Film vs Film Podcast

Wes Anderson Films - Moonrise Kingdom vs Fantastic Mr. Fox

October 16, 2021 Martin Harries Episode 47
Film vs Film Podcast
Wes Anderson Films - Moonrise Kingdom vs Fantastic Mr. Fox
Show Notes Transcript

This week on the pod as Wes Anderson has a new film out all over the big screens, The French Dispatch we are picking our favourite Wes Anderson films.

Warning will be talking SPOILERS.

Martin's pick this week is Moonrise Kingdom. On this one we talk about how Wes Anderson had to adapt his style for this film. We talk about this reminds us about many different film. Plus the genius that of course is Bill Murray. IMDB page

Boaz's pick this week is one of Wes Andersons animations, Fantastic Mr. Fox. On this one we talk about the brilliant visual gags, scale issues and just how creative this film is with the animation. IMDB page

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Hello film fans welcome to the film versus film podcast. My name is Martin Harries your host and I'm joined by the filmic Cyclopedia man pious Dix. We are a couple of filmmakers on occasion but mainly Can't Stop yapping about movies. On this podcast every episode, we pick a topic from a film that's coming out at the cinema, or on VOD, myself and buyers pick our favourite film from that topic, and we battle out to decide which film will become the greatest film of all time. According to two film geeks from Wiltshire, England, if you enjoy this podcast please leave us a review and subscribe Hello, Pata Rooney's. I think that word is very apt for this week as the French this patch will be out not this week, but next week, but I thought we'll fit it in here because it comes out the same day as another big movie that we want to cover. And obviously the director of that film is Wes Anderson. So we'll be picking our favourite Wes Anderson films. And before you start shouting at the podcast of like, Why have you not picked Grand Budapest Hotel? Well, we pick that one. When we did Ralph finds films actually one of my most popular podcasts. So if you love that film, check that one out. Yeah, it was an amazing movie. Yes. And you've heard him already. too impatient to wait for his interaction. I am with the Encyclopaedia man. That is Mr. BOMA sticks. How are you sir? Yeah, I'm doing good. Weather is frickin horrible. Yeah, yes. So if you hear a I mean a buzz in the background is because it's absolutely paying it down in where we are at the moment any old sunny England. As you might be aware already, we have a buy me a coffee account. So if you like what you hear, and you can show your appreciation by buying us a coffee. So if you look at the show notes below, follow the link. Just a few pounds. That's it would be amazing. So should we go my pick first? Yeah, my pick is Moonrise Kingdom. I was kind of struggling to find which one I wanted to go with with this one. I've seen many ways Addison films really? I've only seen like, while grande PMSA Tao hotel, and Fantastic Mr. Fox. Yeah. How was it? Yeah, surely that's the only was Anderson films I've seen. In fact, before we actually did the podcast with the Grand Budapest Hotel, the refined one? Yeah, I hadn't even watched that. So I don't think they really fantastic. Yeah, so certainly, I don't know. It's just one of these directors that have kind of passed me by a bit and I'm certainly very keen to watch his other films by choose this one because I saw on Instagram. I think about like these famous directors of their favourite films, and I'm big fan of Edgar Wright, and he had Moonrise Kingdom on his list. So I was like, Oh, I'll pick that one. So what happens in Moonrise Kingdom? Well, we start the film on like this island and this scout troop, Edward Norton plays a Scoutmaster award and he rallies, all their scouts, ready for inspection. And then he soon finds out that one of them is missing, Sam. And we then follow Sam, like, walking through this through the wilderness on this island. And he meets this girl and it's kind of like a Mexican standoff. You're like, Oh, what the hell's going on here? Then we go like back in time, in a little flashback scene where Sam is watching this theatre production at school. And he goes, he just randomly just wanders around and goes backstage and sees this character called Susie and a birds costume. And they it's kind of like love at first sight, but in a very Wes Anderson way. And then we come back to the present. And you seem discover that they've planned to run away together to get off this island. And yeah, just run away together. And then the rest of the film is kind of what up until the halfway point. It's kind of like a chase film. Where or that the scout leader and the local policeman and their parents all try and find them. And then they get captured. Well, they get they find them didn't get captured. And then the other scouts kind of feel a bit guilty. And they're like, are they gonna use? Was it electrical therapy on Sam, which is a bit extreme, because they think he's something wrong with him or something to the other scouts rescue him and Susie And then it kind of becomes like a disaster film. And unlike his world war two movie, you know, great escape thing where they were escaping and fugitive and all these type of things, story wise, which I'll get into. Yeah, it's really, really great. What did you make of this one? Yeah, I quite liked it. He has a very specific visual style and a very specific kind of humour that I don't think is replicated anywhere. It's something you would just never see ever, except for in his films. I mean, it's a great strength of of this film, you know, just how kind of quirky and strange and sort of a bit surreal it all is. Yeah. And adorable, it certainly has a very, like innocent touch to it, which I quite enjoyed. You don't see that very often, in certain the comedies in general, I think. So directing then, like the opening scene is really interesting, where we're exploring this house, as you said, we talked in depth about like the symmetry of Where's Anderson's compositions a lot when we've talked on the Grand Budapest Hotel. But the camera here is constantly on the move in this opening sequence in a very rigid way, panning it like complete 90 degree angles, and the camera moves from room to room in, in completely straight lines. And it's almost like a computer is like scanning the family's house. It's kind of like void of personality a little bit. I also thought it's really interesting how like every room depicted in this film, and especially at the start, you know, the kid comes out of his bedroom, and you're like, Okay, he's out of his bedroom, goes to the living room, follows him to the living room, he's in the centre of the shop. As he goes to the living room game classic person goes into the centre of the room, like pick something out, goes into the centre, but the camera, all of the rooms, you can see everything in the room from that static shot. Yeah, it's like there's nothing like the doorways must are frickin massive, because he wants to get everything in the room in every single room. It's like this meticulous detail of everything. And I've every set, it's almost like a play. You know, in the fact Yeah, the camera isn't doing much. But he wants the set to just be you know, it's like you're, you know, the static. It's a maquette, you're the static audience member, you need to see everything in the room, the camera's not gonna zoom in and then guide you through the room. You've got to see everything in the room. And it's really interesting. And I did like, how it moves from family member to family member, they all go into the sitting room, they're also all sitting in