But it's at the feet of listless parents.

I thought it was pretty lightweight, but it's definitely a perfectly constructed film. The climax is filmed as if right out of a children's storybook. I think it was just predetermined that a Wes Anderson film centered on children was gonna bore me a little bit.

[Kiusagi]

I can't stop listening to Desplat's theme for this.

898IGSbkJyA

[Lucky]

What a sublime movie. My new favorite Anderson.

[ledfloyd]

The film felt like a live-action Fantastic Mr. Fox more than a live-action Wes Anderson film (if that makes sense).
as silly as this statements sounds, (of course it's a live-action wes anderson film, and what is a live-action fantastic mr. fox if not a live-action wes anderson film) i see what you're getting at and it probably goes a long way towards explaining why it usurped mr. fox's place as my favorite wes anderson film.

i've really turned around on this guy post-life aquatic, this is my favorite film of the year. i will probably write more in depth on it after i get a chance to give it another look.

[Pop Trash]

i've really turned around on this guy post-life aquatic, this is my favorite film of the year. i will probably write more in depth on it after i get a chance to give it another look.

Meaning you are a big Darjeeling Limited fan? I turned around after seeing Fantastic Mr. Fox. I saw that in second run thinking I would be really 'meh' about it like DL and Life Aquatic, but ended up kinda loving it. I like this one even more. Oddly, I'm probably more of a W. Anderson fan now than I was in the days of Rushmore and Tenenbaums.

[ledfloyd]

Meaning you are a big Darjeeling Limited fan?
indeed, it was the first film of his i really felt i "got." tenenbaums and rushmore have grown on me in retrospect. i'm a bigger fan of wes anderson today than i ever was before though. goddamn was that a marvelous film.

[Raiders]

This was ridiculously good. Can't claim it as my favorite Anderson film only because I felt the same way right after viewing The Royal Tenenbaums and The Life Aquatic as well. The compositions in this film are exquisite, an Anderson staple, in particular the way so much of the film is shot head-on to the actors--which highlights the way the film profiles Suzy when she is reading her fantasy books, ones that inform the way the film treats this story as an odd fairy-tale. So much of it is a glimpse into a child-dominated society, right down to the way the Scouts have their own universe amongst themselves that Norton's Scoutmaster only has an outside understanding of, as well as how much of it is framed through Suzy's binoculars (her "special powers") coupled with her love of reading books. The way the finale on the rooftop seems ripped from the pages of many-a-children's book made me giddy and though I can't claim to have found this as hilarious as most of his previous films, I am pretty certain if I were to look at myself watching the film, I would find on my face a continuous smile. It was glorious.

[Ivan Drago]

I hereby forgive Wes Anderson for using David Bowie in Portuguese.

This movie was sublime.

[Milky Joe]

What do you have against the Portuguese language?

[Sxottlan]

Me. . .too? Where do you live again, just out of interest.

Rochester, New York. And this actually opened a week earlier here than previously announced and took me completely by surprise. Didn't even notice it until I was leaving the theater after seeing something else.

Loved this film by the way. :pritch:

[MadMan]

Finally my local big chain theater got this in. I have to work all this week, but I'm hoping to see it next weekend since I have those two days off.

[Rowland]

Rochester, New York.Hey, a Buffalo native here. Western New York ftw. :cool:

[kopello]

I hereby forgive Wes Anderson for using David Bowie in Portuguese.

This movie was sublime.

Not sure if joking or not but Seu Jorge's covers are fantastic. But yes this was glorious, on par with his best work.

[Dukefrukem]

"Can I get my snack?"

"You're eating it."

kJwOutie-v8

"Can we do a 357 with a bayonet?"

"Yeh I don't see why not."

[Sycophant]

Ivan's established his opinion that Darjeeling Limited's use of Portuguese David Bowie via Seu Jorge is Wes Anderson's jumping of the trucker-hat wearing, PBR-loving hipster shark, a contactless handjob to every horn-rimmed hipster in its audience, and the hipster equivalent of inventing AIDS or something.

[Acapelli]

Ivan's established his opinion that Darjeeling Limited's use of Portuguese David Bowie via Seu Jorge is Wes Anderson's jumping of the trucker-hat wearing, PBR-loving hipster shark, a contactless handjob to every horn-rimmed hipster in its audience, and the hipster equivalent of inventing AIDS or something.
i think you mean the life aquatic

[Sycophant]

i think you mean the life aquatic

That I do.

[D_Davis]

I had no trouble with they music in Life Aquatic.


I do, however, think the film is poo. :)


I'm still on the fence about seeing this. As time goes by, the only Anderson film I'm able to really fully embrace anymore is Bottle Rocket. I definitely preferred Anderson when he as at least a bit more grounded in reality, which is a weird thing coming from me.

