The Grand Budapest Hotel

Do you like director Wes Anderson movies?  If so, RUN to see this film.  If not, you just won't get it.  If you haven't seen one, it's time you did!  (See previous post on Moonrise Kingdom for a side tutorial.)

His latest, The Grand Budapest Hotel, requires you to sit down, buckle up and pay attention.  Then go see it a second time for all the things you missed. This is ONE FUN RIDE!  With Anderson's trademark color palette, brilliant scoring and set design, and long list of notable cast members,  he lets you in on his iconic rapid-fire humor.  He has to be smart to put Ralph Fiennes in his first comedic role and Fiennes is flawless. 

I just had a blast watching this and can't wait to see it again.  Bang for your buck. 

See it and then tell me who your favorite character was.

A treat sneak peek:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Fg5iWmQjwk

Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Did you see the first Hunger Games?  If not, it's amazing.  Part two is even better.

Never the spoiler, I will comment as generally as possible:  Katniss Everdeen returns with her bow to do battle as before, but the protagonist has grown.  She is now confident in her warrior abilities and sure of her hatred for those who would try to enslave others.

Of course, Jennifer Lawrence is Katniss, and is she just damn good!  She no longer looks like a teen, and as a young adult she dazzles.  She is pretty, witty, sexy, tough, skilled, independent, feisty....what more can I say?  Ms Lawrence has already proven she can act up a storm.  Remember her debut in Winter's Bone, for which she was nominated as Best Actress at the ripe old age of sixteen?

I would have again put up Jennifer Lawrence  for Best Actress for her role in Catching Fire.  She offers a truly multi-layered, complexly shaded Katniss.  She cries, smiles, grimaces, and emotes far better than any other young female actress in the business today.

More on the film? It has a great story that reminds us of so many films, perhaps most of all Lord of the Flies.  Great effects.  How in the world do they make holograms look so real?  Amazing acting, not just by Jennifer, but also by Elizabeth Banks and Woody Harrelson.  Pacing so perfect that the nearly three hour movie goes by in a flash.

A+ grade for this futuristic, imaginative thriller.

Not to be missed.  And.... I just can't wait for the third and final installment!

East of Eden

Lest my dear readers think that the movies I review are only current, I must admit to reveling occasionally in old classics.

Back in 1955, the great director Elia Kazan got hold of a new young talent, James Dean, and made a masterpiece that would prove to defy time:  East of Eden.

In this colorized version, Steinbeck's novel comes to life.  No spoiler, of course, but the story is touching:  Two brothers vie for the love of their father, the love of a woman, and even the lost love of a distant mother.  Full of emotion and extraordinary acting, the film replays Cain and Abel in Monterey and Salinas in 1917.

The best reason to view the film is to see why James Dean captured viewers of his time.   Although he made only three major films, the actor seems to have played the young rebel with more heart and soul than any other actor, including the great Marlon Brando.  Today, posters of the handsome actor, who died in his mid 20s, hardly do justice to the talent of the star.

After viewing the film, I wonder why James Dean did not win an Oscar.  Probably the year the film was made says it all.  1955 was a very conservative time in America, when McCarthy and The Establishment ruled.  Perhaps the Academy was reticent to reward an actor for portraying a character who was fiercely independent and even amoral.

Anyway, they don't make 'em like this any more!  East of Eden is a must-view for anyone who has not seen the movie or might have forgotten its power.

And the Oscar goes to...

Film fans:  weigh in!  What d'ya'think?

What did you like and not like about the Oscars last night and recipients?

I'll go first in a shallow way:  I didn't see one butt-ugly dress all night.  Women are showing some real taste these days, and I applaud the return of the white tux jackets on the men.

And you...???