All four releases are available on DVD and Blu Ray -
"Moonrise Kingdom" - I must first confess that I am not the biggest fan of Wes Anderson's stageplay feel and penchant for requiring his (often impressive) cast to deliver the lion's share of their dialogue in a deadpan manner- I've rarely found it to invoke the wonderment it so desires nor do I find it as humorous as he apparently thinks it is. I will cop to liking his films Rushmore (for Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman's duel over Olivia Williams) and The Royal Tenenbaums (for Gene Hackman's loveable rogue), but consider The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou to be one of the worst films ever made. I have not seen his 1996 debut feature-film, Bottle Rocket, 2007's The Darjeeling Limited or his 2009 animated film, Fantastic Mr. Fox. Anderson is an acquired taste that I have yet to fully grasp...
What I found with Moonrise Kingdom was a commendably sweet-natured and innocent diversion of two teen lovers (Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward) on the run, with a bevy of concerned parents/guardians and local officials (Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand and Bill Murray) on their trail that grew on me as it progressed- I'm still not a fan of Anderson's child-like approach to his storytelling, though it does work well here in that the narrative actually features children as it's main protagonists and is presented mostly from their point of view. It's airy and light-hearted, featuring some nice cinematography and playfully inventive sequences that work wonderfully around a small budget.
It's for those who truly cherished their childhoods and the hopeless romantics who appreciate a healthy amount of whimsical quirk mixed in with their storytelling.
Recommended
8.0 out of 10
Director: Wes Anderson
Cast: Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, Bob Balaban and Harvey Keitel
Run-Time: 94 minutes
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for sexual content and smoking
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"The Perks Of Being A Wallflower" - Logan Lerman plays "Charlie", an extremely intelligent but painfully shy introvert harboring emotional issues as he enters his freshman year in high school. Enter Ezra Miller and Emma Watson as senior class step-siblings, "Patrick" and "Sam", respectively- they welcome our introvert into their inner circle of misfits and slowly but surely pull him from his self-imposed confines. The film is indeed a bit more weighted than most of it's thematic counterparts, though I was ultimately left a bit cold. It's a solid film that falls short on being profound because of familiarity issues- I've seen most of these plot threads before and although many of them are commendably handled, they aren't expertly handled.
Lerman's performance here is decidedly uneven- he impresses at times while at others his facial expressions/reactions are forced to the point of being clunky. The young man is obviously talented yet seems to struggle to find his comfort level with the dynamic role.
Emma Watson is as cute as ever (with her short pixie cut) and puts in fine work, though Ezra Miller's exuberant, gay scene-stealer truly elevates the film whenever he takes center stage- I wouldn't dare call his performance over the top, though I couldn't help but feel as if I were witnessing the reincarnation of Cesar Romero's Joker from the late 1960's television show (and 1966 film).
Once again, the parental figures here are mere pesky obligations, with Dylan McDermott and Kate Walsh given little to nothing of substance to do as Charlie's parents, seemingly cast only to attach their names to a poster. Come to think of it, even though there's a wealth of scenes which take place at their home, Patrick and Sam's parents never materialized.
There are also a few extended cameos from Paul Rudd as an apathetic English teacher, Tom Savini as a woodshop teacher and Joan Cusack as a physician- I found myself wishing each one of them had been given just a little bit more material to work with.
Expect several inspired soundtrack selections set to well-filmed sequences with certain scenes far better than the whole- Rocky Horror Picture Show fans should find themselves in for a treat here.
The film is based on Stephen Chbosky's bestselling Novel of the same name, with Chbosky supplying the screenplay and also Directing. Perks... marks Chbosky's first directorial foray in 17 years, with 1995's shoe-string budgeted indie release The Four Corners of Nowhere as his only other Directing gig- perhaps a more seasoned feature film director, working closely with Chbosky, could have provided a more polished experience. What remains is a recommended high-school-aged drama that many will still find plenty to cling to.
8.0
Director: Stephen Chbosky
Cast: Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Kate Walsh, Mae Whitman, Dylan McDermott, Paul Rudd, Tom Savini, Melanie Lynskey, Nina Dobrev, Erin Wilhelmi, Adam Hagenbuch, Johnny Simmons, Julia Garner and Joan Cusack
Run-Time: 102 minutes
MPAA: Rated PG-13 on appeal for mature thematic material, drug and alcohol use, sexual content including references, and a fight - all involving teens
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"The Spectacular Now" - Miles Teller stars as the quick-witted, senior class clown with a drinking problem faced with the impending dilemma of leaving high school and giving up his elevated social status. Perhaps if his character weren't such an insufferable little shit, I may have found more to like here- by the time that obligatory moment of self realization occurs, the film is pretty much over and I still didn't give a damn for his plight. Teller's the driving force in this coming-of-age character-study and my lack of empathy for him here defined my personal viewing experience. I've known his kind of jerk before- the kind of individual you really want to choke shortly after encountering.
A rather plastic looking Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Breakfast Club) supplies his overworked mom, while Kyle Chandler (Super 8) appears in an extended cameo as his good-for-nothing, alcoholic father. The narrative shortchanges every parental and adult figure out of convenience and laziness, with little to no character development to speak of regarding them.
