Review: Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

When I watched The Grand Budapest Hotel last year, I had to admit it was the first Wes Anderson movie I’d seen. I remember a good few of our blogging buddies recommending Moonrise Kingdom to me, and I’m just sorry it’s taken me quite this long to give it a go! After exposing myself to more action moves than I could handle, I was ready for something quieter, and this was the perfect choice.

Moonrise Kingdom (2012) is a beautiful story of young love. Sam (Jared Gilman) is a member of the Khaki Scouts, extremely skilled but liked by no one. He lost both of his parents and currently lives with foster parents, who he has difficulty with. Suzy (Cara Hayward) is a troubled young girl whose parents don’t know how to deal with her. Together, they decide to run away, which sparks a huge search party to look for them.

I now understand the skill that others have in spotting Wes Anderson’s work so quickly. The colourful characters, camera shots, fancy title opening, even the colour yellow, after watching just two of his movies these things are already standing out to me. It’s really quite fascinating. That said, I loved The Grand Budapest so much that I had really high hopes for Moonrise Kingdom, and I wasn’t let down.

We can all sympathise with Sam and Suzy. When you’re 12 years old, it’s easy to fall in love with someone, and feel like the whole world is against you. In fact, he won’t thank me for this, but when one of my brothers was younger than Sam, he proposed to his girlfriend on the school playground, and they vowed to get married when they were old enough. It didn’t happen, but they remained very good friends!

Moonrise Kingdom had a great mix of a being a heartwarming, relatable story, but with just enough exaggeration to make it exciting, like Scout Master Ward (Edward Norton) leaping an impossible distance, and Sam surviving being struck by lightning. It’s like how we all tell our own stories, making certain moments more heroic or dramatic to make them more interesting.

The star studded cast just added another element to the movie. Captain Sharp (Bruce Willis) is a compassionate man who just wants the best for Sam, despite barely knowing him. Scout Master Ward (Edward Norton) provides most of the comedy as the bumbling leader who can’t control his scouts. Mr Bishop (Bill Murray) is the classic grumpy Dad who argues with authority. Mrs Bishop (Frances McDormand) is the perfect worrying, struggling mother, and last but not least, the Social Services lady (Tilda Swinton) is cold and heartless. Just a great cast all round!

I’m so glad I finally watched Moonrise Kingdom, and now I’m on the lookout for my next Wes Anderson movie. Can anyone recommend one for me?

Review: The Jungle Book (2016)

My upcoming trip to Disneyland has got me on such a Disney movie hype right now! I wasn’t too bothered about seeing this version of The Jungle Book, the fact that 2 live action remakes got announced at the same time confused me too much, but I’m never one to turn down a trip to the cinema, especially as I’ve gone so few times this year so far.  I have been actively avoiding this, I really wanted to see it initially but then I panicked that it would ruin the original Disney version for me! However, my dad really wanted to see it and how can I say no to an old man ;-)

This 2016 version is, simple, a live action remake of the original Disney movie of the same name, only this version stays a little truer to the novel by Rudyard Kipling. Maybe it’s the realness of it all, but this version definitely feels darker. I’d think twice before letting very little young ones see this.  I jumped out of my skin numerous times and hid behind my coat a few more.  Some of the fight scenes were terrifying, I know for a fact that my three year old niece wouldn't be scared of this (she puts donkeys and swans in headlocks for fun!) but I would not like to be the one with her when she does.  I thought she was going to cry in The Good Dinosaur but alas she didn't....I did!

What’s the criteria for a Disney Short? I was expecting one for this, and then it went from the certificate rating to bam! Right in the action. I would have guessed only the animated ones get shorts, but Cinderella got Frozen Fever...or was that just a one off? Either way, I wasn’t prepared!

