For anyone who knows the work of Wes Anderson, they either embrace his quirky weirdness or they dismiss it as self-indulgent and one-note. I've always been the one who "doesn't get it," but Moonrise Kingdom, though it follows through on all of the same cliches and trademarks that we've come to expect from his past works, I think is his best yet. Set in the 1960's, the story follows two love-stricken youths: one, a renegade boy scout with a coon-skin hat, the other a girl with depression who carries around a pair of binoculars and a cat. The unlikely duo, played by first-time actors Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward, cause a stir among the adults of a small island community by running off together. Surrounded by high profile acting talent like Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, and Harvey Keitel - and not to mention the overbearing direction from Anderson - these kids have a lot riding on them to pull off this offbeat love story.
I did come out of this film really digging it, especially from a filmmaking standpoint. Anderson is not afraid of trying new things with camera movement, resulting in some of the most visually interesting scenes you're likely to see in theaters this year. As Edward Norton, playing an against-type scoutmaster, walks across his post at Camp Ivanhoe, the camera smoothly tracks by all sorts of intricately detailed, quirky set pieces and the complicated moves look effortless. I also loved the soundtrack, which brilliantly implements classical music into its score (and this one cool French song by Francoise Hardy). Each frame of this film is interesting to look at, much like a painting, and I would more readily compare this is to work of art (painting, etc.) than to a straightforward narrative film.
While I do think there are many eye-rollingly "Anderson" moments, especially in the kids' dialogue, on a sheer visual and aural level I was captivated. It's not too often we see a movie this unique, and even as a usual detractor of Anderson's work, for some reason Moonrise Kingdom won me over. I do think the script could've been tweaked, with the kids especially; the words coming out of their mouths seemed unnatural and awkward. Luckily Moonrise Kingdom is a visual wunderkind despite some so-so dialogue; in the end its pitfalls are overshadowed by its inventiveness.
Rating: B
Starring Parks and Recreation's Aubrey Plaza, first-time director Colin Trevorrow's Safety Not Guaranteed, similarly to Moonrise Kingdom, is an unlikely love story between two misunderstood characters. The story follows three journalists on a semi-vacation, who are following up on a strange ad placed in the newspaper for a time-travel partner, stating : "Must bring own weapons. Safety not guaranteed." The supposed nutcase who wrote the ad is played by Mark Duplass, and it's Plaza's job to get close enough to him to snag the "deets" for a good story. But lo and behold, she starts falling for him.
What makes Safety Not Guaranteed work so well, despite its eye-rolling premise, is its cast; Aubrey Plaza, though she still is the same deadpan archetype we've seen in her other work, has a lot more layers than is typical of her. I completely bought into her slowly falling for this guy, even if she may think something may be a little "off." The film has that "indie" feeling and is another one of those not-really-a-comedy, not-really-a-drama type deals, but somewhere in the middle. It keeps you guessing until the very end whether or not the guy is totally crazy or not, but unlike a film like The Sound of My Voice, the answer is actually revealed and nothing is left ambiguous (and while I like me some ambiguity in my entertainment, i.e. Prometheus, Lost, I'm glad they went this route).
I'd love to see what Trevorrow will do next; this is a very solid first picture and is everything a little flick like this should be. It has great acting, a solid script, characters with real feelings and emotions, and a little bit of suspense. Plus the poster has those little leaves on it, which means it must be good.
Rating: B
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World:From the writer of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World is Lorene Scafaria's directorial debut. It starts off with news of, you guessed it, the world coming to an end, with about a month's time before...checkmate. As soon as the news hits, Dodge's wife leaves him (Dodge played by Steve Carell), and by leaving him, I mean she just up and runs out of his car. In the wake of the oncoming apocalypse, most people have resorted to hard partying, while Carell has to spend his end days sulking over lost love. Just as all hope seemed lost, a Converse-wearing twenty-something (Keira Knightley) ends up crying near his fire escape, and he lets her in. The two form a bond and set out on a journey to say one last goodbye to their parents, on the way falling in love.
What could have made for a very interesting play on the end-of-the-world genre basically turns into a very boring road-trip movie. Unlike that in Safety Not Guaranteed, I just couldn't buy into the relationship between Carell and Knightley at all. They have very little chemistry together and their age difference is noticeable and a little creepy. Both actors, who have shown amazing work in previous films, were at their lowest here. It's a shame considering the potential of the material, and all the comedic talent showcased in a series of cameos (including Patton Oswalt and Rob Corddry). It may be a stretch, but I was hoping this would have been the comedic answer to Melancholia, but instead it's just a typical romance flick with the end of the world sort of thrown in in the background.
Rating: C-
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