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Film Discussion => The Vault => Topic started by: MacGuffin on October 14, 2013, 12:53:31 PM

Title: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: MacGuffin on October 14, 2013, 12:53:31 PM
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-SuxUoj9qyMw%2FUlwosmi0jdI%2FAAAAAAABImE%2FUSHM8UzccYE%2Fs1600%2Ftumblr_muo5drf2Ih1qz8vumo1_1280.png&hash=f65fadbf11c39ca3bb277994f30766ba40fe73ba)
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: Sleepless on October 14, 2013, 01:39:11 PM
According to the website, the trailer is going to be released Thursday  :)
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: modage on October 14, 2013, 01:42:19 PM
It's just good to see Wes trying something different this time.
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: Pubrick on October 14, 2013, 01:45:04 PM
Tempted to analyse that poster.

I know absolutely nothing about the story but it's interesting that the natural landmarks all loom above the structure of the hotel, but that the name of the hotel/film goes above them all.

It makes me think of what Anderson is really concerned with in his films. Oh it reminds of the shining of course, but it also is consistent with the recurring motif of "legends" in his films. Legend creation, legend destruction, and the formation of greater narratives that give his characters meaning to themselves.

We also see the way that nature often interacts and corresponds with the human narratives. From mordecai the hawk to the jaguar shark to the autumn leaves in Rushmore to the climax of moonrise kingdom. My tablet is dying so I'll have to finish this here.

Anyway, I'm starting to really like this dude again.
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: jenkins on October 14, 2013, 02:14:42 PM
^^i like that, and i like this thread's three-way positivity

movie talk:

Saoirse Ronan -- yeah, hanna(!!)
Mathieu Amalric -- drenk, is amalric the new depardieu of france? they could replace depardieu statues with amalric statues, if they want
Léa Seydoux -- iyo, what's the warmest color out of all colors
F. Murray Abraham -- if he gives any Antonio Salieri stares i'm going to become emotional
willem dafoe/tilda swinton -- ones i'll list whom i'd guess everyone already remembers, and they've worked with wes anderson before, but i think they're so ace and value their spread of contributions
every actor - impressive

written -- wes anderson is listed alone. do you think he really wrote it alone? lol, pff, no way. i don't believe it because that'd be the most impressive thing i've ever heard about, so anyway one day i'll read his charlie kaufman emails
music -- alexandre desplat (!!). other 2014 desplat movie: ggggoooodzilla
dp -- yeoman, mhmm
editor -- omg, who is this? Barney Pilling has edited an education, never let me go, one day, quartet, and the grand budapest hotel
production designer -- Adam Stockhausen, who started as an art director on darjeeling, worked as production designer for wes craven during my soul to take and scream 4, then production designed moonrise, then 12 years a slave, and now the hotel. niiiice
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: bigperm on October 17, 2013, 10:33:49 AM
www.youtube.com/embed/1Fg5iWmQjwk
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: ©brad on October 17, 2013, 11:00:37 AM
OMG HE'S DOING THE SAME THING AGAIN IT'S SO TWEE OH LOOK CENTER-FRAMED SHOTS HIPSTER POP SOUNDTRACK HE NEVER EVOLVES UNLIKE PTA THE BETTER ANDERSON SO OVER HIM WAKE ME WHEN HE ACTUALLY ADVANCES CINEMA FOR ONCE

But really this looks great.
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: cinemanarchist on October 17, 2013, 11:05:44 AM
He did shoot in three (1:33, 1:85, 2:35:1) aspect ratios. That has to account for something. Yes, this looks amazing, but I am a sucker for movies set in hotels (see Home Alone 2 and Dunston Checks In)
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: Pubrick on October 17, 2013, 11:13:02 AM
I don't think he ever finished perfecting what he started doing from the very beginning of his career. I think there is measured change in every new film he made. Somewhere along the way he forgot to make his characters interesting, that is with Darjeeling which was a major misstep and went a long way in feeding the trolls. But now he's got that stinker out of his system he's committed so brazenly to his own shtick that it's endearing and even exciting again.

Most importantly, is this really 4:3?
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: cinemanarchist on October 17, 2013, 11:17:35 AM
Quote from: Pubrick on October 17, 2013, 11:13:02 AM
Most importantly, is this really 4:3?

