So it seems I’ve been on a movie kick lately, apparently there’s a lot of good films playing now, here’s some quick thoughts on three of them. (Next up is To Rome With Love and The Dark Knight Rises!)
Moonrise Kingdom
Gosh, I just love Wes Anderson‘s quirky and charming films, and Moonrise Kingdom is one of his best to date! It’s the simple tale of two twelve-year-olds (newcomers Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward) who develop a crush on each other and decide to run off together. Mr. Anderson truly crafted an amazingly detailed world that’s just a bit removed from reality, a small island off the coast of New England that almost becomes a character in itself, a magical meticulously styled place set in the year 1965. As for the cast, it couldn’t be more perfect with Ed Norton, Bruce Willis, Frances McDormand and juicy bit parts from (super cutie) Jason Schwartzmann and Tilda Swinton. The whole thing was so sweet and endearing (and thrilling to look out with a perfect soundtrack and score from Alexandre Desplat), I think it will definitely be a contender when it comes to Oscar time!
The Amazing Spider-Man
To be honest, I had no desire to see a reboot of Spider-Man, yet I kept hearing really great things about The Amazing Spider-Man, so I decided to see what all the fuss was about. Surprisingly, I loved it! Hands down one of the best superhero films ever! Andrew Garfield was perfectly cast as Peter Parker, he’s adorably geeky and brought a lot to the role, way better than Tobey Macguire‘s somewhat stoic and awkward performance. Plus Emma Stone shined as the love interest, her chemistry with Garfield was flawless. To top it all off, it was great to see Sally Field back up on the silver screen as Parker’s Aunt! I wasn’t bored for a second, the 3D action sequences were stunning, I’m seriously looking forward to the next film, this reboot was one of the smartest moves ever!
Savages
Up until a few weeks ago, I didn’t even realize that Oliver Stone directed Savages! He’s definitely one of my favorite directors, in fact I saw Natural Born Killers about ten times at the theatre when it came out back in the fall of 1994 (when I first started living in NYC for college). Being a huge fan of Stone’s films, this for sure was one of his best! It was a great story (based on a novel by Don Winslow), everything was super stylish and well-executed, the soundtrack kicked ass and the cast was top-notch! I especially enjoyed Salma Hayek‘s performance, and Blake Lively (of Gossip Girl fame) really held her own, I think she has huge potential to become a big movie star. Then there’s the two hottie male leads Taylor Kitsch and Emile Hirsch, along with strong supporting performances from John Travolta and Benicio Del Toro. The violence was way over the top and in your face, the sex scenes were explicit and hot, do not miss the chance to see Stone’s triumphant cinematic return!
About Michael Knudsen
