This Kingdom Might Be Better on a Stage: Our Review of "Moonrise Kingdom" (2012)

Directed By: Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenanbaums)

Starring: Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Bill Murray

Rating: PG-13 for sexual content and smoking

Synopsis: In a small New England town in 1965, 12-year-olds Sam (Gilman) and Suzie (Hayward) run away together after falling in love through numerous letters to each other. This causes Sam’s Khaki Scouts leader, Scout Master Ward (Norton), and the town police officer, Captain Sharp (Willis), to start an island-wide search for them.

REVIEW

Andrew: Hello readers! Tonight Sarah and I saw the latest film from director Wes Anderson, Moonrise Kingdom. It’s been a few years since Anderson’s last film, the stop-motion The Fantastic Mr. Fox, and even longer since his last live-action film, The Darjeeling Limited. In typical Anderson style, his new movie looked pretty quirky going in but had a great looking cast with Bruce Willis, Ed Norton, Frances McDormand and Bill Murray to name a few.

Essentially it’s about a love story about a pair of 12-year-olds, Sam and Suzie, who run away together. Sarah, I’m having a little trouble figuring out exactly what I think about Moonrise Kingdom. I don’t know how I feel about it.

Sarah: Well I do, I’ll take it from here. I felt that this movie was like watching a play. Very much like watching an on-stage performance. I actually felt like it would transition to the stage VERY easily. The scenes were very well crafted to be very small scale, which was very cool. I loved the way this movie was filmed. It’s supposed to take place in the mid-1960s and there were shots and scenes where…I’m not sure if they used a filter or what, but Anderson was able to make it look like he filmed it in the 1960s.

There’s a beach scene at one point where the shots of Suzie looks like (to me at least) Ursula Andress in Dr. No. Just the softness of the edges and the way the whole scene looked. It was really, really creative the way the scenes were portrayed and written out. It seemed to be between the two main characters, Sam and Suzie, that a lot of the dialogue was ad-libbed. Like they were given the scene and were just meant to act out the scene on their own. It was very impressive.

I really enjoyed it. There was a lot more depth to it than I expected going in.

Many scenes in Moonrise Kingdom feel like they belong on a stage, particularly many of the smaller, intimate scenes between Suzy and Sam.

A: On a very technical level there are a lot of things that I agree with you on. It LOOKS great, which is par for the course for Wes Anderson. It DOES look like it was filmed on old stock, which we’ll have to look up later and see if it was. I’m curious to see if it was filmed on old film. (EDITOR’S NOTE: Moonrise Kingdom was filmed on 16mm film.) Wes Anderson is notable for being very particular and being very precise with what all is in his shots – the costumes, the sets, everything is done on purpose. All for the character of not only the actual characters, but also the setting of the stories and atmosphere he wants to convey.

So a lot of the technical aspects I agree with you, were great. But I think the thing for me is it comes down to…I’ve never been a BIG fan of Anderson’s quirky scripts and style. The way his characters speak, in particular. I know it’s all done completely on purpose but it all just sounds fake and forced to me. Not to say a lot of the lines and the situations in the film weren’t funny, because they WERE, but I think that’s also a testament to the actors themselves. There were a lot of funny actors in this film, including Kara Hayward and Jared Gilman.

So my hesitation comes from the fact that I like a lot of the aspects of the film, but I wasn’t buying the story a whole lot and some scenes just felt out of place to me. Like a scene towards the end where a flood happens. Things just kind of happen for no particular reason, at least it appeared so to me, and it took me out of things.

It’s a good movie and I enjoyed watching it, but I don’t know exactly how I feel about it until I process it more. Maybe I’ll have to see it again to fully know how to say what I want to say about it.

S: Maybe. I don’t mind his scripts. I find them to be choppy with a lot of quick, tight words that you have to catch. They’re meant to be funny…but again I think there’s a suspension of disbelief that you need to have. That’s why I was okay with it, because it was like watching a stage play.

I know it’s fake, but it was kind of nice to watch a movie that acted LIKE movie. It was meant to be fictional. There are things that happen where I go, “Yeah, that wouldn’t happen in real life,” but that’s nice.

A: I think, and again this could totally just be me, but my favorite character in the movie was Bruce Willis’ Captain Sharp because I felt through most of the movie his lines and his delivery felt the most normal. It kind of showed me a different side of Bruce Willis I haven’t seen in a while either, which I liked.

But you know what? Here’s the thing: I really, really enjoyed The Fantastic Mr. Fox and I loved the dialogue in it.

We both think the strength of Moonrise Kingdom lies with the cast, like (from left) Murray, McDormand, Norton and Willis. Even if Andrew had the same express as these four many times during the film.

S: See and I didn’t! I didn’t get it at all. Maybe if I went back and watched it again having seen this and having a better idea of how Anderson writes, then I would probably understand that one a bit better.

I think it’s pretty amazing that this guy can go, “I have this movie I want you to be in,” and the A-listers come running. That’s a testament to him as a director. So I was impressed.  I guess you have to process it a little more and come back to it. I definitely think this will make the Oscar circuits…

A: Yeah, but it’s a lot different than your normal Oscar bait. I’ll be interested to see what the pundits say as we get close to award season, when the other big stuff starts coming out.

Real quick, I do want to say I loved the cast, which you mentioned. Again, Willis was my favorite but I also really liked Ed Norton. I thought he was hilarious as Scout Master Ward. Murray and McDormand played well of each other, Gilman and Hayward were very cute together, and even the other Khaki Scouts were good.

S: Yes, I really liked the boys who played all the other Khaki Scouts. They were probably my favorite.

A: So overall we enjoyed it, but I wasn’t in love with it.

S: It’s definitely not one you have to see in theatres, but you SHOULD see it at some point.

