The Grand Budapest Hotel

The Grand Budapest Hotel, the eighth feature film by the one and only Wes Anderson, is his most dense, elaborate, and cartoonish (even though he has made an animated film). It seems like the kind of film you get to make once you turn stories like Moonrise Kingdom into Oscar nominated hits.

At times, this film feels like Wes Anderson’s attempt to top his own whimsy. There are only a few moments that are annoyingly typical of him (oh look! a humorously disabled child!). However, I think it is better to invent your own clichés than to steal them from others. More importantly, he weaves those clichés he invented into gold. I mean, this is about a girl reading a book about an author telling a story about how a man told him a story. It turns out, F. Murray Abraham makes as good of a narrator as Alec Baldwin (in The Royal Tenenbaums) once did.

Tom Wilkinson plays a writer (who is fittingly not given a name) struggling to write a story that has been sitting around in his brain for many years. As a younger man (the younger version of himself is played by Jude Law), he stayed at The Grand Budapest Hotel and met the hotel’s owner (F. Murray Abraham), who tells the story of how he came to run the once great hotel.

The hotel is located in the fake country of Zubrowka, which probably neighbors The Marx Brothers’ Freedonia. The hotel itself is a character, and the film itself is kind of like if Steve Zissou sold the Belafonte and bought a hotel. Yet, no matter how colourful the rooms are, this is the rare Wes Anderson film in which the characters’ personalities outshine the world around them. As the womanizing (only of the elderly) past owner of The Grand Budapest, Ralph Fiennes proves he is as good at being funny as he is at being serious. I guess I should have expected that much from the man who has the best line (“you’re an inanimate fucking object!”) in In Bruges.

Oh yeah, that cast. The Grand Budapest Hotel has such a sprawling ensemble that it even manages to fit Tilda Swinton in there almost completely undetected. While the big names slip and out, newcomer Tony Revolori still comes out a star as Zero. No matter how many different narrators there are, or how far down he is listed on IMDB, Revolori deserves to be known as the film’s true lead.

The Grand Budapest Hotel is unabashedly strange and often hard to follow. However, it embraces its own oddities from the very beginning, and that is what I most admired about it. There are several points where we are asked to believe that a bunch of live actors are actually going to get into a gondola that looks like it was made out of a cardboard box. And yet, it still feels real. Wes Anderson always lets his settings have a meaning. In Grand Budapest, the almost fake looking world is like the imaginary bubble that M. Gustave has set up for himself in which the coming war cannot effect him or his beloved hotel. Somewhere along the way, there is a murder mystery and a stolen piece of art. Adrien Brody once again dons his Salvador Dali mustache plays a psycho who looks like a vampire. Just roll with it, or you won’t have any fun.

On the surface, Grand Budapest appears to be Wes Anderson’s least deep film. Unlike, say, The Darjeeling Limited, Grand Budapest knows that there is more than meets the eye, but it doesn’t bombard you with symbolism. The only thing you are really bombarded with are severed body parts and old lady boobs. More accurately, The Grand Budapest Hotel is to Wes Anderson what The Hudsucker Proxy is to the Coen Brothers: light entertainment on the surface that gets better on repeat viewings.

Then, when you least expect it, The Grand Budapest Hotel has a strong emotional impact. The beauty of a Wes Anderson film is that he can make you care about the characters and you won’t even realize it until the end. When The Grand Budapest Hotel ended, I yearned for more. Hell, within the first five minutes, I knew this wouldn’t be my favorite Wes Anderson film, but it would be one that I would watch again and again. Sometimes, rewatchability is the greatest gift a movie can give.

Brain Farts From The Edge (Some Very Minor Spoilers Ahead)

