REVIEW: THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL

Director Wes Anderson is one of the most underrated directors of our generations. You have probably seen at least one of this films. Some of his filmography include; Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Moonrise Kingdom. All films have been critically acclaimed. This year, he returns with a new film called The Grand Budapest Hotel.

As with most of Anderson’s films, The Grand Budapest Hotel features a mouth-watering ensemble cast, some newcomers but mostly his regular collaborators. The film has Ralph Fiennes and newcomer Tony Revolori in the lead. Surrounding them are F. Murray Abraham, Edward Norton, Mathieu Almaric, Saoirse Ronan, Adrien Brody, Willem Defoe, Jeff Goldblum, Jason Schwartzman, Jude Law, Tilda Swinton, Harvey Keitel, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Murray, Bob Balaban, and Owen Wilson. The film is written by Hugo Guinness and Anderson himself.

How will Anderson’s latest film fair up with his impressive filmography? Do read on…

(L-R): Ralph Fiennes, Saoirse Ronan, and Tony Revolori

 

SYNOPSIS:

The film chronicles the story of how a bell boy named Zero Mustafa inherits The Grand Budapest Hotel. We see his friendship with an eccentric concierge named Gustave and how he helps his mentor clear his name after being framed for murder. As we tag along Zero’s journey, we discover the strength of friendship, honour, and loyalty.

The entrance to the Grand Budapest Hotel

SCRIPT:

Unique and well-written. As with most of Anderson’s films, his stories are dark yet takes place in a colourful community. The same formula applies here. It had a straight-forward storyline though some sub-plots were unnecessary and difficult to follow. It had a good blend of comedy and intrigue throughout the movie. The comedy is almost a laugh-a-minute. It's quirky feel does wonders to the overall storyline.

Edward Norton (bottom) in a pivotal role

ACTING:

Top class and powerful. If you had read the list of actors in the second paragraph above, you have noticed such a wide variety of talent is present in this film. Everyone delivered good performances. If I were to single out which one was the best, it would probably be Fiennes and Revolori. They had more screentime than others. However, this overflow of star-studded cast resulted in some characters being under-developed and unnecessary.

Willem Defoe playing a villain

FILMING:

Tasteful and exciting. In true Wes Anderson style, he implores the same filming techniques from his previous film. The cinematography was excellent, good usage of pastel colours and creative angles. The editing was well done. Nice use of simple visual effects.

Director Wes Anderson on set while filming.

PACING:

Good pacing. No complains here. I was engrossed in the movie which made me forget about the Mentos mint I had in my pocket.

TONE (MOOD):

Murder mystery and self-discovery all rolled into one.

Setting up miniature models for the film

DOWNSIDE:

It’s a little niche. May not appeal to those who like big budget films.

UPSIDE:

It has a really cool script.

The film is carried well by Tony Revolori and Ralph Fiennes

OVERALL:

I highly recommend this for movie buffs. I believe you will like it. The movie is available is selected theatres in Malaysia. Check your local showtimes.

RATING:

8.5 out of 10

REVIEW: CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER

Sorry I haven’t posted any review for two weeks. I’ve been a little busy. Here now, I am going to review one of the most anticipated movies of 2014, Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The film is a sequel to the hit 2011 film Captain America: The First Avenger and serves as one of the movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe of comic book superheroes.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is co-directed by brothers Anthony Russo and Joe Russo. The writers from the first film, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely returns as scriptwriters. Also returning is actor Chris Evans in the title role of Captain America. He is joined by new additional co-stars Scarlett Johansson, Robert Redford, Anthony Mackie, and Emily Van Camp. Other actors returning from the first film are Sebastian Stan, Hayley Atwell, and Toby Jones. Actors Samuel L. Jackson and Cobie Smulders reprises their roles from 2012’s The Avengers in this film.

