Moonrise Kingdom

[Robert Maxwell]

Did anyone else see this?

Caught it Sunday with my girlfriend. It was absolutely adorable. If you've seen Wes Anderson films before, well... it's a Wes Anderson film, so you pretty much know what you are getting going in.

The two main kids gave good performances, although I think the boy was slightly better than the girl.

It was also kind of weird to see Ed Norton playing a somewhat comical character while Bill Murray almost went out of his way to not be funny. Which is funny in itself.

It's labeled a "comedy-drama," which is probably not an accurate label. I'd say it's more of a fantasy-drama. Everything is played with the utmost conviction, and there is no winking at the audience, but the story itself is very much a fairy tale (albeit one set in the 20th century.)

Definitely worth watching if you like quirky movies.

 

[Unicron]

I've seen the posters for it, but haven't decided yet whether to see it or not.

 

[Harvey]

The critics have been loving it, but I'm kind of tired of the Wes Anderson formula. I've seen his last three films in theatres, but I'll probably catch this one on home video.

 

[nvek86]

I've seen it and loved it. It is true that Anderson keeps very closely to his formula, but since there aren't any other films in that style it doesn't really bother me.
Recently, Anderson also released this nice short film about the (fictitious) children's books that were shown in the film:

http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/06/07/moonrise-kingdom-animation/

 

[The Lensman]

SPOILER FREE


Saw it yesterday...loved it. An instant favorite of mine. Like all of Wes Andersons films, it gives us a self contained world with careful attention paid to the last detail, and deadpan humor.



[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N8wkVA4_8s[/yt]


It's about two twelve year old kids, Sam Shakusky and Suzy Bishop who long to run away with each other to get away from their unhappy lives. Sam is an orphan and Suzy is a dreamer who has a slight violent streak. When they run away, Sam has all the things they'll need to survive in the wilderness, while Suzy brings a record player, a suitcase full of fantasy books and her cat.

The opening scene really captures what it was like to be a kid in the pre-home computer, pre-multiple tv's per household days. It's a rainy day and Suzy's kid brothers are playing board games, or sitting and listening to records while she reads books like "The Girl From Jupiter", or looking out the windows with her binoculars (she loves books where characters have special powers and the binoculars help her feel that way.)


The story takes place on the small island of New Penzance, a 16 mile long island somewhere off the New England coast. It's very beautifully realized, with tracts of forests, streams, inlets and a lighthouse. There are no paved roads on the island and only Capt. Sharp (Bruce Willis) has a car. The perfect place for an adventure.


The story is great, and there's an emotional element with the characters and their plight that hasn't been as strong in the last few Anderson films. Surprisingly enough, except for one song, Anderson has eschewed one of his many trademarks, a healthy dose of British Invasion tunes, as the soundtrack.

In addition to a somewhat "fantasy" like orchestra soundtrack, there's a smattering of Hank Williams Sr. tunes scattered throughout.

The orchestra bits range form original music to pieces from Leonard Bernstein and Benjamin Britten. It all fits and works perfectly (I had to pick up the soundtrack. It keeps all the narration from "The Young Persons Guide To The Orchestra" )

If you're looking for something a bit different from the same old drab, by the numbers stuff, give it a whirl. I loved the film and picked up some cool swag in the form of post cards featuring each of the characters, as well as a mini-version of the movie poster.

As far as giving you a taste of the total experience, visuals, music, characters, and the world of the movie, the official website is pretty damn good. I love the map of the island.

http://www.moonrisekingdom.com/#home

The movie is only showing at three theaters here in Houston, so I thought it hadn't hit wide release yet. I was wrong, it is in wide release. I'll definitely be seeing it again tomorrow.

 

[Starbreaker]

It's definitely not in a wide enough release. The closest theater to here that's showing it is two hours a way in Atlanta. I'm thinking about driving down to see it on one of my off days next week.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I can't wait to see this (I love all of Anderson's films), but I'm not sure when I'll able to see this. I'm stationed in Japan and there's no release date for Japan yet and I seriously doubt either of my base theaters will pick it up.