Apparently the story takes place over a number of years and the older stuff (which is mostly what is seen in the trailer) is shot in 4:3 and 1:85 and 2:35:1 are used for later time periods.
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: modage on October 17, 2013, 11:46:49 AM
Quote from: ©brad on October 17, 2013, 11:00:37 AM
OMG HE'S DOING THE SAME THING AGAIN IT'S SO TWEE OH LOOK CENTER-FRAMED SHOTS HIPSTER POP SOUNDTRACK HE NEVER EVOLVES UNLIKE PTA THE BETTER ANDERSON SO OVER HIM WAKE ME WHEN HE ACTUALLY ADVANCES CINEMA FOR ONCE

But really this looks great.

I clicked on the trailer fully expecting to hate on it having learned my lesson with his last few films, but goddamnit, I think it looks great. It might be terrible, but once again, I hope it's not.

The only reason I can think of that this trailer is working for me is that this looks fast and funny as shit (where his last few films have been really emo but not really very funny). If this is hilarious, I think I can forgive the self-parodic elements. ...Or maybe he just works best now in short format.
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: Frederico Fellini on October 17, 2013, 12:14:14 PM
Great!  Wes Anderson makes yet another Wes Anderson film with the Wes Anderson style for the Wes Anderson fans. Confused by the title though, I thought it was called Rushmore part 6.

(I'm still gonna see it though)


P.S: Love the Max Ophuls swagger jacking.
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: jenkins on October 17, 2013, 12:50:18 PM
impressive. lol, the punches
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: Sleepless on October 17, 2013, 04:30:31 PM
What a fun trailer! Hopefully this is an accurate indication of the tone. Love the Ralph Fiennes character. I was disappointed by Moonrise Kingdom, but it seems like this is maybe going to build on the lessons learned there - there's a bigger "chase" element, and Edward Norton has graduated from a boy scout master trying to find a missing kid, to a police detective trying to find a missing crook. It does seem like it's been a while since we've had this much comedy in a Wes Anderson film. Fingers crossed this is a return to form.
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: jenkins on October 17, 2013, 06:16:24 PM
Quote from: Sleepless on October 17, 2013, 04:30:31 PM
Hopefully this is an accurate indication of the tone.
curious and readytobesurprised by shifts from new narrative goals and a new editor. david mortiz (bottle rocket, rushmore, life aquatic, wanderlust, peeples), dylan tichenor (boogie nights, magnolia, royal tenenbaums, there will be blood), and andrew weisblum (darjeeling limited, the wrestler, sup for fantastic mr fox, black swan, moonrise kingdom) swapped for barney pilling (never let me go)! think we can all agree wes anderson admires pilling's abilities from more than a professional level. excited for the vibes
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: Lottery on October 17, 2013, 06:45:30 PM
I will anticipate this like any other Wes Anderson film. But it does look pretty good. Ralph Fiennes in particular seem fantastic.
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: Kellen on October 17, 2013, 07:37:51 PM
It's just nice to see Jeff Goldblum in something besides Law and Order.
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: Ravi on December 18, 2013, 03:04:01 PM
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fpixel.nymag.com%2Fimgs%2Fdaily%2Fvulture%2F2013%2F12%2F18%2F18-budapestposter.o.jpg%2Fa_560x0.jpg&hash=46d07ea2bce1cdedac306edcf26c9f5956c3c900)
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: jonas on December 19, 2013, 01:14:43 PM
Character Trailer:



Well, it sure looks like a Wes Anderson movie (and I'm totally fine with that)
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: N on December 19, 2013, 06:11:23 PM
I like Wes and his movies and this looks great and I'm excited.  :yabbse-smiley:
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: jenkins on December 19, 2013, 11:41:51 PM
lol. uh, sooo greeeat. wes anderson is still wes anderson and now he looks like five of him
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: Drenk on February 28, 2014, 10:29:08 AM
So. A Wes Anderson movie indeed. I loved every second of it. I liked Moonrise Kingdom too: it should be a good sign for you or a bad one -- it depends. Ralph Fiennes is fantastic - when I think that Anderson thought about Johnny Deep, I shiver *and here I shiver again*. It's the first Wes Anderson movie that I see, and it was the first time that, at the end, I was moved by the story; the movie has a dark and sweet heart beyond all the exquisite stylisation. This is the story of a friendship, a young love, the thrill of all these good memories and how the good times pass. I had a great time.
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: Sleepless on February 28, 2014, 04:06:45 PM
Hmm... Moonrise Kingdom is my least favorite of his films. I haven't been able to get through it a second time yet. I can certainly see elements of MK in the GBH trailers in terms of stylistic approach but it seems to be doing different in a different way with regards to character and storytelling. I hope so. I am excited about this. Bill Murray said it's Wes' best film. If nothing else, I think I'd get a kick out of watching Ralph Fiennes in that role for two hours.
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: Drenk on February 28, 2014, 04:15:22 PM
Yep, it's not exactly like Moonrise Kingdom; I wouldn't know how to describe the difference, though. He's still navigating in a doll's houde, but the dolls feel alive? I was surprised to be moved by the movie. I've only seen Rushmore, Moonrise Kingdom and GBH and GBH is my favorite, yes.
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: 03 on March 01, 2014, 03:41:13 AM
i'll go ahead and address the elephant in the room: why have you not seen the royal tenenbaums?!?
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: Drenk on March 01, 2014, 10:32:57 AM
I'm young and ignorant. (But after GBH, I thought: Well, I guess I should watch The Royal Tenenbaums now.)
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: Mel on March 12, 2014, 08:14:04 AM
Red Band:

Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: Pubrick on March 12, 2014, 08:24:11 AM
wow are those the first nips in a wes film?

interesting that the most sexual scene in his previous film was with a couple of children and now he's showing 84 year old tits.

what perv!
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: Lottery on March 12, 2014, 10:30:14 AM
Lesbian nips in Royal Tenenbaums. And I'm pretty sure there's a woman in Life Aquatic who's mostly topless. And there's a topless lass at the start of Moonrise. These are silly things I've remembered.


Jesus, the production design for this film looks absolutely incredible.
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: pete on March 13, 2014, 01:35:01 AM
also porn mags around kids in rushmore
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: picolas on March 16, 2014, 11:07:28 AM
[from mah letterboxd]

for wes anderson, this represents the pinnacle of playfulness, the culmination of his technical craft, and the sum of nearly every actor he's ever worked with. it's hard not to admire the scope and exquisite detail of this world, and the spirit of invention behind nearly every moment. i found stretches of the film somewhat hollow in spite of their perfect storybook quality, and began to worry that it was all going to end up feeling like a big, beautiful cake without a shred of substance; however (quasi tonal ending spoilers?), the final moments pack a surprisingly powerful punch that will definitely affect future views. i wish this tone/idea had been sprinkled throughout, because the narrative framing devices seemed practically irrelevant until just before the end. (end quasi tonal ending spoilers?)

if wes anderson were to make rushmore now, i would be shocked and amazed. don't get me wrong. i love this world, and from any other filmmaker budapest would be a big deal, but i know wes can do this kind of thing in his sleep (albeit this is the most complex version of 'this thing'). i'm still hoping his next movies manage to tunnel into a different realm.

i hate criticizing this. it's GREAT. i just want wes to catch his breath sometimes.
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: modage on March 17, 2014, 09:33:59 AM
Quote from: picolas on March 16, 2014, 11:07:28 AM
if wes anderson were to make rushmore now, i would be shocked and amazed he would ruin it.
fixed.
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: samsong on March 23, 2014, 06:21:58 AM
i guess he felt he owed marty a powell and pressburger movie?  i can't help but feel it was all a bit slight and too fast for its own good, though the more i think about it the more depth i want give it credit for.  i suppose a second viewing is in order to see if that benefit of the doubt is warranted or not.  typical wes anderson shit yadda yadda... it's starts out promisingly enough, and then... WHIMSY!!! i can say without a doubt i liked this the best (or was least underwhelmed by) of everything he's done since the life aquatic.
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: Cloudy on March 24, 2014, 02:36:21 AM
Quote from: samsong on March 23, 2014, 06:21:58 AM
i suppose a second viewing is in order to see if that benefit of the doubt is warranted or not.
I wrote a pretty flaming review for this film here but removed it after chewing on the feelings I had for a few more hours, and after that period I woke up sensing a different way to approach it than I did. I brought expectations into the film, and the expectations weren't met. In my second viewing, I went in knowing what this could be, and that made the film...hilarious and musical.

