Moonrise Kingdom

Haven't seen such a good movie in a long time. :)
 

image source: HERE;

Set in a fictitious 1960s New England island, Moonrise Kingdom, is the whimsical telling of a love story between two prepubescent teens - one shy, slightly awkward Boy Scout, and the other a brooding, intense girl (both of whom were EXTREMELY WELL CAST), who embark on an escape from the island setting off a search party (of parents and a hilarious Boy Scout troop) and chain of events that follow. It's such a creative film - from the cinematography, to the film sets (full of gorgeous vintage props!) to (wait for it) the FASHION. It had a storybook feel to it and in fact, the entire movie seemed to revolve around a dollhouse world where so much seemed staged and theatrical - from the cardboard/two-dimensional nature of the houses, to the near-impossible scenarios that bordered on plain farcical... but it just created a whimsical world full of eccentricities and oddities that leave you wanting more.

 

image source: HERE;

I happened to love the 1960s schoolgirl fashion that the female protagonist, Suzy, was decked out in. Knee-high socks, peter pan collared dresses, saddle shoes... The actress, Kaya Hayward, played the part of the brooding, troubled tween so well. I have a strong feeling she's going to be a rising star in Hollywood pretty soon. She reminds me a little of both Emma Watson and Kristin Stewart, both of whom are actresses I think are plain 
gorgeous. ;) AND, the young male protagonist, Jared Gilman, is just so lovable in his character. He's got the best spectacles I've seen in a movie in quite a while. (Yeah, the things I like about movies.) 

 

image source: HERE;

Isn't this illustration adorable? (Reminds me a little of the Paris vs New York illustrations style)

Plus, the soundtrack was a real winner. Part classical, part retro, always adding to the intensity and drama of each scene, some parts really made me wish I had the experience of childhood summers spent somewhere with broad expanses of grassy fields, sandy beaches, and a house with a gramophone to plug into and listen to old records to while reading on lazy afternoons. Especially with the dreamy, Polaroid-tinted wash of colors in each scene that gave it its vintage 1960s feel. 

What else can I say? WATCH IT! :) (If not for the fact that the boy pulled me along to watch it as a film he wanted to review for a film theory class, I never would've watched it. Close call!! Movie night turned out to be so fun.) 
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Sigh. Why is it only Monday. 4 more days till Friday!!! 
xoxo