the centre of the room. And then she picks out a binoculars and it goes around the house and then back to her and bang, dead centre, it'll go all the way around the house, and then straight to her inner binoculars dead centre. And he does that for a few days, I think it's like what, and she's still looking out the window. I thought that was delightful. Then after the opening scene, like almost the entire film is actually shot outside. So Wes Anderson doesn't have all these great lines, he often finds in interior sets to work with, you know, with his symmetry magic. So as Edison has to work with a lot of limitations in this very natural space, where there are not many straight lines at all. So he uses a lot more like simple shots to create his classic framing using the actors to create his visually appealing compositions. And there's even a few like handheld shots like he had no other choice but to do it like that. And there's a great scene where like Sam and Susie find this like small inlet on the coast. And they climb the rocks on either side. And each shot is mirrored as they jump into the water with the same framing on each other which feels really, you know, really symmetrical even though there's no straight line in sight. He was just really innovative in how he kept his kind of visual style, but without the symmetry of classic straight lines, you know, yeah, I do how I like it, though, that you still do get symmetries whenever there's some artificial construction in in nature, like that straight. So even if nature itself is not perfectly, it's not it's not perfectly symmetric. It's not perfectly level. You know, everything is always has to be level with it, but that you'll have something like say for example, when the Scoutmaster is going across the camp, you've got a level tree house that doesn't look like it should be there. And you know, there's the size of it based on like this, the tree that it's on it, it shouldn't work. It's a very surreal bit, or the table as well to him. There's a dinner table out in the woods or whatever, you know, that straight you know, whenever they try and do houses or churches or backdrops. So I think that's quite interesting. If there's something artificial, he wants that level as hell and you know, just everything symmetrical But yeah, you're right. I think it's good. He even tries to keep this up around like nature which is isn't lined and stuff so it looks a bit. Yeah, it's interesting. It's interesting. There's an interesting scene where the group of Ivanhoe scouts find Suzy and Sam and it's directed like as spaghetti western with all these like intense close up shots. And then when like Redford played by Lucas Hedges rides the bike right at them, and you have this great POV shot showing the handlebars, you know, nice and symmetrical, but then as Sam shoots him with the air rifle, and then then you have like a flash of scissors and an arrow pop up. Yeah, and then it's all Oh, and a dead dog. And that's all they show in the attack. And it's like a cartoon it's just a very charming way of not alienating your audience by trying to show what would realistically happen when a kid shoots an arrow for someone on a bike and completely losing the tone of the film plus a great visual gag with the bike in the tree and Susie saying Molly's right I do go buzzer cuz I thought it was like a play on like censorship or something because you know the scissors flash up, but it's not. It's just because Susie attacks on with the scissors. Yeah. So I had I had this all long elaborate know about a play on censorship is Nope, it's just he attacked him with his his latest Flash ups. This is what do you think it meant? It was like symbolising cutting out parts of the moon. Yeah. She literally cut into his side. Yeah, I thought it was also funny because it was like the lead up to it. It's so tense, it's like, they're all going for them. And then it's like just like three or four little flashes of just not necessarily action but the stuff that's happened the weapons or whatever in the action. So just you know, bloody player says is an arrow being loosed. And I think a dead dog you know, the dog that you know die. It's just like flash flash flash. And then the kids just running like hell. Just running out into the woods. Weirdly, I didn't feel sad when the door I don't feel anything for the dog. I don't even know the bloody. This is like the first film. I don't feel upset when a animal gets killed. Maybe it's because it's a comedy. And it's so the the humour is so dry in this film. Yeah. And also you never actually saw it die. It's dead. Yeah, I like the eulogy for it, because it was like, Oh, he's like the dogs dead? And he's like, was it a good dog? I don't know. Who knows. It's dead. Yeah. But I mean, inserting those just those pictures really just keeps this cartoony style and keeps the tone of the film. So you don't need anything really violent of actually what would actually happen in that moment, you know, so that's what I kind of liked about that. I love the visual comedy at times when they get to Fort Lebanon. Very strange name for Lebanon. But there we go. And they just have a simple conversation walking along. But with Jason's watchman's character. And there's all sorts going on in the background with like a small rocket goes off and like lands right next door, it took off. Like there's a kid on a zip line that just goes straight pass camera in the background, you know. And then when Sam and Suzy go off to discuss their love life is just a scout randomly on a trampoline next. Oh, yeah. doing backflips. Just lives. And I love the shot where Sam is escaping for Lebanon, and the whole troop is following him around the field in this massive watch. And again, it just feels like it's a cartoon. Oh, yeah. It's just going all the way around the field with all the scouts following them. Not trying to cut them off. You feel like Benny Benny Hill music should we play? Yeah. Yeah. And then when he gets struck by lightning, lightning, I was like, Oh, shit, he's dead. Yeah. But then I was like, Of course he's not dead. This is film is so cartoony. Of course he isn't. It just shoots back up. Here, just all covered in the classic certain stuff. Have you got a favourite shot or seen them my favourite shot that kind of blew my mind that I kept going back to and it was so simple. All right, but it's where they're being chased as there's, you know, there's a storm, the dam is going to be at burst and what have you actually, I have two favourite shots. Okay, and so he puts on the binoculars like her binoculars and he's searching around. And you can see from he's looking through a window. Yeah. So it's like Yeah, you know he's there. And it seems to being filmed through a window. So he's like binoculars. And he's looking at the window that's being filmed from the camera zooms out. And it's a window. That's a house that's part of a stained glass. Window painting. Oh, well, that blew my goddamn mind is amazing. It was like, I thought I was looking through a window, I'm looking through a stained glass window painting oval of a window. It was like what the hell? So I had to keep going. Wow, that was really cool. Okay, there are many other shots. I'd like another shot that I like, is randomly throughout the film. There's this historian who is just talking to the camera about, about, like, what was happening on that day. And that time, he's talking about the weather and the islands and stuff. It's very strange. It's like a snippet out of a National Geographic documentary, Bob Balaban. Certainly not going to talk about this script significance and whether it was good, but my favourite shot with