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 Grand Budapest Hotel. I'm not sure just how wide a release this will get in the US, but it's out in a fair few cinemas in the UK. I saw it with a goon friend yesterday and it's absolutely fantastic. Great cast, brilliant performance by Ralph Fiennes especially, and great to see a return from Ed Norton. In Grand Budapest, all aspects of Wes Anderson's style are dialled up to 11. I really enjoyed the cinematography. The aspect ratio switches constantly to reflect the period of the story and it wasn't as jarring as I thought it would be. Each shot is tight, and there's a consistent tempo throughout the film. Just the right length, too. Has anyone else had the chance to go see it yet?
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Mar 10, 2014 09:25
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I saw it Saturday evening in NYC and haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. As far as I know, there are only four theaters in the whole United States showing it right now. I absolutely loved it. I consider myself a Wes Anderson fan but I wasn't necessarily blown away by Moonrise Kingdom, it's certainly warranted less repeat viewings from than other titles in Anderson's catalog. In any case, I was hoping that GBH would be a more enjoyable film and it completely surpassed all of my expectations. I thought that the aspect ratio choice for the bulk of the story was used brilliantly and really shows how well Anderson can frame a shot and still get the most out of less screen space. I thought that the layered timeline fit well with communicating the grandiose nature of the efforts of Gustave. Ralph Fiennes acting was superbly and Gustave very well might be my favorite Anderson character to date, I really loved how impossibly proper he resolved to be and how in the end the elderly Zero described him as a man outside of his own time (or something along those lines), it spoke to the style that Anderson likes to use in all his films which earns him both admiration and criticism. Adrien Brody and Willem Dafoe were both brooding, menacing, and hilarious. Jeff Goldblum as the lawyer was excellent with his excessive dialogue. I was impressed with newcomer Tony Revolori as Zero and I loved F Murray Abraham's portrayal of the older version of this character who is obviously inspired by Gustave's teaching and charm. The dedication of The Grand Budapest to Agatha was just the right amount of touching without being overly sappy. I don't want to come off like someone who is letting the initial reaction of something to cloud my vision of the rest of an artists catalog but I almost feel as if this can be become my favorite Anderson film to date. The visuals, characters, story, pacing, music... everything just felt so right.
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Mar 10, 2014 10:08
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My country doesn't release it until april, but I'm definitely going to go see it. It looks like such a pretty film  The different aspect ratios really underline how excellent the framing is. Based on the trailer, at least.
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Mar 11, 2014 00:47
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Is April the wide release for the US also? Actually thinking of driving 3 hours to go see it now.
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Mar 12, 2014 06:37
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My theater is getting this on our two largest screens which means we have a showing that starts almost every single hour of the day. This weekend, I will be drowning in hipsters and their empty tall boy cans.
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Mar 12, 2014 15:22
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Since its historical lens is really poignant this movie made me very sad 
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Mar 13, 2014 11:51
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I saw a trailer for this before Inside Llewyn Davis and it literally was the only appealing film of those trailers. I really really want to see this.
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Mar 13, 2014 15:10
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Really wish this had a wide release. There was a screening in a nearby city and the tickets were gone in a flash. Poof!
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Mar 13, 2014 23:30
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I just got back from seeing this and I enjoyed it, but I didn't love it. It is an extremely "Wes Anderson" movie in every aspect and little detail. I love the worlds he builds and the sets in this are so intricate and filled with small details that it's hard to not be impressed. I liked the cinematography and the aesthetic of it, but only noticed the changing aspect ratio at the beginning and end (to be fair there was a tall dude sitting in front of me that kept sitting up straight and then slouching so my view was always changing  ).Gustave and Zero are awesome. Fiennes absolutely kills it as Gustave. He may be my new favorite Wes Anderson character. It was nice to see Ed Norton back and Adrien Brody, Jeff Goldblum, and Willem Dafoe were all hilarious. That said, I still can't quite put it down in words what it was that I didn't love about this movie; all I keep thinking is that it was just too much Wes Anderson..
