Moonrise Kingdom - Review Thread

[Neverending]

Originally Posted by Dracula

So is Wes Anderson...

He left Texas. Daniel didn't. He's comfortable living in the state where politicans pray for rain.

[Daniel]

Again, you're generalizing. The city of Austin is the red-headed, liberal, gay-loving child of Texas.

Don't be such a bigot.

[Justin]

So I guess you're out of luck, Daniel. You're stuck being a homophobic, backwards racist who considers anyone from out of state to be suspicious and worthy of interrogation.

Sorry.

[IAmARevenant]

The great thing about this movie is that it captured the dark side of childhood and pre-adolescence that most films would never touch. It also examined two kids who are clearly mentally disturbed in some way or another, something that also is almost never touched on in movies. Why? Because it makes people uncomfortable, which is why I guess I understand Daniel's reaction. But it's uncomfortable because it's authentic, and because it's an uncomfortable time in these characters' lives.

Plus, I just don't buy the concept that if a film makes you uncomfortable it's automatically bad. Sometimes uncomfortableness is just part of human life and if that's portrayed in a film, and it makes you uncomfortable, well then it kind of did it's job.

[Daniel]

Originally Posted by Justin

So I guess you're out of luck, Daniel. You're stuck being a homophobic, backwards racist who considers anyone from out of state to be suspicious and worthy of interrogation.

Sorry.

How queer.

[Neverending]

Originally Posted by IAmARevenant

Plus, I just don't buy the concept that if a film makes you uncomfortable it's automatically bad. Sometimes uncomfortableness is just part of human life and if that's portrayed in a film, and it makes you uncomfortable, well then it kind of did it's job.

Amen.

By the way, is this movie the same hipster bulls--t Wes Anderson always does? That's my biggest concern.

[Justin]

Do you need to put labels on everything? This name calling "hipster" crap needs to end.

[Doomsday]

I didn't know that many people didn't like Wes Anderson.

[Jack]

Originally Posted by Neverending

Amen.

By the way, is this movie the same hipster bulls--t Wes Anderson always does? That's my biggest concern.

I don't know, is this post the typical reductive, combative, pseudo-infallible bull**** Neverending always does?

[Neverending]

I'd bet if Dracula had asked that question no one would care.

[Jack]

Oh yes, drag Dracula into it. That train ain't ever ****ing late.

[Neverending]

I'm not dragging anyone. Asking if Wes Anderson made another hipster movie is a legitimate question. It's like asking if Kevin Smith made another movie where slackers talk about Star Wars and masturbation. So, I assume you guys are angry because I'm the one addressing the elephant in the room.

[Justin]

There's no elephant in the room. What are you even talking about?

[Jack]

Originally Posted by Neverending

I'm not dragging anyone. Asking if Wes Anderson made another hipster movie is a legitimate question. It's like asking if Kevin Smith made another movie where slackers talk about Star Wars and masturbation. So, I assume you guys are angry because I'm the one addressing the elephant in the room.

You're not speaking some truth we can't all admit (calling Wes hipster, how edgy!), you're just being a dick.

I vehemently disagree with Daniel's review. I think he's way off the mark about Moonrise Kingdom. But I respect that he spent the time to write a full review, and tried to be understanding of his position.

I didn't write some pithy remarks about him or his opinion. I tried to open up the conversation and have a dialogue. You just come in and shut it down.

I'm pretty goddamn tired of it.

I don't post a lot, but I like reading a lot of folks on these boards and you just murder any conversation with tactless blanket statements and your abrasive tone. You are the number one reason why I come here less and less.

[Neverending]

Originally Posted by Jack

I didn't write some pithy remarks about him or his opinion.

Daniel knows I was joking around. And, I wasn't the only one making jokes. If you wanna have serious discussions about the film then go ahead. No one is stopping you.

[Jack]

Why bother? Spend some time writing something just for Neverending to tee it off in his latest cynical weak **** punchline? What grates me to no end is that I genuinely don't think you even read the threads you drop your bull**** into.

Daniel addresses the exact hipster stereotype in his review that you insinuate. So, when one person has already addressed your "biggest" concern, why not start a dialogue from there? Why even ask the question?

Because, really, it is not a question, is it?

It is a snide pot shot.

"But seriously guys is this Wes Anderson's usual hipster bull****!? Am I right!?"

And then you play it off like it is a legitimate question. Give me a break. You haven't seen the movie, you're clearly more interested in your own clever self than any discussion and I'm pretty sure you haven't even read the ****ing thread.

It is the Neverending show that these boards have turned into.

Originally Posted by Daniel

That all said, Anderson doesn't break any new ground for the most part - it's more of what you can expect from him - bored-looking characters who are all likely on Xanax, delivering quirky lines spoken in flat, robotic tones, and the usual strange hijinks involving quirky props and set pieces that will have everyone running to their local vintage store in the hopes of being cool and showing off to their wine-sipping, hipster friends.

[Daniel]

Originally Posted by Jack

I vehemently disagree with Daniel's review. I think he's way off the mark about Moonrise Kingdom. But I respect that he spent the time to write a full review, and tried to be understanding of his position.

I didn't write some pithy remarks about him or his opinion. I tried to open up the conversation and have a dialogue. You just come in and shut it down.