First off, RALPH FIENNES IS A FUCKING RIOT. Honestly one of the best comedic performances I've seen in the cinema in a little while. So much craft oozing out of his pores, in a sort of Peter Sellers type of undertaking. The way this man laces words together with such fucking velocity is intoxicating really. I could feel the heart of this man, weighing more and more internally throughout the humor.
Second, the film is not worth taking seriously, every so often little quirks tell you to just shut off your brain and laugh, and in this sense a musical comedy with incredible attention to rhythm with the dialogue. I realized this film reminded me of the Marx Brother's films of the past, that type of intricately styled humor of the 20's and 30's. Not AS funny, but the musical rhythms/stylistic undertaking makes it its own.
Third, the melancholic core to the film was felt this time, and it wasn't contrived to me at all. It obviously wasn't incredibly full of depth, but for what it was it felt proper to the film, not put on. The artificial, aesthetic quality itself felt melancholic this time in a determined way.
Quote from: samsong on March 23, 2014, 06:21:58 AM
i can say without a doubt i liked this the best (or was least underwhelmed by) of everything he's done since the life aquatic.
I think along with Life Aquatic, Rushmore, and Darjeeling this ranks up there with them. Some of the humor builds with Ralph Fiennes in such a satisfyingly explosive way.

These are two worthwhile interviews:
Charlie Rose:
http://charlierose.com/watch/60353702 (http://charlierose.com/watch/60353702)
Elvis Mitchell
http://www.kcrw.com/etc/programs/tt/tt140319wes_anderson_the_gra
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: JG on March 24, 2014, 05:41:47 PM
feel the need to speak up, if only because i'm surprised there's not more gushing around here. i've seen it twice, and rank it among his best (for me: rushmore, fantastic...). as much as i liked stop-motion clooney its nice to have a real adult here. fiennes is hilarious, but also imbues m. gustave with a pathos that is serious and sad. i liked that we know nothing about gustave's life outside zero's purview. the moment on the train when the narrator speaks to this, as gustave stares up at the ceiling, is one of the most poignant moments of the movie.

i don't think the framing device is getting enough love. wrapping the story up inside a novel based on a reminiscence provides wes the perfect context for one of his worlds. it works so well, because the film speaks to these stylized, mannered "constructions" we seem compelled to upkeep, from the pristine condition of the grand budapest, to the characters' mutual appreciation of Mendle's desserts, ultimately, to the author's rendering of zero's story.

i've been revisiting an old favorite all week, donald barthelme, and there exists a nice link between wes and barthelme. barthleme builds these precious worlds built on absurd premises that are constantly on the verge of falling apart ("the balloon" is one of my all time favorites). the worlds are, like the writing, often silly, always sharp, and pull from a slew of 20th century sources; films, book, music, etc. But so many of his stories pull back to reveal a sweet and simple core. A lot of them are about falling in love, or trying to preserve the way we felt then. That's Wes's mission statement in many ways, and grand budapest hotel exemplifies that.. zero's final few lines to jude law's version of the author speak to wes's entire body of work.

i cried both times!

:yabbse-thumbup: 
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: Cloudy on March 24, 2014, 05:55:34 PM
Quote from: JG on March 24, 2014, 05:41:47 PMFiennes is hilarious, but also imbues m. gustave with a pathos that is serious and sad. i liked that we know nothing about gustave's life outside zero's purview. the moment on the train when the narrator speaks to this, as gustave stares up at the ceiling, is one of the most poignant moments of the movie.
...
But so many of his stories pull back to reveal a sweet and simple core. A lot of them are about falling in love, or trying to preserve the way we felt then. That's Wes's mission statement in many ways, and grand budapest hotel exemplifies that.. zero's final few lines to jude law's version of the author speak to wes's entire body of work. 
Spot on. These two points are where the essential depth of the story lies.
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: pete on March 24, 2014, 07:10:43 PM
I think wes anderson isn't going to change his "style" in the way that people hope. I think it's especially silly to expect it to change dramatically when one can glean all of that from a trailer. I think many good directors - take Ang Lee or Clint Eastwood for instance - have the tricks they like using and the themes they're interested in exploring, and we let them because cosmetically they look very different. I think Wes Anderson has aesthetics are so pronounced, anyone can pick up on his symmetry and art direction, but I don't know, just because you can point it out doesn't mean it's a sin, while one could make the same argument about Black Swan and The Wrestler but we don't because somehow we all have the decency to understand what Aronofsky was up to.