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Mar 14, 2014 07:03
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yoohoo posted:That said, I still can't quite put it down in words what it was that I didn't love about this movie; all I keep thinking is that it was just too much Wes Anderson.. I understand what you're trying to say here. If you compare it to earlier films, Rushmore, Life Aquatic, it's far more intense and over-the-top. Everything is so extremely precise. But I'm fine with that, because it's honestly quite rare to see this style of film. It's good to see Anderson getting new blood in still, much like Moonrise Kingdom (Bruce Willis, Ed Norton) yet still retaining his favourite cast members in supporting roles. The short cameos in the Secret Order of the Crossed Keys were fantastic.
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Mar 14, 2014 14:29
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yoohoo posted:That said, I still can't quite put it down in words what it was that I didn't love about this movie; all I keep thinking is that it was just too much Wes Anderson.. I just finished watching it and I agree. I really did like the movie and Ralph Fiennes and Tony Revolori were fantastic. But like DrAlexander said, its extremely precise. Sometimes to a fault. There was just so many of those 90 and 180 degree camera pans (I'm not sure exactly what that's called but if you've seen it you know what I mean) that you can just call when it's gonna happen in every scene.
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Mar 15, 2014 02:32
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This movie is loving delightful. You can feel Anderson is more happy and in control than he has ever been. It is a madcap comedy that has no roots in reality's terrafirma and is all the better because of it. Out before the 'spurg lords argue if this is "the right amount of Wes Anderson," or "too much Wes Anderson." Peace.
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Mar 15, 2014 07:59
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It came out here yesterday, and only at two theatres in a nearby city. I went to the earliest showing today and it was completely packed. I haven't seen a lot of Wes Anderson's work, but the trailer caught my attention. The movie itself is very entertaining and Ralph Fiennes absolutely stole the whole show.
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Mar 15, 2014 21:24
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This is the most artificial and precisely packaged film Anderson's made and that's perfect. It's the product of a flowery film maker with extreme attention to detail telling the story of a flowery author writing the second hand story of a man with a romantic poet's heart telling the story of the adventures he had with a man who embellished everything he said. It's a first person narrative told through multiple layers of detachment, and it perfectly explains the cartoonish unreality of its action; it's basically a tall tale told via a game of telephone, all with the purpose of obfuscating its true emotional core, the love story that Zero only reluctantly reveals when he has no other choice. It's a film where reality is reshaped and twisted to suit each author's intentions (the film's most villainous actions (the cat death, the various murders, almost everything Adrien Brody says) occur entirely in places where no one would have possibly been around to tell either Zero or Gustave what happened.) It works so well because it's so detached from realism. I love the fact that it opens with the literal Death of the Author, almost daring the audience to dig into its subtext and layers, serving largely as misdirection as to what Zero's story's really about (Agatha). I enjoyed it a lot less than most of Anderson's films but I appreciated it more, if that makes sense.
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Mar 16, 2014 05:18
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I know the term "delightful" has already been used in this thread, but it really is the most apt word to describe my thoughts on this movie. It's Anderson playing the artifice, whimsy and arch-ness up to an even larger, global scale. And then there's the hotel itself, which is a thing of beauty. I guess the closest similarity that comes to mind for me is the giant set made for Jacque Tati's Playtime, but I'm not sure how good a comparison/similarity it is. It's one of the first things that came across my mind as I was watching it. For me, the snow chase was one of the highlights. Great use and sense of speed and use of miniatures. Thrilling and funny all at the same time. I definitely loved this one, though I don't think it's up on the same level with Moonrise Kingdom. Still, I had a great time.
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Mar 16, 2014 05:56
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I love movies by Wes Anderson, and I love books by Stefan Zweig, so I have to link to this interview:quote:'I stole from Stefan Zweig': Wes Anderson on the author who inspired his latest movie —— As his film The Grand Budapest Hotel hits cinemas, Wes Anderson talks to George Prochnik about its inspiration, the early 20th century Austrian author Stefan Zweig http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/10684250/I-stole-from-Stefan-Zweig-Wes-Anderson-on-the-author-who-inspired-his-latest-movie.html
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Mar 16, 2014 16:12
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The film captured a feeling of nostalgia (I would want to use the Portuguese word "saudade," in fact) and a longing for a past that never properly existed. I have visited Arad an Timisoara and seeing all those lovely Austo-Hungarian Empire-era buildings in decay is quite sad. We don't learn too much about Zero's post Gustav life but I hope he lived a vibrant one like his mentor and wasn't lost in his reminiscing all the time.