[Milky Joe]

Y'know, Davis, just because you're extremely nice about it doesn't make you any less wrong. :)

[Pop Trash]

I like the music in Life Aquatic, but the hipster/SWPL combo platter of David Bowie and a curious foreign language that doesn't show up in (American) films very often is a bit eye rolling. I could see Dick & Jane Entitlement bonding over how coincidental that they were getting into Bowie their sophomore year of college & the same year they took a life changing trip to Brazil to 'find themselves' or some shit.

[Milky Joe]

Saw this again, this time a well-loved print in an old second-run theater. It was just as magnificent, if not moreso, the second time, although the sumptuousness of the visuals were slightly lessened because of the lower quality image.

This is Anderson's masterpiece for sure. I still love The Life Aquatic, but it's a loose baggy monster compared to this. TLA is like a sloppy drugged-out rock show, whereas this is more like an exquisitely crafted symphony.

[Wryan]

"No, goddamit!"

[Henry Gale]

Saw this last weekend, and as someone who'd loved every Anderson up until Fantastic Mr. Fox, I was a bit weary since this had similarly extremely positive buzz, a bit of a fantastical edge and trailers that I thought looked similarly fine but not that great. Luckily the minute the movie started all of those potential fears faded away and the perfectly played whimsy of the whole thing became as infectious as anything I'd seen in theatres in the last couple of years.

It's simple, but perfectly so. Easily one of the best of 2012 so far.

[MadMan]

More thoughts to come, but I finally got to see this in theaters today and I absolutely loved it. Finally Anderson makes a great movie again, something that he hadn't done since The Life Aquatic. The young cast was fantastic, and Bill Murray and Bruce Willis also stole the show, too. I'm a bit amused that Scouting really hasn't changed all that much since the 1960s, too-although we didn't go on such insane adventures or hook up with crazy girls, sadly.

Also I've never understood why Wes Anderson gets as much hate as he does, but then again I'm not sure why I like his movies, either. I should be hating his faux hipster style of film making, but instead I'm a huge fan of his work. What I realized today is that I love his movies partly because of his attention to detail, but also because they capture human emotion pretty well and also have excellent soundtracks. The set design on his pictures is also utterly brilliant, to say the least. Don't quit whatever you are doing just because some douchebag critic hates your work, Wes.

[Lucky]

To Henry and Madman...

I can't wrap my head around how someone dislikes Fantastic Mr. Fox and loves this movie. What didn't you like about the former?

[Thirdmango]

I saw this morning. I liked it, but not as much as the general match cut populace. I was thinking about rankings in my head as I was driving home and I might put this one as fourth in Anderson's films. I agree with Duncan in that I lost some interest in the third act. Fantastic child acting, some of the best I've ever seen. The ending credits were some of my favorite credits in any movie I've seen and I loved all of the music.

[MadMan]

To Henry and Madman...

I can't wrap my head around how someone dislikes Fantastic Mr. Fox and loves this movie. What didn't you like about the former?Wait, what? I liked The Fantastic Mr. Fox. The only Anderson film I'm not big on is Darjeeling Limited (plus its short film that precedes it). In fact I'm curious to revisit both Fox and Limited, as Wats (or someone else) noted properly that Anderson's films were made for multiple viewings. I've seen Bottle Rocket three times, Rushmore twice, The Royal Tenenbaums four times, and The Life Aquatic endless times.

[Lucky]

Ah, my bad. I misread the subtext behind your "first great movie since Life Aquatic" comment.

[MadMan]

Ah, my bad. I misread the subtext behind your "first great movie since Life Aquatic" comment.Ah, okay. Well my ranking of Wes Anderson's movies would be (out of ****)

1. Rushmore (1998)-****
2. The Life Aquatic (2004)-****
3. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)-****
4. Moonrise Kingdom (2012)-*** 1/2
5. Bottle Rocket (1996)-***
6. The Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)-***
7. The Darjeeling Limited (2007) + Hotel Chavelier (2007)-***

For an average rating of *** 1/2

[Kurosawa Fan]

Hopefully seeing this today. Gotta drive a bit over an hour to get there, but my sister wants to see it, so we're going together.

[Sycophant]

I hope you get to it, KF! I've seen it three times in theaters in the spam of two weeks. Long time since I've done anything like that.

Kudos to you if your posted reaction doesn't include the word "hipster," especially if it's even slightly negative.

[Kurosawa Fan]

We had to push it back to Thursday.

[Kurosawa Fan]

This was very good. Not top tier Anderson, as I thought there were a few problems (most notably more time should have been spent on the Willis/McDormand/Murray triangle, I was a little uncomfortable with the sexualizing of Suzy, and the two main scouts not including Sam looked so similar that initially I thought the one who was stabbed was the one rallying them to Sam's aid, which made very little sense to me), but certainly a very fun film. Anderson has a flawless record with me. Every single feature he's made has made me smile for nearly the entire running time. His aesthetic just completely clicks with me.