• The Grand Budapest Hotel has at least two objective narrators who try to serve simply as observers. That kind of breaks a lot of rules of traditional narrative. Figuring out who the main character is isn’t a flaw of the film, but rather part of the fun of it.
• This is definitely the most violent film Wes Anderson has made to date.
• Well, I didn’t say that “the hotel is a character in the film” until five paragraphs in. Wow! I am impressed at my own restraint!
• Keep your shirt on, Harvey Keitel.
• Jeff Goldblum carries around a dead cat. I wish this turned into a Weekend at Bernie’s-type subplot in which Goldblum has to pretend the cat is alive even though it is not. Yeah, I still haven’t seen Weekend at Bernie’s.
• Amongst Wes Anderson’s films, I would rank this one between Bottle Rocket and Darjeeling, though it is very close to tying with Bottle Rocket (hey, they are both capers). Check out my post from last week for reference.
• Remember in 2004 when Jude Law was in every single movie that year and nobody could figure out why? He was like the Kevin Hart of 2004.
• I think Wes Anderson is in a Speed-like situation where if he doesn’t cast at least one Wilson brother in every film he does, then he will explode. Also, time to cast Luke Wilson again. He was great in Enlightened.
• Adrien Brody. That guy deserves to get more work.
• There are certain actors who just fit perfectly into the Wes Anderson universe. Here are some other people that I think he should cast in the future: Jean Dujardin, Emma Watson, Brendan Gleeson, Scarlett Johanssen, Ben Kingsley, Joaquin Phoenix, Christoph Waltz, Kristen Wiig
• There are only a few moments when Grand Budapest feels like that Wes Anderson parody trailer that Saturday Night Live did.
• Needed more Kinks/Creation/Rolling Stones/Van Morrison on the soundtrack. Sometimes, Alexandre Desplat alone doesn’t cut it.
• Speaking of music, this is one Wes Anderson film set in a time period where record players are relevant, and he doesn’t use them?! Same goes for typewriters.
• I guess if I try and compare every Wes Anderson film to Rushmore, then none of them will ever be good again.
• Ralph Fiennes talks faster than an Aaron Sorkin character here. One of the many reasons that this film demands a second viewing.

I’m not sure if that horse is dead or alive. Image via New York Magazine

Even if you are a Wes Anderson hater you have to admit: he knows how to make a film, and the fact that he has any unique style at all is something he should be admired, not admonished, for. While he has reached the edge before, Wes Anderson hasn’t become a caricature of Wes Anderson just yet.

A majority of my life (since I was in elementary school) has revolved around Wes Anderson’s films. He has changed the way I see both film and the world itself. I personally think that if everyone had Wes Anderson’s careful eye for little details, then the world would be a much better place. Then again, it would also be a world where adults act like children, and children want to be adults.

Matt Zoller Seitz recently released an amazing book called The Wes Anderson Collection that chronicles all of Wes Anderson’s films. Don’t worry, it has lots of pictures and drawings if you’re not into the whole reading thing. While I don’t think I can do them as much justice as Seitz did in his book, I have been an admirer of Anderson for long enough that it is worth a shot.

With the upcoming release of his latest film, The Grand Budapest Hotel, I figured now was a great time to take a look back at all of Anderson’s films so far. From his humble beginnings, to the moment he completely surrendered to his incredible imagination, Wes Anderson has turned his filmography into his own personal sandbox, where all of the sand castles are decorated in a very particular way.

Without further adieu, here is how I would rank all of Wes Anderson’s films:

7. The Darjeeling Limited

The Darjeeling Limited is not as bad as many people would have you believe. However, it is the one Wes Anderson film that feels like a stereotype of a Wes Anderson film. It has the dysfunctional characters, the dysfunctional family, and the incredibly detailed set design. However, once it ends, it just feels empty. It doesn’t feel the characters have gone through anything, even though they have. India sure is pretty to look at, though.

Note: This is the short film that gets shown before The Darjeeling Limited.

6. Bottle Rocket

Bottle Rocket is Wes Anderson’s first film. This scrappy yet memorable debut tells the story of a group of scrappy yet ambitious wannabe criminals (the debut of Owen and Luke Wilson)  living in suburban Dallas. Hey, if you ever grew up in a suburb, you knew the feeling of being bored enough that you wanted to rob the local Barnes & Noble (no? just me?). With Bottle Rocket, Wes Anderson was still developing his voice. The fact that he had any semblance of a voice this early in his career is impressive enough. It is apparent from early on that Wes Anderson knew what kind of a filmmaker he wanted to be; he just needed time to create and develop his Andersonian universe.

5. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

One viewing of The Life Aquatic does not do the film justice. The Life Aquatic is part fantasy, part story of a man coming of age while having a midlife crisis. It contains some of Bill Murray’s finest deadpan work, as well as great supporting performances from Willem Dafoe (who is funnier than you could ever imagine) and Jeff Goldblum (I picture his outfit in this film is what he wears in real life). The Life Aquatic might be Wes Anderson’s most shameless film, as he wears both his influences and imagination on his sleeves. Come for the Portuguese David Bowie covers, stay to watch Bill Murray fight pirates in a way that puts Captain Phillips to shame.

