Critics Gave The Grand Budapest Hotel a “Must See” rating. Choosing to see Budapest was a risk taking adventure for me as I don’t like slapstick comedy. Obviously, I saw it anyway. Hoping that it was going to beat out the competition, I let the other movies fall my the wayside in favor of The Grand Budapest Hotel, which was not exactly slapstick. I can’t say I made the wrong decision but I can say it was not a “Must See” movie. There was an unprecedented amount of stars in this movie starting with Jude Law who played an interviewer/writer and guest at the hotel. This is the story of Gustave H, played by Ralph Fiennes, a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars, and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy, played by F. Murray Abraham as an adult and Tony Revolon as a young boy, who becomes his most trusted friend. This legendary concierge was a ladies’ man who had an infinity for blond, old, rich women. When one of them dies, he gets blamed for her death. This is when the movie takes form and any and everything goes. From Bob Balaban playing M. Martin to Adrien Brody who plays the dead woman’s son Dmitri to Willem Dafoe who plays a depraved killer named Jopling, I was intrigued. Stars like Harvy Keitel, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson and Edward Norton graces this film bringing it to a level of craziness I truly enjoyed. I was happy to see one of my most beloved actors, Jeff Goldblum who played deputy Kovacs as part of this wacky cast doing what he does best. If you like this sort of shenanigans, you will surely like The Grand Budapest Hotel. I was entertained and I thought it was funny. You might just want to wait for the DVD, as there were no special effects or any other reason to spend money for the price of a movie ticket.
[THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL is nominated for Best Picture, Directing, Cinematography, Costume Design, Film Editing, Makeup & Hair Styling, Music: Original Score, Production Design and Original Screenplay (writing)]
My past experiences with Kevin Hart movies and comedy spots left me feeling that Kevin Hart wasn’t very funny, despite the “funniest Man Alive” title placed on his name. I don’t like comedians who cannot do their routines without creating the dirtiest, foul material available. Today I saw “About Last Night” and suddenly saw the humor. Kevin along with Michael Ealy was totally funny in this cutesy, “I don’t want to commit to a relationship” movie. Although there was plenty of foul language, it wasn’t over the top. After all, this is an adult movie. Paula Patton makes a cameo but profound appearance. I believe the plot was pretty true to life. There were a few bloopers that I cannot reveal because it would be a spoiler. All the women in this film were eye candy. Kevin and Regina Hall became a wild, eccentric couple while Michael Ealy and Joy Bryant, better known for her role as Jasmine Trussell on Parenthood, teamed up as a “normal” couple, looking for love. Watching the two couples come together was hilarious and quite entertaining. I recommend seeing About Last Night, especially if you need a pick me up.
As expected, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug was excellent. I liked this second version of the movie better than the first. The story was more connected and adventurous. As with Lord of the Rings, there’s a lot going on as the dwarves and crew continue their quest to reclaim Erebor from Smaug. I would venture to say children under 12 might have a hard time connecting all the dots. The Hobbit is an adventure that goes on and on for 2 hours and 40 minutes. That’s a lot, even for an adult. Be prepared to get a little heavy eyed at times — not that it’s boring, it’s just long. I enjoyed the plot and expected the ending to leave me wanting to see the last of this trilogy yesterday. Special effects are fantastic. The make up is amazing. Under the direction of Peter Jackson, it all comes together as very interesting but very long.
CAROL's WORLDS 