Moonrise Kingdom

Justin: I liked this movie. Wes Anderson is such a master of color and visual tableaux. He has really mastered the art of storybook framing and visual story telling, using quick camera pans to frame up shots at 90 degree angles that strike me as very innovative. Moonrise Kingdom is a story about romance and adventure, full of flawed, likable characters and excitement. There are echos of some of his previous works here. The scouts, for instance, remind me of the jr. military feel that was exhibited by the students at Rushmore. Everyone has their own job, and it's fun to see the kids put on airs. The main arc of the story, a sort of star crossed lovers theme, is reminiscent of the hideout in the museum from Royal Tenenbaums. There are cartoonish elements that take me back to Fantastic Mr. Fox. Anyway, it's fun and I could see myself, as a teen, really feeling for these two runaway characters. Let's talk about casting. Anderson must have one incredible rolodex. Again he assembles a genius cast. Willis is perfect. Norton is also pretty great. Bill Murray: he's a damn genius as usual. Swinton is great too, if a little short on screen time. The two teenage leads are also charming and headed for great things. Tie it up with some great music and quirky, lovable characters, just the right amount of drama and comedy, put a bow on it and call it a classic. Now, is this to say it's Anderson's best film? Probably not, but it's a welcome addition to the collection.

Chels: Is it weird that I have an overwhelming desire to watch all Wes Anderson movies with my eyes closed and just listen to the soundtrack? Wes Anderson has an uncanny way of imbedding perfectly heartfelt and appropriate music into each of his movies, and I really appreciate that.  He really treats the music like an essential character, he knows that music can be more compelling than any performance by even the most talented of actors. I personally feel that recent Wes Anderson movies have been on a decline. This could mostly be to blame because of my skewed view in regards to Royal Tenenbaums and Life Aquatic, Royal Tenenbaums is without a doubt my favorite Wes Anderson movie. Even Life Aqautic barely comes close to eclipsing my love for Royal Tenenbaums. Since I'm not a huge Jason Schwartzman fan, his latest movies which feature him prominently usually don't register on my radar. Darjeeling Limited and The Fantastic Mr. Fox were not my favorites, although Fantastic Mr Fox's animation is superb. But the child/adolescent driven cast of Moonrise Kingdom did a great job of capturing, what I believe to be, the true Wes Anderson spirit. That spirit of rebelling, of setting out on your own and not sticking to the socially accepted norm, the spirit of free thinking, of being a true individual. Justin is spot on about the cinematography, Wes Anderson has it down to a science.  He knows what we want, and continuously delivers those quintessential 'Wes Anderson' pans and shots that make you leave the theater cursing him for making it all look so easy.   It is safe to say that Moonrise Kingdom will become a staple in the Wes Anderson canon.  But, I'm still longing for something that will make Royal Tenebaums look like childs play.