him is they're sailing to this other island for Lebanon and whatever. And they're sailing in the dark with their little boats. And then, you know, the camera goes to the island. They know they, and yeah, he's there. And he's telling you about the island and he turns on a light so you can see him and then he explains it, you know, the weather and then they're going to have a storm, turns off the light and kind of just vanishes into the night. He's gone. The you know, their little boats. Just sail into the Yeah, I just love that because it was like, it was a very surreal, like, him talking isn't part I did not know I'm not saying about him narratively. I'm just saying that shot a damn good shot. Like that shot was good. Yeah, I mean, I technically it's a good shot. I'm like, it just took me right out of it. Really? Because he goes right up to the camera turns the light on. I'm like, oh, there's a camera there. Yeah, I just I hate it when films where you're made aware that there's a camera there. It's just annoys me. It's like, every time you have blood splatter on the lens, I fucking hate that. I'm just like, Oh, I just realised I'm in a film now. You know, it's all fake. I'm just like, why? I don't get why embrace your immersion. So you're not a fan. fourthwall breaks and no, I'm a fan of full full breaks. It's just the blood splatter pisses me off, and I'll get into it in scripts, but tonally it fits, or it just narratively wouldn't choose it because it just takes you out. And I don't tend to mind it. I thought it was very strange. But I don't tend to mind it. And I have seen it used in some films where they're like, you know, there's a guy who is basically like, Yeah, this is a film. I'm constantly reminded here and I don't tend to mine it as much. So I'm not going to be harsh on that. But I did think the shot was technically impressive. Certainly in that scene, my favourite shot is just this absolutely beautiful, wide shot as the scout troopers crossing the river in the boats. After they've rescued Sam and Suzy kind of in semi silhouette. And you know, with this amazing like little orange glow as the sun is going down just a really stunning image for those bands. Because certainly Wes Anderson is one of these which will always shoot on film. He's a very traditional film director in terms of how we actually shoot stuff as well. He uses a lot of old technology and stuff he doesn't use like techno cranes or anything. She would think he would, but he doesn't. So we you know, tracks and stuff. So is it just a bunch of guys standing on each other? Pretty much. Well, yeah, I'm just going to mention a couple more things that are quite yet. So number one, which I think was visually technically and also you know, just the budget of it, it was probably that one of the big bigger or a few big budget thing. Not many, but towards the end. But when and it was just hilarious as well. It's just really well time where Edward Norton is stripped of his rank, they go, you know, they're at the head, Scoutmaster scout leader. And he strips from his rank, You're a disgrace. And he goes where we're heading off now, and the guy goes to your medication. And so he's like, oh, okay, so he turns around and goes back to his little heart, which again, is sent a shot. And then it was like, there's a shitload of water that just squirt because the dams broken. So all this water just comes out of nowhere, and just floods the place. And then what was it like lightning strikes and something just lands on his heart, and then fireworks explode in his heart. I was like, God, he's dead. But Edward saved him. I was like, Man, that was a really amazing sequence of shots cuz you like one is done in his style, too. There's the dichotomy with the natural and the artificial. And you know, you've got everything there like the walkways and the dam spillways and the house itself and the neighbouring tree all in His perfect level symmetrical style. It's it's shot that everybody is level and symmetrical to one another. So you got that the comedy timing of that scene is hilarious. But he goes off he's so in charge and we're not near a display goes in and then like basically looks like he's just he's just hit the bucket or whatever. There's just all this bad crap happens to his, his shed. Yeah, and then just how like expensive it is because it's like, we've just seen a flood, a lightning strike, and something crashing into that little heart and explosions. I was like, Man, that is a bloody cool series of shots. That was a good scene. I really like that scene. I really like how Edward Norton gets demoted. Like he's a cop. Like I have to take your badge, and urine penknife. Like it's a police badge and a gun. Yeah. That was funny. Although the scout masters act more like the police then Bruce Willis. A goddamn. And he's the only policeman on this island. real police are the scouts. Yeah, that's a good point. Actually, I didn't really notice. So score for directing bows what you're going for. It is just like anyways, and some film. It is very pretty to look at. And it's so goddamn quirky. There are just Anderson isms that you'll never find anywhere else. And he stuffs this film with plenty of room. Yeah, maybe a nine point. I'll go a nine point I'll go and nine. Actually, I'll go nine. I think this is really impressive. I think I do prefer Grand Budapest Hotel. Oh, yeah, yeah, I think I definitely do prefer Grand Poobah. There's certainly a great innocence to this film and in innocence quality, which I really like and you just don't get there very often. And plus, we go from this interior opening sequence and then pretty much the entire film is outside and I just love the fact that you don't lose the symmetrical geometric style he has even though there's nothing really to work with other than the actors and certain features. So I really liked that. Well, I was actually gonna say like another shot that was pretty good where he worked around the and geometric nature of nature, but moved it into was when he's looking for something. It turns out it's mustard. Yeah, remember. So there, there's stood there. He's going through some stuff. And then he's found it and the camera turns around and he's got like a flat stone with like, hot dogs and stuff. He's looking for the mustard to just put on these hotdogs. Again, like a plate that's that centre, and everything is just it was very weird and that the camera turns all the way around and stops immediately. He does that a lot. The camera. He does tracking shots. Stop. Exactly when Yeah, characters are in the middle or where the action is. Yeah, so I'll go like 8.9 right screenplay, then I found the really odd curious nature of Sam really interesting, where he meets Susie in a field, you know, on the island. And then you kind of have this Mexican standoff, like I said, in the plot with these closer humps. And then we go back one year to where they first meet backstage at the fish show. And Sam is in the audience. And he's decides to just leave his seat and have a look around. And then as soon as he sees Suzy, he says, What kind of a bird Are you? One of her friends says, I'm a sparrow. She's a dove. And then Sam interrupts her and says, No, I said, What kind of a bird Are you? And points at Susie and simply just says, I'm a raven. And it's like, Sam has this instant curiosity about this girl, that only a boy of the kind of his age would have of like this love that. He can't explain. You know, the film has a wonderful like innocence to it in the certainly in the script, as well as the directing, and the acting as well. All of those elements just really work really well in terms of there's a sequence in this film, where I'm still thinking about like, why did they do it is a bit confusing, but I think it's really interesting. Still, though, again, getting to this like childlike nature of these characters where there's an interesting montage sequence where Sam and Suzy are doing voiceover in their letters they wrote to each other. Yeah. And they take it in turns. But each piece of their VoiceOver is cut off mid sentence by the other ones voiceover and it's kind of reminded me like, as kids do sometimes, where they cut off each other's stories, yeah, where they constantly interrupt. So they can tell their own story. Like they're not really listening to what they're saying. Yeah, and it's like they're cutting off like the important parts about themselves. But what's interesting at the end, they own the only actually listened to what the plan they should do you know how they escape. I quite like that. sequence, you know, especially just how it was written because it's just funny and even how it was filmed, where it's like, they discover their letters, and they've been going through it for some time. And just kind of the craziness, the crazy shit that both of these kids do. And they don't know why they're doing it, like they just, but it's like, you know, my foster parents are angry at me. I said, I didn't, you know, I slept walk in the night and I burnt the, you know, the shed down, I don't remember, but don't believe it's like, back the Suzy, I broke a mirror and there's glass in my mother's hair. Like, under the next crazy shit, you know, it just get progressively more insane. Like they're meant for each other, but they kind of like cut off about when they, you know, describing their personality or trying to ask a question or, you know, getting to the nitty gritty of that scene, you know, they'll just explain some other like, like, terrible distressing thing that happened to them. But I do I like just love how it's kind of shown briefly. It's like that, and then on to the next one. And it's back and forth. It was kind of interesting. I'm not sure I like the Narrator In this film, as we kind of discussed briefly from Bob Balaban. Because there's a moment where he's narrating about the next island in the dark. And then he turns the light on right next to the camera, as you said, so you can see him and you can see the kids escaping right behind him on the river. Again, it just takes me out of it a bit. The narrator does talk to the other characters to which is odd as well. Oh, yeah, he does when he's telling us these kind of pointless facts about the island after this storm. And I'm like, I don't care. I just want to know what happened to Susie and Sam. You know, did they survive? And I guess when Wes Anderson wanted a more outside documentary voice in the film, but I, it just didn't work for me. But it works. Totally, it just doesn't add anything interesting for me. I think I agree with you, I think you can take away the character and the, you know, the narrative, the film is not impacted whatsoever, it would probably be made better for it. And yeah, there's no real reason for him to be there. Maybe if he was an actual character, rather than just somebody who just appears to tell you random facts. And it was kind of strange, maybe they should have like, introduced him as a character first. And maybe had this as some like, documentary he was doing after the incident so that it's or it was just the guy who's actually trying to make a nature documentary or something. Yeah. And then just this stuff, and all the characters kind of just interrupt him and stuff or they just completely ignore him as they just walk past him. You know, that feels kind of more Wes Anderson. Was and CZ. Yeah, what you said sounded Wes Anderson is he just sort of made up and I'll be his replacement. I quite liked it when Sam and Suzy get caught on the beach. And you're left wondering, oh, where's this going to go now? Because I was fully expecting that we were going to follow these two characters on the run until the end. Yeah, same. Yeah, that came as a shock. But no, so it was a nice surprise when the other scouts decide decide to rescue them in this very, like cool heist way, because they're going to give Sam shock therapy, then the film really ramped up the pace going from like a great escape war film to a fugitive style film to a survival disaster film to a Thelma and Louise style ending where they almost die. And I just love the mash up of all these different types of stories and it works really well. Yes, still keeping the Wes Anderson style and pace you know, I thought was great that last half an hour. I love just like sort of the quirky over, over the top nature of a lot of the dialogue I just think is phenomenal. Especially you know, stuff that involves Edward Norton's character who just seems like he seems like he's trying to be like, taken seriously, you know, but every scene he's in you can't help but go do this. This situation is so absurd. It's so absurd. How can you keep a straight face or like, just pretend you even know what the hell you're doing. I think one of my favourite actually is like his introduction. I think this this exemplifies him where he's going around making sure they're doing everything right you know, this the scanner. So you know, the guy built the the giant house on the tiny Tree. Tree House is like the dude like, no, like lower its elevation, you know, and he just expects him to get on with it. But my favourite one is he sees one of the kids with a big bottle of lighter fluid. Giant taught, he's like, What do you think you're doing? He's going we've got an infestation of ants. I'm gonna burn them out. He just looks at him and he goes in proper shirt. You know? Nobody and no badges were your socks, dress code violation and just walks off. You liked Have you got any idea what you're just looking at? He's got a boy like kerosene for Christ's sake, he's gonna kill him. So that's some great lines in this as well like from Scoutmaster ward. He says when he finds the SAM is missing in his 10 You know, a hole in the 10, which is just weird and quirky. He says Jiminy Cricket. He flew the coop. He says to Suzy, I'd like to pitch camp here by 1600 which means four o'clock. How's that? Fish in her? reel him in slowly. Oh, I love that way. He gave her earrings. That was funny. I was just like, was insects with fish hooks? And yeah, like he's just hearing like, Are your ears pierced? And there's just and she looks in the mirror blood. It's coming down. She looks in the mirror. It's beautiful. Put the other one in. It's just stuff like that. I really like I think she still has blood. When she does. It's possible. My I may wet the bed by the way. Yeah, that's exactly the one I was gonna say. Yeah, that is later. I mean, dude, literally, that was exactly the line. Yeah, that was I didn't want to mention it. But just in case I didn't want to be offended. Of course I wouldn't be I love every time like she's reading stories to him. Because that's adorable. And she's reading very like clinically very just to the point Baba Baba this happening. And then she'll stop and then look if he's paying attention. And like he was smoking a pipe. And he's like, continue I'm listening, listening. COVID Smoking. Yeah, he's just pretend he's got the pipe. I love that later. They do the same scene, but with all the scouts, and they're all sat down listening to her. And then she's like, looking around. It's like we're listening. Just carry on. My favourite line though, is from of course, Bill Murray is in this film. He's in the house with his shirt off. holding a bottle of wine grabs an axe and just says I'll be back. I'm gonna find