Wes Anderson and his merry cast may have made a real classic. Click through for my reviews of The Grand Budapest Hotel, Veronica Mars, and the TV show Crisis.
The Grand Budapest Hotel's central friendship/mentorship is one of the most refreshing on-screen relationships in a long time. The tandem of Monsieur Gustave (Ralph Fiennes) and Zero (newcomer Tony Revolori) is a real treat that continues to reward till the credits start rolling. BUT, make sure you stay through ALL the credits as Wes Anderson has not given you the final laugh until the little animated fella is done dancing (you'll understand!). The music is perfectly splendid and subtle thru out, love Alexandre Desplat. The story though is what really keeps the pace moving along nicely. With the on-slaught of war this film appears to be Wes Anderson's most serious, but it's perfectly masked by its abundence of humor-filled moments. The journey we see Zero and Monsieur Gustave going is purely epic and showcases the power of true friendship. Easily this has been the best movie of the year so far and come next year's award season should garner some love for a few cast members. Speaking of freaking cast, get a load of this one!!
Hell just give Wes a freaking Oscar for assembling this darn cast. Go see this movie, it has a slow release schedule so should give ya plenty of time to figure out when and where to catch it.
Writer/Director Rob Thomas' TV gem has been wonderfully brought to the big screen, mainly from a historic kickstarter campaign. Veronica Mars starts off with a helpful recap of the main points from the show's 3 year run (2004-07). A decade from the first season and Veronica has left neptune for a better more educated setting, The Big Apple. Only how can the lovable sleuth get over all that adrenaline-filled excitement that is back home? Well she can't!
The high school reunion worked great for Grosse Point Blank and it also fits in perfectly with Rob Thomas' tv show baby. The murder mystery is a bit forced but you don't watch merely for the criminals to be taken to justice. Oh no, you go see this movie because of the banter, the hijinks and the moral compass that correctly points our adorable heroine. Add in a hilarious cameo from Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars) real life hubby and you have a fun entertaining 107 minutes. Speaking of TV series, I caught this twist loving thriller.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyyEQpXrUxU
Boy it seems like we've seen this premise in the not to distant past, but this time it works. The stakes continued to rise in the season pilot I watched. The twists kept churning on with each new revelation. So far so good can be said about the premise of children hijackers, but the two leads do have enough layers to stick with this well paced thriller. Gillian Anderson's cold nature seems like a perfect catalyst for a wild ending to the season. The real important part will be how much can the kiddos be relied on in the show. This short interview bodes well as Ian's character is easily one of the more subtle cast members that stands out in the pilot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL0zgaRPW6Q
The constant changing arcs of characters should be a real theme of the first season and should be plenty enough for us to keep on watching.
Hope you've enjoyed this week's movie/tv releases I enjoyed.