[Raiders]

(most notably more time should have been spent on the Willis/McDormand/Murray triangle

Not sure if I agree. I like the way their "adult" lovelife was more juvenile than the central adolescent relationship. As per usual for Anderson, adults are often merely larger versions of insecure children. It also juxtaposed well with the more innocent and pure view of life and love exhibited by Sam and Suzy. Their matter-of-factness, again juxtaposed with Suzy's parents use of endless legal knowledge, felt extremely accurate to me. This kind of leads to why...


I was a little uncomfortable with the sexualizing of Suzy

... I wasn't bothered by her lack of clothing. I didn't think Anderson in any way sexualized her with the camera but rather used the definite shock of her openness around Sam as a means of viewing their uninhibited bond and closeness. I think Anderson looked to remove society and social rules from the equation. Yes, they are too young to fully comprehend, thus Sam's frankness about his erection and the way they clumsily embrace. They haven't reached the stage to be successfully intimate, but not because society tells them but because as adolescents they are only in the early stages of maturity. Anderson qualifies this though through the way the adults in the film treat their gift of maturity.


and the two main scouts not including Sam looked so similar that initially I thought the one who was stabbed was the one rallying them to Sam's aid

Absolutely agree here though. I was really confused for about twenty minutes.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Not sure if I agree. I like the way their "adult" lovelife was more juvenile than the central adolescent relationship. As per usual for Anderson, adults are often merely larger versions of insecure children. It also juxtaposed well with the more innocent and pure view of life and love exhibited by Sam and Suzy. Their matter-of-factness, again juxtaposed with Suzy's parents use of endless legal knowledge, felt extremely accurate to me. This kind of leads to why...



... I wasn't bothered by her lack of clothing. I didn't think Anderson in any way sexualized her with the camera but rather used the definite shock of her openness around Sam as a means of viewing their uninhibited bond and closeness. I think Anderson looked to remove society and social rules from the equation. Yes, they are too young to fully comprehend, thus Sam's frankness about his erection and the way they clumsily embrace. They haven't reached the stage to be successfully intimate, but not because society tells them but because as adolescents they are only in the early stages of maturity. Anderson qualifies this though through the way the adults in the film treat their gift of maturity.

I'm with you on the first part, without a doubt. I like the immaturity of their characters and their relationships, but it felt like a leap when Murray and McDormand come to the realization that their children need more than their love is providing. Their situation felt underdeveloped, and that moment came off as sort of cheap and unearned, which is something I don't normally experience in a Wes Anderson film.

As for Suzy, it was the frequency with which she was undressed, and the moment that Sam is told he can touch her chest. I couldn't help thinking that, beyond the character, this is a twelve-year-old girl being filmed in this way. I don't know, maybe it's just a personal hang up, but I was struck by how uncomfortable that likely was for her on set, and perhaps Sam as well. Not necessarily anything to do with Anderson's camera, just the reality of that situation made me uneasy.

[Sven]

As for Suzy, it was the frequency with which she was undressed, and the moment that Sam is told he can touch her chest. I couldn't help thinking that, beyond the character, this is a twelve-year-old girl being filmed in this way. I don't know, maybe it's just a personal hang up, but I was struck by how uncomfortable that likely was for her on set, and perhaps Sam as well. Not necessarily anything to do with Anderson's camera, just the reality of that situation made me uneasy.

I relate. It was always on my mind (and usually is with taboo content in any movie) that there was a film crew of adults pointing recording devices at tweens being sexual. Yes yes, sure sure, it is handled tastefully. But as you say, it's hard to get over the reality of the situation.

[Raiders]

As for Suzy, it was the frequency with which she was undressed, and the moment that Sam is told he can touch her chest. I couldn't help thinking that, beyond the character, this is a twelve-year-old girl being filmed in this way. I don't know, maybe it's just a personal hang up, but I was struck by how uncomfortable that likely was for her on set, and perhaps Sam as well. Not necessarily anything to do with Anderson's camera, just the reality of that situation made me uneasy.

I understand it, and not arguing as the inclination to wince at something like this, being viewed from a knowledge that there is indeed a film crew looking, watching and cuing this activity, is only natural. But, I think Anderson smartly does his best to essentially treat these two as adults in their own world. I already pointed earlier in the thread the way the scouts have their own social order, and here with Suzy and Sam, Anderson equates or even furthers them beyond the juvenile behavior of their elders. Suzy is likely only relating to Sam what she knows is the "adult" thing to do in the situation, and he clumsily obeys. I think the film's resolution, with Sharp adopting Sam and Suzy's parents potential revelation, that maybe for a little while they can be kids. It's a small promise at least.

[Raiders]

Also, am I the only one who found:


-What am I looking at?
-He does watercolors; mostly landscapes, but a few nudes.

to be one of the most hilarious exchanges in a long time? I didn't think the film itself was overlous humorous compared to other Anderson's, but Jesus did I laugh for at least two or three minutes at that.

