{"id":55,"date":"2012-07-02T15:20:14","date_gmt":"2012-07-02T21:20:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/dochollywood\/?p=55"},"modified":"2012-07-16T19:44:39","modified_gmt":"2012-07-17T01:44:39","slug":"moonrise-kingdom-wes-andersons-anti-spider-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/dochollywood\/2012\/07\/moonrise-kingdom-wes-andersons-anti-spider-man\/","title":{"rendered":"Moonrise Kingdom: Wes Anderson’s anti-Spider-Man"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

<\/iframe>\n<\/p>A couple of years ago, rumors abounded that hipster auteur Wes Anderson might direct the new Spider-Man reboot.\u00a0 What kind of retro production design, indie music, and adolescent angst would surround Peter Parker?\u00a0 The possibilities were both intriguing and frightening.\u00a0\u00a0 My sharpest film students at Pepperdine capitalized on the rumor to create a sly satire.\u00a0\u00a0 Their trailer for \u201cWes Anderson\u2019s Spider-Man\u201d became an Internet sensation, launching Jeff Loveness into a gig writing for Jimmy Kimmel.<\/p>\nThankfully for film fans, Wes Anderson didn\u2019t get the job.\u00a0 And now we can see the wondrous results of his road not taken, Moonrise Kingdom<\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0 It is tempting to spend the Fourth of July flying across New York City with Spidey.\u00a0\u00a0 My children will undoubtedly get ensnared in Marvel\u2019s merchandising mayhem.\u00a0 Millions of moviegoers will even pay for a 3D upgrade, settling for the spectacular rather than the sublime.\u00a0\u00a0 For those who associate summer with camping in the woods or idylls in Cape Cod, Anderson offers a glowing alternative to Spider-Man 4 (or is it 1b?).\u00a0\u00a0 Moonrise Kingdom<\/em> is an old fashioned marvel, a handcrafted regional hullabaloo.\u00a0 My ten and twelve year old (and I) loved it.<\/p>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/228\/2012\/07\/moonrise-kingdom-wes-anderson.jpg\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-59\" title=\"moonrise-kingdom-wes-anderson\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/228\/2012\/07\/moonrise-kingdom-wes-anderson.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"320\"><\/a><\/p>\nAfter reaching a creative dead end chronicling the contemporary man-child in The Darjeeling Limited<\/em>, Anderson recovers his comedic mojo celebrating the nostalgic child-man in Moonrise Kingdom<\/em>. \u00a0 It marks is a remarkable return to form, harkening back to the youthful bravado of the beloved, Rushmore<\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0 Moonrise Kingdom<\/em> merges the requisite Anderson trademarks of quirky dialogue and moody French New Wave style into a celebration of young love.\u00a0\u00a0 While the Anderson cabinet full of curios remains intact, the characters are not lost amidst the bric-a-brac.\u00a0\u00a0 Set in the square times of 1965, Moonrise<\/em> follows the misadventures of two plucky, 12 year olds across the island of New Penzance.\u00a0\u00a0 Sam Shakusky resigns from the Khaki Scouts, sneaking off in a miniature canoe loaded with wilderness supplies.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Suzy Bishop is bored with her parents and siblings holed up at Summer\u2019s End, their New England Cottage on the tip of the island.\u00a0\u00a0 They rendezvous in a field full of romance, anticipation, and fair degree of awkwardness.<\/p>\nAnderson displays such confidence in casting unknowns as the adolescent leads.\u00a0 The size differential between Jared Gilman (Sam) and Kara Hayward (Suzy) only adds to the charm.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 This odd couple demonstrates what children raised in foster homes or affluence may still find in common.\u00a0 Both are equally estranged from their families, alone with their islands of emotion.\u00a0\u00a0 As an orphan, Sam\u2019s problems are physical\u2014he literally has no place to go\u2014while Suzy struggles with the angst that leads to binoculars, berets and fantasy novels.<\/p>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/228\/2012\/07\/Moonrise-Kingdom-Bruce-Willis.jpg\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-58\" title=\"Moonrise Kingdom\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/228\/2012\/07\/Moonrise-Kingdom-Bruce-Willis.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"460\" height=\"276\"><\/a><\/p>\nThe runaways are pursued by clueless but committed adults, from a lonely policemen (Bruce Willis), to an earnest scoutmaster (Edward Norton), and married lawyers (Bill Murray and Frances McDormand).