Patrick Ogle
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The Grand Budapest Hotel, A Quirky, Stylish, Performance-Driven Film, Entertains Throughout

3/21/2014

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The Grand Budapest Hotel is Wes Anderson at his best. The stylish, performance-driven film is entertaining in every frame. Anderson, once again, creates a new world, a little bubble outside reality. Then, he relies on performances by a perfect cast to move the film along. It is funny. It is sad and magical, sometimes all at the same time.

The stand-out performance is, obviously, Ralph Fiennes, as M. Gustave. There is a plot but this film is about style (especially its almost animated design) and performances. Fiennes has the most screen time and he has to carry large portions of the film on his back. His character's predilections might not seem those of a sympathetic character but Fiennes sells it. He never chews the scenery either. He isn't alone in delivering--F. Murray Abraham, Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel and especially newcomer, Tony Revolori are all great in roles of varying sizes.

Sometimes an "all star cast" should be looked on with caution. Many directors/producers seem to think that throwing a bunch of names at an audience is enough but Anderson gives everyone something to do--even if they are, literally, in the movie only for a few minutes. He seems to get the best from everyone.

This is a film about a time gone by and a place now lost that never were. There are parallels to the real world but these are broadly sketched. Ultimately this is a sad story, a story about loss. But such is Anderson's skill that you will see this but never be dragged down by it. There is a "feeling" created here, a sort of hope in the face of despair. Anyone that can make various murders seem cute is a master filmmaker.

If Charles Chaplin were alive today he would be making movies like Anderson.  Neither director was afraid of sentimentality--and indeed both are masters of it.  A comparison to Chaplin is pretty close to the highest praise you can give a filmmaker.  Some will see this film and think; what's the big deal? But it is.

I would suggest looking at all the big budget epics who spend hundreds of millions to "create a world" and fall on their face in a pile of CGI. Anderson, here, has made what is quite similar to a cartoon and he succeeds without a hitch.

A fine film and one that begs to be seen more than once.
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The Lego Movie Is A Surprisingly Good Little Movie, Not Just An Early Part Of The Year Hollywood "Dump Job"

3/7/2014

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The Lego Movie looked, at first glance, like just another early part of the year dump job. January and February are notorious for being the spot where movies no one has any faith in wind up. They are the movie industry equivalent of an organized crime "dump job." And if HOLLYWOOD doesn't think a movie is good? Boy that should really make a movie fan tremble.

But The Lego Movie is actually a charming little movie. It is one of those with lots of pop culture references for parents (some ham handed, others more subtle) while still keeping it fun for the kids. It even has a message that is out of the norm. Usually these movies overtly tell kids it is best to be an oddball while covertly telling them to be like everyone else. This movie sort of says that everyone is ok and that even bad guys might not be SO bad sometimes after all.

Basically little kids are going to be the main kid audience for this--as they move into the tweens they may lose interest in this sort of thing while missing the pop culture references. 

The movie has some fun voice actors and voice cameos (I won't give them away because part of the fun is guessing). In addition to the old time-y pop culture references for the middle aged the film also takes some mild-mannered jabs at current pop culture--music, television and more. It does this in a gentle, smart way too that is also really unusual in animated films even the ones that cost a lot more than The Lego Movie.

This is a rare movie that a 47 year old, an 8 year old and a 16 year old can all sit through and walk out saying (with varying degrees of enthusiasm); "I liked that!"



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    I don't think of these as "reviews." they may seem like it sometime but they are more just...impressions.

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