4. Fantastic Mr. Fox

It was inevitable that Wes Anderson would one day go into animation, given that his characters are basically developed cartoons with daddy issues. Fantastic Mr. Fox is simply a joy from the first frame to the last. It does justice to the Roald Dahl classic while also adding a new spin to the tale. I can’t wait for kids of this generation to watch it and then rewatch it as an adult and realize this film is all about existential crisis. It really is something to behold when a film can be viewed both from a level of childlike wonder, and a mature philosophical level. That is how I believe Wes Anderson tells all of his stories.

3. Moonrise Kingdom

I saw Moonrise Kingdom three times in theaters because once was not enough and after two times I still felt like I could see it again. This is the film where Wes Anderson feels most comfortable with his own style. The opening tour through the house is mesmerizing. The scenes where Sam and Suzy are on their adventure, from diving into the ocean to dancing to Francoise Hardy on the beach, are magical. Moonrise Kingdom is great at any moment but it is at its absolute best when it slows down the plot and just lets the characters mess around with the scenery. Moonrise Kingdom is the closest Wes Anderson has come to making something that would fit in with the French New Wave, which is something he has been trying to do ever since he made Bottle Rocket.

2. Rushmore

Rushmore is Wes Anderson’s second film, and still the funniest one he has made to date. It announced the arrival of Jason Schwartzman who kills it as Max Fischer, a precocious teen who is about to get kicked out of Rushmore Academy because he runs every club imaginable at the expense of his grades. Fischer’s journey into uncertain adulthood is scored by the British Invasion, with everything from The Creation (their “Making Time” is the perfect high energy beat to start this film off) to Faces to The Kinks. There is no need to ever adapt Catcher in the Rye (not that J.D. Salinger’s ghost would ever allow it), because this is cinema’s unique, perfect coming of age story.

1. The Royal Tenenbaums

“I’ve always wanted to be a Tenenbaum.” -Eli Cash (Owen Wilson)

I couldn’t agree with you more, Eli. This tale of the descent of a family of achievers is so many things at once: an emotional drama, a dysfunctional family comedy, and a tale of redemption. The Royal Tenenbaums is flawless from start to finish, beginning with the hopeful yet melancholy orchestral cover of “Hey Jude” and ending with the sad yet triumphant “Everyone” by Van Morrison. It is just those two songs alone that let you know what kind of film this is. Tenenbaums also contains one of the best ensembles ever put together, with Gene Hackman doing some of the best work of his whole career as the asshole patriarch who gives you reasons to like him.

Everything in The Royal Tenenbaums feels important, from Richie’s (Luke Wilson) paintings of Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow) to the dalmatian mice that Chas (Ben Stiller) invented. In under two hours, The Royal Tenenbaums gives a fully developed story to each member of its gigantic cast, which is no easy feat. Everybody is allowed to do good things, bad things, and ultimately move on from the past. One of the biggest criticisms people have of Wes Anderson is that he chooses style over substance. But in The Royal Tenenbaums, it feels like he loves his characters, from the cheaters to the cuckolds, just as much as he loves the house on Archer Avenue that Royal Tenenbaum purchased during the winter of his 35th year.

I could talk about The Royal Tenenbaums even more, but I don’t want to keep you here all week.

Okay Wes Anderson fans…how would you rank his films? Agree? Disagree? Agree to disagree?

I found this on Twitter. I am really sorry I can’t provide proper accreditation but whoever did this, you freaking rock.

The cinema lover’s Christmas happened last night. And now it’s time to go back and talk about normal stuff like The Muppet and upcoming Wes Anderson films.

For a year that seemed to be incredibly unpredictable, the Oscar winners sure were predictable. As expected, 12 Years a Slave took home the top prize while Alfonso Cuaron was crowned the best director in all the land. This happened to be a really good year for film, so none of the winners were exactly infuriating. The only really upsetting thing was that I had to listen to Bono sing instead of Oscar Isaac. And there’s plenty of more Bono ranting where that came from!

This year’s Oscar ceremony was overlong, indulgent, and only funny in small portions. Which is to say it was just like any other year. Read on to find out what I liked, what I didn’t like, and what I wasn’t sure if I should love or hate, during this year’s Academy Awards:

What I Liked

Matthew McConaughey’s Speech- I don’t feel comfortable with the fact that I had to root against Leo in order to win my Oscar pool, but it was worth it to see McConaughey’s fantastic acceptance speech. It got only a little bit weird when he basically said he worships himself. But that is not surprising coming from the guy who is shirtless most of the time he is in public. The seemingly genuine way in which he views luck and family is exactly the way that a sane person should view celebrity, and it shows that there is much more to this man than the lovable stoner we all thought we knew. McConaughey then talked about how his constant path for self-improvement. Then, he ended up his speech by saying “alright, alright, alright.” Well, Rust Cohle was right: time really is a flat circle. While McConaughey will become a better and better actor, deep down he will always be Wooderson.