How will the sequel fair up to its predecessor? Do read on…

Chris Evans as Captain Steve Rogers a.k.a. Captain America

SYNOPSIS:

After the events in the film The Avengers, Captain Steve Rogers a.k.a. Captain America now works for S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division) as a mission operative. Despite being hailed as an international superhero, he still feels lonely as he tries to piece together the missing pieces of his past. While on a rescue mission, he discovers that the organization he works for, holds some dark secrets relating to his past. Together with the help of Black Widow (Johansson) and Falcon (Mackie), they try to prevent the worst from happening.

Natasha Romanoff a.k.a. The Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) teams up with Captain America

SCRIPT:

Not too bad and exciting. The script does well in an attempt to make it a ‘stand alone’ film, meaning you don’t have to watch the first film in order to understand this. There’s good enough back story to keep the uninitiated interested in the film. The plot was a bit scattered as it tries to tell too much but eventually you would be able to grasp the storyline. As with most Marvel superhero movies, there a lot of references to other characters in order to set-up a potential storyline in future films. There were quite a few plot twists here and there which I felt was overdone but eventually those twists serve a purpose to the story.

Anthony Mackie (right) joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Falcon

ACTING:

As usual, Chris Evans turns in a good performance as the hero. Great ensemble cast to support him. Scarlett Johansson is more menacing in the same role compared to her performance in Iron Man 2 and The Avengers. I would have loved to see more of Anthony Mackie though as I think he did well. Samuel L. Jackson is at his best, as usual. I particular liked the casting of legendary actor Robert Redford in a supporting role.

Veteran actor Robert Redford sharing a scene with Steve Rogers

FILMING:

Impressive and entertaining. At first, I was skeptical with the appointment of relatively new directors helming the film. However, it turned to out to be a good action adventure film. High praises for the stunts, gunfights, and car chase sequences. Lots of creative angles and shots. Good editing too. All of them were very exciting and I feel even renowned action director Michael Bay would be proud. The visual effects were not overly done and executed neatly.

Filming a scene from Captain America: The Winter Soldier

PACING:

A little slow at the beginning as it aims to explore plot points and back story. It picks up well towards the end. Good climax.

The Winter Soldier

TONE (MOOD):

A group of heroes must race against time to stop a mysterious villain while juggling dirty secrets within their own organization.

Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) in action

DOWNSIDE:

There’s a lot of dialogue at some parts and too much explaining. I didn’t fancy the various plot twists. Non-fans of superhero films might not be able to relate.

Anthony Mackie as Falcon. The gear on his back becomes wings

UPSIDE:

Great action sequences which at some scenes can make you go “Wow!”

Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) preparing to do battle

OVERALL:

Quite an entertaining film. It does not rank as one of the best superhero films but it does have its own special blend of fun. TAKE NOTE: There are TWO post end credits scenes. The first one comes midway through the credits. The second one comes at the end after all the end credits.

RATING:

8 out of 10

REVIEW: NEED FOR SPEED

When I was a university student in the late 1990s, my leisure activities were pretty much occupied playing video games. One of the many video games I played was a racing game called Need for Speed, a game distributed and published by popular game company Electronic Arts. Since then, the popularity of Need for Speed has grown tremendously and now there are many editions of the game to satisfy gamers. Thanks to this popularity, Hollywood has decided to adapt it into a feature film.

The film retains the same name Need for Speed and it is directed by Scott Waugh. Waugh previous film was military drama titled Act of Valor (2012) which I liked. Starring in Need for Speed are Aaron Paul (from TV’s Breaking Bad), Dominic Cooper, Imogen Poots, Scott Mescudi, Ramon Rodriguez, Rami Malek, and veteran actor Michael Keaton. The screenplay is written by George Gatins and John Gatins.

Will this film adaptation of a popular video game live up to expectations? Do read on…

Aaron Paul in the lead role as Tobey Marshall

SYNOPSIS:

Times are financially tough for race car driver and mechanic Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul). When his old nemesis Dino Brewster (Dominic Cooper) shows up and makes a business offer, Tobey accepts the proposal. Soon after, Tobey was betrayed and cheated by Dino which resulted in the death of Tobey’s close friend. Tobey was convicted of his friend’s death. Two years after being released from prison, he seeks out revenge against Dino with the help of a British girl named Julia (Imogen Poots) and his rag-tag crew of mechanics.