a tree to jump It's so random. It's one of my favourite scenes is Bill Murray. But it's a different one where they're at like the war for the dark or whatever. And Bill Murray is he's just heard you know that they basically ran off with the kids and they can't find them they've been trying. So he just goes to Edward Norton. Like what the hell is wrong with you, you know, he just goes off on you know, this you know, control of your your scouts. And every night and it's like, I'm trying the best I can and he just picks up the shoe and throws it at him. That was a ward like tries to dodge it really badly just just to kind of just kind of hit some with no like dramatic sound effects at all. And Bill Murray just has this very like passive passive aggressive look. The fact that he decides to throw the shoe is just so funny. Like he's too scared to walk up to him and even they just try to a little bit but it's just funny that he just decides to play the shoe. You got a favourite line? I think that was really funny. Like you know trying to invest in the check the shoe and I thought that was really funny. You got a school and for screenplay. i Yeah, I think I might edge the directing out over the screenplay. I'll give it like an 8.4 Okay, your directing score was nine maybe 8.6 You know, I just love this innocent nature this film has with these kids is so brilliant. And the change of tone halfway through when they do get caught, you know, just becomes a completely different story. When I when I get cool. That that was also another scene I really had again, it's with Bill Murray. He's in so little in his film, but he's so amazing. But I like when he unzips the tent because they hear noise and it was a 10 C's Bill Murray, everybody there and then zips it down again. And Bill Murray charges at the 10 and just lift it up above his head. Yeah, it's great. Yeah. But it's just I didn't like the narrator. I just didn't feel like he needed a narrator in this film. Yes, I do agree with you. I don't think there was really much point of him being so I'll go like eight point free. Alright, acting then. A lot of the jokes for me like come from their acting like how they deliver dialogue, especially in your film as well. A lot of the humour comes from the delivery of their very mundane things. I love the joke where Mr. Bishop and Captain sharp and Mrs. Bishop find out. Susie and Sam have run away and they go through their things. And Mr. Bishop played by Bill Murray is holding a picture. And he says, Holy Christ, what am I looking at? His Bishop says play by Francis McDormand like he does. watercolours, mostly landscapes. But if you nudes, you know, mcdorman just says it with a completely blank face. Like it's not weird at all, you get a lot of that in this film, you know, it's just very expressionless in the acting from the whole cast, which works so well for this type of straight comedy. And I think it definitely works if you have, like, somebody not being weirded out by something outlandish. And like somebody who is and it just, I think it's that kind of tonal sort of discrepancy, like, hang on a minute, because a lot of people are cool with some really weird shit. And then when you see somebody overreact, you're like, Whoa, you know, it's just that ebb and flow of like, because it can be like, Why aren't any of you guys overreacting that strange? And then you get so used to that, but when somebody overreact you go, Whoa, hang on a minute. That's a bit strange. Yeah. And I think that's funny. It's always funny when that happens. So one thing I'm thinking is, do you remember where they phoned up his parents? His parents, and yeah, we don't want yeah, and they were just like, screw is something quite serious. We can't find him and goes, well, if you do find him, you've got to tell him, he can't live with us anymore. It's like, Excuse me? What? Are you just keep repeating that? On your show? Well, you know, he's an orphan, so we just don't want him and then I love Bruce Willis, his reaction? What the hell am I supposed to do with him? And I was from the little dance sequence from Simon Suzie on the beach is really weird. You know, they play like this very slow French music and Sam starts dancing to it really quickly. Well, Susie dances normally to it. Then Sam kisses her, then spits just to the side and says, I got sand in my mouth. And then they work out a French kiss. You know, like his instruction, you know, trying to work it out methodically to the side. Yeah, where he says till he had to decide. And then he just like, touches her chest again. You know, and then through our, you know, just completely straight faces it just really hilarious. Yeah. And I felt like it's really refreshing to see a film with Bruce Willis in a comedy film like this. I think he's really good in it, too. I had no idea he was gonna be in it. Like, you know, Bill Murray, I think makes sense in West Anderson film, but I had no idea. Bruce Willis was going to be in it. And yeah, he surprised me. I thought he did a really good job. Like, you know, he hits all the beats. Great. You know, his lines are hilarious. He doesn't feel out of place either. at all, he doesn't fill out a plate, which is strange, because just that pic of actor would seem out of place. But he's he's just not out of place in this film. It's just a shame. What's happened to Bruce Willis. His career now? It's just not in anything good. I just think he doesn't give a shit anymore. That's the general feeling I get from Bruce Willis. Now he just he's lost. He's like, it just feels like a paycheck. Anything. You see him and now. He's like phoning in. Just get through it. He's doing crap films, probably because the only offers he gets and he just phones it in and then gets paid and then just leave. Yeah. Do you know about the game of thrones story? No. in season four, they were they were filming the Viper and then the mountain fight in Croatia. And for the wide shots. Bruce Willis's yacht was obviously they tried to get him to move but he had a megaphone. He's like Nope. They literally had to just shoot around him. So it's just he just like yeah, I don't get my boat. Just leave me alone. Just sad, really? With his film choices now. I wish you do more comedies like there. Yeah, so my favourite performance is Jared Gilman who plays Sam, the little kid. What's your favourite performance? I you know, I think that that boy does a really good job. And he holds most of the film together. So I would be tempted to pick him But dude, every time Bill Murray is on screen, and he's not there that much. I cherish him like I just cherish him. So yeah. And and he should come as no surprise that there's loads of Bill Murray posters behind you. Yeah, and an action figure and a doll. Yeah, sculpture. And Bill Murray himself is in my closet. Yeah. But I just think like, whatever script you give him, he's always on point, man. He's just really great at the humour he can be given very little and then just how he performs it just leaves me in hysterics. I just think he's amazing. Yeah, I'd give it to Bill Murray acting school. I'll go 8.7 Yeah, I think the performances in this are really great. And as I said, Bruce Willis doesn't feel out of place as well. I think he's one of the best performers again, this cast is insane. You got Tilda Swinton in there as well. Francis McDormand, Bill Murray. Just loads of other regulars from a woman's Addison Edward Nora. Yeah, Harvey Keitel Kotel. Yeah, that's it. I was gonna say, Mr. Wolf, because I can never remember it. And the and the kids are front and centre as well. And they hold this film that brilliant. I think this type of dry comedy is actually really