Bradley Parker does well to make his directorial debut on the coattails of Oren Peli’s second stab at (co)script writing. That way, even if Chernobyl Diaries sucks, the fact that it’s “from the writer that brought you Paranormal Activity,” will bring in enough fans to cover the cost of production. That’s right, the studio has taken that page from Oren Peli’s notebook as well – make it as cheap as possible and pray for it to be wildly successful for higher profit margins. I can’t say I blame them. Still, given the budget restrictions and a cast of relatively unknowns, Park, Peli, and crew fully utilize the cryptic setting and our imagination to deliver a jumpy suspenseful thriller.
While I was desperately trying to strategically time my coughing fits to avoid missing the subtle gems hidden in the dialogue of Wes Anderson’s newest movie, Moonrise Kingdom, the wife of the man next to me leaned over and whispered – “This is funny!” To which he immediately responded – “This is weird.” Somewhere, Wes Anderson is smiling.
Set on an island off the coast of New England in the 1960s, Moonrise Kingdom is a story of the love between Suzy Bishop (Kara Hayward), the troubled daughter of two unhappily married lawyers – Laura (Frances McDormand) and Walt Bishop (Bill Murray); and least favorite Khaki Scout Sam (Jared Gilman), orphan, currently at scout camp for the summer. After a lengthy pen pal relationship following a chance meeting in a dressing room for a church play, the young couple decide to declare their love for each other and elope. Upon discovering Sam’s disappearance, Scout Master Ward (Edward Norton) reaches out to ineffectual island sheriff Captain Sharp (Bruce Willis) to begin the manhunt. Captain Sharp’s search brings him to Suzy’s house, where to the surprise of Laura and Walt Bishop; they find Suzy missing as well. On the brink of an anticipated record breaking storm, all (ir)responsible factions, including the other young scouts, join together to bring the children back to safety.
Well I’m sure you knew it was only a matter of time before we moved on to another epic superhero series that will surely become another blockbuster juggernaut in the years to come. It was tricky task compiling enough footage for The Justice League and their enemy Doomsday. It took some time but it’s not like we have anything better to do anyway. Besides, we had to do something while we wait for our royalty check from Marvel for making the The Avengers such a success with our fan-made trailer. Let’s see if we can do the same thing for DC Comics.