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Mar 16, 2014 19:25
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I got to see this a couple weeks back and absolutely loved it. I actually didn't notice the aspect ratio switches too much, probably since like 80% of the movie uses the narrow one, but I'll definitely pay more attention to that when I inevitably rewatch it, though. The pacing was really tight, too, which is a pleasant surprise from a movie that uses a double framing device.
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Mar 17, 2014 13:08
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why wasn't this goddamn movie released nationwide in the US
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Mar 17, 2014 20:35
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so rasp. much nast posted:why wasn't this goddamn movie released nationwide in the US Seriously, I'm staying in Bumfuck Nowhere to take care of a family member and I'd have to travel very far to even see it at all. Which really sucks because it looks like the most Wes Anderson Wes Anderson film ever and I want to see it so bad.
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Mar 17, 2014 20:38
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Saw this over the weekend and really enjoyed it. It's very much a live action cartoon which allows it to get away from any sort of arguments regarding realism or obvious errors (e.g. how old Z looks nothing like his younger counterpart). The only part of this movie that felt weak was Edward Norton who was seriously phoning it in. He did a much better job in Moonrise Kingdom. Trigger Warnings: Grandma blowjobs, severed Jeff Goldblum fingers, and candy asses
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Mar 17, 2014 22:56
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G-III posted:Saw this over the weekend and really enjoyed it. It's very much a live action cartoon which allows it to get away from any sort of arguments regarding realism or obvious errors (e.g. how old Z looks nothing like his younger counterpart). The only part of this movie that felt weak was Edward Norton who was seriously phoning it in. He did a much better job in Moonrise Kingdom. Yeah, Norton didn't really seem that into it, although it's made up for by Brody's best SS Officer impersonation and Dafoe gnawing all the scenery as a literal gargoyle. The two of them made me want to see Anderson try his hand at a Universal Monsters and/or Addams Family style horror movie, everything involving the Desgoffe-und-Taxis family was fantastic.
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Mar 17, 2014 23:25
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Terrifying Effigies posted:Yeah, Norton didn't really seem that into it, although it's made up for by Brody's best SS Officer impersonation and Dafoe gnawing all the scenery as a literal gargoyle. The two of them made me want to see Anderson try his hand at a Universal Monsters and/or Addams Family style horror movie, everything involving the Desgoffe-und-Taxis family was fantastic.  Additionally, this movie felt a lot more vulgar than Anderson's previous efforts, however when matched up with the whimsy it created some really funny gags. The painting that replaced "Boy With Apple" in the Desgoffe-un-Taxis home is a good example. G-III fucked around with this message at 00:26 on Mar 18, 2014 |
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Mar 18, 2014 00:19
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Terrifying Effigies posted:Yeah, Norton didn't really seem that into it, although it's made up for by Brody's best SS Officer impersonation and Dafoe gnawing all the scenery as a literal gargoyle. The two of them made me want to see Anderson try his hand at a Universal Monsters and/or Addams Family style horror movie, everything involving the Desgoffe-und-Taxis family was fantastic.
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Mar 18, 2014 00:36
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I don't understand this kind of release. There is literally no place in my entire state to watch this film. Why do this?
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Mar 18, 2014 19:06
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DONT CARE BUTTON posted:I don't understand this kind of release. There is literally no place in my entire state to watch this film. Why do this? This has been the story for the past several Wes Anderson movies in my hometown. Life Aquatic, Darjeeling Limited, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Moonrise Kingdom weren't at the main theatres until ~2-3 weeks after the supposed release.
