Nonchalant. Thats how I felt after watching the movie The Grand Budapest Hotel last night... It wasnt a bad movie, it just wasnt particularly noteworthy. Viewed in parts rather than judged in its entirety, it IS Oscar worthy but certainly not, in my opinion, as Best Picture of the Year. Yes, as a possibility for Best Cinematography & Best Production Design as it was a visual feast of different landscapes, unique architectural settings and very vivid colors and décor. Yes, as a possibility for Best Costume Design as they spanned a time period of 1930s through 1980s from prison inmates, to soldiers, to monks to the ultra wealthy to the crisp uniforms of the hotel staff; a little bit of everything and no detail spared in between. Yes, as a possibility for Best Music - Original Score; the theme throughout carried the story from playful to over-dramatic, villainous and, even, at times, with a sense of mania, the characters rushing through scenes like a record spinning one speed above the norm. Best Picture, however, no...I wouldnt cheer this movie on for that particular award, nor Best Director, nor for Best Original Screenplay, nor for Best Film Editing, which I found to be choppy at best. The story was campy; trying too hard to be clever but with little substance to give it real purpose. The humor was verging on slapstick and the characters, for the most part, garish and unappealing - the one exception being the Lobby Boy who had a dry sense of humor and was oddly charming. There were genuinely funny moments scattered throughout, and the film held my attention from beginning to end, so it wasnt a dull film, just not very satisfying. The acting was solid; stock full of cameos by plenty of A-listers but all were brief passersby on the screen; fun, but anyone could have been in those roles. It was all kept light, too light at times I think - even deaths were treated with a matter-of-fact shrug. If you arent fond of overly emotional films, this is the one for you! ;) They call it a Dramedy - I just saw it as a comedy that wanted to stumble into a life message within the storyline, hoping to give it some level of importance, but it never really does figure out what that message should be, so it ends up being little more than fluff entertainment. That kind of entertainment is absolutely fine, even needed now and then, but does that make for a Best Picture worthy film? No, it doesnt. I will recommend watching this one IF you are not offended easily by tales of immorality ;) It does not need to be seen on the big screen; so a rental or Netflix will do. I found it somewhat amusing, visually interesting, and certainly not all the critics are touting it to be. Overall Grade: B- https://youtube/watch?v=_hL8HEzTNmU
Posted on: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 00:40:38 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015