Moonrise Kingdom

What's this movie about?

Moonrise Kingdom is set in the 1960s and is the story of an orphan 12 year old boy (Sam) and a out of place girl (Suzy) from a small island town running away together. Sam, a "Khaki Scout"  uses the skills he has learned to find a secluded cove on the island.  As their adventure takes them to this cove, which they rename Moonrise Kingdom, their romance blossoms.

The rescue party made up of Suzy's parents, the police, and the Khaki Scout scoutmaster eventually find them after a couple of days and brings Suzy home.  Sam is no longer wanted by his foster family, and is therefore going to be sent to "Juvenile Rescue."

Sam and Suzy plan another escape, this time for good, and this time off their island town.  This escape, and the subsequent chase, happens during a hurricane, causing many twists and turns during the chase.

What did I like about the movie?

Moonrise Kingdom came highly recommended to me, so I selected it on Netflix without knowing very much about the plot or genre of the movie.  I soon learned that it was not the typical type of movie that I like to watch, and I was not expecting a romantic-comedy-drama.

The movie opens up with a very story-book or stop-motion animation feel to it. In some ways, the look and feel was reminiscent of the movie Fantastic Mister Fox to me.   For example, the first scene opens looking into the home of Suzy Bishop, one of the main characters.  The view of the home was like looking at a multi-story doll house...the color and scale of the house had this storybook/toy-like quality to it.  The entire movie carried this storybook vibe throughout.  This really added a depth the story being told.

This movie had a great ensemble cast. Bruce Willis plays the local sheriff. Edward Norton is the scoutmaster.  Bill Murray and Frances McDormand play Suzy's parents. Other characters are played by Tilda Swinton and Jason Schwartzman.

I think I appreciated the way the film was shot and how the characters interacted with each other the most.  It was a very unique film, and that kept me intrigued throughout the movie. I have to admit there were parts of the plot that I didn't care for, but overall I enjoyed the movie. 

Would I recommend it?

This is a tough one because the movie is so unique in its approach and storyline, and I could see certain people not liking the approach or storyline.  For this reason, I would give this a qualified yes recommendation. 

The Amazing Spider-Man

Didn't we just finish watching a Spider-man trilogy?  Why do we need to have another reboot?  Admittedly, I am just a big enough fan of these types of movies, that having another Spider-man movie wasn't going to stop me from watching it, but even I asked those same questions. With that in mind, here is my review

What's this movie about?

This iteration of the Spider-Man movie had a different spin to the traditional story. Although this take on Spider-Man is different, all the basic elements to the story remain the same or similar enough, so there is no huge departure (in my opinion) of the Spider-Man mythology to cover, so I won't go into to much detail about how Peter Parker becomes Spider-Man.

What is important to know, is that the villain in this movie is Dr. Curt Connor AKA "The Lizard," a scientist from Oscorp and former partner of Peter Parker's father.  In Dr. Connor's attempt to regenerate limbs using a serum including the DNA of humans and lizards, Dr. Connor tries the serum on himself.  The results is Dr. Connor turns into "The Lizard" and starts to cause havoc in New York City.

Spider-Man must not only face The Lizard but also escape the constant pursuit of the New York Police Department, who are seeking out this masked vigilante.  It also doesn't help that the chief of police is his girlfriend's dad.

What did I like about the movie?

Going into the movie, I knew that The Amazing Spider-Man was taking a different approach to the Spider-Man story, and oftentimes, I don't like those departures.  However, I have to say I appreciated the fresh approach they took on Peter Parker, his family, and his transformation into Spider-Man.

I also learned that his girlfriend in the movie, Gwen Stacy, was actually his first girlfriend before the more recognized Mary Jane Watson. Introducing this character into the story line was also a breath of fresh air.

So, I pretty much liked everything about the movie.  The special effects were good.  There was plenty of action, but not too much to get in the way of the story, and of course, there is a scene where the New Yorkers come together to help Spider-Man save the day.  What is there not to like about that?

Would I recommend it?

Yes. If you are fan of the comic books, or at least don't mind watching a movie about them, you will definitely enjoy The Amazing Spider-Man.