What does Moonrise Kingdom have in common with The Master, Sinister, Beasts of the Southern Wild, and Margaret?
I’ve scribbled out a few reviews of recent films about… oh, well, that would be telling. Head on over to the website for Seattle Pacific University’s Response magazine and read the online exclusive, “Father-Figuring It Out.”
Speaking of Moonrise Kingdom, I joined Dr. Christine Chaney and Jennie Spohr last night for an onstage conversation about the films of Wes Anderson. The event was sold out, but you can listen in on our discussion of Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Darjeeling Limited, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, and more. I’ll post the link to the podcast as soon as I know they’ve posted it at The Kindlings.
And speaking of Margaret, be sure to read A.G. Harmon’s post at Good Letters: “Margaret and the Blight Man Was Born For.” He writes:
Lonergan’s meta-drama is his most ambitious task since 2000’s You Can Count on Me. His achievement lies in the intricate composite of guilt/responsibility/mortality, and of a youth’s abrupt realization of the same.
I’ve been eager to write more about Margaret myself, but I’ve been waiting to see the extended version of it. That will happen soon.
Were any of the comments on your previous Anderson post helpful? I enjoyed reading them myself. Anderson is one of my favorite filmmakers, and I look forward to hearing that podcast very much.
Josh, I had yours in front of me all evening, and kept waiting to read it. I saw one fleeting opportunity, but the conversation was moving so fast that I missed it. At the end, I felt like we’d already touched on what you wrote, so I opted to wrap up with a different one. But all of these messages were helpful, and yours covers much of what I love about Anderson’s work. Thanks!
Thanks Jeffrey, it’s very gratifying for you to say that. The podcast is up now, at http://www.thekindlings.com/celebrity/live-at-hales-fantastical-tales-of-dysfunction-the-films-of-wes-anderson/
I am downloading it so I can listen to it today.
As an unrelated aside, I came to be aware of your film criticism through SDG of decentfilms. Very glad I did too. It’s great to read another thoughtful Christian viewpoint on movies old and new.