I had to keep reminding myself that Mowgli, played by Neel Sethi, is the only real part of this movie. Literally everything else is CGI, which is normally a recipe for disaster, but it’s done so well in The Jungle Book! The scenery is gorgeous, and the facial expressions of the animals and the way they move their mouths is so accurate it’s quite scary. Which is weird, because animals don’t talk. So accurate is the wrong word...but I know what I mean!  This made me properly belly laugh!

The CGI work was truly amazing, normally in movies with CGI you can see where the real boy running becomes a computer generated version but there was nothing, it was perfect. In hindsight, I should have not gone to see this film, with my irrational fear of animals and all, I didn't expect them to be so real I was freakin' terrified!

Speaking of which, can we just stop for a moment to talk about the voice actors? Both this version and Warner Brothers’ upcoming version have really hit the nail on the head here. Ben Kingsley as Bagheera, spot on. Idris Elba as Shere Khan, terrifying. Lupita Nyong’o as Raksha, beautiful. Scarlett Johansson as Kaa, mystifying. I’m starting to run out of adjectives here. Bill Murray as Baloo was simply an amazing choice, and I don’t know whether it’s a good or bad thing that he absolutely stole the show. Move along Mowgli, we want more Baloo! Not much I can add to this other than BILL MURRAY is just the ultimate legend, the man can do no wrong EVER!

My only gripe is the character I was most looking forward to, King Louie voiced by Christopher Walken. Don’t we all just love trying to put on a Christopher Walken impression? I know I do! He just didn’t feel right though. In fact, the whole character felt off. This isn’t the King Louie I remember. He’s...scary, and when he sings ‘I wanna walk like you’ it doesn’t fit, seeings as this King Louie walks to little his fur has literally moulded to the floor he sits on. Ew. Even before the moulded soggy butt hair, I found Louie really nasty and horrid to look at but I have to admit for me the voice was perfect.  They made him seem like a bit of a mobster which is pretty appropriate considering his constantly pushing to get to the top.

This really did blow me away, the voices were so perfect for the characters, the CGI was stunning and I loved the story anyway but this took it to another level.  It was just so entertaining, there was no boring middle bits to get through.

That said though, this was much more fun to watch than I originally anticipated, and it’s definitely up there with Cinderella (2015) as one of the better remakes. I’m interested to see how Warner Brothers’ Jungle Book (currently slated for 2018) will compare! For me this blew Cinderella out of the water, by far the best remake of a Disney film yet!

Brilliant, can't wait to see it again when I can spend more time checking out the CGI scenery.

Review: Aloha (2015)

Whilst on the hunt for an easy to watch Rom Com type movie to pass the time the other evening, I stumbled across Aloha. This was the first time I’d ever heard of it but the cast list alone was enough for me to decide it was worth a shot. Check out this cast! Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, Rachel McAdams, Bill Murray, John Krasinski, Danny McBride & Alec Baldwin. A winner for sure, right?

This is the part where I sum up the plot for you, in case you’ve never heard of the film. But I really can’t. I just don’t get what it’s about! Bradley Cooper is some kind of military/spaceman guy who’s been sent to Hawaii for a welcoming ceremony, Emma Stone is the military’s youngest and brightest, with the task to follow Bradley Cooper around like a lost puppy. John Krasinski is a colleague of Bradley Cooper’s who doesn’t talk to his wife, like, at all. Alec Baldwin and Bill Murray are important douchebags, and now my head hurts!

Aloha wasn’t a boring film at all, I was entertained throughout, but in the glimpses when I actually understood what was going on, the plot was terribly predictable which ruined the crucial moments. Both Emma Stone and John Krasinski are so great at that dry, sarcastic humour, and they just didn’t get the chance to shine this time around, which was a shame.

Admittedly, I know absolutely nothing about Hawaii’s history and culture. My knowledge goes as far as me excitedly exclaiming ‘Hey! Those kids are doing the same dance as the kids in Lilo & Stitch!’, which even I know is terribly ignorant of me. I think the whole film would have made more sense had I more knowledge on the subject matter, so I’m not blaming the film entirely here.

