The Grand Budapest Hotel (English, 2014)

Wes Anderson is a genial film maker who has the canny knack of making films that are more like characters printed and given life on a canvas & this film presents a compelling case for such an argument. It has a funny crazy plot with a fine emotional line running underneath.

Ralph Fiennes is among the unlucky few talents to have not got the Oscar yet & in this tale, as Mr.Gustave, he brings out the devouring skills of the character he plays to perfection. Tony Revolori, as his partner in crime, plays a bankable ally & brings out some enjoyably funny gestures. Rest assured this debutant would feature in Wes’ future offerings!

An ensemble star cast is a trademark in Wes’ films and here we get to see Edward Norton as an astute officer, Adrien Brody as a conniving heir, Willem Dafoe as a terrorizing side-kick, Jeff Goldblum as a will-executor (note the classy accentuated speeches he makes), Jude Law as the writer to who the story is narrated & like one would expect, Bill Murray comes in a flash-and-you-miss role. Seeing them all gives one the kick.

The film’s huge strength is the creative storyboarding & art-work and with brilliant sets of the grand Hotel, the alpine fields and ranges, the Mendl’s Cake box, cakes & vans – Taste to the senses!

The experimental camera-work by Robert Yeoman & the unconventional editing from Barney Pilling come to the fore in the ultra-zoom & flash-cut segments respectively and make it work for an incisive cinema lover. Witty one-liners filled with sarcasm, music in the Museum scene & the action in the skiing blitz scene are other points worth a mention.