[Pop Trash]

I thought the adolescent sexuality was done really well and accurate to both the desires/awkwardness of that age. Frankly, I'm impressed it was there at all considering the continuing cute-ification of children (well pre-teens) in a lot of American cinema. Europeans generally handle this stuff much better (Tomboy to name one recent example).

It's possible it was a closed set during some of those scenes, although it's innocent enough to not warrant it. I agree with KF that the maturity level on film sets gets pretty low, and can be very bro-y, so subjecting a scene like that to grips and such who make comments on the sexiness of such-and-such actress would be a bit creepy. Then again, this is more about the actual behind-the-scenes of production, and stuff like this doesn't hinder my enjoyment of something like The Exorcist, for example.

[Milky Joe]

Man, I was too busy reveling in the pure, unadorned, perfect humanity on display during the whole beach scene to worry about if the kids were uncomfortable. I'm sure they were but hey, adolescent sexuality is always uncomfortable. I think they'll look back on it and feel like it was totally worth it. "This is our land!!"

My favorite moment might be the very end of the film, when Suzy gets down from her reading perch to go to dinner but freezes mid-stride as if she sees a ghost (the camera watching her) and then just moves on. At first I thought she was looking at the painting Sam did, but it's turned away from her. I seriously can't even describe what that moment meant for me, but it was perfect. Just thinking about it gives me a giant lump in my throat.

[Raiders]

Man, I was too busy reveling in the pure, unadorned, perfect humanity on display during the whole beach scene to worry about if the kids were uncomfortable. I'm sure they were but hey, adolescent sexuality is always uncomfortable. I think they'll look back on it and feel like it was totally worth it. "This is our land!!"

My favorite moment might be the very end of the film, when Suzy gets down from her reading perch to go to dinner but freezes mid-stride as if she sees a ghost (the camera watching her) and then just moves on. At first I thought she was looking at the painting Sam did, but it's turned away from her. I seriously can't even describe what that moment meant for me, but it was perfect. Just thinking about it gives me a giant lump in my throat.

I thought it was her deciding if she wanted to look at his picture or not.

[Milky Joe]

Maybe that's what she was doing. I thought it was an echo of the moment earlier in the film where she looks directly into the camera after reading Sam's letter. Some sort of tacit recognition of the audience, and therefore her own existence as a character rather than a person. I prefer to think of it that way. :)

[MadMan]

This was very good. Not top tier Anderson, as I thought there were a few problems (most notably more time should have been spent on the Willis/McDormand/Murray triangle, I was a little uncomfortable with the sexualizing of Suzy, and the two main scouts not including Sam looked so similar that initially I thought the one who was stabbed was the one rallying them to Sam's aid, which made very little sense to me), but certainly a very fun film. Anderson has a flawless record with me. Every single feature he's made has made me smile for nearly the entire running time. His aesthetic just completely clicks with me.I thought they spent enough time on the Willis/McDormand/Murray triangle, namely because it still was focused on even in the background throughout the entire film. Willis btw seemed to be channeling Murray's Max Blume in Rushmore at times, which was relatively notable-his character was probably my favorite in the film.

I'm not sure why I didn't have a problem with the kids on the beach scenes. It could be that I found them awkward to the point of being almost laughable as well as serious, young fumbling and confused love. I'm surprised that Anderson got away with it, and that despite it the film was only rated PG-13 (at least I think it is).

Oh and yes I too was kind of confused by the two Wilderness Scouts, but at the same time I liked that bit since when I was a in the Boy Scouts the uniforms often made it hard to tell people apart.

BTW, I thought this film had plenty of truly hilarious moments, where as many of Wes's films just have merely funny/amusing parts. The scene where the kids roll out to find Sam armed to the teeth was a riot, as was a couple other scenes that I can't recall exactly but which I would like to revisit at some point. And since I just bought Rushmore on Criterion, I only have two Anderson films left to own-Darjeeling Limited and The Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Glad you liked it, KF. Hopefully this film does well enough that they continue to give Anderson's movies wide releases.

[Dukefrukem]

This was great, but I don't think it's better than any of his earlier movies.

[Fezzik]

I'm not really what you'd call a fan of Anderson's films. He's competent as a filmmaker, but what he does rarely resonates with me.

Before The Fantastic Mr. Fox, the only movie of his I enjoyed even a bit was The Life Aquatic.

Nothing against the guy, his stuff just isn't my cup of tea.

That said, I saw this yesterday and it's easily my favorite of his films. I can't explain why. Many of the common Anderson touches are on display here and yet it all seemed to work. The cinematography was pretty fantastic and Desplat is quickly becoming one of my favorite film composers.

The Anderson quirk really added to the fairy-tale quality of the entire film, which works so well to strengthen everything that unfolds on the screen.

The two lead kids were great, and really, that's one thing I can say about Anderson films - even when I'm not a huge fan of the finished product, the acting is always at least above average.

Of the supporting adults, Norton was my favorite, but Willis was good too.

