Full Movie Reviews
Rating of
3/4
"The Grand Budapest Hotel" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 02/21/2017
An elderly gentleman recounts the tale of how he came to own the venerable but now unfashionable Grand Budapest Hotel. Wes Anderson's films have never quite clicked with me in the past; I have always found them visually attractive yet rather contrived and pretentious. In The Grand Budapest Hotel however, I have finally come - at least in part - to realise the appeal. It has a palpable sense of nostalgia for a bygone era of elegance and splendour combined with a polite civility and quiet courage which is reflected both in the lavish sets and likeable array of kooky characters. The star-studded cast is like a Hollywood who's who, but it is Ralph Fiennes who steals the show and once again shows his talent for comedy. The combination of theatrical sets and lighting with animation gives the …
Rating of
3.5/4
The Grand Budapest Hotel review
Daniel Corleone - wrote on 11/22/2014
The Grand Budapest had bountiful memorable lines: "Times have changed." - Older Zero. "oh how the good die young." "There's really no point doing in doing anything in life, because its all over in a blink of an eye." - Mustave "Don't give up." - Zero. Mustave's eclectic character was calculating, perfectionist, eclectic. Only reservations this critic had was the sled sequence since it felt cartoonish and the finale. Screenplay was impressive but it's ending left you hanging, yearning for more. Not one of Anderson's best in terms of rewatachablity but the direction was just extraordinary. The usual casting of Wilson, Norton and Murray were here. Ralph F. was fantastic as always and the boy playing Zero was authentic. The whole film felt like an orchestra with its flawless precision …
Rating of
4/4
I know it's not real but I want to visit Zubrowka
Indyfreak - wrote on 07/28/2014
For me, Wes Anderson has always been hit or miss and I have not even seen many of his movies. They were undeniably well made and the acting is always great but Anderson almost always ends up piling to much snark and style for there to be any sense of sincerity to his movies.
Here, his brand of humor and style of filmmaking perfectly compliment each other without ruining the romance and intrigue associated with the different genres that are mashed together in The Grand Budapest Hotel. It's a murder mystery, a buddy movie, a historical drama, film noir, memoir adaptations, and political satire all rolled into one gloriously entertaining film that ranks as one of 2014's absolute best films.
The all-star cast is excellent, especially Ralph Fiennes as the flamboyant and impeccably …
Rating of
3.5/4
Wes Anderson's latest Grand achievment.
Jacob Zembower - wrote on 06/03/2014
Wes Anderson's use of aspect ratio and his trademark attention to vibrant detail make The Grand Budapest Hotel one of his most visually inventive films to date. With a mix of miniatures, computer animation, and matte backdrops, the film is anything if not always a feast for the eyes. It's also frequently hilarious with two of the funniest sequences of the year. But behind the candy wrapper veneer are darker themed goings on involving war, murder, and genuine tragedy which adds a certain weight to the proceedings. Ralph Fiennes is absolutely wonderful in his role and is an early contender for awards recognition, it may just be his most memorable and striking work since Schindler's List. The rest of the cast, with Jude Law, F. Murray Abraham, Saorise Ronan, Tilda Swinton, Willem …
Rating of
3.5/4
Passion, Murder, Mayhem but With Style
Chris Kavan - wrote on 04/17/2014
Wes Anderson's version of a noir film - complete with MacGuffin - but losing none of director's meticulous attention to detail, lovingly-crafted set design or deep breadth of character. Even though I have been an Anderson fan since Rushmore, he continues to amaze me with the different ways he can spin a tale. I still consider Moonrise Kingdom my favorite, but Grand Budapest Hotel isn't too far behind and, thus far, my favorite film of the year.
Like so many of his films, there is a lot going on - we have a story written by an author (elder played by Tom Wilkinson, the younger version played by Jude Law) told to him by a former Lobby Boy (now owner) of the once-high class Grand Budapest Hotel that has fallen on hard times (elder played by F. Murray Abraham, the younger played …
Rating of
4/4
grand budapest hotel
Amy - wrote on 04/13/2014
Lovely, but I am still processing it.Tthere were things I absolutely *adored*... but at the same time, there were points that became a little cartoonish, a little Rocky and Bullwinkle, which is part of WA's style, but not my favorite part. I usually feel there is heart and soul underneath all the style and panache in his movies, and when they dip over into cartoons, I lose sight of that.
But also... and this is also standard WA, but every single frame was so *packed* with information -- beautiful things to look at and compositionally, and the soundtrack, and the performances of course, and the writing... it's really too much for the brain to process on one viewing. so I don't think I will have a real verdict on this until I've seen it half a dozen more times.
Rating of
3.5/4
Crass & Violent Caper, Done the Anderson Way
Unknown - wrote on 03/30/2014
'The Grand Budapest Hotel' is the most stylistic specific of all of Wes Anderson's films thus far. What I mean is, you can automatically tell this is part of the director's filmography at any given second. No complaints in that department. His unique sensibilities as a filmmaker are what make his best films most special, and I can certainly count this as one of his best. It's a quick, snappy comedic caper with quite a few surprises up it's sleeve. The characters, costumes, and sets are all pleasing in the usual Anderson sense. The story is what adds the most uniqueness to this outing. At no time was I sure where each scene would lead. This really is a caper that borderlines on a suspenseful level at times. Not in a traditional way, of course. There are moments of shock humor, …
