Moonrise Kingdom review
Wes Anderson’s “Moonrise Kingdom” is pure joy. What’s more, it does something nearly impossible in cinema: It captures innocence.
The scene is set at an Atlantic Coast island called Summer’s End. It’s like Tom Sawyer’s Island at Disneyland, a bucolic reserve with paths but no actual roads and plenty of forests, fields, coastal inlets and rushing rivers. The boys all seem to belong to the Khaki Scouts while the girls read adventure books and long for their own adventures. Watch out — they’re about to begin!
The time is 1965. A 12-year-old Khaki Scout named Sam (Jared Gilman) runs off with a dreamy but rebellious local girl named Suzy (Kara Hayward). He dresses in a coonskin hat, a corn pipe and bottle-thick glasses. She packs sensibility in a pink suitcase that seemingly contains every library book she has stolen and enough kitchen implements so no one will starve. (The young actress, who wears permanent eye shadow and make-up, reminds you somewhat of Emma Watson in the earlier Harry Potter movies.)
The runaways cause the island to mobilize — the Khaki Scouts under their chain-smoking troop leader (Edward Norton); a sad local cop (Bruce Willis); and Suzy’s parents, the Bishops (Bill Murray and Frances McDormand), each living in his own world with the mother’s secret liaisons with the policeman coming under more scrutiny than either party wishes.
If you enjoyed Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox and the Royal Tenenbaums then this is a must see film.
Moonrise Kingdom will be screened on September 9th at 7.00pm in Nantwich Civic Hall. £5 on the door.
13 Assassins – Review
The story of 13 Assassins is rather simple. A group of samurai in feudal Japan secretly plot to kill a brutal, viscous lord. But the distance between this revelation and its ultimate conclusion is rather vast. In between there are rich, complex characters, stunning action sequences and thoughtful drama – all set to a film whose plot is actually inspired by true events?
In feudal times, a nobleman commits ritual suicide to protest the actions of Naritsugu, the Emperor’s depraved brother, whose barbaric cruelty has dishonoured the throne. The scene is shot with chilling restraint. Only the actor’s expression and the sound of intestines spilling on the soundtrack indicate the bloodletting taking place just outside the frame.
With Naritsugu next in line to succeed the Emperor and impossible to remove from power, hara-kiri is the only conceivable form of protest — unless the heavily guarded tyrant can be eliminated, through what surely would be a suicide mission against his 200 bodyguards. After complex political manoeuvring, the secret assassination plan is drafted and a dozen samurai sign on for a noble death in service to their nation.
The team comes together a few at a time until a dozen patriotic swordsmen are assembled. (The identity of the 13th team member is too good a surprise to spoil.) This men-on-a-mission film is superbly cast, impeccably shot, riveting even in static dialogue scenes, and overwhelming once the blades are unsheathed. The finale, a slashing 40-minute battle royal employing an endless variety of traps, strategies and weapons (including flaming bulls!) is action moviemaking at its most agile, extravagant and incredible. As the aging leader of the samurai squad, Koji Yakusho makes a strong, stalwart impression. For the stout of heart, this is a spectacle that demands to be seen on the big screen.
Filmed with inspiration from Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai