024. The Bonfire of the Vanities

024. (22 Jan) The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990, Brian De Palma) 13



A notorious critical and commercial failure for all the right reasons, The Bonfire of the Vanities is all style, no substance. De Palma is so lost in his intricate tracking shots, he loses focus on a screenplay that's oblivious, offensive and irritating. He should be ashamed of himself, but then so should the ensemble. Kim Cattrall, Melanie Griffith and Tom Hanks are the worst in that order, but only Morgan Freeman comes off well. The courtroom scenes are some of the worst I've ever seen, defying reality in ways that should offend anyone with a shred of common sense.

ReReview: MOONRISE KINGDOM

MOONRISE KINGDOM
Written by Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola
Directed by Wes Anderson
Starring Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Bruce Willis and Frances McDormand

Suzy: I think you’ve still got lightning in you.

I was wrong and not only do I not mind saying that but rather I feel compelled to do so in the case of MOONRISE KINGDOM. I was quite excited to see Wes Anderson’s latest film when it debuted early in the summer, shortly after making its premiere to great fanfare at the Cannes Film Festival. In hindsight, I can see now that my initial reaction to the film, which was not a positive one, as you may have already gathered, or read for that matter, was likely tainted by two contributing factors. The first is that I had a major headache going into the screening that morning. The second, and arguably the more influential factor, would be that the film itself was not the film I wanted it to be. When I saw MOONRISE KINGDOM a second time though, and allowed it to be the film it actually is instead of what I had originally hoped it would be, I realized that not only was it Anderson at his absolute best, but it was also easily one of the finest films of the year.

What I wanted MOONRISE KINGDOM to be was an Anderson-esque comedy, featuring the bizarre antics of its incredible adult cast, including Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Bill Murray and Tilda Swinton. What it truly is, is an exceptionally made, Anderson-esque masterpiece, about two troubled young people, Sam and Suzy (newcomers, Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward), who see the potential for solace and acceptance in the other. Sam, a sensitive orphan, cannot seem to fit in in any family scenario he is placed; while Suzy cannot seem to find her place within her own biological family, Murray and McDormand playing her also troubled parents. They both feel unwanted and without a proper home because the adults that are supposed to be taking care of and guiding them, are too consumed by their own lives and egos. Sam and Suzy try as they might to make a home for themselves but quickly learn that, unlike the physical journey they are on, the road to a successful relationship does not come with a map and compass. Thus, Anderson’s opus rounds itself out as a poignant and charming reflection on generational influence.

After six films, Anderson is only getting stronger and more focused in his colorful and distinct approach to filmmaking. While his earlier successes, like RUSHMORE and THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS, clearly outline his creative style, they can also be a bit cold for some. Anderson finds a warmth he has been building toward of late in MOONRISE KINGDOM. His past characters, with all their specific quirks, can fall prey to their own caricatured nature and get lost within their deliberate construction. Sam and Suzy are innocents though and their discomfort with the world around them, with each other and with their own selves, can palpably be felt on the screen. They are just as particular as any Anderson creation, if not more so at times, but their wonder about the world unfolding in front of them, gives them enough heart to not only make them some of the most real of any Anderson creation I’ve ever seen, but they also firmly ground Anderson’s lofty ambitions, a feat he lets get away from him from time to time. Simply put, if you are open to its charms, MOONRISE KINGDOM will wile you with delight and you will bear witness to Anderson’s crowning achievement. Also, its probably best not to watch it with a headache.

Click here to read my original MOONRISE KINGDOM review. You can also read previous Anderson reviews for THE DARJEELING LIMITED and FANTASTIC MR. FOX.

314. Looper

314. (22 Dec) Looper (2012, Rian Johnson) 42



Who knew the future would be so dull? There should be more than a little fun to be had with the concept behind Looper, but self-seriousness and undercooked plotting prevent this from being entertaining. Initially too voiceover heavy (how exactly is this winning awards for screenwriting?), it's odd that even with a story that's seemingly reined in that this never becomes engaging. The makeup that allows Gordon-Levitt to look vaguely like Bruce Willis had no business making the Oscar shortlist.