 

[auntiehill]

I love Wes Anderson's movies, but I will also have to wait, as it's not playing here yet. I have a feeling his movies don't do that well here in Texas.

 

[Caretaker]

I just saw this earlier this evening, and greatly enjoyed it.

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

I just have a question for those who have seen it and the answer might be a bit of a spoiler so I will scroll down a bit for the question.










I had heard there was an animal cruelty scene in it. My girlfriend wants to see it but she is EXTREMELY sensitive to those kind of things. Is it something that might bother a very sensitive person. Thanks

 

[The Lensman]

I just have a question for those who have seen it and the answer might be a bit of a spoiler so I will scroll down a bit for the question.










I had heard there was an animal cruelty scene in it. My girlfriend wants to see it but she is EXTREMELY sensitive to those kind of things. Is it something that might bother a very sensitive person. Thanks

It's this:

Spoiler: spoiler

The little dog get's killed when the other Khaki Scouts catch up to Sam and Suzy. The arrow that you see in the trailer is what kills him. You don't actually see it hit him, but after the encounter, they discover the arrow in him

Hope that helps.

 

[the G-man]

Thanks guys. My wife's like rage's girlfriend. Now I know to avoid this. Too bad. I was looking forward to this.

Btw I'm starting to think

Spoiler: His movies in general

...that Wes Anderson doesn't like dogs. This film, the Royal Tenenbaums..and the dog didn't die in the Life Aquatic, but he was left stranded on an island

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

I just have a question for those who have seen it and the answer might be a bit of a spoiler so I will scroll down a bit for the question.










I had heard there was an animal cruelty scene in it. My girlfriend wants to see it but she is EXTREMELY sensitive to those kind of things. Is it something that might bother a very sensitive person. Thanks

It's this:

Spoiler: spoiler

The little dog get's killed when the other Khaki Scouts catch up to Sam and Suzy. The arrow that you see in the trailer is what kills him. You don't actually see it hit him, but after the encounter, they discover the arrow in him

Hope that helps.

Thanks that was a big help. A little dog would reminder her too much of our little chihuahua so this is one will have to skip

 

[The Lensman]

I love Wes Anderson's movies, but I will also have to wait, as it's not playing here yet. I have a feeling his movies don't do that well here in Texas.

Which is a shame because he's a fellow Texan. Not sure how far from H-Town you are, but it's showing at the River Oaks Theater, and will likely play there the longest. As far as I know, the only other places in this area that it's playing at is two theaters in The Woodlands which are, literally, just a block away from each other.

I hope it gets picked up by additional theaters. Went and saw it again at River Oaks tonight. I love that place as it's the last of the 30's/40's movie palaces in Houston.

Like you I love all of Wes' movies, but this one is *easily* my favorite. Growing up on the edge of the Piney Woods, I guess the "nature" locale resonates with me more than the locales of his other films.

I don't want to over hype it, but you're in for a real treat, and it's good to see Wes hit it out of the park again. The movie even broke a record.

Now I know to avoid this. Too bad. I was looking forward to this.

so this is one will have to skip

I don't know why this would preclude either of you from seeing it yourselves. Surely you still see movies without the girlfriend/wife on occasion?

Anyways, saw it again tonight....even better the second time around. It's gonna be tough for Wes to top, but I can't wait to see what's next.

And G-Man

Spoiler: spoiler

Good catch on that pattern, I missed it. I'm sure there's some meaning to it....the dog in "Life Aquatic" kinda parallels Ned's journey. Both had to adjust to missing important aspects of their lives, Ned his father, the dog his leg. Both kind of come out of nowhere and join on the adventure with Steve...and then the dog get's left behind while Steve moves on...which kinda foreshadows Steve having to leave Ned behind. Or I could be reading too much into that.

Been awhile since I watched "Royal Tenenbaums", so I don't recall all the details there.

 

[auntiehill]

I love Wes Anderson's movies, but I will also have to wait, as it's not playing here yet. I have a feeling his movies don't do that well here in Texas.

