tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211112229982829419.post2738995112565797468..comments2022-03-24T16:11:50.124-04:00Comments on The Man From Porlock: Into the Woods (Moonrise Kingdom)Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01450775188328918558noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211112229982829419.post-12711928357720913922012-07-03T03:04:51.497-04:002012-07-03T03:04:51.497-04:00Actually, I hadn't even heard of CQ until you ...Actually, I hadn't even heard of <i>CQ</i> until you mentioned it! Haha. I guess knowing the Coppolas, I've come to expect each of them to include autobiographical elements in all of their recent efforts. <i>Tetro</i> seemed like a summation of Francis' childhood (despite his insistence that it wasn't), and of course <i>Lost in Translation</i> was Sofia coming to terms with her failed marriage to Spike Jonze. I know little about Roman's work but I've got a hunch he's smuggled in bits and pieces of his own life in scripts here and there.Adam Zanziehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14524618281515322239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211112229982829419.post-64086922048788462892012-07-02T20:50:38.867-04:002012-07-02T20:50:38.867-04:00Oh, and Adam: completist that you are, you need to...Oh, and Adam: completist that you are, you need to see <i>Bottle Rocket</i>. I wouldn't rank it anywhere near as high as Scorsese does - "10 Best of the 90s" - but it's an interesting, assured debut.Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01450775188328918558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211112229982829419.post-91950584650156936232012-07-02T20:48:45.420-04:002012-07-02T20:48:45.420-04:00I've been told that The Royal Tenenbaums is th...I've been told that <i>The Royal Tenenbaums</i> is the movie that best defines me, and I can see that: I don't identify with any one particular character but aspects of all of them, along with the overall tone of the film. If Steven Boone ever asks me what movie is in my heart, I know how to answer.<br /><br />So, yeah, I love that movie; for me it has only one bad scene (the Hackman/Glover "Coltrane" bit). <i>Moonrise Kingdom</i>, however, has no bad scenes. That movie was made with such easy confidence, with everything in such perfect equilibrium, it's hard for me to quibble over anything. It's too fresh for me to say I think it's his best, but I think it's going to stay fresh for a long time to come.<br /><br />You've reminded me that I still need to see Coppola's <i>CQ</i>.<br /><br />Finally, a surprisingly thought-provoking article on an intriguing subject: <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2012/06/does-wes-anderson-hate-dogs.html" rel="nofollow">Does Wes Anderson hate dogs?</a>Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01450775188328918558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211112229982829419.post-75761784219196277042012-07-02T18:52:15.139-04:002012-07-02T18:52:15.139-04:00Auteur that he is, Anderson has received the usual...<i>Auteur that he is, Anderson has received the usual round of stirring defenses from his most fervent admirers, even when it's clear that this time he doesn't need them.</i><br /><br />Very true. I originally wasn't going to see this despite the ecstatic reviews -- Anderson's the sort of director whose films I usually wait to come out on DVD -- but when my sister begged to see this, I consented, and wouldn't you know it, I didn't regret a buck spent. <br /><br />This is easily the first of his films I've found completely emotionally-involving. I actually was never much a fan of <i>Rushmore</i> or <i>Royal Tenenbaums</i> because I found the characters in both way too depressing to be funny. <i>Life Aquatic, Darjeeling Limited</i> and <i>Fantastic Mr. Fox</i> I enjoyed somewhat more despite Baumbach's poison pen (which, I agree, is far more tolerable in his own films; <i>The Squid in the Whale</i> is a personal favorite), perhaps because those films were more surreal and distracted me from Anderon/Baumbach/Schwartzman's occasional mean-streak (<i>Bottle Rocket</i> is the only Anderson movie I haven't seen).<br /><br />But this film is the one that did it. You say the movie conjured up memories you never had, which happened to me, too; there were days during my time as a Cub Scout when I would have liked nothing more than to flee camp and run off with a girl my age. This movie actually sort of reminded me why I quit the Boy Scouts soon after I officially became one in my middle school years: my scout masters were far more agreeable than the boys in my troop, many of whom were growing awfully mean and gung-ho in the wake of 9/11. So this film was nostalgic for me in ways both pleasant and harsh. More the former, though.<br /><br />Roman Coppola's involvement in the screenplay makes me wonder how much of it is autobiographical. On second thought, the death of the dog almost makes me wonder if Coppola was partially thinking of his brother Gio's boating accident. Though of course a dog also died in <i>Royal Tenenbaums</i>, so maybe the scene was more Anderson than Coppola.<br /><br />And Willis should totally get an Oscar nod; this might be his best performance since <i>Unbreakable</i>.Adam Zanziehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14524618281515322239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211112229982829419.post-80335937120898113812012-07-01T17:05:00.807-04:002012-07-01T17:05:00.807-04:00Oops. I did mention Coppola, but Schwartzman was t...Oops. I did mention Coppola, but Schwartzman was the third screenwriter on Darjeeling. I thought it was Baumbach. Another theory shot to hell.Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01450775188328918558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211112229982829419.post-86510469066081251852012-07-01T16:34:52.511-04:002012-07-01T16:34:52.511-04:00Roman Coppola co-wrote The Darjeeling Ltd, not Bau...Roman Coppola co-wrote The Darjeeling Ltd, not Baumbach.<br /><br />Apart from that: yay!Ronak M Sonihttp://ronakmsoni.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.com