307. Moonrise Kingdom

307. (09 Dec) Moonrise Kingdom (2012, Wes Anderson) 52



Anderson's zaniness and intricate set pieces are back to being a mixed bag following his utterly delightful Fantastic Mr. Fox. Unfortunately, Moonrise Kingdom is only about half as charming as it thinks it is. That still makes for a fun, albeit overly cute movie that's far more accomplished than efforts like The Darjeeling Limited. Despite an all-star cast of adults, Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward give the best performances here. The breathless, rapid-fire gags wear thin quite quickly.

Moonrise Kingdom

Moonrise Kingdom, 2012
Directed by Wes Anderson

Again, it's been a while since I've posted! I watched this movie twice last week but was thrown up from writing this review until now because I got engaged over the weekend! Woohoo! I'd say thats a pretty legit excuse not to write up a review right away! Anyway, here is the review for Moonrise Kingdom!

Moonrise Kingdom is the story of a young girl and a young boy who fall in love and, hating the lives they have at home (or at khaki scouts in Sam's case), run away together, and the small island town scrambles to try and find them, throwing everything topsy-turvy.

Moonrise Kingdom is a quirk of a movie. While I had heard of it before, most of what I knew was that all the hipsters on their blogs and tumblr dressed up as Sam and Suzy for Halloween. And that all the gifs on tumblr told me was that Sam says "I love you but you don't know what you're talking about" to Suzy. And something about them being "married".

Overall, I was expecting something extremely quirky and hipster. Which is more or less what I got.

However, I found the movie extremely endearing, and extraordinarily cute. Sam Shakusky is an adorable little boy, Suzy such a pretty girl. Scout Master Ward was hilarious, and Bruce Willis's character was so un-Bruce Willis. Yes, the movie was highly quirky and weird, but it was my kind of humour and stuff I really appreciate. Dopey kind of humor.

This movie was also quite well acted. The boy playing Sam Shakusky was really great. And of course with the star-studded adult cast, you can't go wrong.

And what I appreciate is that Wes Anderson gave the two young kids depth, and problems. Suzy is being thought of as "a very troubled child" by her parents, lashes out at kids at school, and hates her parents. Sometimes she steals library books to make her feel better. Sam's parents died a long time ago so he's been in and out with foster homes, but never really fitting in with anybody. The movie was not simply artificial and shallow, but most of the characters had problems and they had a bit of depth to them, which is what makes this movie so good.

Upon first watch of this, I wasn't a huge fan. I found it a little dull, and not quite what I was expecting (though I wasn't sure what to expect either). I picked up the movie a second time 2 days later and watched it with my mum, and found I enjoyed it a lot more, knowing what was coming and what to expect.

While Moonrise Kingdom is a charming film, I don't see the potential of Best Picture in it. If it were nominated I'd probably do a fist pump and laugh a lot cause such a quirky hipster movie that not everyone likes is up, but I just don't see that happening. It's biggest category will be in Original Screenplay, in which I think this has a good chance of not only being nominated, but I wouldn't be surprised if it won (though does have the strong competition of Django Unchained).

8/10

LOOPER

LOOPER
Written and Directed by Rian Johnson
Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt, Jeff Daniels and Bruce Willis

Abe: It’s the little ones that get you.

In 2005, a little movie called BRICK boldly announced the arrival of writer/director, Rian Johnson, as a crisp, witty new voice in cinema. It also solidified its star, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as the it indie boy of the day. Seven years later, the twosome have finally reunited and their new collaboration, LOOPER, showcases their maturity and growth, demonstrating just how far each of them have truly come.

As they are quick to explain in the narrative, time travel does not exist in 2044, the year in which LOOPER takes place. It does however exist 30 years past that point. Apparently, it is near impossible to get away with murder in the last quarter of this century, so the mob sends people back in time to be shot and disposed of the moment they arrive by what are known as loopers. Gordon-Levitt plays one of these loopers and a successful one at that. Successful that is, until the day his future self is sent back to be killed but runs away before his present day version can do the job. For those of you not already in the loop, this is called closing your loop.

