simonadegbenro Reviews

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Berlinale Review Of The Grand Budapest Hotel

[8/10 · 25 February 2014]

Wes Anderson (The royal Tenenbaums, Moonrise Kingdom) is a name that's known to most people because the world he creates in his films are so eccentric and unique to him that no one else can do it.

The Grand Budapest hotel is a Wes Anderson film down to his very core. It has all his classic techniques such as push in, whip pans, camera moves with dialogs, title cards etc. The films draws on the writing of Viennese intellectual Stefan zweig.

In the Grand Budapest hotel we are transported back to 1932 by Mr. Moustafa (F. Murray Abraham) the owner of the Grand Budapest hotel. He tells writer (Jude law) how he came into possession of the hotel.

Wes Anderson has not only mastered the art of auteur directing he has also made a name for himself as a story teller this is why there is a big line up of Hollywood stars begging to be in his film. He definitely uses this to his advantage as we can see The grand Budapest hotel has one of the most colorful cast list of the year.

Wes Anderson has provided Ralph Fiennes with one of his most distinguished roles playing Gustav H the powerful concierge at the head of the establishment. He is a well knowledged, well dressed well-spoken and well-mannered man. He also has a dirty habit of bedding old rich ladies most notably Madame D (Tilda Swinton). She passes away and wills her priceless painting Boy with Apple to Gustav H leading to fighting frenzy with her son Dimitir (Adrien Brody) and Jopling (William Defoe).

During this fight he is helped by Zero (Tony Revolori). Newcomer Tony Revolori has definitely made a name for him self as actor to watch out for. His on screen charm with Ralph Fiennes as they travel the countryside with various forces on their tail is mesmerizing. During this journey is where we see why The Grand Budapest hotel is the ultimate Wes Anderson film. The traveling with forces on their tails is similar to that of The Darjeeling limited as it mostly takes place on trains, the goofy romance that zero has with Agatha (Saoirse Ronan) is very similar to Moonrise Kingdom. All Wes Anderson fans will bow to the wonders of this film and non fans will be automatically converted.

Chilla (2014)

Berlinale Review Of Chilla

[5/10 · 25 February 2014]

40 days of silence tells the story of four women in different age groups during key moments of their life. This film has an all women cast with no men present and yet their presence is constantly felt in the film. This is what I think director Saodat has done brilliantly.

In Uzbekistan it is a known tradition to take a vow of silence for various reasons such as being pregnant, losing a relative or even the change of weather. This film follows Bibicha a young girl who has just taken the vow of silence after loosing her aunt.

The film looks into traditional cultural conventions, which might make it a little strange for modern audiences, but what the director does is use cinematography to tell the story beautifully. The cinematography of this film is captivating, which is also helped by the location. It is used to emphasize the loneliness of the character.

With all this been said the story in the film does move along very slowly. It felt like sometimes the director was so concerned with all the beautiful cinematography that the story was neglected, which you can't do, if your main character has just taken a vow of silence. It felt like there should have been more time for the audience to build a relationship with Bibicha. This makes it hard for us to follow her when we don't really know her; it also leads to confusion as to who the main character is as the grandma ends up doing most of the talking. At the end of the film she is the character we know the best.

New director Saboth has definitely touched on how to tell traditional stories in a modern way and it will be good to see where she goes from this.

Source Code (2011)

Duncan James Proving To Be A SCI-FI Genius

[21 August 2011]

Duncan James proving that English directors are going to rule the science fiction world. After his amazing directional debut with Moon i taught how could he ever top that but i was wrong because he does so and does it very well. Source code has everything you want in a science fiction thriller. It has the time line that keeps the audience on the edge of their sit. It then incorporates time travel in a way that hasn't been done before. Jake Gyllenhall(zodiac,Donnie darko) does what he does best and carries the film which is needed for the audience to believe this movie, they have to root for his character. The icing on the cake for this movie is that with all the explosions and CGI going on underneath it all is a love story which the audience can connect with. This a brilliant way of not letting the audience question the characters decisions as everyone can relate to bad relationships with fathers and falling in love. This is not the last we have seen of Duncan James he is one to watch out for in the coming years.