I don't know, at this point I'm not even trying to defend Wes Anderson - I have some thoughts and reservations about the film, but it's really hard to discuss him seriously because both his supporters and critics seem to not be able to get over this whole fucking symmetry thing. why not just say "the Coen Bros are soooo dark! We get it you're crazy dudes!" while you're at it.
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: jenkins on March 24, 2014, 08:43:22 PM
Quote from: Cloudy on March 24, 2014, 05:55:34 PM
Quote from: JG on March 24, 2014, 05:41:47 PMBut so many of his stories pull back to reveal a sweet and simple core. A lot of them are about falling in love, or trying to preserve the way we felt then. That's Wes's mission statement in many ways, and grand budapest hotel exemplifies that.. zero's final few lines to jude law's version of the author speak to wes's entire body of work.
where the essential depth of the story lies.

do you mean when the writer asks zero moustafa why he keeps ownership of the faded-glory hotel, if it's from reverence to gustave, to which zero ~replies that its glory days "disappeared long before he arrived. but he was graceful about maintaining the illusion that it existed" and he says he keeps the hotel in tribute to agatha. i like that scene so much and agree it helps establish the roots

i can see the grand budapest hotel as a bit of a thing about wes anderson and his enduring tryst with cinema. i don't think that's crazy to say, or fully right to say, so i think it exists somewhere within the realm tom wilkinson describes at the beginning, when he says a writer isn't always working within personal imagination, a writer's personhood opens along with craft, and material opens to the writer from life

taking the grand budapest hotel as an emblem for cinema, anderson arrived as a bell boy with his bottle rocket short, found himself promoted when bottle rocket became a feature, acclaimed by rushmore, and now there's bare remembrance of why he began. new hires are jason schwartzman, there to be there, but without the urgency of the best days (schwartzman plays the modern day concierge, who isn't paid enough to care about his job, there's an analogy there as well, i'll skip it) . i don't think it's an accident the star of rushmore was chosen for his role, i don't think it's an accident bill murray was chosen for his role -- the particular roles they were chosen for and what they mean

i think wes anderson sees his career with a perspective he isn't given credit for. i think he's a concierge for a type of cinema. as to say, it's not difficult to see the movie's cross-pollination with the creator. i don't have trouble spotting the emotions sitting in the shade of this massive movie. of course it's not all about or only about what i described above, because anderson has a storytelling talent, and a story works best when a story works on its own. ooh i think this one does, and beyond the highly-likable gustave and grand budapest there is indeed zero, his relationship with agatha, madame d and her badnews family, henckels and war outbreak, ludwig and mush waitering, these people and events and more people and events, all reflections from the past, told through another life reflection, and lodged inside the present

the downhill skiing/sledding scene alone! padded by awful, unbearable, detestable, anderson-has-lost-his-talent scenes of prison escape, concierge networking, gondola switching, cathedral confessing, police confrontation, and hotel shootouts

just, if this is someone beginning to suck, lots of people need to work on sucking this good, you know. i think it can be said all nice and easy like that. i've said it before: he's still the same, and now there are five of him
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: JG on March 24, 2014, 09:03:29 PM
Quote from: jenkins<3 on March 24, 2014, 08:43:22 PM
Quote from: Cloudy on March 24, 2014, 05:55:34 PM
Quote from: JG on March 24, 2014, 05:41:47 PMBut so many of his stories pull back to reveal a sweet and simple core. A lot of them are about falling in love, or trying to preserve the way we felt then. That's Wes's mission statement in many ways, and grand budapest hotel exemplifies that.. zero's final few lines to jude law's version of the author speak to wes's entire body of work.
where the essential depth of the story lies.

do you mean when the writer asks zero moustafa why he keeps ownership of the faded-glory hotel, if it's from reverence to gustave, to which zero ~replies that its glory days "disappeared long before he arrived. but he was graceful about maintaining the illusion that it existed" and he says he keeps the hotel in tribute to agatha. i like that scene so much and agree it helps establish the roots

yea that's it, i didn't remember the quote exactly.
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: jenkins on April 11, 2014, 03:41:34 PM
david bordwell wrote Wes Anderson takes the 4:3 challenge (http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/2014/03/26/the-grand-budapest-hotel-wes-anderson-takes-the-43-challenge/), and thanks again as always señor bordwell

excerpts:
QuoteJust as Kitano Takeshi shows us gangsters behaving like little boys, Anderson's dollhouse-room frames make adults seem to be toy people arranged just so–like items laid out in a Joseph Cornell box. It's a style suitable for magical-realist premises like The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and in Moonrise Kingdom it finds its echo in children's illustrated books.

