October 16, 2012
Moonrise Kingdom is the kind of movie that makes me nervous. It reminds me of another Wes Anderson movie that made me nervous, The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou. These movies make me nervous because I'm positive that I am not cool enough to be watching them. Add Jason Schwartzman to the mix and I might as well clean my glasses and bust out my pocket protector while I bask in my eternal virginity.
Moonrise Kingdom has a fantastic 94% rating at Rotten Tomatoes, which usually steers me right when it comes to movies. And as soon as it began – though I was pretty sure I wasn't even cool enough to be in the same room as this movie – I was entranced. ENTRANCED, I tell you! It won me over early on, when Sam runs away from boy scout camp by cutting a hole in the side of his tent...and covering it up with a map. That was fantastic. And there is a lot of that kind of clever humor throughout the movie. For example, I also appreciated that Frances McDormand (who plays Suzy's mother) uses a bullhorn to call her four children to dinner.
Set on the fictional New Penzance Island in 1965, Moonrise Kingdom is the story of two misunderstood and ostracized 12-year-olds who fall in love and try to run away together. The two stars, (Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward) were actually 12 at the time of filming, which made me uncomfortable during their kissing scenes...with TONGUE, mind you! I guess I need to go buy some pearls so I can start clutching them when my delicate senses get offended.
Wes Anderson's distinct style of film-making has its pluses and minuses for me. On the plus side, every frame of film looked like a painting by Norman Rockwell. On the minus side, I don't much care for the way his dialogue is written – it's a little too clipped, and presented a little too matter-of-factly for me. There aren't a whole lot of facial expressions on Wes Anderson movies. But Moonrise Kingdom – despite its intense coolness – charmed me.
Meredith reviews Moonrise Kingdom
Moonrise Kingdom is the kind of movie that makes me nervous. It reminds me of another Wes Anderson movie that made me nervous, The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou. These movies make me nervous because I'm positive that I am not cool enough to be watching them. Add Jason Schwartzman to the mix and I might as well clean my glasses and bust out my pocket protector while I bask in my eternal virginity.
Moonrise Kingdom has a fantastic 94% rating at Rotten Tomatoes, which usually steers me right when it comes to movies. And as soon as it began – though I was pretty sure I wasn't even cool enough to be in the same room as this movie – I was entranced. ENTRANCED, I tell you! It won me over early on, when Sam runs away from boy scout camp by cutting a hole in the side of his tent...and covering it up with a map. That was fantastic. And there is a lot of that kind of clever humor throughout the movie. For example, I also appreciated that Frances McDormand (who plays Suzy's mother) uses a bullhorn to call her four children to dinner.Set on the fictional New Penzance Island in 1965, Moonrise Kingdom is the story of two misunderstood and ostracized 12-year-olds who fall in love and try to run away together. The two stars, (Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward) were actually 12 at the time of filming, which made me uncomfortable during their kissing scenes...with TONGUE, mind you! I guess I need to go buy some pearls so I can start clutching them when my delicate senses get offended.
Wes Anderson's distinct style of film-making has its pluses and minuses for me. On the plus side, every frame of film looked like a painting by Norman Rockwell. On the minus side, I don't much care for the way his dialogue is written – it's a little too clipped, and presented a little too matter-of-factly for me. There aren't a whole lot of facial expressions on Wes Anderson movies. But Moonrise Kingdom – despite its intense coolness – charmed me.
Meredith Bland is a
freelance writer who blogs
at www.pileofbabies.com