\u00a0\u00a0 Moonrise Kingdom<\/em> leans into the tension that arises when teens strike out on their own.\u00a0\u00a0 Adults who have preached independence are shocked and horrified when adolescents act on what they\u2019ve been taught.\u00a0\u00a0 Sam may seem like a troubled child, but he has learned plenty of orienteering from the Khaki scouts.\u00a0\u00a0 And Suzy\u2019s books offer entertainment and wisdom for lovers on the run.<\/p>\nMoonrise Kingdom<\/em> turns escape film clich\u00e9s into comedic gold.\u00a0\u00a0 It is rooted in detailed plans involving maps and coordinates.\u00a0\u00a0 It celebrates sneaking out under cover of darkness.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It is about battling the elements.\u00a0\u00a0 It is about always being prepared.\u00a0\u00a0 Adults understand how young ambitions can go awry.\u00a0\u00a0 Despite our efforts to hedge against disaster, things happen that are beyond our control.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 But the warm nostalgia washing over Moonrise Kingdom<\/em> celebrates those youthful moments when we feel anything remains possible.\u00a0\u00a0 In Wes Anderson\u2019s world, heroism involves remembering the mustard for a hot dog or packing enough 45s for the record player.\u00a0\u00a0 Children share a beer with adults who have forgotten how to live or love boldly.\u00a0\u00a0 Police chiefs and scoutmasters wear uniforms to cover up their insecurities.\u00a0\u00a0 While Sam and Suzy shed their clothes on a secluded beach, getting back to a nature that their guardians fear.<\/p>\nAnderson counters the effects driven overload of Spider-Man<\/em> by employing the classical music of Benjamin Britten.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cA Young Person\u2019s Guide to Orchestra\u201d seems centuries removed from our electronic mash ups.\u00a0\u00a0 Yet, Britten and Leonard Bernstein taught music appreciation through the medium of television just one generation ago.\u00a0\u00a0 They gave us ears to hear the differences between brass and woodwinds.\u00a0\u00a0 In Moonrise<\/em>, Anderson waxes nostalgia for bassoons.<\/p>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/228\/2012\/07\/moonrise-kingdom-kara-hayward.jpg\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-65\" title=\"moonrise-kingdom-kara-hayward\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/228\/2012\/07\/moonrise-kingdom-kara-hayward.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"525\"><\/a><\/p>\nThe sacred opera, Noye\u2019s Fludde<\/em>, by Britton also figures prominently in the film. At the Cannes premiere of Moonrise Kingdom<\/em>, Anderson recalled performing the opera as a boy.\u00a0\u00a0 Sam and Suzy meet backstage at a church performance of Noye\u2019s Fludde<\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Khaki scouts like Sam will only be able to hit the high notes in the children\u2019s choir for another year or two.\u00a0\u00a0 As their voices change, these scouts want to take on adult responsibilities.\u00a0\u00a0 Dramatic tension rises alongside a storm.\u00a0\u00a0 Sam, Suzy and the scouts take to canoes.\u00a0\u00a0 With barometric pressure building, they hide in the St. Jack\u2019s choir loft behind animal masks.\u00a0\u00a0 Will the adults allow Sam and Suzy to be together?\u00a0\u00a0 Will Sam find a home?<\/p>\nHow strange to declare that we care about the outcome.\u00a0\u00a0 Moonrise Kingdom<\/em> comes on like a midsummer lark, but this trifle has considerable depth.\u00a0 In a summer of cinematic shock treatments, Wes Anderson offers a genuine, juvenile refuge.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A couple of years ago, rumors abounded that hipster auteur Wes Anderson might direct the new Spider-Man reboot.\u00a0 What kind of retro production design, indie music, and adolescent angst would surround Peter Parker?\u00a0 The possibilities were both intriguing and frightening.\u00a0\u00a0 My sharpest film students at Pepperdine capitalized on the rumor to create a sly satire.\u00a0\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1117,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-movies"],"yoast_head":"\n<title>Moonrise Kingdom: Wes Anderson's anti-Spider-Man<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A couple of years ago, rumors abounded that hipster auteur Wes Anderson might direct the new 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