All in all, then, I have to salute an American filmmaker who thinks about his images carefully and has incited sensitive viewers to notice them. I think we should go further, though. We can ask: How does Anderson, staying loyal to this tradition, vary the look of the shots? And how does he cut them together?

+:
QuoteI think well of many of his films, particularly the most recent ones, and I appreciate anyone who takes on a challenge of narrowing his range of creative choices. Once you narrow that range, it turns out there's a host of new possibilities that pop out. Call it the Ozu strategy: refine your means and you discover nuances nobody else notices.

he also links to the asc article on grand budapest (http://www.theasc.com/ac_magazine/March2014/TheGrandBudapestHotel/page1.php)
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: tpfkabi on April 18, 2014, 10:31:22 AM
SPOILS


I don't know if I will like any of his films like his first 4. I don't know if it's me or what.
I don't get why he keeps killing little animals in his films. Something from his childhood?
Sat on a row by myself and, of course, right as it starts an older lady sits a couple seats away. Half way through she turns to her accomplice and says something like, "I don't know what's going on."
A Mexico facial birthmark for what purpose? Whhhhhhy? Ha.
Just 'cuz. That's how I roll. -Wes Anderson
The scene that comes to mind is after the long prison escape.
The long lecture while the other inmates take over the bus and leave.
The comedy is in the absurdity of taking the time you should use to be escaping to talk about something unimportant, and that there's other stuff going on in the background.
But I don't know. It felt forced? But it was meant to be. That's the joke.
Timing off - too much time for some, too little for others?


Maybe I will connect more on a 2nd viewing.

*Random shot of naked fat man being hosed down*
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: Alexandro on June 15, 2014, 11:31:55 AM
come on. let's just say it. this might be his best film. this one is a perfect illustration of what happens when his stuff REALLY works and does not miss one beat as opposed to when we wish for it. just compare the emotional effortless moments here with anything in the life aquatic and the darjeeling limited; there is less of it here, but somehow feels more powerful. all the jokes, the comedy, the performances. ralph fiennes is just like gene hackman, he will breathe life into things. looking back, this is one of the best actors in the world, and has been from day one. where are the flaws with this dude? has he ever given a bad performance? the is one of wes anderson's more colorful characters and he nails it and just makes him come alive. but he's not alone because even though the approach is basically the same as in the other films, there's not one actor who feels constricted are excessively still. adrien brody gets to be intense. willem dafoe gets to be psychotic. it's fucking joy this movie.

then there's the delicacy of the music choices and the seductive attention to detail, and how it never takes away from the story and the characters. it feels like an old movie. like a classic already.
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: Lottery on June 15, 2014, 11:54:28 AM
Hmmm, wouldn't say it's his best but I did certainly like it. Ralph Fiennes is absolutely incredible in it (though regarding bad performances, his interpretation of Voldemort is pretty lame).

There's this deeper emotional content which you pick up every now and then in the film which is great (there's one particular shot in the train which just blows me away with how effective it is). I hope it's not lost under rapid-fire gags for most others. Maybe that's a risk with W. Anderson in general. I feel like there's more to unearth in this regard (and the framing). The framing devices in the film feel effortless. Very much appreciated that. I would like to hear a bit more about that because it was one of the more interesting choices made in the film.

People were discussing his style above and how it leads up to this film, where does the man go from here? The easy answer is more of the same (for better or worse) but I'm curious to see what other approaches he could consider (sidenote: he should do another animated film at some point).
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: Alexandro on June 15, 2014, 01:54:25 PM
it has tremendous replay value and that's something that really was missing in his films since the royal tenembaums.

also, I like fiennes's voldemort...
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: 03 on June 15, 2014, 02:34:38 PM
hahaha i like the fact that all of these recent posts came out the same time that the torrent finally became available.
wanted to see this in theatres, wasn't able to. but man alive what a beautiful film this was.

i have never ever EVER understood the criticism of wes anderson, because it seems that everyones argument is:
a: he is making wes anderson movies.
and
b: nothing will ever be as good as royal tenenbaums

i mean, come on, really?
i know this has been gone over numerous times, but do you go to a GWAR concert and you're all like "holy shit why are they wearing these crazy costumes like monsters and stuff?!?!? meerh!". i love what wes anderson does, and no one can do anything close to it, no matter how they try. amazing amazing film, five million stars.
Title: Re: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Post by: wilder on February 17, 2015, 05:45:23 PM
Matt Zoller Seitz's video essay (https://vimeo.com/119754714) on The Grand Budapest Hotel (spoilers)