The Grand Budapest Hotel

[Stumpy Pepys]

I must admit, I was a bit put off by the trailer for this, but the reviews were so good that I took the plunge and went to see it last night.

And it's a terrific bit of nonsense — easily the most accessible Wes Anderson film for some time.

All the ensemble cast is present and correct, but Ralph Fiennes is really on cracking form here, as the legendary concierge of the titular hotel — his timing, delivery and facial expressions are really spot-on throughout. It's brilliantly choreographed in the same way Fawlty Towers was.

Tony Revolori, who plays Fiennes' sidekick and protegé is also very good.

Plus the hotel itself is another star of the show and it plays a role in the film akin to the Overlook Hotel in The Shining.

Like several recent films, a bit too long but well worth a go.

[Tony C]

The Grand Budapest Hotel

I have to say the trailers have really put me off this, too.

They put me in mind of the trailers for BBC's 'Blandings' adaptations, which essentially are well known names mugging ridiculously in the name of farce.

This sounds better, but it could barely be worse.

[Slightly Brown]

The Grand Budapest Hotel

It reminds as all that we miss..

[Slightly Brown]

The Grand Budapest Hotel

The film is wonderful. All his usual tropes serve the picture so well. Colour and use of shadow-play/models translate really well from Mr Fox to this.

It thankfully doesn't lapse into farce either, a skill given how broad some of it is. The cameos, rather than being some sort of ego-fuelled cavalcade, serve the film brilliantly, too.

It's also ha-ha funny.

Deep bow to Fiennes and Revolori, who make the film crackle.

9/10

[Stumpy Pepys]

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Slightly Brown wrote: . It thankfully doesn't lapse into farce either, a skill given how broad some of it is.

Thing is though, I think structurally the film is a farce. It's a tribute to the film-makers and the actors that it doesn't appear to be one.

Maybe Wes Anderson could have done something with Run for your Wife?

[Sexual Chocolate]

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Such is my affinity for Wes Anderson's style that I'd find it difficult to dislike any of his films. Perhaps his clearest example of style over content, The Grand Budapest Hotel felt as if he came up with the idea for this while reading Zweig and staying at a quirky and beautiful, charming grand old European hotel. I found it especially superficial after seeing 12 Years a Slave the previous evening.

Obviously this isn't as good as Rushmore or perhaps even The Royal Tenanbaums, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. That's not to say its hilarious, it isn't. It's that typical wry and well-constructed humour that's witty without really touching the viewer. I smirked a couple of times but didn't laugh once. With that said, the scene with Deputy Kovacs's cat brought about an excellent audience reaction in a packed cinema on its opening weekend round our way.

[Lucia Lanigan]

The Grand Budapest Hotel

It took a while to get its pace up, but from there on in I loved it. Fiennes is indeed pitch- (and tempo-) perfect in it. And of course it looks spectacular in the cinema.

[imp]

The Grand Budapest Hotel

I absolutely hated The Royal Tenenbaums, but I loved this box of delights from first moment to last, for all the reasons described in the opening post. Didn't feel at all that it was too long. Fünf Sterne.

[Wouter D]

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Finally got around to seeing this yesterday. It was amazing. The soup metaphor line had me literally laughing out loud. Five stars from me too.

[Crusoe]

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Watched this tonight. Magnificent film. Special mention to Ed Norton subtly reprising Tommy Lee Jones' speech from The Fugitive (search every outhouse, etc). Fiennes and Revolori made a superb double act.

[garcia]

The Grand Budapest Hotel

i liked fiennes delivery of "well hello there chaps" when the soldiers burst into his train compartment.

[Vicarious Thrillseeker]

The Grand Budapest Hotel

I saw this on an aeroplane last week, without sound. I have to say - visually, it's the most symmetrical film I've ever watched. Anderson's method of shooting square on to the action, and the attention to balancing each scene, it was stunning. Great use of lighting to denote natural light (which is harder than it sounds) was also excellent. It's the filmic antidote to 'The Monuments Men'.

I shall be watching again soon, with sound.

Can I also link to this, which covers what I'm trying to say better and in more depth.

[Amor de Cosmos]

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Yeah, flat compositional framing has been pretty much his signature recently. That and his use of colour, which is pretty much the reason I always make a point of seeing his films. There very few current directors that possess such a confident and idiosyncratic chromatic sense.

[tracteurgarcon]

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Saw this on a plane recently and despite not being a Wes Anderson fan I thoroughly enjoyed this, great fun, visually enchanting and laugh-out-loud funny, I thought it was excellent.

[WOM]

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Allow me to come very late to this party and add my kudos. I typically like his stuff (especially The Royal Tenenbaums, you mentalists upthread) but this was a whole different kind of good.

Just so beautifully written, acted and created.

I keep knowing and forgetting that he did Mr Fox, which is also exceptional.

[Pietro Paolo Virdis]

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Why wasn't the Asian lad nominated for a supporting Oscar?
I think he was the star of the entire movie.

[WOM]

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Guatemalan lad....

The movie is really thin on acting nominations. Fiennes got a Golden Globe nod, but that's about it. Most others were for the writing and filmmaking parts of it.

[Hugh Fatbastard]

The Grand Budapest Hotel

I watched Moonrise Kingdom over the weekend and remarked how the opening sequence made me think of Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Wes Anderson's films do have a style and quirkiness that make them easy to pick out.

The Darjeeling Limited was ace, also, and if you haven't seen Bottle Rocket, you should.

[DCI Harry Batt]

The Grand Budapest Hotel

How can you watch a fillum without sound?

[Wouter D]

The Grand Budapest Hotel

WOM wrote: (especially The Royal Tenenbaums, you mentalists upthread)

You're not alone.

[Come along, Min]

The Grand Budapest Hotel

TonTon wrote: How can you watch a fillum without sound?

lip reading

[MsD]

The Grand Budapest Hotel

I love Fiennes doing funny and the look of it.

I don't like the killing of the cat; am sick of that being an hilarious gag in film, along with killing small dogs. Plenty of that for real on YouTube.

Also some of the other violence and the way we're supposed to feel relieved it's the moany old bag's head, and not the pretty young girl's, in the box.

[Evariste Euler Gauss]

The Grand Budapest Hotel

I found TGBH moderately charming and entertaining in its arty quirkiness and faux-nostalgic Mitteleuropa period feel. But with films of that type, i.e. with an almost surreal plot and character set that's so ridiculous and caricatured that the viewer is supposed to enjoy the joke and the art more than suspend disbelief, I always feel it's ultimately empty and pointless, making no impact on one's emotional senses. Like getting loads of sugar from eating sweets instead of a proper meal.

[WOM]

The Grand Budapest Hotel

I just stumbled over this by looking for it; but if 'making-of' stuff fascinates you, you'll find this fascinating.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYMfEKELveQ&feature=youtu.be