Which is a shame because he's a fellow Texan. Not sure how far from H-Town you are, but it's showing at the River Oaks Theater, and will likely play there the longest. As far as I know, the only other places in this area that it's playing at is two theaters in The Woodlands which are, literally, just a block away from each other.

I hope it gets picked up by additional theaters. Went and saw it again at River Oaks tonight. I love that place as it's the last of the 30's/40's movie palaces in Houston.

Like you I love all of Wes' movies, but this one is *easily* my favorite. Growing up on the edge of the Piney Woods, I guess the "nature" locale resonates with me more than the locales of his other films.

I don't want to over hype it, but you're in for a real treat, and it's good to see Wes hit it out of the park again. The movie even broke a record.

Cool. We're on the opposite side of Houston--just south of Sugarland-- so River Oaks is probably further than I want to go for a movie. I'm hoping that Alamo or maybe First Colony will pick it up, then perhaps I can get hubby to go as well. He's liked most of the Wes Anderson's work, but is not as interested in it as I am.

 

[The Lensman]

I love Wes Anderson's movies, but I will also have to wait, as it's not playing here yet. I have a feeling his movies don't do that well here in Texas.

Which is a shame because he's a fellow Texan. Not sure how far from H-Town you are, but it's showing at the River Oaks Theater, and will likely play there the longest. As far as I know, the only other places in this area that it's playing at is two theaters in The Woodlands which are, literally, just a block away from each other.

I hope it gets picked up by additional theaters. Went and saw it again at River Oaks tonight. I love that place as it's the last of the 30's/40's movie palaces in Houston.

Like you I love all of Wes' movies, but this one is *easily* my favorite. Growing up on the edge of the Piney Woods, I guess the "nature" locale resonates with me more than the locales of his other films.

I don't want to over hype it, but you're in for a real treat, and it's good to see Wes hit it out of the park again. The movie even broke a record.

Cool. We're on the opposite side of Houston--just south of Sugarland-- so River Oaks is probably further than I want to go for a movie. I'm hoping that Alamo or maybe First Colony will pick it up, then perhaps I can get hubby to go as well. He's liked most of the Wes Anderson's work, but is not as interested in it as I am.

Well the good news is that a couple more theaters will be getting it. One is right down the street from me (Woo Hoo!) the other, not so much. The bad news is that neither are out your way. Since it's a tiered launch, I'd guess that maybe next week something should be much closer to you.

I'll probably hit the theater close to me for the first show on Friday, mainly because when I saw the first show out in The Woodlands, they had this cool display with a set of about 8 or so post cards that featured various characters. I think you can find them as part of a viral scavenger hunt they did a little while ago.

I'd like to get a second set. They were all gone by the time I saw it at the River Oaks, but that was several days later and it's in a more metropolitan area.

For those of you that saw it

Spoiler: spoiler

Did "Mile 3.25 Tidal Inlet" aka Moonrise Kingdom get filled in with sand and debris? The Narrator said it was erased from the map or something like that.

A quick overview of New Penzance (spoiler free)
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBfgNVTGhCM[/yt]

Out of boredom, I pieced together the map from the website. Too bad I can't post the really large version.

Edit: It looks like two threads, one started by Robert Maxwell, and one by me, were merged into one. Kinda threw me when I looked at it today.

 

[nvek86]

Anderson keeps adding short films to this. Some boy scouts from Moonrise Kingdom get to watch a screening of Moonrise Kingdom:

http://www.worstpreviews.com/headline.php?id=25196&count=0

 

[The Lensman]

Anderson keeps adding short films to this. Some boy scouts from Moonrise Kingdom get to watch a screening of Moonrise Kingdom:

http://www.worstpreviews.com/headline.php?id=25196&count=0

Cousin Ben is the shit!

I hope they have all this extra stuff on the DVD....at least the eventual Criterion release.

 

[Trekker4747]

I've seen previews and stuff on this, hope I get it in a theater near me.

 

[nvek86]

I hope they have all this extra stuff on the DVD....at least the eventual Criterion release.

They did add the Hotel Chevalier short to the Darjeeling Limited DVD, although that was a more integral part of the film than these shorts here.