difficult to keep a straight face for this hilarious dialogue. So I'm going to go like 8.7 as well, I think. Right, let's add up the scores then for Moonrise Kingdom. Moonrise Kingdom gets 52.2. Nice. It's pretty good. Pretty good. Right, Mr. Cyclopedia? Man, what is your film for? Where's Allison films? I suspect a film with lots of cussing. What the custard you said to me, Gus? Yeah, it's a fantastic cussing. Fox. Fantastic, Mr. Fox. Nice. And why did you pick this one? Because I've seen it before. I saw it on TV a while ago, I read the Roald Dahl book to my brother when he was very young. Yeah, so that was good. So you know, this is one of the few that I've actually seen what it's based off of, you know, if it's a book. Yeah. And yeah, I saw it one time on TV and I was hooked on it. I thought it was just, it's delightfully drained. Like, you know, I said before, it's really my only you know, before we did this podcast, my only exposure to Wes Anderson says the book better or the film. I mean, they're different. A different. Yeah, man. I like I like the film with I think the film is great. So what happens in Fantastic Mr. Fox, it's about the Fantastic Mr. Fox, played by Batman. Yeah. George Clooney. First one. Got his name? Yes. The really obscure I think he's a newcomer on the scene. Really? Yeah. So no, no Fox nipples in this film. Anybody who doesn't know much about Batman that's gonna come off. Very strange. Yeah. So yeah, so it's about him and and his wife and what have you. He's part of a collection of anthropomorphic animals, just every animal in this film talks. So he's a fox to start with just as any other Fox doing Fox things with his wife. Case in point stealing chickens from chicken farmers. I think actually that they're stealing squat squabs score. ever start the film, whatever a squawk is, I think they say yeah, she's like, What the hell is a squat? Just chickens. I think it's like a small chicken. So they get captured. And they do escape. But she reveals to him that they that she's pregnant, and that when when they escape, and then the baby's born, that he's got to stop doing this, you know, he's got to stop stealing. Yeah. And so he agrees. And he becomes a writer for a newspaper, which is again, just kind of pretty random. And so his son has this feeling his son ash really wants to be like his dad, but He's nothing like him. You know, he's not as cunning or as clever, as strong or as agile or whatever. And they also get like a visitor like his nephew arrives, because his father is dying of double pneumonia, and Kristofferson who is just amazing at everything, kind of. So this makes ash pretty jealous. But with Mr. Fox, he decides to move from their hole in the ground to a tree. And he's tempted when he sees the tree because the tree overlooks three plots of land owned by Boggis Bunce and bean, chicken farmer, a goose and duck farmer. And Bing is a turkey and apple cider from Yeah. And so he decides to without, you know, telling his wife and with a friend of his who's a possum steal, steal the food from you know, go back to his old ways, because, you know, he misses the thrill. Now, this comes back to bite him when all three farmers hunt him and his entire family and all of the woodland creatures mercilessly trying to get to Mr. Fox. So that's essentially the plot. So this is Wes Anderson's, like, second animated film is over one I looked at I love dogs. Have you seen that one? I haven't. But I really have wanted to. Yeah, yeah, that's really good as well. Like it kind of actually has. He goes kind of like a step further in the animation in the cartoonish style, if you know what I mean. But I think this film is probably a little bit better. Yeah. And I think it was because this was his first animated film, I think. And I just do get the sense that he it was just inevitable that I was Addison was going to do an animated film, certainly in this kind of start making style because both Grand Budapest and Moonrise Kingdom, the ones that we've seen certainly do have such a cartoonish style to them. Yeah, absolutely. There's animated sequences in Grand Budapest as well. So it was just inevitable, really. And also, like the thing with Wes Anderson, is he loves rich colours. Yeah, so he loves colour. Yeah. And I mean, what can be more colourful than something in on a pair, you know, or put in props or whatever. So, you know, I can't even just sort of make some sense sense or animation of any kind, makes a lot of sense for awareness. And, and again, as we were saying, like the cartoonish nature of his characters, and he should do more, actually, I think he should just do lots and lots of stop motion or maybe even try his hand at other animation types. Right directing then. I love the practically glowing gag, just change Mrs. Fox into a night light, which is quite funny. After they find out she's pregnant. And then obviously, they come back to that at the end where Mr. Fox is glowing as well. Yeah, cuz she's pregnant again. It's like you're glowing again. Right? It's like, yeah, you know, I appreciate the gag, but I just felt they were really statuesque and they could hardly move. Because there's basically a nightlight. Then the following sequence, after you see the guide for the first time, you get loads of classic Anderson tracking shots. But the foxes looked really small to me. And not to scale. I mean, I don't we don't see foxes very often, but surely they're a bit bigger than that. Yeah, I'm pretty sure you can't put a fox in your hand like they are. I mean, do you remember the one where he's hiding behind? He's the same size as a rat for Christ's sake. That's not that doesn't make any sense. I think the size of about a foxes nose scale is not something in this film. Even though the map there's a mouse though at one boy, which is absolutely tiny. Yeah. Which I think probably is to scale. The scale, but everybody else is about the same size. Yeah, the rise fucking massive. It's the same size as the farm. Yeah, he might even be taller than next Mr. Fox, and he's very, you know, very lanky. But I do find the models of the animals quite creepy at times. That's an Effie farmer. But the human characters even creepier, especially the short fat one. Nate bat, Bunce. He looks like a zombie from the 70s. Like straight out of Dawn of the Dead for me. Yeah. Very otherworldly. So, yeah, they have a very pale design to the human characters. I wish I guess I had to the the evil quality to them. You know, the antagonists of the of the film? Yeah, I love the look of being you know, who's the main antagonist of the film? And I love this character as well because he is yeah, he's a no nonsense badass. Really? Yeah, certainly the animals done in stop motion does make them creepy, especially like in the close up shop. So I was just like, Oh, God, too close. Too close. Come out, please. I think the running gag that I always found creepy is where Possum is listening to his plans. And then it just zooms close into possum. And his eyes are just like swells. And it keeps doing keep doing are you even Yeah Yeah, can you give me a sign sometimes? Yeah. Yeah. It's like he's being hypnotised by Mr. Fox because obviously Mr. Fox is not well a fox is normally normally have a possums For lunch I suppose. But Mr. Fox doesn't understand what's happening because in this world all the animals are on even playing field no talking animals eats another talking animal in so just it's quite a nice gag though. I like the digging chasing which was quite inventive where the cameras on like the outside of the the whole like a worms video game. You remember worms? Banana bomb. Yeah. Holy Hand Grenade sheet bombs. Yeah. You