My favourite part was witnessing the changes in Rachel McAdams and John Krasinski’s relationship. I could really feel the heartbreak, and there was one particular scene that stood out for me, where Krasinski and Cooper are in the kitchen having a full blown conversation without saying a word. We as the audience know what they’re saying through the powers of subtitles, but their facial expressions match what they’re saying perfectly.

Overall, Aloha was enjoyable, but confusing, and sadly, a forgettable experience for me I think.

Review: St Vincent (2014)

This was my 'Looking Forward...' movie back in December but obviously I never got around to seeing it at the cinema.  Then I completely forgot about it, until a few weeks ago...

I was hunting for something to watch the other day when I stumbled across this. I had no idea what it was about, but I remembered it from Jenna's Looking Forward post!

Vincent is a miserable, alcoholic War veteran who only ventures out of him house to gamble or meet his regular (pregnant) prostitute.  Due to unforeseen circumstances he ends up looking after 12 year old Oliver from next door, after his parents divorce and his mom works all hours to support them.

Bill Murray is back at his best, a grouch!  He delivers his dark, dry humour effortlessly and without question is the highlight of this movie.  Melissa McCarthy tones down her usual style to play Oliver's downtrodden Mother, Maggie and thank god she did, she takes a big step back to let Murray own the show.  Had she had played her usual characters (The Heat, Tammy etc etc) she would completely ruined this dark comedy with nothing more than toilet humour!  The most surprising transformation though was Naomi Watts as prostitute/stripper Daka, I didn't recognise her at all for the first 20 minutes.

Honestly, I couldn't stand this film. It's rare for me to hate something but the whole film irritated me. Who in their right mind would let their child find their own way home from school in a brand new town, and then not bad an eyelid about leaving them with their alcoholic next door neighbour?! Melissa McCarthy did nothing for me at all, I much prefer her comedy roles...

Its great to see Murray back on top form and in a lead role, his and Oliver's budding friendships is easy and comical to watch, especially when he puts him to work mowing his dirt!  Chris O'Dowd's role as Oliver's teacher seemed a bit random to me, why was he actually in the movie, did it add any benefit.  It feels like he was just included as a way to set up the ending (and the title) with Oliver's school project. 

Him and Oliver were the only characters I really liked! His first scene where he's explaining the different religions in the class just cracked me up. It's exactly how it was in my Primary School, a class full of kids all with their own religions, but let's sing hymns about God!

I spent the whole film expecting it to go all gooey and sentimental, but instead they just threw Murray in there instead to mix it all up.  Which is why the ending disappointed me, they kept is dry, dark and hilarious all the way through, swerved sentimentality at every corner only to end on a soppy moment.  It didn't ruin it for me (i'm a sucker for a weepie) but it changed the tone of the whole film.  They should have brought it back with an inappropriate comment from Vincent, but no!

Brilliantly entertaining, great cast and hilarious.

Honestly, for me, this was an un-funny Bad Santa. At least with Christmas films I can accept the things that make little sense!

Review: The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

I saw the trailer for this a million times and my Dad told me it was brilliant but I just wasn't interested.  However, I was limited on choice on a flight so I thought I would give it a go and I am so glad I did.

I remember seeing the trailer at the cinema ages ago and my reaction being 'I HAVE to see this when it comes out!'. Then, as always, I just didn't have the time, and since then I've kept putting it off. I'm glad I finally gave it a chance!

This is the brillaint story of Gustave H (Ralph Fiennes) a concierge at the famous Grand Budapest Hotel and his trusted friend and colleague Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy (Tony Revolori) through the dramas of theft (and recovery) of a priceless painting and the fight for a huge family fortune.

This is like no other film I have ever watched, although I don't think I have been a fan of Wes Anderson's work before so maybe that's why this was so unique and new to me.  The story was truly insane and crazy but it was made brilliant by Ralph Fiennes and Tony Revolori unique chemistry on screen, they we're really hilarious together.  In fairness, I think everything that was supposed to be serious in this film actually made me laugh, it was so deadpan!