My favorite moments were...

Willis and Norton screaming "IT WAS THE GIRL!!" into the phone when Social Services accused Sam of being the stabber

and

the "invoice" that popped up on the screen after the scouts asked the one boy what "he needed" to help his plan. One of the items read "torn newspapers [some]"

So yeah, I really liked this one. I'm surprised how much I did, to be honest.

[Pop Trash]

So...went to see TDKR last night, it was sold out (which was surprising, it was Sunday at 9PM and I got there 10 mins early)...went and saw this again instead.

It's still great, even if some of the magic wears off the second time around. I was thinking one of the reasons why I like it, is that it's clear that it takes place in the 60s, whereas Anderson's other movies ostensibly take place in the time of their release, but everyone looks like they are from the 60s/70s so you just assume they are retro/hipster/vintage types. It seems like Anderson wants his films to take place in the past anyways, but maybe before it was cost-prohibitive to make everything vintage, so it's nice that he just goes ahead and does it here.

I also have to say, I like how bizarre Jason Schwartzman's character acts. The whole marriage scene and his behavior is so wonderfully odd.

Oh and Suzy does pause to look at the painting Sam was working on. The ending is really nicely done. She pauses and looks towards the painting, she keeps walking out of the room, the camera backs up, c.u. on the paining of the cove, dissolve into the actual cove, then a dedication at the corner of the frame. Good job Wes.

[Sven]

I also have to say, I like how bizarre Jason Schwartzman's character acts. The whole marriage scene and his behavior is so wonderfully odd.

He was my favorite part of the movie.

[MadMan]

He was my favorite part of the movie.When he marries Sam and Suzy I thought it felt like some kind of odd homage to the scene in Apocalypse Now where the preacher is holding a church service while the battle still rages. I think it was just the weird costume that he's wearing in the film that made me think that.

Also I laughed pretty hard when Bill Murray finally gets really pissed and throws his shoe at Edward Norton's hapless Wilderness Scout leader.

[Pop Trash]

When he marries Sam and Suzy I thought it felt like some kind of odd homage to the scene in Apocalypse Now where the preacher is holding a church service while the battle still rages. I think it was just the weird costume that he's wearing in the film that made me think that.


Could be intentional, with Schwartzman a part of the Coppola Clan. There's also a "leave the ___ take the ___" line but I forget what the nouns are.

[Milky Joe]

Oh and Suzy does pause to look at the painting Sam was working on. The ending is really nicely done. She pauses and looks towards the painting, she keeps walking out of the room, the camera backs up, c.u. on the paining of the cove, dissolve into the actual cove, then a dedication at the corner of the frame. Good job Wes.

Yeah, but the painting is facing away from her, so she can't see what it's of. But it's almost like she knows what it is without having to see it. Beautiful ending.

[MadMan]

Could be intentional, with Schwartzman a part of the Coppola Clan. There's also a "take the ___ leave the ___" line but I forget what the nouns are.Oh yeah there was a Godfather reference, too. My favorite homage though was Suzy and Sam about to jump off of the church, which was clearly channeling Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). I smiled when I saw that part.

[D_Davis]

That was OK. Better than Life Aquatic, but not as good as Bottle Rocket. I just don't feel anything from Anderson's movies any more. I laughed a few times, and some of the cinematography and shots were fantastic, but I've already forgotten almost everything about it.

[Henry Gale]

To Henry and Madman...

I can't wrap my head around how someone dislikes Fantastic Mr. Fox and loves this movie. What didn't you like about the former?

Just realized I never responded to this.

I don't know. It might be that I was just in the wrong sort of mood for Fantastic Mr. Fox when I saw it, even though I know I was looking forward to it beforehand, and much as I love his other films, I think when it comes to Anderson's style often being so saturated and meticulous with visual ideas and offbeat touches to his design, dialogue and characters, is brought to life in an appealing way in live action since he lucks out with strong storytelling and performances that don't let his broader tendencies completely suffocate the relatable pulse beneath the material.

All of this may explain why I didn't respond to Fantastic Mr. Fox the same way I did to Moonrise Kingdom (or even Darjeeling Limited, Life Aquatic, Royal Tenenbaums, etc.), I find the largest saving grace in Anderson's work to be his twisted versions of the real world with his various actors within them conveying genuine personalities that juxtapose beautifully. So from the look of the characters to the choppy stop-motion animation style to the script (the whole ongoing "cussing" gag just outright annoyed me), it just didn't seem to have anything palpable for me to enjoy. The Mr. Fox world all felt far too mannered and inorganic.