know, the farmers are using these like massive diggers to make massive crater under the tree and and you just see like the light from their diggers at the top of the grater. And like the moment when the fat farmers sits on the foxes chair, you know, that just made me giggle because it's obviously very severe. And he's very, I think my favourite like sequence for me is the really creative fight scene with the rat played by Willem Defoe where he's like clicking his fingers and you have this brilliant like straight POV shot as he pushes the family out of the way to get to ash. And then Mr. Fox comes in and they have a fight in this like electrical power room. It's in terrible darkness. But every time they get zapped light flashes. And you see the models are in like a steel frame as the light bounces around them. It was like superhero panels off of a comic. And then the rat dies in like cartoon 2d animation. Just really cleverly done that sequence. And you can really tell the filmmakers have thought about how they can use the models with light, not just how they can move, you know, which I thought was really impressive. We've got a favourite shot or a scene when beam hears that he's rated all the farms because they're hungry that they're trying to starve them out. And they dig through and read all the farms. I just love how bogus and been so like, oh, man, this was a bad idea. We shouldn't have done this. And being just stands up. It's completely silent and just ranks it just goes outside breaks that guitar throws a bike just leisurely. Yeah, that was great. Christopher sins dive the first time you see that he's actually good at something. Yeah, that was funny. Like I asked does a dive and he's like, flailing around. Bang hits the water. I thought was great dad, wasn't it. I'm an athlete. You know, when Christopher jumps does several flips, and corkscrew twists. And when he lands in it like, yeah, just like the single droplet fly out of the pool. I loved all of like, the creative POV shots, like when they get chased by dogs. The dog is kind of like fairly still in the centre. Yeah, it's like the camera. The camera is attached to the like, it's like it's a GoPro to the dog as Yeah, and as they're chasing the the other characters that that character is going crazy, you know, across the screen, that's great. Again, just such a great cartoony feel to this, like Tom and Jerry and write score then for directing for me, certainly for a first time animation and stop motion as well, you know, which is very, very rarely done and kind of like Adam does that sort of thing now. And and others actually, I think the only two I can think of it's rarely done, you know, the only big two I can think of is Aardman. So Armin and Leica, they're basically the only two. Yeah, so for Wes Anderson to do stop motion animation for the first time is really impressive. And to do it so well, is really great. And I just feel like they've really thought about how they can use these puppets or these models and puppets at times. I don't know. I've not really looked into it too much of how it was done. But yeah, I thought is really impressive. Just really visually impressive. And a lot of like visual gags that works really well. And I think one of the very impressive thing which is again, to his style, is he as we've said many times he likes centre shot stuff, he likes to do close ups as well. So he loves like, extreme closer creepy, though. But he having extreme close ups of a, you know, a stop motion model and have it just like, boom, it's it's Mrs. Fox, and you see her like, talking, but then even stopping and like wincing or having a tear go down and realise. It's like fucking hell. How long did that take? You know, it's just, it's just crazy. Just to get like a nice shot like that. But yeah, as you said, but he's still like, keeps his traditional directing style, even with animation, with their long tracking shots and a lot of it's symmetrical as well. A lot of centre shots geometrically pleasing. So I'll go by 8.6. About us. Yeah, I'll go like 8.8 I think Cool. All right screenplay, then, this is obviously based on Roald Dahl's book. You know, I find it really interesting in this film, where you have like animals personified as humans, but work into the story that they're actually wild animals, the characters are very aware of, of what they are. Whereas in most animated films, where animals are like humans, they just act like humans for the comedy that just comes from what they look like. The story has nothing really to do with them as animals. And I think the only film that does a similar thing is metropolis. But this film takes the concept another intriguing level when they're on the bike and they see like a black wolf in the wild. And they both kind of like Mr. Fox on the wolf waiver each other and it's like all these characters could be completely wild if they wanted to, you know if they chose that life, but they survive like wild foxes anyway, wild animals anyway, as they have all they can eat in this supermarket at the end. You know, Mr. Fox describes his friends and family like wild animals. So in the end, they are animals that act like humans, but they live their lives like wild animals anyway, you can create brilliant visual and written comedy with this concept. It's, it's just really well done. I think with the script, I think one of my favourite scenes that like kicks the, you know, just for the dialogue of it is just hilarious. But then it kicks the the plot into gear is where he buys the or he's trying to buy a house and the first house he sees is the, the tree and you know, the tree estate. Yeah, the three seater. So he's like, he's deciding to buy that. So he talks to his badger. Yeah. Yeah. I suppose is in charge of like giving him a loan, or mortgage or something I can't remember. Yeah, like a bank. He's in the bank. And he's discussing, I'm going to get that tree house and he explains to him Boggis, Bunce and bean and, and I just love the exchange where he's like, I would recommend you don't get this house. And Mr. Fox is like, I understand what you're saying. But I'm gonna ignore your advice. And he's like the customer. He's like, am i Are you cussing with me? No, you better not customer, you cussing little cutscene. And I just love them, they get really aggressive, they start snarling and they get their claws out. And then they just sit back down. He's like, I'm buying that house, okay? How you know, cuz it's just worse, I'm just being absolutely ridiculous. And then just being like, so chill. But like, the pacing of this film of this film really goes like a freight train. You know, as well as the dialogue being delivered really quickly. Scene after scene after scene, you know, each scene is like a maximum of like, two minutes long. You know, even the animation, they're not afraid to animate the characters like really quickly as well, to keep the pace up before you know the film's over. Like, Oh, bloody Yeah, that was quick. But even like with the more tender moments, it doesn't feel out of place, even though they are quite short. Anyway, the film just has a really great balance to it for a fairly short film. It goes really quickly. And certainly in the in a film like this in animation, I think you kind of have to keep the pace up. Because if you slow down too much, you just gonna get bored really quick. Yeah. It does keep your attention every scene keeps your attention. And, you know, I think they have they're just brief so that they just grab you like that scene. Oh my god, you know, that's crazy. You move on to the next one. One scene I thought was pretty funny, because it's a repeat of a previous scene. So