Moonrise Kingdom (3 and 1/2 Stars)

Wes Anderson fans will be delighted with his newest piece of cinematic cinema. Moonrise Kingdom continues the writer/directors' dry/offbeat/quirky comedy stylings/musings and pastes them onto an island/isle set in 1965/nineteen sixty-five. There, a young troubled girl (Margo from Royal Tennenbaums much?) and an orphaned outcast boy runaway together to live in the wilderness. For this is a seriously romantic and epic tale of first and possibly long lasting love.

The film knows how to effectively balance the cutesy and the drama. It feels like a hybrid between The Royal Tennenbaums and The Life Aquatic With Steve Zisou. This is not a bad thing by any means, but it does continue to unravel in true Wes Anderson tradition. Only this time, I felt Moonrise Kingdom was his strongest film in terms of having the most heart. I couldn't help getting swept up in the wonderment of it all. The awkward moments of two kids in love, the dryness of Bill Murray and Frances McDormand's characters, the sad charm of Bruce Willis' character, and the delightful minor role of Jason Schwartzman's cocky cool Khaki Scout. As usual, Wes Anderson populates this film with a colorful and very likable cast of oddballs. 

Everyone in this stellar cast does a great job however, it was Edward Norton's Khaki Scout leader who captivated me most of all. He was funny, sad, and made it impossible not to be absorbed into the story as a result of his performance. I loved how he wanted to be this great tough as nails type leader, yet he often caved and showed more compasion than a true tough as nails SOB should. 

The young boy is also charming as he searches for any type of companionship. His life is truly rough as he is not just orphaned, but also an outcast, hated by all his former fellow Khaki Scouts. To top that off, he's in danger of being sent to a juvenile center to receive electro shock therapy... yikes! Perhaps one of the best scenes comes when the Khaki Scouts are hunting him down and attack like an out of control army. Two words: Lefty Scissors... HA! (Side Note: you will not understand this reference unless you have seen the movie. Step one: go see the movie. Step two: reread this review after seeing the movie. Step three: laugh)

The Breakdown: The subtle performances from the all star cast and simple love story at the heart of the film/movie/flick/motion picture make this a heartwarming and highly amusing story. It's impossible not to find the charm in this film.

War Horse (3 Stars)

Now here's something completely different, yet entirely familiar. This film is told not from a human's point of view, but rather the horse's. No, the horse doesn't talk like those kid flicks featuring cute critters nor do we get to hear the horse's inner monologue as if he were some high end intellectual residing in a horse's body. Instead, we are given a mostly silent performance from an animal that shows a wide range of emotions. 

I was moved the most by the horse's character over any of the human actors. You greatly feel for the horse and the film proves that speaking is not integral to getting emotions across. The central horse, Joey, volunteers himself to pull a heavy cart in order to save his friend, a fellow horse. It's a touching moment and perhaps one of the most powerful ones within the film. 

Steven Spielberg filmed this World War 1 set movie in a way that makes it feel like it were made from the era of Gone With The Wind. This is old school filmmaking with a unique twist in the story department. The audience is treated to vignettes featuring people who are all linked together through this amazing horse. 

In my opinion, this was an extremely bold film to make. One might say Mr. Spielberg could have easily galloped the movie off a cliff and into a ravine if he wasn't careful. Fortunately, the movie works on many levels. It has a great deal of heartbreaking moments with just enough heartwarming ones that make your blood pumper melt in all the right ways. 

The horse's story and all the human stories are often sad, however they are all compelling. Sure, I did get to a point in the movie where I didn't think anything else depressing was left to happen. Then there was this that and some of those added in. I felt beaten and battered like the horse himself. I felt like I was struggling for air, gasping for any ray of hope out there. I felt how I think I was meant to feel: beaten down so much, that I was determined to fight with the horse to get to the end. To find peace once again. 

Despite the movie's unconventional, yet somewhat conventional storytelling being effective, I did feel that it jumped around too much. The human component needed to be better balanced with the horse's story. All stories seemed too fleeting and left more to be desired. I would have liked to have seen more closure with the little girl and her grandfather. I would have also liked to have seen more of the boy who raised Joey during the middle of the movie.

The Breakdown: War Horse is a film worthy of being nominated for an Academy Award. One should enter the movie with the expectation that you'll be beaten down emotionally. If you power through though and make it to the end, you will feel rewarded and hopefully like myself, will feel pleased that you embarked on this horse tale.