A very talented Brie Larson (see Short Term 12) is nearly wasted in a cookie-cutter role as our subject's former girlfriend. Desperate to get her back, he seduces Shailene Woodley's (The Descendants) impressionable sweetheart in an effort to evoke the green monster. It's Woodley, in one of 2013's most natural performances, who absolutely steals this film outright- I found myself wishing that the narrative had been rearranged to cover events from her point of view.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Death Proof) rounds out the notable cast (in a wasted role) as our protagonist's older sister who's married into money.
Although I ultimately felt the film to be a bit too cold to the touch for my tastes, I'm guessing that most probably won't experience the Teller snag that I did- I'll recommend it as a rainy day rental because of Woodley's presence.
7.0
Director: James Ponsoldt
Cast: Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley, Brie Larson, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Kyle Chandler, Dayo Okeniyi, Andre Royo and Bob Odenkirk
Run-Time: 95 minutes
MPAA: Rated R for alcohol use, language and some sexuality - all involving teens
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"The Way Way Back" - This tale of a shy 14-year-old boy (Liam James) and his summer vacation spent with his mom (Toni Collette) and her arrogant bully of a boyfriend (Steve Carell) collapses rather quickly due to an amateurish script, paint-by-numbers direction and a wealth of clunky cliches that mount at a brisk clip- I had to double-check to make sure I wasn't watching a film produced by the obnoxious, immature, goofball Adam Sandler. One of the more glaringly manufactured and manipulative affairs I've seen in quite some time, every attempt at subtlety and nuance is smothered with predictable contrivance.
Liam James (2012) is just O.K. as our put-upon central protagonist, "Duncan"- there's some level of talent here that arrives in brief flashes, yet is diminished by the overly-familiar situations he's placed into and the bush-league juggling of a host of other characters.
Steve Carell (The 40-Year-Old Virgin) strains to be unlikable as his potential step-father who enjoys placing our hero in embarrassing situations in front of others- it's that ridiculously trite material where everyone else around is completely oblivious to these needling attacks, even when they're happening in plain sight.
Toni Collette (The Sixth Sense) is guilty of playing the clueless mom unwilling to stand up for her son because of her suitor's promise of stability. Her 11th hour realization only arrives due to selfish reasons.
Allison Janney (Juno) breezes in and out of the film as the boozing, extrovert, next-door neighbor- she's the mother of AnnaSophia Robb's (Bridge To Terabithia) token cutie next door and River Alexander's undersized, likeable chap with a skewered eye- anyone thinking that the running gag which pokes fun at this kid and his ailment is something to laugh at is some kind of idiotic turd and desperately needs the shit slapped out of them.
The lone bright spot in this film is Sam Rockwell (Moon) as a manager at a nearby water park who takes a shine to Duncan and attempts to lure him out of his shell. Although his inherent charisma bleeds through the lackluster material on several occasions, it's not nearly enough to save the film.
The vast majority of the admittedly impressive cast (which also includes Rob Corddry, Amanda Peete and Maya Rudolph) are playing stock characters; hollow imitations of cinematic figures pulled from similarly-themed coming-of-age films that have been released over the last thirty to forty years- there's little to nothing innovative or fresh here regarding them or the film's script. This is one of those films where you can clearly see the marionette within frame, pulling every string at every turn.
My call is to skip it and check out any one of (or all three) of the films covered above (***- Or check out the list of worthwhile coming-of-age themed films below).
4.5
Director: Nat Faxon and Jim Rash
Cast: Liam James, Toni Collette, Steve Carell, Allison Janney, AnnaSophia Robb, Sam Rockwell, Maya Rudolph, Rob Corddry, Amanda Peet, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash and River Alexander
Run-Time: 103 minutes
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, language, some sexual content and brief drug material
***Those looking for other coming-of-age films have a wealth of solid to excellent entries to consider-
The 400 Blows
500 Days Of Summer
Adventureland
Almost Famous
American Beauty
American Graffiti
Big
Blue Is The Warmest Color
The Blue Lagoon
Boyz N The HoodBreaking Away
A Bronx Tale
The Breakfast Club
Chronicle
City Of God
Dazed And Confused
Dead Poets Society
Dirty Dancing
Donnie Darko
Easy A
Empire Of The Sun
Fast Times At Ridgemont High
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Footloose
Forrest Gump
Frances Ha
Garden State
Ghost World
Good Will Hunting
Juno
The Karate Kid
To Kill A Mockingbird
The Last Picture Show
The Last Starfighter
Let Me In
Let The Right One In
Mask
Meatballs
Mean Girls
Mud
Napoleon Dynamite
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
October Sky
Pan's Labyrinth
A Patch Of Blue
Pretty In Pink
The Rescuers
Risky Business
Road To Perdition
Rushmore
Say Anything
Scent Of A Woman
Secondhand Lions
She's All That
Sixteen Candles
Stand By Me
Stoker
Superbad
Wet Hot American Summer
What's Eating Gilbert Grape?
The Wizard of Oz
Y Tu Mama Tambien
- I have yet to see other popular films in the sub-genre such as- The Squid And The Whale, Harold And Maude, This Is England, Fish Tank, Welcome To The Dollhouse, Whale Rider, Slumdog Millionaire, Bend It Like Beckham, Billy Elliot, Lord Of The Flies, Cinema Paradiso, Heavenly Creatures, Ratcatcher, Mysterious Skin, Igby Goes Down, King Of The Hill, Kids and The Outsiders
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