U2 Didn’t Win an Oscar- I have not seen Frozen yet, but I am assuming that it is a good thing that Robert Lopez became an EGOT before Bono did.

Oscar Winner Spike Jonze- Oscar Winner Spike Jonze. It has a nice ring to it. I have been a fan of this guy since I was in eighth grade. I wasn’t sure what would happen to Jonze after the disappointment of Where the Wild Things Are. But with Her, Jonze showed that he could didn’t need a Charlie Kaufman script to make something wonderful (though I would love to see them reunite again in the near future). Oscar Winner Spike Jonze.

Cate Blanchett- So everybody expected her to win. That does not mean that she wasn’t actually deserving of the award. Her performance in Blue Jasmine is the best thing since sliced bread gave a really good performance in that one movie.

Bill Murray Pays Tribute to an Old Friend- In one of the nights most pleasant surprises, Bill Murray, who was presenting the award for Best Cinematography, threw Harold Ramis’ name onto the list. Ramis passed away this past week. The two of them had a falling out and had not worked together since Groundhog Day. It was a quick yet moving impromptu shout out. In one little moment, an entire feud was possibly solved. There were many more movies that Murray could have listed besides Caddyshack, Ghostbusters, and Groundhog Day, but he is Bill Murray so he gets to do whatever the hell he wants.

What I Didn’t Like

Ellen DeGeneres- Besides that awesome selfie, Ellen DeGeneres was a let down as this year’s host. The best her writers could do was a gag where they brought pizzas out to the audience, which would have been way better if a) Brad Pitt smeared his slice all over his Macklemore haircut or b) somebody had to refuse because they are lactose intolerant. Ellen loves to dance but she never got to. During most of the show, it just seemed like Ellen was in the middle of telling jokes that were predictable and uninspired to begin with (not to brag or anything, because this is not something to brag about, but I totally predicted that Jonah Hill/prosthetic penis joke). There are so many young and bold hosts they could get for next year. Jimmy Fallon. John Mulaney. Amy Schumer. Or if you want a safe bet: Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.

The Show- This was one of the most poorly produced Oscar shows that I have seen in my lifetime. “Half-assed” might be the nicest thing to say about it. The “Hollywood Heroes” theme was inconsistent and inexplicable. The fact that they showed more footage from Man of Steel than Inside Llewyn Davis is all you need to know about how I felt about the Oscars this year. Unfortunate, given that 2013 was a fantastic year for film.

Jared Leto (The Non-Actor Human)- Hey Jared. I can call you Jared, right? Do you prefer Jar-Bear? Or Girlie Jesus? Anyway, you were great in Dallas Buyers Club, and your win was well deserved. You have also been making great choices for years, from Fight Club to Requiem for a Dream to American Psycho. Wow. Those are some of my favorite films of all time. You can act; nobody denies that. However, you just find new ways to make me hate you as a person every single day. There are very few times where it doesn’t look like you’re thinking to yourself “hey girl, I am awesome” like some d-bag version of Ryan Gosling. And then you just had to be that guy who brought up the Ukraine in his acceptance speech. I thought Bono would be the first one to say that. Yes, the people protesting in Kiev are dreamers, but they are not dreaming of winning statutes shaped like naked gold dudes. If you want to be the man filled with zen inspiration, then start acting more like Matthew McConaughey and less like a rejected Entourage character. 

The Act of Killing Loses- I am sure that 20 Feet from Stardom is good and all, but it is not The Act of Killing, a documentary that is by far one of the most important films so far this decade. I guess the Oscars saw 12 Years a Slave and thought that they had honored enough brutally honest depictions of history for one lifetime. Sure, Darlene Love sang, and it was nice and everyone was happy about it. However, who knows what song Anwar Congo would have belted out on stage if only The Act of Killing had won.

How Do I Feel About This?

Kim Novak- Come on, guys. She’s 81-years-old. Lay off on the jokes about her frozen face and all of that. And if you are wondering who Kim Novak is, she starred in Vertigo. And she used to do respectable things like make out with Jimmy Stewart.

Leo Doesn’t Win- Like Leo really cares. At the end of the day, he’s still Leonardo DiCaprio.