It is all about fast and expensive cars. This is a scene in a mountain forest range like in the video games

SCRIPT:

Predictable and mildly exciting. From the start, I kind of felt where the movie is heading and what will happen in the end. However, the scriptwriters managed to spice it up with some small subplots and funny characters which gave it a variety. There was good characterization for the main roles. The film also does pay tribute by including many elements from the video game such as the obvious use of high-end expensive cars, police chases, race reward, and similar looking locations just like in the game. The film has a reasonable balance between action and drama, where both constantly alternate back and forth throughout. It was a little tiring to follow and care for the story.

Dominic Cooper as the antagonist Dino Brewster

ACTING:

Quite okay but could have been better. Aaron Paul did pretty well as the hero. Dominic Cooper could have brought more to his role as the villain. I feel he was not a convincing baddie as I hoped he would portray. I like Imogen Poots as the only prominent female cast member as she brought more balance to the film. Glad to see Michael Keaton in the film too who plays an eccentric race organizer.

Imogen Poots as Julia, Tobey's sidekick

FILMING:

Neatly done and satisfactory. As I mentioned earlier, the filmmakers attempt to pay tribute by including elements from the game. This is evident in the filming where most camera shots are either aerial photography or high angle shots. There were also some P.O.V (point of view) shots similar to the game. I am impressed with the aerial photography. There were lots of it and really showed some beautiful landscapes of America. I am pretty certain some stunts required computer visual effects but it was tough to differentiate what is real and CGI. That is good sign. Maybe they did the stunts for real. If they did, well done. I felt the paced could have been more faster and stylistic, then again, that is a subjective opinion.

A race scene from the film

PACING:

A little slow in the beginning as it tries to establish a lot of the storyline motives. Pick-ups towards the end.

TONE (MOOD):

High adrenaline race to the finish in order to decide who will emerge the victorious.

Bad luck police cruiser when chasing the illegal racers

DOWNSIDE:

The film is geared to the male demographic. The ladies might not fancy it. It has a predictable plot.

UPSIDE:

Expensive cars and loud noises. Avid Need for Speed gamers might like it.

The 'hero' car in an action scene from the film

OVERALL:

It was a decent adaptation of the video game. It also can be enjoyable for those who are not familiar with the Need for Speed game. It’s a ‘popcorn’ movie.

RATING:

7.0 out of 10

REVIEW: 300 RISE OF AN EMPIRE

In 2006, a very unique film titled 300 burst into the world of cinema with much acclaim about its filmmaking techniques. The film has received some form of cult status among movie fans because of its portrayal of stylistic violence and patriotic themes. The story tells a fictional account of an actual battle that took part during the Persian Wars many centuries ago. The film was adapted from a popular series of comic book written by Frank Miller and published by Dark Horse Comics. Since 300 was released, many fans were hoping for a sequel, and now one has arrived. 300 was directed by Zack Snyder, who went on to direct other successful films such as Watchmen (2009), Sucker Punch (2011), and Man of Steel (2013).

The sequel for 300 is titled 300: Rise of an Empire. The film is directed by newcomer Noam Munro. Snyder return as one of the film’s producers and co-screenwriter alongside Kurt Johnstad. Rise of an Empire introduces Australian actor Sullivan Stapleton in the lead role and actress Eva Green as his nemesis. Actors returning from the first 300 film are Lena Headey, Rodrigo Santoro, and David Wenham. Rounding up the supporting cast are Jack O’Connell, Hans Matheson, Callan Mulvey, and Andrew Tiernan. Just like the first film, the sequel is also adapted from the works of Frank Miller.