I love the idea of the movie (with its images, cast, general premise), and to this day seeing individual stills and clips of the film still fill me with wonderment and thoughts of whether or not I was wrong about the movie and should revisit it. But I still think that the one time I saw it, this particular (intermittently gorgeous) way of realizing through this animation paired with Anderson's general instincts as a director just didn't mesh in a seamless or convincing enough way for me. A disembodied Bill Murray voice over a scraggly mole character just seemed like too many layers of insincerity for Anderson to balance with real emotions. The world he animates is just so alien, that unlike in his live action work where I can plainly see the heightened differences and enjoy its bizarre irregularities, I couldn't see anything in Fantastic Mr. Fox's smugly constructed script and universe to have stake in, and even taken on its own terms, disassociated from his other work, I wasn't moved by it in any way but to feel strong ambivalence.

[Dukefrukem]

That was OK. Better than Life Aquatic, but not as good as Bottle Rocket. I just don't feel anything from Anderson's movies any more. I laughed a few times, and some of the cinematography and shots were fantastic, but I've already forgotten almost everything about it.

That's because there wasn't enough Bill Murray, making it impossible to be better than Life Aquatic.

[Adam]

Speaking as a pretty big Wes Anderson fanboy, this movie's the first time I've found Murray's "Bill Murray" schtick tiresome. That well might be running dry

[Mr. McGibblets]

Speaking as a pretty big Wes Anderson fanboy, this movie's the first time I've found Murray's "Bill Murray" schtick tiresome. That well might be running dry

I didn't find it tiresome, but I did think they were counting on him being "Bill Murray." The character was barely fleshed out as though we should already know who he was because of who was playing him.

[Dukefrukem]

I didn't find it tiresome, but I did think they were counting on him being "Bill Murray." The character was barely fleshed out as though we should already know who he was because of who was playing him.

I can remember one great line from him;

Does it concern you that daughter just ran away from home?

Murray: "That's a loaded question".

[D_Davis]

Speaking as a pretty big Wes Anderson fanboy, this movie's the first time I've found Murray's "Bill Murray" schtick tiresome. That well might be running dry

He wasn't even a character. There was a lot of that in this movie. I think Anderson is relying on his stock archetypes too much.

[Stay Puft]

Liked it. Kind of lost my interest in the third act, though.

My reaction, too.

I felt the same way about this as his last couple: admired it mostly for the meticulous production design and wonderful soundtrack and etc. Some of Anderson's strongest aesthetic work, perhaps. I thought the first half or so of the film was quite lovely and was really enjoying it. Lost its way a bit for me from there, but like Fantastic Mr. Fox was still entertaining throughout even when it was no longer resonating with me narratively/emotionally/whatever. For example, I found the scout shenanigans and the meteorological events and so on funny and engaging, but only on a superficial level. I found the film much more pleasing aesthetically and engaging emotionally during the earler sections before the two kids are caught on the beach. Part of this owes perhaps to some poor special effects; I enjoyed Anderson's use of miniatures, but shots like Norton leaping to Keitel's rescue were just sort of ugly.

I suppose in that sense I also agree a bit with Davis. I still enjoy Anderson's world on a film by film basis, and admire many elements of his craft, but these pleasures are becoming more and more superficial. I often find Anderson's penchant for shenanigans as in the aforementioned overbearing, and as others have mentioned, many of the characters here feel like little more than sketches, so that subplots like Murray and McDormand's marital troubles never come together for me thematically, and the film just sort of spins out in the third act. That said I will also agree that Anderson nailed the ending, probably one of his best. Anderson's use of Britten's music was sublime. Loved the credits, too.

[Raiders]

I personally love the way Anderson's films kind of feel like a travelling theater troupe. I actually wish he always had the exact same actors. It feels like each destination is a new riff, the same group and thematics re-worked into a new story. I love seeing the way themes fit in through all of them and how the players are positioned in the new film.

On this film itself though, I think it is likely his most thematically rich film to date and definitely the most tender and poignant.

[D_Davis]

Bottle Rocket is way more tender and poignant, mainly because it's so sincere and real. After BR, Anderson got too caught up in his artificial world, and now everything feels artificial, from the sets to the characters to the emotions on display; he's taken his cardboard, shoebox diorama aesthetic too far, and the artificial nature of the setting, which looks great, has now transcended into the realms of emotion and character (two places where it doesn't belong). His characters are little more than paper dolls, made to look the part. They're automatons running through their programmed motions and emotions, but are unable to show any real emotion or convey any real sense of drama.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Couldn't disagree more. The most affecting moment for me in any Wes Anderson movie is when they finally encounter the jaguar shark in The Life Aquatic. In fact, poignancy isn't something any of his films has lacked, in my estimation. I also found many moments in Tenenbaums, Rushmore, and Darjeeling to be very sincere and emotionally resonant.

[Pop Trash]

His better movies are more emotionally poignant for me by not telegraphing EMOTIONAL POIGNANT MOMENT HERE. They are usually pretty subtle grace notes that are undercurrents to the 'comedic' moments on the surface. I think Anderson understands indirect communication and the way people try to burrow their emotions or hide them beneath a veneer of other ambitious tasks (even if those ambitious tasks are dubious like Max Fischer trying to build an aquarium w/o approval or Dignan's heist fantasies).

