The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Director: Wes Anderson
Writers:  Wes Anderson, Stefan Zweig (Inspired by the works of), Hugo Guinness
Cast:       Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revelori, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton, Willem Dafoe, Jude Law

The adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars, and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend.

The film starts with a teenage girl sitting in front of the monument to a writer in a cemetry. In the book a character known as author is remembering a trip he made to 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' in 1968 where the current owner of the hotel, Moustafa, tells him the story of Gustave which happened in the 1930s. The three broad timelines have got different aspect ratios and it is another great one from Wes Anderson with both light and dark humor, stunning visuals and violence. Its is typical of Wes Anderson to have a blow job and finger cutting scene in what seems to be a children' film. It might just be his greatest film though 'Rushmore' and 'Royal Tenenbaums' could be considered more affecting. It is not going to win any new fans for Wes Anderson but it will well and truly reward the faithfuls. 

Film centers around the mentorship between Gustave and Moustafa, excellently played by Ralph Fiennes and Tony Revelori  respectively. During the course of the film I was reminded of 'The Shining', 'Se7en', 'Shawshank Redemption', 'Inglorious Basterds' among several others. Nazis are not explicitly named as such and symbol in their uniform is also different. One reason could be that the film received German funding or just Wes Anderson being playful. It is difficult to describe the film except that it is quintessentially in the Wes Anderson universe and is fucking great.

Rating: 5/5

The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

Director: Wes Anderson
Writers:  Wes Anderson, Owen Wilson
Cast:       Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Bill Murray, Gwyneth Paltrow, Bel Stiller, Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Kumar Pallana

Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman) has been an insensitive asshole (in his own words) all  his life and he is banished from his family. Tenenbaums have three children of which one is adopted, Margot played by Gwyneth Paltrow. The other two are Chas played by Ben Stiller and Richie played by Luke Wilson. All of them were considered as kid geniuses growing up but they didn't live up to the expectations in their adult lives. Richie is in love with Margot who is unhappily married to Neurologist/Scientist Raleigh St. Clair (Bill Murray). Royal is broke and he decides to cook up a cancer story to get his place back in his family even as they are united after a long time under one roof. 

Royal Tenenbaums was Wes Anderson's much anticipated follow up to 'Rushmore' and it didn't disappoint, and ran away to become a commercial and critical success. Wes Anserson films are not for everyone and many people don't get the charm of his unique settings and absurd humor. For his fans his films are a much anticipated event in the film calendar. His latest film 'Grand Budapest Hotel' has been also very well received and I can't wait to see it. It has got Ralph Fiennes added to the Wes Anderson family along with the usual suspects.The only film of his that I didn't particularly like was 'Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou' and I have been meaning to revisit it for some time.

Royal Tenenbaums is among Gene Hackman's last few films and is certainly his last great one. Kumar Pallana, who died recently, is a regular fixture in Wes Anderson's films and here he plays the role of family butler. He was a hired assassin in Calcutta who ended up saving Royal's life after stabbing him in the gut. Wes Anderson's love for India is no secret and it can be seen in the TV footage of Richie's tennis match choke against a player named Gandhi who beat him 6-0, 6-0 & 6-0. No one realized that Richie's choke was because of his heart being broken after Margot's marriage  the previous day. Chas was a highly successful businessman as a kid and he ended up expropriating his father's wealth. Margot was a playwright and Royal's frank but insensitive assessment of his adopted daughter's (one fact he never fails to mention) debut play was the reason he was kicked out from his family's life for good. The final scene shows Royal's epitaph which was inscribed thus upon his own insistence: 'Here lies Royal Tenenbaum who died saving his family from the wreckage of a destroyed sinking battleship'.

Royal Tenenbaum is my favorite Wes Anderson film along with Rushmore. I hope I could add 'Grand Budapest Hotel' to the above list.

Rating: 5/5

Rushmore (1998)

Director: Wes Anderson

Writers:  Wes Anderson, Owen Wilson

Cast:      Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Olivia Williams

The king of Rushmore prep school is put on academic probation.

The film is slightly autobiographical as Owen Wilson was expelled from his prep school and Wes Anderson used to have a crush on an older woman. Amazing performances from all concerned. It is much more accessible than Wes Anderson's first feature 'Bottle Rocket'.

Rating: 5/5

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Director: Wes Anderson
Writers:  Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola
Cast:      Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton
A pair of  young lovers flee their New England town , which cause a local search party to fan out and find them.
Wes Anderson is back to form with Moonrise Kingdom after couple of underwhelming efforts in 'Life Aquatic' and 'Darjeeling Limited' (I know he did the fantastic 'Fantastic Mr.Fox). Those who like his films would certainly love it and it won't convert those who usually don't. The two kids who are making their debut are excellent and the seniors do their small parts well.

Rating: 4/5