Quite serendipitously, I watched The Grand Budapest Hotel quite recently and was intending to write a review, so....
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Warning: Pastry metaphors incoming.]
Apparently, this is Wes Anderson's most Wes Anderson film yet. If that's the case Wes Anderson needs to tone down on the Wes Anderson.
It's not bad per se, but I can't say I enjoyed it either. There are a number of issues. For a start, there's the aspect ratio. When it starts out, it's close to 16:9, then switches to a TV-style aspect ratio when the Author is telling his story on the videotape, then 2.35:1 when Young Author meets old Zero, then a really weird almost square aspect when Zero tells his story. It really bothers me, since the main aspect used feels really unbalanced and therefore noticeable. The constant jumping around is quite jarring. Whilst I like the idea of using different aspects to tell different stories, the switching around means I get constantly reminded that I'm watching a film, and I'm unable to immerse myself in the story. It's as though my eyeballs are constantly getting magically switched around every few minutes, and it's really distracting.
The cinematography is jarring, too. I know, Wes Anderson is fond of using a strong central composition, but it's far too overused here and gets overpowering. Shots are pretty much always dead-on looking into the camera, or profile. A conversation between two people sitting at a table typically involves a shot of one looking directly into the camera whilst talking, then cutting to the person sitting opposite in the exact same position and angle, to the point where it's basically jump-cutting. Sometimes, this approach lends itself very well to visual comedy (the arrival at the train station, the jailbreak, or the gun battle in the Hotel, for example), but it soon becomes stifling as we only ever see these angles. It feels weirdly mechanical and artificial, like the film has been chopped up into little bits and stitched together, instead of organically flowing from one shot to the next. The whole point of cinematography and editing is to hide cuts, not make them blatantly obvious. It gets to the point where I feel like I'm looking at a deranged children's picture book instead of watching a movie (albeit with considerably more bloodshed and language, which sits rather oddly with the otherwise whimsical, quirky tone and pastel colours).
The story itself is a bit weak, although entertaining. The performances by the actors are excellent and the dialogue is witty and well-written. The main cast, particularly Ralph Fiennes, does a great job, and also I particularly liked the character of Jopling.
Spoiler (click to read)
I love how he has a separate little compartment in his jacket for a gun and hip-flask.
I also thought Edward Norton's role was humourous. Maybe because I didn't know he was in this film, so him suddenly popping up was really funny to me. There are some great moments, such as the aforementioned jail-break sequence, and gun battle. The quote at the beginning from the Old Author is brilliant.
The film, though, falls flat in many cases. For example, the character of Agatha basically doesn't exist beyond helping M. Gustave and Zero. She feels like a convenient accessory used by the main characters when there's trouble, rather than a living, breathing, 3-dimensional character. All in all, these aspects feel combine to make the film feel insubstantial and vaguely dissatisfying. The cinematography, the editing, the story, even the garish colours, it all combines together to make the film feel like an over-sweetened pastry laced with artificial colours and flavours with a veneer of whimsy and the odd splatter of blood. There's no emotional impact.
Spoiler (click to read)
Even things like Agatha's death are dealt with in a very off-hand and cavalier manner. Old Zero is like "oh yeah she died by the way, but that's not important".
In the end, I feel like this film is rather analogous to one of Mendl's delicately over-wrought, pastel-coloured confections. It's not necessarily bad in of itself, but after a certain point it becomes a bit too much of a good thing. The concept is sound, but I don't feel like execution worked especially well. At the end of the day, I'd prefer more substantial fare.
Last edited by Mr Vertigo (January 12, 2015 (04:18am))
Retribution (3rd place in BRAWL 2015)&Smeagol make the most of being surrounded by single, educated women your own age on a regular basis in college
AquaMorph I dunno women are expensive