How will the sequel live to expectations from the first film? Do read on…

Just like the first film, it uses similar style, filming techniques, and even shots

SYNOPSIS:

During the Battle of Marathon in the era of the Persian Wars, a Greek army general named Themistocles (Sullivan Stapleton) kills his enemy King Darius of Persia. Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), son of King Darius, witnessed the incident and was too late to prevent it. Artemisia (Eva Green), a ruthless female war commander from Persia, manages to convince Xerxes that he is destined to avenge his father’s death. Xerxes reinvents himself as a ‘God-King and with Artemisia by his side, wages war against the Greeks with his massive Persian army. Attempts by Themistocles to seek help from Sparta’s Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey) fell on deaf ears, thus, he has to gather whatever he has of the Greek army to fight the Persians.

Sullivan Stapleton as Themistocles

SCRIPT:

Weak and cluttered. The film tries to tell a story of what happened before, during, and after the events of the first 300 film. By doing so, the script tried to cramp a lot of information into the film. This resulted in multiple plots being messy and a little difficult to follow. I understand that the filmmakers are trying to make a sequel which would also appeal to audiences who have not watched the first 300 film, but I feel they failed in doing so. As the movie progress, the story became less engaging and less interesting to follow. Those who have watched the first 300 might be able to grasp the storyline.

Rodrigo Santoro reprises his role as Xerxex

ACTING:

I was unimpressed with Sullivan Stapleton in the lead role. I guess he was there just for his good looks. Despite his mediocre performance, he was surrounded by some great female acting notably Eva Green and Lena Headey. I loved Eva Green’s performance as the ruthless villain Artemisia. No holds barred kind of performance.

The lovely Eva Green as Artemisia

FILMING:

Very impressive but ultimately felt like it was being overdone. It has almost the same exact style as Zack Snyder’s previous 300 film where there are big fight sequences, epic slow-motion shots, and gory violence. Just like the first film, the sets, costumes, and visual effects were top notch. However for this sequel, the story gets lost in too much visual effects imagery just to make it look cool. Too much blood splatter to the screen was annoying. As the film progresses, it became a movie more interested in showcasing how cool it would look like in 3D rather keeping the plot moving along.

A nice visual effects shot when Xerxes declares war on Greece.

PACING:

Interesting start. Good introduction. Then, it went downhill all the way. It got draggy in the middle. The ending was just okay.

TONE (MOOD):

Men and women from several nations who try to uphold their believes and satisfy their egos by creating violence towards their neighboring states.

I almost can't get enough of actress Eva Green

DOWNSIDE:

Weak script and uninteresting characters. In my opinion, the film felt cramped.

UPSIDE:

The art of the visual effects evokes some of the best moments from the first 300 film.

We saw the fate of Leonidas in the first 300 film. Here's a reverse shot that we didn't see

OVERALL:

Only go see it if you don’t mind stupid dialogue and loved the first 300 film.

Lena Headey as Queen Gorgo of Sparta

RATING:

4.5 out of 10

REVIEW: AMERICAN HUSTLE

Another Best Picture nominee for the 2013 Oscars (as of this posting) comes to Malaysian cinemas again. After having watched other fellow 2013 Best Picture nominees 12 Years A Slave and Her, I was looking forward to this film in Malaysian theatres. The film is called American Hustle. It is directed by David O. Russell who last year directed another Best Picture nominee Silver Linings Playbook (2012) and The Fighter (2010) which was a nominee two years prior. Russell was nominated for an Oscar as Best Director in all three films. That is a pretty good success rate of a director's previous three films.

Here’s a movie trivia. Silver Linings Playbook had nominations in the four major acting categories; Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. American Hustle also has nominations for all the four acting categories. David O. Russell has the distinction of being the only directed who has films receiving nominations in all acting categories two years in a row. The Oscars for films in 2013 will handed out March 2^nd, 2014.

Direcctor David O. Russell (extreme left) with the cast of his film

American Hustle is co-written by Russell and Eric Warren Singer. This film reunites Russell with his The Fighter co-stars Christian Bale and Amy Adams. It also reunites Russell with his Silver Linings Playbook co-stars Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. Rounding up the ensemble cast is Jeremy Renner, Louis C,K., Elisabeth Rohm, Alessandro Nivola, and featuring an uncredited cameo from a very well-established actor who was also in one of Russell’s films.

