The next set of reviews we’ll be publishing are some of the ones Roger Thomas has done exclusively for The Stanly News & Press. Roger has written movie reviews for The Stanly News & Press and other outlets for years, long before starting this blog. So we decided it would be good to give readers a sample of his previous work, in addition to posts of reviews of current films. Other reviews will run daily.
Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Ed Norton and Bruce Willis
Thus far, “Moonrise Kingdom” is the best-reviewed film of 2012. It has scored eight 100 scores from various other critics.
Metacritic, a website that averages film review scores to draw a consensus, has “Moonrise Kingdom” scoring an 84 at this time, the highest score of any film released so far this year. (That is fifteen points above “The Avengers” and twenty points ahead of my favorite film of 2012 thus far, “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.”) All those critics may be correct, but I do not think so.
Writer-Director Wes Anderson’s films are an acquired taste; one I have not yet acquired. I have seen most of his recent films: “Rushmore” (1998), “The Royal Tenenbaums” (2001), “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” (2004), “Fantastic Mr. Fox” (2009) and “Moonrise Kingdom” (2012). If I were forced to pick a favorite, it would be “Mr. Fox.” “Moonrise Kingdom” would come in second.
So in the 14 years that I have been giving Anderson the benefit of the doubt, I guess I am starting to like his films more. Just not as much as most other critics.
Moonrise Kingdom” is a quirky love story about a young boy who abandons his scout troop camp and talks the girl he loves into running away from home so that they can live in the wilderness together. The story takes place on an island therefore the entire scout troop, the island police and the girl’s family all begin a search for the missing children. And all of this is played for laughs.
There are some very humorous moments. A bit with homemade earrings is especially inspired. I also liked the various personalities of the scout troop. The film is filled with great adult actors including Oscar-winners Frances McDormand and Tilda Swinton, Oscar nominees Bill Murray (an Anderson favorite), Ed Norton, and Harvey Keitel, and action star Bruce Willis. However, none of these stars outshined the children. The youngsters got all the best laughs of the film.
Beyond the occasions of clever humor, there are many surreal moments in the story. Some of these work better than others. But in the end, this quirky comedy never achieved the level of artistry I found in a couple of other films I have seen recently.
I have already reviewed the brilliant “Bernie” which is the funniest film I have seen in a long time. I would also compare this to the weird and witty “Safety Not Guaranteed.” (I will be reviewing this film soon.) “Safety Not Guaranteed” may not play out in the real world, but it is not in the same league with “Moonrise Kingdom” when it comes to the surreal. “Moonrise Kingdom,” like most of Anderson’s films, exists in a world far from our own, and at some point the world of his films gets tiresome.
Though there were some strong moments in “Moonrise Kingdom,” by the end of the film my ability to enjoy the film had been exhausted.
As I write about “Moonrise Kingdom,” I remember something I thought as I exited the theater. I wondered about the experience of watching this film with my children. I have discovered through the years that watching films with my daughter and son often causes me to view the films differently, or perhaps I see the films for the first time again. I am not sure Anderson was attempting to make a family film, but I think maybe I might like it more if my family watched it together.
Either way, I do not believe “Moonrise Kingdom” is the best film of the 2012. I have seen better, and I hope to see a lot more better films before December 31st.
Box Office results
Domestic gross: $45,512,466
Foreign gross: $22,750,700
Production budget: $16 million
Opening weekend: $522,996
NOTE: Information from Boxofficemojo.com
Cinema Corner 