LOOPER relies heavily on this intricately woven timeline, which is only further complicated when you consider why the older version of himself (played by Bruce Willis) runs in the first place. Johnson easily handles the twists and turns he himself crafted in his near airtight screenplay and Gordon-Levitt is leading his charge. LOOPER is an exciting and ambitious project that Johnson pulls off effortlessly and with the style of master in the making.

MOONRISE KINGDOM

MOONRISE KINGDOM
Written by Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola
Directed by Wes Anderson
Starring Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward and Bruce Willis

Captain Sharp: Even smart kids stick their fingers in electrical sockets. It takes time to figure things out.

Wes Anderson is an auteur, through and through. His style is unmistakable – from the deliberate cinematography, wide angled and colourful, to the soundtrack, usually folksy and reasonably obscure. He even works with the same actors on a frequent basis (Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman, most notably), which only further strengthens the definition of the Wes Anderson universe. His latest, MOONRISE KINGDOM, employs all of these familiar elements but something is missing this time. Aside from Owen Wilson (who has been in every single Anderson film except this one), what is most noticeably absent in MOONRISE KINGDOM, is a point. I mean, there is one; it just hardly seems worth all the trouble.

Working with his regular writing partner, Roman Coppola, who last worked with Anderson on a favourite of mine, THE DARJEELING LIMITED, Anderson weaves yet another quirked out tapestry of a story. Perhaps Anderson’s previous foray into children’s film inspired him to continue trumpeting the youth voice as his two main protagonists here are both barely old enough to watch the majority of Anderson’s repertoire. Sam and Suzy (Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward, both complete unknowns), fall for each other one night while he, having broken away from his scout troop while attending a church play about Noah’s Arc, stumbles upon her in her dressing room before her cue. There is an unspoken understanding that they are both outsiders – well, I assume there is anyway, otherwise I don’t know why else these two would gravitate towards each other – and they agree through correspondence that they should abandon their lives and live in the woods together. They both live on an island in the middle on nowhere and it’s 1965 so I guess that means this sort of arrangement is actually feasible. The kids do well with the morose, disaffected acting style Anderson pulls from all his actors but it sure is bleak to see future generations looking so hopelessly lost.

Aesthetically, Anderson never misses a beat. Every detail, and there are plenty of them, is tended to with great care. Sometimes, this leads to an absurdity that is both uproarious and insightful. At other times though, his films, despite the warmth in the colour tones themselves, can come across as quite cold. MOONRISE KINGDOM suffers from this. As the kids fight for their relationship, their parents and guardian types (the aforementioned Murray, as well as Frances McDormand, Bruce Willis and Edward Norton) bumble around trying to find them and keep their own lives from falling apart. The most I took away from this is that parents should check themselves because their kids are watching them and subsequently learning how to live and love from them at all times. The killer cast does their best to maintain the intrigue and mood but the simplicity of the themes left me wondering if Anderson is running out of things to say. Fortunately, for now, he still knows how to make whatever little amount he has to say look awful pretty.

“Live Free or Die Hard” is the most entertaining of the summer 2007 blockbusters I’ve seen so far. Bruce Willis is back for the fourth time as New York City cop John McClane, who stumbles onto a terror plot courtesy of some well-armed cyber terrorists who plan to literally shut down the country. The scenes of the bad guys causing all sorts of mayhem by messing around with traffic signals and utilities are pretty terrifying and very well staged.

Willis is a delight in his signature role. As impressive as the explosions and stunt work is here, they’re not nearly as entertaining as McClane driving his foes to fits of apoplexy as he continually disrupts their plans. McClane, in true Die Hard fashion, gets beat up pretty good, but - no surprise –comes out triumphant. How he does that is all part of the fun.

It’s a marvelously entertaining show, with only a climax involving McClane atop a fighter jet coming off as contrived and frankly, more than a little silly.

I was surprised I enjoyed this as much as I did since it was directed by Len Wiseman, who gave us one of the worst movies ever made, “Underworld”, a werewolves vs. vampires movie that couldn’t have been duller if Alvin and the Chipmunks had starred in it.

The score by Marco Beltrami is so negligible you wonder why they even bothered.

Rating for “Live Free of Die Hard”: Three stars.