The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

 

Director-Wes Anderson

Length-100 min.

Rated-R

In a way that only director Wes Anderson could, he demonstrates the fast-paced, quirky and awesomely-weird history of how The Grand Budapest Hotel came under its current ownership in this mystery-adventure-comedy.

From start to finish, this swiftly-moving film of highly intellectual characters with extraordinary vocabularies takes you on a wild goose chase across fictitious lands in order to solve a mystery, keeping your interest throughout.

The film begins with the introduction of the late author (Tom Wilkinson) of The Grand Budapest Hotel novel reflecting upon his prior endeavors as a young man and how he made the acquaintance of Mr. Zero Moustafa (F. Murray Abraham), the current owner of the hotel. Mr. Moustafa, being an admirer of the author's work himself, invites the young man (Jude Law) to join him for dinner so that he can relay to him the long and storied tale of how he came into possession of the hotel.

The story that unfolds onscreen includes a variety of very comical sequences that all Anderson's films thrive on, standing on the impeccable performance of M. Gustave (Ralph Fiennes), who carries the film as its main character. Gustave, being the previous owner of the hotel, teaches Zero everything he knows about running a hotel, and in turn allows him to become him his sole predecessor upon his demise. 

Unlike other Anderson classics like Moonrise Kingdom and The Darjeeling Limited, this film included a decent amount of nudity, vulgarity and violence. Very un-Anderson like, but also showing his truest fans that he can be edgy and dark, as well as quirky and cool. It also had all the vibrant, extravagant costumes and set designs that one could expect from any and all Anderson films.

The cast truly spoke for itself. With the usual suspects including Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton and Owen Wilson, while also comprising the incredible acting talents of Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum and Harvey Keitel; this film has something to offer all moviegoers.

Hold on for a wild ride and make sure you pay attention, because if you don't, you might just miss this instant classic.

Blue Jasmine (2013)

Director-Woody Allen

Length-98 min.

Rated-R

Some people just wake up and they're rich. As was the case for Jasmine (Cate Blanchett), until she found out her husband Hal (Alec Baldwin) was a fraud. This is the story of how Jasmine had it all, lost it, got it back, and lost it again.

Jasmine lived a relatively charmed life with her extremely wealthy husband Hal, who seemingly gave her everything that money could buy. But as the cliche often goes, money can't buy happiness. And in this case, her husband's illegitimate deals and unfaithfulness eventually caught up with him, in which Jasmine made him pay.

Newly single and almost completely broke, Jasmine is forced to move in with her adopted sister Ginger (Sally Hawkins). Although Jasmine and Ginger share the same last name, that's just about where their similarities end. While Ginger works hard to take care of her two boys and support herself, Jasmine struggles to adapt to her new lifestyle, as she spent most her life as a "trophy wife."

The story that develops onscreen is that of Jasmine attempting to find her niche and figure out what she wants to do with her life after her financial and marital failures. Jasmine's anxiety over her social collapse and money troubles continue to worsen, as does her obvious alcohol/drug problem as she strives to regain her previous life of luxury and leisure.

When Jasmine finally finds a man that can replicate her previous lifestyle, she pursues him at all costs with little regard for her previous endeavors or the necessity to be honest with her new lover.

With a colorful cast that includes the likes of Andrew Dice Clay, Louis C.K., Bobby Cannavale and Peter Saarsgard; there is never a dry moment in this quirky, yet dramatic comedy. Cate Blanchett steals the show with her magnificent depiction of the stereotypical rich housewife, obsessed with the opinions of others and struggling to overcome her life of misfortune; fully deserving of her Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Her performance was reminiscent of Ellen Burstyn's depiction of Sara Goldfarb in Requiem for a Dream, as an older woman struggling with drug addiction that eventually gets the best of her. A somewhat depressing, but realistic ending to a very well done picture.

Although this film wasn't as enchanting as Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris, it still depicted the lifestyle of the wealthy and their obsession with social status to a tee. Very well done, but left a little too much unsaid at film's conclusion. Still a fantastic film and most definitely worth a second look. Blue Jasmine.

Nebraska (2013)

Director-Alexander Payne

Length-115 min.

Rated-R

On the great open landscape of Billings, Montana lives a man by the name of Woody Grant (Bruce Dern). And although life took advantage of this generous fella, his generosity was finally reciprocated in the form of $1,000,000.

Even though everyone he knew seemed to doubt the validity of his "golden ticket," he was determined to make the trek down to Nebraska to collect his winnings. After some failed attempts to walk there himself, his son David (Will Forte) decided to give in to his father's delusions and take him to the Cornhusker state. 

At film's opening, the audience is introduced to Woody as a dim-witted old fool who has let his life pass him by. But as the story develops, we get some incite as to how Woody has become the man he is today. Especially when David and Woody make a stop in Woody's hometown of Hawthorne, Nebraska; helping us piece together the corners of this oddly shaped puzzle. The truth is that Woody had a tough upbringing and after he returned from the Korean War, he turned to drinking as his vice. We further learn of Woody's fair-weather friends and early marriage troubles. Which is no surprise, for his wife Kate (June Squibb) is brutally honest and continually antagonizes her husband, but provides a nice sense of comedic relief throughout. 

Director Alexander Payne did a phenomenal job in capturing the mundane life of a farmer from a small-knit community, while also displaying how uneventful life can truly be. What I love most about Payne's films is his ability to be severely realistic, but conclude with a happy ending in that very same fashion. Much like his Academy Award-winning film, The Descendants, this film will warm your heart.

This isn't a film about cashing in on your prize, but about self-discovery and recognizing where you came from.