30. Moonrise Kingdom
What an awesomely immaculate and awesomely flawed movie. Also, last movie with Bill Murray, I promise. Also also, this is the only film on this list that was released last year, I promise. I get annoyed when peoples favorite films of all time list are made mostly of films released in the last year or two because they don't actually watch films and shouldn't make a favorite movies of all time list, but you know what, were not talking about my mild pet peeves, were talking about Moonrise Kingdom.
The immaculate cinematography is what pushes this film way over the top. The director Wes Anderson frames every shot so perfectly off center, every single one. Rarely does a film even attempt to make such a bizarre looking, fantastical atmosphere to the degree that Anderson has here, and what's even more amazing is that he succeeds. The eye-poping colors and the slightly off camerawork are so consistently present, wether it be in the lightning strike, the costumes for the noah's ark play, or the flood that crashes through the boy scout camp. There are so many decisions from the camerawork angle that would be hard to find in other films, especially mainstream Hollywood. My favorite, for instance, is when the main characters Suzy and Sam are having a serious talk about their relationship before deciding if they want to get married by a camp counselor. While their pantomiming through their squabble in the corner of the shot,the audience not hearing what they're saying, what does the camera actually focus on? Why, the kid doing flips on a trampoline right next to them, of course. And why not? It made the film interesting to watch, instead of having the magic atmosphere be dragged down to earth by focusing on what would have been a very real world, serious conversation, one we just find out the result of right afterwards. The entire movie is smartly written like this, always existing in it's own little fantasy world where everything is almost like our world, characters seem like realistic people, but the backdrop is just a little too colorful. I get a feeling that this film is meant to be a campfire story, like the whole movie is set in the vividly colorful imagination of a little boy, and it's wondrous. It's hard to find a film that so effectively is warm and tranquil.Outside the generally innocent, fantastical tone the film so easily carries, I really love the bizarre choices of actors, and how passionate they are at playing roles outside the comfort zone. Edward Norton, the guy of "Fight Club" and "American History X" fame, is playing a neutered, scrawny leader of a division of the Khaki Scouts, (basically boy scouts). He tries desperately to get the respect he wants from his commanders, and is way too passionate about his...not very masculine job. But despite going from a neo-nazi skinhead in "American History X" to the fearful, awkward person that he is in this film, he puts in full compassion, and pulls it off. But it's not just Norton, guys. Now, if you are a die hard "Die Hard" fan (ya' get it?) then his role here might scar you. He plays a weak cop, neutered like Norton was, that has an affair with a woman ( who is Suzy's mom) that thinks he's dumb. What she thinks of him is of course unbeknownst to him, and he's just in the affair because he has no self-esteem. So yeah. But like Norton, I have an immense amount of respect for taking a script that pushes him into a character unlike anything he's ever done, and completely getting into it.
And there are so many other things, but this is getting pretty long. So really quickly: The kid actors are amazing and have great chemistry with each other. They're not just great at exchanging lines, they're such professionals at reacting; slightly smiling or slightly fuming, and are able to simply add a layer of humanity to their characters. I surprisingly really like the whole "the adults are acting like children and the children are acting like adults" shtick, cause it wasn't too overplayed to the point of being annoying and still adds to that by-the-campfire-story setting this film wants to execute. The music perfectly suits everything that goes on, the plot takes so many weird turns while still being able to stay inside the realm of reality it creates, the writing is tight but never feels rushed, being able to develop characters and move the plot forward so smoothly...god, just so many things I love, so little time before midnight when I have to post this! Okay, done, I just really love this film. But if you think I'm bad now, we still got 29 films to go!
Tomorrow: Sharks have codes of honor, sea turtles all talk like high "surfer dude" hippies, and seagulls only have the ability to say one word.
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