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Mar 18, 2014 23:13
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DONT CARE BUTTON posted:I don't understand this kind of release. There is literally no place in my entire state to watch this film. Why do this? Its going much wider this coming weekend, and will only expand from there.
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Mar 18, 2014 23:53
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Film made me feel melancholy about the decline of Mittleuropan culture and manners irl. Nazis ruin everything Also, the ending really hit home and was very poignant imo. Ditto with the framing mechanism. After all the farcical adventures, Anderson shows us what happened to sophisticated, homosexual people like Gustav during the barbarity of the 1930s/40s. The framing mechanism shows that that the culture that Gustav represented did not survive, either. Finally, Anderson might have included some commentary about himself at the end, when Zero talks about how the ideal of service that Gustav represented was already on its way out by the time Gustav had been born. You get the sense from a lot of his movies that Anderson is also a little bit of a relic or at least doesn't fit perfectly within the mores of his time.
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Mar 19, 2014 00:04
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This was a very enjoyable film and more people should watch it.
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Mar 19, 2014 15:40
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Was I the only person who loved watching the star of The Pianist playing a faux-Nazi chasing down oppressed good guy Amon Goeth?
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Mar 19, 2014 16:08
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Saw this myself last Friday (somehow! The one theater in downtown DC that was playing this had shows sold out until 9:45, and the other options were going out to Bethesda or Fairfax...) Overall, I liked it very much; I really kinda dug the presentation of using beautifully eccentric backgrounds and quirky slapstick (seriously, the folks calling this a live action cartoon are pretty well dead on) to tell a story about existential angst and loss. It doesn't sound on paper that it would be emotionally resonant in the slightest, but Wes Anderson pulls off some moments that pack a real emotional punch, in a way that his other movies haven't really done. (Both Moonrise Kingdom and The Fantastic Mr. Fox almost get there with some characters and scenes, but the former is generally sweet and affirming beneath all the brokenness and the latter is mostly a character study.) The ending of the story and the framing device are especially notable, in spite of, or maybe because of, the audience never really learning about the girl in the beginning of the movie or her relationship (if any) to the characters. Is she some long-lost relative, or just somebody struck by the story? Nobody knows. I read something somewhere that makes a point I find telling: even though this is definitely the most Wes Anderson Wes Anderson movie yet, there also is a real exploration of the limitations of his style and the conflict with fantasy and reality that seems to permeate his work. Heck, not only does he explore it, but he draws it back to the central theme and conflict of the way things are intruding on the way people think things ought to be (quite bloodily so, at times... there's probably a higher body count in this movie than in Anderson's other movies, caveat emptor). Anderson builds this lovely sandcastle, excruciatingly detailed and a labor of love, and then proceeds to kick it the hell apart because that's pretty much what the ravages of time and the carelessness of people do. It's quite an Eastern European sentiment, really.
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Mar 19, 2014 16:25
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A few of the actors in this movie turn swearing into an art form. "What's the meaning of THIS poo poo" is still making me laugh, not to mention anytime Gustave said "gently caress"
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Mar 19, 2014 16:53
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For what it's worth, I didn't really like it, even though it is probably one of the BEST-LOOKING films ever made. Absolutely loved the cinematography and set design, thought the film was funny at times, but I was still completely turned off by the overly contrived zaniness and unnecessary number of characters ("How many friends and amazing actors can I cram into tiny, pointless roles?" he thought, staring at the blank page.) To me, the gags weren't as funny as those of, say, Bottle Rocket or Rushmore, where interesting characters were what made it funny, not just the absurdity of it. I thought the kid playing Zero and Ralph Fiennes were great in their roles, and I was so frustrated that the film squandered the opportunity to spend more time focusing on them, their fraternal relationship, and their standing in society instead of what amounted to a bunch of silly nonsense. The important stuff was just glossed over so they can spend more time digressing into pointless scenes just to have big-name cameos (cool, Bill Murray shows up for a couple minutes to answer a phone--TWO THUMBS UP!) Basically, the film totally missed the boat on making any kind of emotional impact. For example, when that Irish baker girl dies, (can't remember the character's name) it wasn't really that big a deal to anyone except Zero since she'd only really been onscreen for a minute or two total. It is definitely my least favorite Wes Anderson film since that absolute turd of an adaptation of Fantastic Mr. Fox.