This is the first thing I've seen of Wes Anderson's so I didn't really know what to expect, but I really loved it. The humour is brilliant in my eyes, although I can understand that others just wouldn't enjoy it at all. I may be making a silly comparison here but the film was almost a little Monty Python-esque, or at least I thought it was! 

It wasn't just Fiennes and Revolori that made this film, the ensemble cast from Jude Law to the yet again unrecognizable Tilda Swinton and too many cameos to count were all brilliant and the change of point of view kept the pace of the film up (although wouldn't be required).  The settings and set design were amazing, I found myself looking at the background in every scene to see what they had done, it looked like cartoon come to life.

I loved every member of the cast, and the cameos made me light up too. Perhaps it's a good job I didn't go to the cinema, I don't think anyone would appreciate me jumping out of my seat to shout 'BILL MURRAY' at the screen...

In all honesty, a really difficult film to review but brilliant nonetheless.  You have to see it for yourself to believe it.

The Grand Budapest Hotel was clever, colourful, and so funny, but it's not for everyone!

12 Days of Christmas - Day 10 Scrooged (1988)

I am a huge fan of Bill Murray so I was really looking forward to watching this for the first time for the 12 Days of Christmas series.

Frank Cross (Bill Murray) is a mean television executive who has no issues firing someone for questioning him 2 days before Christmas.  That is until he is visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future to show him the true meaning of Christmas (sound familiar?!). 

I really really really wanted to enjoy this but unfortunately I was disappointed, Bill Murray was great (as always) but the film was  obviously predictable as we all know the story.  If you are going to use a well known story to base your film around you need to have a clever twist or new take on the story to make it interested, this did not have either.  My biggest issue with it was the lack of humour, it thought it was supposed to be a comedy but I didn't even crack a smile let alone laugh.

The ghost of Christmas present (Carol Kane) I think was supposed to be funny, but she was so irritating I struggled to even watch let along laugh at her character.  Even Bill Murray couldn't save this one for me, sorry to anyone who watches this religiously at Christmas but I think any take on A Christmas Carol is a dud for me.

Much prefer a unique Christmas movie to repeats of the same old story over and over again. 

Review: Groundhog Day (1993)

I had an awesome opportunity to go to Portugal for a couple of days with work, and so I leapt at the chance! I love visiting new places, but I was also looking forward to being able to catch up on a few films while I was gone too. Isn't it just typical that when you think you have a load of time, you just don't? I managed to watch Groundhog Day though, a film I've been meaning to watch for months.

Now I feel like I should go back to our Zombieland review and delete the part about not seeing a Bill Murray film before...

Phil (Bill Murray) is a weatherman and a bit of a douchebag if you don't mind me saying. He gets sent to cover a story for Groundhog Day which he does reluctantly, only to find that when he wakes up the next day, it's Groundhog Day again, and again, and again.

I really struggled through the first half of this film. It's partly down to Bill Murray's style of comedy I think, but I just didn't like his character at all and so I couldn't feel sorry for him. There were still some laughs but Phil just irritated me more than anything. I guess I can't help but compare this to Liar Liar which I absolutely love, and so I set my bar high.

However after his breaking point, I warmed to him and just allowed myself to enjoy the film rather than trying to over analyse everything. I don't want to into too much detail but I really loved the romance tale within Groundhog Day. It reminded me a little of 50 First Dates in a way, although it's been years since I've seen it.

This film has ruined the song 'I've Got You Babe' for me though; I get a little freaked out whenever I hear it! Maybe I should set it as my other half's alarm song as a prank...

I'd like to watch this film again sometime when I think I'll appreciate it more. I need to watch another Bill Murray film too as I haven't warmed to him yet as much as I probably should have.