Will David O. Russell create the same great essence from his previous films? Do read on…

(L-R): Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner, Christian Bale, and Jennifer Lawrence

SYNOPSIS:

After operating for some time, two business scam artists Irving and Sydney (Bale and Adams) gets apprehended by an FBI Agent named Richard (Cooper) for their crimes. In exchange for possible leaner court convictions, Richard persuades Irving and Sydney to help him bust big time politicians, including Mayor Polito (Renner), for corruption. Caught between it all is Irving’s wife Rosalyn (Lawrence) who feels she has been neglected. Irving, Sydney, and Richard together form a rogue task force in sting operations while juggling a love triangle among them. The film is inspired by events surrounding an actual FBI sting operation in the late 1970s.

Dressed in 1970s outfit, Richard (Bradley Cooper) and Irving (Christian Bale) admire a painting

SCRIPT:

Marvelous and solid. The plot may be difficult to grasp at times but eventually in the film, it all makes sense. In the beginning, the film serves up a cloud of mystery as to what will happen but soon it unravels itself bit by bit. There was good enough comedy blended into the story which made the film delightful to watch. What I liked is that the story had a few surprises along the way, in terms of enhancing a plot detail and character development. Speaking of characterization, each role seemed well-thought of. Among the five main characters I noticed five personality traits in each of them; The Logic One. The Romantic One, The Naïve One, The Crazy One, and The Innocent One. When you see the movie, you might see it. Though the climactic ending was a little shot but it was satisfactory enough for the film. As we progress through the film, the characters get deeper into their roles and myself as an audience felt more deeper involved in the film.

5-time Oscar nominee as the leading lady Sydney

ACTING:

What can I say, top class performances! This is a film which features five Oscar nominees in Bale, Adams, Cooper, Lawrence, and Renner. Bale and Lawrence have won Oscars before while Adams, Cooper and Renner are multiple nominees. Its hard to say which actor was exceptional but if I were to pick which one, it would be three-way tie between Bale, Adams, Lawrence. Each actor embodied their characters really well especially Bale who put on some weight to give his character more depth. This is one of Christian Bale’s best acting work and he does an almost flawless American accent once again.

Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence as the sultry Rosalyn

FILMING:

For a movie set in a certain era, in this case the 1970s, attention to details such as sets and costumes would be given particular attention. I liked the costume design for this film. The film does manage to bring about the ‘feel’ of that era and we do get the experience of being transported to that time. The cinematography was quite good too with various lighting conditions that alternate between the happy and somber mood of the film. Great usage of music from the 70s to reflect that era. Director David O. Russell once again brings his trademark shot of ‘constant use of Steadicam’, though is was not overly used in this film. I have watched Russell’s previous films Silver Linings Playbook (2012) and The Fighter (2010) which were great. I recommend another little known film made by him called Three Kings (1999) which starred George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, and rapper Ice Cube.

Behind the scenes filming with Amy Adams and Christian Bale

PACING:

Slow at the beginning but it gradually ascends to a good climax.

TONE (MOOD):

A tale of lies, deceit, and manipulation, while juggling the hidden consciousness to decide what is the right thing to do.

Christian Bale and Bradley Cooper in another scene from the film

DOWNSIDE:

There is a lot of talking in this film and the scenes are long. The long duration of this film might not favour some people. Full of constant profanities.

UPSIDE:

Great story. Great acting. Great drama.

Director David O. Russell on set with Jeremy Renner as Mayor Polito and Christian Bale as Irving

OVERALL:

I really enjoyed this film. It thoroughly deserves the Best Picture nomination at the Oscars and other awards that is given to the film. There are lot of profanities in this film so children are not recommended. For the rest of the movie-going audience, it is highly recommended.

RATING:

9 out of 10.