[Dukefrukem]

Couldn't disagree more. The most affecting moment for me in any Wes Anderson movie is when they finally encounter the jaguar shark in The Life Aquatic. In fact, poignancy isn't something any of his films has lacked, in my estimation. I also found many moments in Tenenbaums, Rushmore, and Darjeeling to be very sincere and emotionally resonant.

Bingo.

[MadMan]

Couldn't disagree more. The most affecting moment for me in any Wes Anderson movie is when they finally encounter the jaguar shark in The Life Aquatic. In fact, poignancy isn't something any of his films has lacked, in my estimation. I also found many moments in Tenenbaums, Rushmore, and Darjeeling to be very sincere and emotionally resonant.Exactly. In fact that very scene in The Life Aquatic almost brought me to tears. Its goddamn beautiful, and just emotionally powerful.

And I loved the last act of Moonrise Kingdom. I'm still in awe that Wes Anderson managed to successfully craft a film that is equal parts love story/romance, comedy, drama, and adventure all rolled into one. This is how you make a movie action picture, and I think that's been overlooked just a little bit. I imagine that this one will have the highest replay value of a Wes Anderson film since The Life Aquatic, although I would like to see The Fantastic Mr. Fox again.

[D_Davis]

I'm definitely not on Anderson's wavelength anymore.

[Milky Joe]

They're automatons running through their programmed motions and emotions, but are unable to show any real emotion or convey any real sense of drama.

This isn't true at all. The most poignant moments of his films are when the characters do show real emotion in spite of the obvious artifice of the world in which they exist. It's particularly true of The Life Aquatic which is all clearly set up as artifice, as if Zissou is living in one of his films or living his life as if he is directing it the way he directs his films. Murray's performance clearly shows this: he does several scenes as if he's obviously trying to remember his lines or reading cue cards for example; the most impacting moments (made more so by their rarity) are when he switches from his world of 'artifice' to 'reality' and betrays his true emotional state, which is despair. One of my favorite moments is when Eleanor is leaving him and they both stop to admire the "snow crabs." Their shared sense of wonder at the (artificial) wildlife isn't accidental.

[ledfloyd]

i watched the royal tenenbaums again this weekend, and this idea that people are falling off the anderson bandwagon is alien to me. i've never really "gotten" the royal tenenbaums and while i can appreciate how carefully it's filmed and blocked and everything else, i'm still not sure i do. both tenenbaums and rushmore (and possibly the life aquatic, but it's been awhile since i've given that one a look) feel anesthetized to me, kind of in the way davis is talking about.

i feel like his aesthetic has developed another layer beginning with darjeeling limited and it's in these films that i'm able to feel the ecstasy people describe when talking about his earlier work. i think these films harken back to a spark that was present in bottle rocket, but snuffed out by meticulousness in rushmore and tenenbaums. i probably need to examine his films more closely to figure out exactly what's going on here, but i feel his last three films have been the most vibrant and moving of his entire career.

[MadMan]

Bottle Rocket is a good film, but it has all the limited qualities of a "First Film." Meanwhile Anderson completely moves beyond normal face value into something really special with Rushmore, Tenenbaums, and TLA, in addition to Moonrise. Darjeeling for some reason falls a bit short, but its still quite good, and the same can be said for Mr. Fox, although I do want to see both that and Darjeeling again. Wats is right about his films improving on second viewings-I didn't feel that TLA was truly amazing until I watched it again, and the same goes for Tenenbaums. Revisiting Rushmore recently made me realize once again how special that film is to me, and why its one of the best films of the 90s.

[Boner M]

I sorta expected this to disappear from memory after I'd watched and thoroughly enjoyed it, but I'm surprised by how resonant it's been. Brief review here (http://themusic.com.au/reviews/film/2012/08/13/moonrise-kingdom-ian-barr-1/).

[DavidSeven]

His best since Tenanbaums.

There are a few moments of preciousness that feel quite forced, and I occasionally felt the drama was weak because there seemed to very little at stake in the entire picture, but I can't deny its aesthetic and tonal merits. I'd classify this as a "return to form" effort.

[transmogrifier]

57/100

Everything with just the two kids is great; two moderate odd-balls finding someone with whom they go click, and not letting it faze them in the slightest. The two young actors are perfectly cast, and Anderson cuts their first escape wonderfully, sketching the already perfectly formed relationship with economy and grace.

Pity about the rest of it. The adults are almost all ciphers, cynical sad, depressive caricatures to counterpoint the adamant innocence of the children on view, which might not have been a bad thing if all that despair had been earned, or paid off, or anything, really. Instead, we spend far too much time wallowing with the one-note background characters (thank god for Swartzman, an adult with a pulse) and sidelining the true stars of the piece.

Ultimately, down there with Bottle Rocket and Tenenbaums as my least favourite Anderson films, not that any of them are truly bad. But I prefer my Anderson lithe, jazzy, funny and a little more off-the-rails.

