The Grand Budapest Hotel (****1/2)

Wes Anderson is no stranger to mise-en-scène, that film-world term that refers to the overall feel of a film; the visual methods by which the story and tone is communicated. In fact, I think Wes Anderson is perhaps the leading director in today's cinema in that regard, someone who consistently creates art that is so uniquely of a time period and so uniquely his own creation. "The Grand Budapest Hotel," then, is without a doubt his most ambitious, and perhaps his most touching film to date.

The story is set up with striking detail. We see a girl visit the grave of an "author" (Tom Wilkinson & Jude Law) who wrote a book in his younger years about a grand hotel, set in the remote mountains of a fictional Republic of Zubrowka - a story of a country's war as well as the methods by which a certain man named Zero Moustafa (F. Murray Abraham) came to own the establishment.

Through a flashback within a flashback within a flashback, the story begins, and we meet the hotel's original concierge, Gustave H. (Ralph Fiennes), a peculiarly giddy and charming man. He is accustomed to forming romantic relationships with his older clientelle - all blonde, all women, all older, all desperate.. Zero is simultaneously beginning his training as a Lobby Boy, and under Gustave's care, he is taken in as an apprentice.

And then the tragedy, one of Gustave's most dear patrons, Madame D (an unrecognizable Tilda Swinton), is suddenly killed - murder, and though he comes to inherit a priceless painting called "Boy With Apple," Gustave is suspect and sent to prison for the murder. Madame D's son and living sisters are dumbfounded by her shocking love for a hotel employee...

The film succeeds on nearly every level a film of this caliber can. From the rapid-fire cast (so star-studded there's apparently 19 Oscar nominations between them all) to the dry black humor written by Anderson, himself. The film absorbs you into a time period you've never heard of yet you come out of feeling like an expert. From the grand set pieces of the hotel to the grim interiors of a prison or a snowy mountainside, the film is a triumph of visual storytelling. No other Wes Anderson film approaches this level of creativity or art direction, and yet it never feels like a film beyond his grasp as a filmmaker.

Anderson is known for his flat, picturesque camera setups, almost like a painting, with little evidence of vanishing lines into the distance or exterior shots... In the past, this method has changed his stories into near-fables (think the fantasy-like feel you have watching Royal Tenenbaums, or the child-like design of Moonrise Kingdom). The same is true with Budapest, and yet the style seems to absolutely fall into place, and perhaps Anderson has found the first story that was MADE for his filmmaking style - the film he was born to make, so to say...

Out of all the films in theaters currently, I can't think of a more ambitious one. For an early Spring release, "Grand Budapest Hotel" knocks it out of the part as a smart, witty, funny, emotional, and never-ceases-to-amaze adventure...

(Awards potential: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Fiennes), Best Original Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Costume Design)

Oscar reactions

What a year it's been. In a ceremony full of perfect moments (Lupita's acceptance speech), the expected winners (Matthew and Jared in the acting races), the weird (what did John Travolta just call Idina Menzel?), and the uncomfortable (I've never seen Liza Minnelli more prevalent in an awards show in years), the Oscars have wrapped up for good. As expected (and thankfully so), our split between Best Picture and Best Director saw 12 Years a Slave make history with its Best Picture win. Slave tallied up just 3 Oscars vs the goliath of Gravity with its 7. It was just one short of tying Cabaret for the film winning the most Oscars without taking the top prize as well. 

On the whole, mojo correctly predicted all but 4 of the races (Best Documentary, Best Editing, Best Makeup, and Live Action Short), although on my own personal ballot at the Oscar party, I (John) switched live action short to the actual winner (Helium) in a last-minute bout of clarity. Our misses were not altogether surprises, just another set of categories where the winner was too close to call. 

The night rolled on, and Ellen made the most of what she had to work with, although did it feel like she was losing it near the end? While many of her jokes fell flat and went on a tad too long (the pizza gag seemed endless), the night itself went by without a glitch (and for the most part, without an upset). 

The night's speeches were empowering, elegant, and each of the acting winners were truly perfect on stage. While we hate when winners pull out paper to read off their speech with shaky hands (Best Animated Short, we're looking at you), there were no 'what on earth' moments, perhaps save for our Documentary winner taking to the stage to sing an entire rendition of 'His Eye is On the Sparrow.' 

Although we'll be scratching our heads as to what exactly happened during Idina's performance, or why it was necessary to have Bette Midler appear after the Memorial segment, this year's race will really be remembered as one of the closest races in history, and thankfully, with the rightful winner winning gold in the end.