FINAL VERDICT: Netflix it.

(Out of Five clapboards)

Photo Courtesies:  Collider, Ella & Louise, Movie Film Review

When the Zoo Animals Met the Circus Animals: Our Review of "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted" (2012)

Directed By: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath and Conrad Vernon

Starring: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith, David Schwimmer, Sacha Baron Cohen, Frances McDormand, Martin Short, Jessica Chastain, Bryan Cranston

Synopsis: The gang’s all back – Alex the Lion (Stiller), Marty the Zebra (Rock), Gloria the Hippo (Smith) and Melman the Giraffe (Schwimmer) – and they’re headed to Monte Carlo to find the Penguins and go back to New York City. After scaring a casino full of humans, Animal Control Captain DuBois (McDormand) makes it her quest to capture Alex so she can mount his head on her wall. The gang joins a European circus in an attempt to evade DuBois and get home, becoming friends with Gia the Jaguar (Chastain), Vitaly the Tiger (Cranston) and Stefano the Sea Lion (Short).

REVIEW

Andrew: Hello readers! This afternoon Sarah and I made our usual excursion to the movie theatre down the street and caught a matinee showing of Madagascar 3: Europe’s MostWanted.

Sarah, we previewed this film on Thursday along with Prometheus, and we were both excited to see it, you probably a little more so because you have a special love for one of the Madagascar films, correct?

Sarah: Yes, the first one is 100% my favorite of the series. I screened it for my younger sister before she could watch it back when it first came out, and I remember sitting in my basement all by myself laughing my head off. So it will always be my favorite.

But I have to say, this new entry in the series is pretty darn funny and the 3D is amazing!

A: I would say I like the first two movies, but of the three I think I like this one the most. I found myself laughing more during this one for a variety of reasons, but I think the addition of Martin Short as the Italian circus sea lion, Stefano, is one of the biggest reasons. He was pretty hysterical – and not just in making me laugh, but literally his character is hysterical a number of times. The penguins, per usual, were also great. I love me the penguins especially Skipper.

The gang's all back! Gloria the Hippo, Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra and Melman the Giraffe are trying to get back to NYC in Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted

And yes, the 3D was absolutely fantastic. Along with Prometheus, the strength of both movies this weekend has been that they’ve been incredible examples of what GOOD 3D can do for a movie.

S: Agreed. You know, what I think makes these movies so funny is that you not only have your slapstick humor for the kids, but you also have adult humor for the parents

A: Let’s be honest, it’s funny but it’s a silly funny.

S: Yes. The penguins, yet again, were humorous and are really the cherry on top of this movie. Their quick little remarks you have to pay attention to because otherwise you’ll miss the humor in them are really some of my favorite parts. I think the ensemble cast, especially with the addition of Martin Short, Jessica Chastain and Bryan Cranston really were good additions for people whom you don’t normally see as voice actors. They did a good job.

A: It’s not like these are intellectually humorous, you don’t have to think about it much. It’s a lot of slapstick, a lot of physical humor, which is fine. It makes us laugh, which is par for the course. But I think what a good animated film has to do is have heart and all three Madagascar films have really had their own heart.

Vitaly the Tiger (Cranston), Gia the Jaguar (Chastain) and Stefano the Sea Lion (Short) are the stars of the circus the gang joins to get back to America.

This was a good one because it shows that the characters wanted to go home to NYC, but maybe home wasn’t exactly what they thought it was now that they’ve seen the rest of the world. Plus they have other people that they care about or care about them, these circus animals that they become a part of, so it’s harder to just go back to the Central Park Zoo.

S: Yeah, in the second one they kind of go back to their roots, get to see where they come from, but it’s still not quite them because they’re used to performing in front of people. And the circus in this one allows them to do that again.

Overall, Madagascar 3 Is funny and I really did enjoy it. Seriously, the 3D is amazing. If you’re going to see this in theatres, see it in 3D because there’s a circus scene that just blew my mind. It was like a Cirque de Soleil on the screen. It was really cool.

A: This movie is a visual feast. It’s really worth the extra dollars to see it in 3D. I’m sure it’s fine in 2D and is just as funny, but it won’t LOOK as stunning. Ok, real quick, I was also a fan of the little English dogs that turn out to be like English gangsters. They were funny. But I was not a big fan of Frances McDormand’s character, Captain Chantel DuBois. It’s not her fault, I thought she did fine voice acting but…

S: She didn’t add a ton to the story.

A: Exactly. Obviously she was the conflict that the film needed, but it wasn’t much. She made me laugh a few times, or the people that encountered her made me laugh I should say.

The Penguins are back, led by Skipper (front), and are Andrew's favorite part of the film (again). They'll also track you down if you don't see this film in 3D.

I also liked the music, I was a big fan of the French music they use, including one song by Edith Piaf that DuBois actually sings. I recognized it as the song the characters in Christopher Nolan’s Inception use as the kick to wake them up from the dreams, and using Journey’s “Any Way You Want It” was kind of random but I love Journey so I was okay with it.

S: Yeah, I loved Katy Perry’s “Firework” for the circus scene. The music was fun and kept the movie upbeat.

Madagascar 3 is definitely one to take the kids to see, or maybe for a light date. Whereas Prometheus was the dark, adult movie to come out this weekend, this one is just pure fun and I definitely think they’ve hit the nail on the head yet again.

A: Will we own this one? We don’t own any of the others.

S: We don’t, but it will definitely be one that family members will own it and we’ll watch it.

A: And of course, as we said earlier, definitely see it on the big screen and see it in 3D! As always, thanks for reading!

(Out of Five Clapboards)

Photo Courtesies: Movie Carpet, Time, About.com, New Raleigh