I'm pretty goddamn tired of it.

I don't post a lot, but I like reading a lot of folks on these boards and you just murder any conversation with tactless blanket statements and your abrasive tone. You are the number one reason why I come here less and less.

I'll address a few things here: I did make a full disclosure that I thought I would be the lone ranger in the room shooting this film down. There are movies I have seen with certain elements, themes, or scenes that bothered me enough, it soiled the whole thing - kind of like dropping a small piece of poo in a bowl of ice cream. I didn't dislike the movie for that one reason alone, I also added my lack of interest in the story and the characters. That said ...

I understand where Neverending is coming from in labeling this movie. I feel a lot of the charm of Wes Anderson's movies are the scenes where odd/unique set pieces, and someone looking awkward in vintage clothes is the kind of thing Anderson likes to chalk his films full of. It is pretty tailor-made for the hipster culture, but his stories sometimes hit a universal theme and are loved by all kinds of people. It doesn't bother me much, as I loved/liked Rushmore, Darjeeling Limited, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Royal Tenenbaums.

As for Neverending himself, I agree that he goes over the top with his vehemency. I don't usually address it or say anything because I've been on these boards since 2001 with minimal incident and, frankly, don't want to alienate someone else who contributes to the boards. However, I have lately found his contributions to be all the things Jack said, and it's starting to really wear my patience thin.

I'm being a lot nicer than Jack is, but I'll take 20 RedVaders and moviefans over another Neverending.

[Neverending]

Originally Posted by Daniel

I'm being a lot nicer than Jack is, but I'll take 20 RedVaders and moviefans over another Neverending.

Damn. Not even FranklinTard gets this much hate.

[PG Cooper]

I feel the need to step up for Neverending, which might seem strange given how much we argue, but I think this needs to be said.

Neverending, love him or hate him, is one of the most active users on the site and always helps spark discussion and debate. I've been extremely pissed at Neverending before, but I always got a fun debate out of it, so it was worth any anger I felt. Neverending may piss people off from time to time, but he contributes a lot to the boards.

[FranklinTard]

i'm with jack. neverending troll... never ends.

[saveus1011]

I'm staying out of this one.

[IAmARevenant]

ok then, I'll post a full review I did for this one:

I have neither an opposition or love for Wes Anderson. Rushmore and Fantastic Mr. Fox are the films I can say I loved, with the rest ranging from admiration to ambivalence. The films I find ambivalence with usually rely more than anything on the finite details and intensity of the art direction and having all them other important things like characters and plot and quality revolving around that and being built from it. By 2007’s The Darjeeling Limited the main characters might as well have been the train and the luggage within it.

2009’s Fantastic Mr. Fox was a breath of fresh air for Anderson because the universe of that film was his and uniquely his to control and that brought a kind of liberation a couple films before it hadn’t. But then came Moonrise Kingdom, and the challenge to make a compelling live action picture rose once again.

I’ll just say first that if you already have a dead-set distaste Wes Anderson films, this will likely not change your mind on him; but then again, it might. It tells the story of an almost mythical New England island town, a “Khaki scout” troop, an oncoming storm, and the romance of an orphan boy and the daughter of two lawyers. It would be a whimsical fairy tale if it weren’t so god damn melancholy.

But from the melancholy stems the longing of these two kids, the longing to be understood, and loved. Both are mentally disturbed in one way or another, and the film doesn’t try to make any excuses for that. The last time I saw a film tackle something like this was last year’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close which resulted in a shrill, over the top performance from Thomas Horn that did nothing to serve his character.

In fact one of this films biggest successes is the performances of all the child actors. They’re kids, and they act like kids. It seems that none of them have learned the over-dramatic “actor”-y things that too many kid actors do, and it plays to the film’s strength. But while kids are being kids, adults are being adults. I haven’t seen a film that so somberly portrays adulthood in quite a while. Frances McDormand and Bill Murray play the two lawyer parents of the leading lady that have clearly chosen the route of just staying together for the kids; Bruce Willis plays a police captain who treats his existential ennui with alcoholism; and Edward Norton is Scout Master Randy Ward, a title he’d rather bear than one of the teaching profession he uses to pay the bills. But in youth, there’s the great chance to transcend the bitterness of adulthood.

In the start of the films third act it decides to go batsh-t crazy for a second and interweaving threads get more tangled up than I think they had to. These points of the picture I think distracted with what was the overall focus just to throw in some theatrics, but the film finds its balance once again into an ending that isn’t cut and dry for everyone, but it’s the melancholic fairytale ending everyone deserved.

8.5/10
(would've been a 9 had it not been for the start of the third act with the storm and such)

[Doomsday]

And where would we be without Neverending? These boards would be that much more lifeless, the most active boards would be the latest Marvel movie or some inane battle thread. Love him or hate him,he’s one of the guys that helps keep this place going.

[PG Cooper]

Originally Posted by Doomsday

And where would we be without Neverending? These boards would be that much more lifeless, the most active boards would be the latest Marvel movie or some inane battle thread. Love him or hate him,he’s one of the guys that helps keep this place going.

Exactly.

[Justin]

Right. I don't think there's any argument that he helps keep the forum active. But that's not really what Jack is talking about. He's talking about his attitude.