with beams wife, Damn, she's scary. It's scary. And I think she's actually when we were talking about scary character models. I think she's probably the scariest. She is absolutely terrifying. She looks like just a rectangle head. And like, giant eyes. She looks really, she's really lanky. And I love when she goes to get the cider. He's like, how many bottles do you want? And Mr. Fox is pretending he's hiding under. And she picks two bottles because he's like three picks two. And like, she picks three and like he's right there. And he's pretending to be involved. She's like, no twos enough and puts it back in front of him. And it's a running joke because they're like, she's blind as a bat. He's like, maybe she's got cataracts or something. And then with Kristofferson and ash, they try to steal their father's tailback, they go into the kitchen, eat a lot of her biscuits, and she comes in again with the shopping and walk straight past them. Like oh, my god, she really is blind as a bat. And then she goes off into a cupboard looking through the cupboard, and then comes back with two oversight, you know, a pair of oversized glasses, and a no yeah. Yeah, like that. It's just a really good, really well done scene. Build up the suspense. And these biscuits actually looks really they look real. I want to tell you the food looks really damn nice actually. Again, there's a lot of cool lines. When they describe one of the farmers balance I think Nate bunts the fat one. Nate Bunce is a duck and goose farmer is approximately the size of a potbelly Dorf and his chin would be underwater in the shallow end of any swimming pool on I just love that description. I love this line. You remember when that they have all their workers 112 116 guys dig and they have a break and one of them you know starts playing a song about like Mr. Fox as he's him and his family a dicking around Do you remember that? Yeah, it just reminds me like John Lennon or something. I give it he do that he but he did he say nonsense stuff. And I love how being just comes up behind him and goes, Pete What the hell are you what are you talking? He goes, I'm just making it up as I go along. That's weak songwriting. That is a bad song. I'm harsh. This is gonna be a total cluster for everybody. Yeah, I love I love that they do the whole cast gag so freely. I love the rat in this film. And he sees Mrs. Fox he says, Look at Hugo, you're still as fine looking as a creme brulee. I like cranberry Lay's people should describe people as scramblase more often in films. He's a nice player. I like Mr. Fox in general and his just very sort of matter of fact, way of explaining things. And he's very sarcastic. My favourite line though, is a sequence of lines from the mole and Mr. Fox. The Mole says, I just want to see a little sunshine. And then Mr. Fox says, but you're nocturnal, Phil, your eyes barely even open on a good day. It's like I'm sick of your double talk. We have right. I just found that. That's just some brilliant, brilliant lens. You got favourite, then? You know Yeah, that's weak songwriting. was fun. That was a funny line. Do you remember when she's obviously pissed off? And she takes him to the corner and is like, I'm gonna lose my temper goes when? Right now. Right now. Like, you know, he's like, Well, I mean, she just like scratches him. When right now. Screenplay school, then I will go with 8.5 How about you, sir? Let me go. 8.9 Nice. Voice acting that was great. Yeah, you mentioned when they you know they have that this cussing fi when he when Mr. Fox sees the badger. And there's a scene before when like Mr. Fox, like gobbles up his like breakfast really quickly, like a wild animal. Yeah. And I was I was thinking, is that actually just George Clooney? Or they added something here? You know, I wasn't entirely sure. But then when you get to that the cussing fight with the Bajau, like know when they're growling, like no, that's that's definitely just the actors. You can definitely tell you can hear this, the human tones in the cell was kind of interesting. But in like Wes Anderson's live action films, so much of the comedy comes from the actors like blank straight faces, as they say, these hilarious lines. But with this film, it's all animation. So they use a lot of more visual con comedy than his live action work. But there are certainly moments of humour in this film when the lines are delivered, like really dryly. You know, the comedy in the dialogue works well, like near the end, when Ash is rescuing Kristofferson and ash is trying to apologise and Kristofferson says, Oh, you mean from before the apology you owed me which you never really actually said. It said really quickly to create this really awkward dry humour. Well, that Wes Anderson is so good at you know, he, you know, he keeps this same style of humour in delivery, like Moonrise Kingdom as well as in this film, you know, it's very similar. Do you remember that quick exchange where he was like, by the way, I don't have like fleas and ticks. He's like, who said do you do? I'm pretty sure you you've been spreading? No, I haven't. I don't know who you got it from, but I'll find out. We're saying this and you know, and he goes, by the way, I don't think that's the worst thing that could be said of you. You do that meditation thing. That's weird. I would be more worried about on your reputation. Like, by the way, I don't have five. But I just think it's just it's just really funny how they do these quick back and forth. Yeah, who played ash actually, Jason Schwartzman? Meryl Streep plays Mrs. Fox. Okay. Michael Gambon plays Yeah, Michael gamble. Mr. Bean? Yeah, Franklin being I would think Michael, he was great. I think Michael Gambon is my favourite in the cast right. I really like Willem Defoe actually as the round just this really kind of sassy. chilled out rat. You were saying like his his his clicking style and his way of speaking. It's West Side Story. Right. You know, it's Yeah. No fight thing. Yeah, yeah. But I think my favourite is actually George Clooney. I think he certainly gets most of the lines and I think I think he's really great in this. So acting score. I'll go voice acting wrong. I will go, you gotta put the puppets in there as well. They've done share. So I'll go like 8.3 producer. Yeah, I think I'll go the same actually. Cool. Right, let's add up the scores for Fantastic Mr. Fox. Ooh, fantastic. Mr. Fox gets 51.4 so I certainly one Moonrise Kingdom gets 52.2. So Moonrise Kingdom wins this week. Wow. That's close. Yeah, I agree. Moonrise Kingdom is just slightly better, but it's still pretty damn good. Yeah. Yeah, next week as another adaptation of Frank Herbert's classic sci fi book, Dune is out, and its filmmaker is Danny Valle nerve. So we'll be having a look at our favourite Danny vilner films. And of course, we've already picked a rival in Amy Adams films. I certainly wouldn't have picked that one anyway. But there we go. So yeah, that'd be cool. Again, if you really liked what we hear, you can follow the show notes below and click on the buy me a coffee link. And if you want to show your appreciation, just say thanks. Buy us a coffee, a couple of quid or dollars would be amazing. Or pesos or ripples. Yeah. So buyers, you've been such a cast today. It's been rather good. You've been a little a little tough, say buying. That's it for this week's pod. Thank you for listening. We hope you enjoyed it. If you would like to find out more about the podcast or suggest future topics for us to discuss related to upcoming releases. Let us know on Instagram at film versus film podcast and on Twitter at FPF underscore podcast. Remember, please subscribe pod signing off