REVIEW: SAVING MR. BANKS

For many decades, Walt Disney Pictures has produced many quality feature films. As most of you may know, the company is the brainchild of an American named Walt Disney, whose enthusiasm in cartoons, animation, and theme parks has spawned many happy moments for children and adults worldwide. Disney expanded from animated feature films to live action musicals, and has produced many classics. Among the classics was a musical film called MaryPoppins (1964). Mary Poppins was adapted from a series of British children’s novels written by P.L.Travers in the 1930s. The struggle and hardship of bringing book to screen forms the central story of the movie in this review. I have watched Mary Poppins (which starred Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke) when I was a little kid and I found to be an extraordinary film. The catchphrases and songs from the film are still remembered by till today.

The title of the film is called Saving Mr. Banks. The film is directed by John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side, The Rookie). The film stars Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Paul Giamatti, Colin Farrell, Jason Schwartzman, B.J. Novak, Bradley Whitford, and Ruth Wilson. It is written by Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith. The title seems a little odd in relation to Mary Poppins but if I tell you how both movie titles are connected, it will be a spoiler! Saving Mr. Banks is inspired by a true story (though I feel some creative freedom were allowed) of the people involve in making Mary Poppins. The film was released in the United States in late December but only recently reached Malaysian cinemas.

Will a movie within a movie be interesting to watch? Do read on…

P.L.Travers (Emma Thompson) and Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) at Disneyland

SYNOPSIS:

For so many years, London-based author P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson) refuses to have her beloved novel Mary Poppins become a film adaptation. Eventually, she accepts an offer from Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) when she realizes her financial status was not too bright. Disney, who has been pursuing her to sell the film rights to her book, invites her to come Los Angeles to discuss and sign an agreement. Travers is really very protective of her writings and insist on creative control while writing the film’s script. As she journeys through the writing process, we discover what, why, and who really inspired the written words of the Mary Poppins novels.

Emma Thompson as P.L.Travers, the heart and soul of the film

SCRIPT:

Well-balanced and emotionally engaging. There is a very good balance between drama and comedy. It doesn’t get too overly dramatic nor does it get too comedic. The dialogue had sharpness and wit which made the film exciting throughout. Major portions of the main plot is told through many flashbacks. However, this did not disrupt the flow of the film as the flashbacks seems to blend naturally into the entire film. This is impressive!

Tom Hanks as Walt Disney in his office

ACTING:

The core characters played by Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, and Colin Farrell outshone the entire cast of the film. Thompson’s performance was strong and we do feel sympathetic towards her character. Tom Hanks as Walt Disney was more a supporting role but he managed to give a decent performance. I have to give particular praise to Colin Farrell. Farrell’s role as the father to P.L. Travers was minimal in the film yet his performance was memorable. I was hoping for more Paul Giamatti in the film because I think he is a good actor.

Annie Rose Buckley portrays a young P.L.Travers in flashbacks. Seen here with Colin Farrell who plays her dad

FILMING:

For a film that is set in the 1960s, I think the production did an excellent job in recreating the set designs and costume from the era. Since the film is distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, it would be easier to have access to any historical pieces. The filmmakers maximized this well. Echoing what I said in the SCRIPT section above, the flashbacks were woven in almost seamlessly into the movie and this has to be credited to the editor and director for a job well done.

Director John Lee Hancock briefing Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson during filming.

PACING:

Not too slow and not too fast either. Moderate and does not feel draggy.

TONE (MOOD):

A journey of self discovery with many reminiscences of the past and how it has shaped the future of an individual.

B.J. Novak and Jason Schwartzmann as the Sherman Brothers who composed songs for the Mary Poppins film

DOWNSIDE:

The storyline can feel depressing at times.

If you are not a fan of the world of Disney, this might not be for you.

UPSIDE:

Fans of Mary Poppins novels and the film will love this because of its multiple trivia references.

A very good underlying theme of the bond among members in a family.

Emma Thompson as P.L.Travers in a scene with her driver played by Paul Giamatti

OVERALL:

I liked this film. The subject matter is reasonably light and not too heavy on the thinking. Recommended.

RATING:

8 out 10.