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Mar 19, 2014 18:01
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From your spoiler I don't think you actually watched the same movie as everyone else
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Mar 19, 2014 18:24
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Pretty sure I did. I meant the actor was Irish, not the character. Point still stands: the film really squandered its potential.
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Mar 19, 2014 18:30
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scourgeofthe7bees posted:For what it's worth, I didn't really like it Yikes. I agree that you somehow missed what Anderson was trying to get across in terms of character deaths. Agatha and Gustave's deaths happening off screen and matter-of-fact added to the message that things change with the passing of time. The emotional impact is seen in elderly Zero's pausing during his story when reminded of Agatha and at the end when he proclaims that he kept the hotel for her. What more do you need than that? A long elaborate sappy death scene in an otherwise zany adventure film? Nah. Have you not ever seen a Wes Anderson film before? The Society of the Crossed Keys was awesome and if you think the addition of Bill Murray is detrimental at all then I don't even know what to tell you. Every time I watch an Anderson film, especially this one, I love knowing that I'm watching a film made by a filmmaker who gets to make movies exactly how he wants. He gets to put as many of his friends in as he wants and he gets to write about whatever he wants and it's all that much more fun because of these aspects. Fantastic Mr Fox ruled, also.
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Mar 19, 2014 22:11
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Honestly I'd really like just one more movie where Owen Wilson co-writes, because as much as I like the post-Tenenbaums films, I think the best scripts were when they collaborated and Wilson kept his whimsy in check a bit more.
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Mar 20, 2014 01:57
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scourgeofthe7bees posted:For what it's worth, I didn't really like it, I sort of agree with you. I enjoyed it but I feel like I'll forget it by next month which would be a first for a Wes Anderson film and for a few of the reasons you stated.
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Mar 20, 2014 02:36
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Did anyone else notice the slight nod to On Her Majesty's Secret Service in GBH? There's a bit of Barry-esque horn work in Desplat's score when Zero and Gustave are chasing Jopling down the ski track, similar to the ski chase in that film. EDIT: it's about 3:55 in the "Canto at Gabelmeister's Peak" track of the soundtrack, in case anyone has that handy. Hewlett fucked around with this message at 06:15 on Mar 20, 2014 |
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Mar 20, 2014 05:40
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precision posted:Honestly I'd really like just one more movie where Owen Wilson co-writes, because as much as I like the post-Tenenbaums films, I think the best scripts were when they collaborated and Wilson kept his whimsy in check a bit more. Yeah, this! Grand Budapest Hotel could've been ABOUT Zero and Gustave (and potentially Agatha), but Anderson chose to make it ABOUT the Boy With Apple caper instead, meaning it wasn't as good a movie as it could've been. I just thought this film was a beautiful package that's empty inside. ShoogaSlim posted:I agree that you somehow missed what Anderson was trying to get across in terms of character deaths. Agatha and Gustave's deaths happening off screen and matter-of-fact added to the message that things change with the passing of time. The emotional impact is seen in elderly Zero's pausing during his story when reminded of Agatha and at the end when he proclaims that he kept the hotel for her. What more do you need than that? A long elaborate sappy death scene in an otherwise zany adventure film? Nah. Regarding Agatha, the emotional impact seen in Zero's face is not shared by the film's viewers, since Agatha was not any kind of a "character", just a person who showed up and did things for the sake of furthering the zany adventure, like all the rest of the cartoonishly-rendered people who weren't Gustave or Zero. My whole point is, I wish it were just a comedy with heart (like Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, Tenenbaums, or even Darjeeling Limited) and not a "zany adventure." Society of the crossed keys is a funny idea, but I really didn't need to see each and every phone call when that precious screen time could've been used to flesh out one of the more important characters. True, Bill Murray isn't detrimental to this (or any) film, but he didn't really add anything here either. That, my friend, is a waste of Bill Murray.
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Mar 20, 2014 07:49
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