[Ezee E]

This is definitely my favorite Wes Anderson movie. Watched it last night and loved everything about it.

[Grouchy]

This was great. I realize now the only Anderson film I dislike is The Darjeeling Limited, I just thought it was way too whiny. But otherwise, his jokes and specially his brilliant cinematography always work for me. Willis/Norton was a genius combo and the kids were all awe-inspiring... I found the love story really honest. I saw this on a tiny TV screen on a plane and all I could think so after the first 20 minutes was that I wanted to watch it again properly just to take in the images better.

1. The Royal Tenembaums
2. Bottle Rocket
3. Moonrise Kingdom
4. Rushmore
5. The Life Aquatic
6. The Darjeeling Limited

[Gizmo]

Thought this was a really good film, didn't resonate with me as much as Tenenbaums, but I'd put it in that ballpark:

1. The Royal Tenenbaums
2. Moonrise Kingdom
3. Rushmore
4. The Darjeeling Limited
5. The Fantastic Mr. Fox
6. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

Still need to see Bottle Rocket, which based on other's lists I've seen I imagine will fall around the 3 or 4 spot.

[baby doll]

I sorta expected this to disappear from memory after I'd watched and thoroughly enjoyed it, but I'm surprised by how resonant it's been. Brief review here (http://themusic.com.au/reviews/film/2012/08/13/moonrise-kingdom-ian-barr-1/).Well, if that's how you want to play this, I might as whip mine (http://lesamantsreguliers.wordpress.c om/2012/10/13/tout-les-garcons-et-les-filles-damsels-in-distress-moonrise-kingdom/) out as well so we can see whose is bigger.

[Ezee E]

Bruce Willis in my two top movies this year? Weird.

[baby doll]

Bruce Willis in my two top movies this year? Weird.Incidentally, he was also in my top two movies of the year, Le Gamin au vélo and Post Mortem.

[dreamdead]

Yeah, like others noted, the child actors here are the best part here by far. The extended sequences with them isolated from the rest of the people were fantastic, full of arched romance and maturity. It works. Nonetheless, I actually enjoyed the innocence that Norton brings to his character; Willis, Murray, and MacDormand are less fascinating, by a lot, but it all still hangs together well enough.

[Sxottlan]

I'm kind of shocked this didn't get the Criterion treatment in its first DVD release. I was pretty much expecting it to and when it didn't happened, I'm torn as whether or not to get it now since I assume they'll get it eventually. Criterion loves Anderson.

[Sycophant]

It took three years for Darjeeling to get to Criterion DVD and Bottle Rocket Criterion didn't happen until 2008 (Royal Tenenbaums and Life Aquatic's initial releases not being handled by Disney is a very rare case that was probably something entirely exclusive to his time with Disney). This is Anderson's first movie for Universal/Focus and I'm not sure how Universal feels about licensing this stuff to Criterion. It seems likely to happen eventually, but Universal will want all that sexy DVD money all to itself for at least a couple years. So I guess it's a question of whether you want it now or not.

[Spinal]

Hmmm ... I was really enjoying this up and through the Jason Schwartzman scene. And then it kind of lost me after that. The ending didn't really work for me at all.

[Pop Trash]

It's a beautiful ending.

[Spinal]

Funniest line:

"Was he a good dog?"
"Who's to say?"

[Sven]

Hmmm ... I was really enjoying this up and through the Jason Schwartzman scene. And then it kind of lost me after that. The ending didn't really work for me at all.

Agreed. And Schwartzman was my favorite scene.

[baby doll]

Funniest line:

"Was he a good dog?"
"Who's to say?"For me it was, "I'm going to cut down a tree," but I guess it wasn't the line itself that was funny so much as everything around it.

[SirNewt]

I personally love the way Anderson's films kind of feel like a travelling theater troupe. I actually wish he always had the exact same actors. It feels like each destination is a new riff, the same group and thematics re-worked into a new story. I love seeing the way themes fit in through all of them and how the players are positioned in the new film.

On this film itself though, I think it is likely his most thematically rich film to date and definitely the most tender and poignant.

Never thought of these directors even in the same thought before but just the way you said that made me think of Ozu.

[Spinal]

I personally love the way Anderson's films kind of feel like a travelling theater troupe. I actually wish he always had the exact same actors.

This film needed some Willem Dafoe.

[transmogrifier]

Hmmm ... I was really enjoying this up and through the Jason Schwartzman scene. And then it kind of lost me after that. The ending didn't really work for me at all.

Yeah, I had tuned out by the ending.

[Bosco B Thug]

End climax was the best part. Rolled my eyes at the Schwartzman scene.

[MadMan]

I feel that Moonrise Kingdom and The Life Aquatic have the most in common. Although there was some references to The Royal Tennebaums in MK, too, I guess.

[Philip J. Fry]

Hi-freaking-larious.