Wes Anderson came back in a big way this year (even bigger than surprising the world with his animated masterpiece Fantastic Mr. Fox) and now his Moonrise Kingdom is now available to own on DVD. On top of that, we got something new from DreamWorks Animation, an Adam Sandler joint, and some lo-fi horror from the creator of Paranormal Activity. See Below for the full list!
Wes Anderson makes a trimuphant return in the field of live action cinema with Moonrise Kingdom! The box office and Certified Fresh hit (at 94% it’s his best-reviewed work ever) is Anderson’s first period piece, set in the 1960s on the New England island of New Penzance. During what is yet another supposedly peaceful summer, two young lovers flee camp, setting off a comic search with a party that includes Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, and Bob Balaban in an inspired role as the film’s narrator.
The first 3D trip to Madagascar, Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, has also produced the best critical marks for the series. The main franchise for DreamWorks Animation has gotten steadily better reviews, first starting at rotten (Madgascar managed 55% in 2005), then moving to fresh territory (with Escape 2 Africa‘s 64%), before now settling for a decent Certified Fresh award at 78%. Madagascar 3 sees the main heroes of the series (which includes series regulars like Ben Stiller and Chris Rock) still attempting to return to North America. They end up in Monte Carlo, chancing upon a struggling circus that just might be their ticket back home. How did this one fare with audiences? They agreed with the critics, sending Europe’s Most Wanted to a $681 million tally, a record for the franchise.
Though he’s hustling as steady as ever, Adam Sandler has been seeing diminished returns on his vehicles. Though last year’s Jack and Jill gross of $74 million is nothing to scoff at by most comedy standards, it wasn’t enough to cover its budget, and was a far cry from the $100 million tallies Sandler’s films usually see. The rough patch continued this year with That’s My Boy, his lowest-grossing live-action non-dramatic comedy (yes, we are aware that is a mouthful) since 2000’s Little Nicky. That’s My Boy pairs Sandler with recent SNL alum Andy Samberg, who has stated working with the Happy Gilmore a long-standing dream of his. But reality comes before dreams, and the fevered fantasy of creating a relentlessly vulgar R-rated comedy has done little to further either’s career.
Impressed (or more likely, jealous) of the success Paramount had with the hyper low-budget Paranormal Activity, Warner Bros. hired series architect Oren Peli to develop their own phenemenon. That project: Chernobyl Diaries, a dark tale of Americans in Russia who decide to take an “extreme tour” into the heart of the nuclear fallout zone. The film didn’t catch on with the same gangbusters gusto that Paranormal did, but it still managed to rack up $35 million against its reported $1 million budget.
