The Grand (Movie Mishap) at the Budapest Hotel

A couple of weeks ago I had the unfortunate displeasure of going to see Wes Anderson’s newest film “The Grand Budapest Hotel”. Personally, I anxiously awaited weeks for this film to make its theater debut and alas it did. I had one day free to myself and I went to the local theater to buy my overpriced ticket of $10 (usually I go on the $5 days).  Then I waited in awe for the start of this supposed, magnificent film. I was not infuriated.  To me the basic’s that constitutes a good movie is a film that

 I feel is worth my:

·         Time- When I finish watching a movie I want to feel that it was time well spent. I want to feel satisfied that my time was not wasted.

·         Money- When a movie is over I want to feel that my money was well spent.  Whether it was the $1 I spent at redbox to get the latest movie on DVD, or the $5-$10 I spent on a ticket to enjoy the experience of actually going to the theater and sitting in a seat that I feel hasn't been cleaned since the 80’s.

·         Attention Span- Finally, I want a movie that will hold my attention through its entirety. I hate when my mind wanders during a movie.  During a movie I don’t want to realize there are more productive things I could be doing. When I watch a movie that’s all I want to think about. Movies are supposed to be an escape from reality for better or worse.

This film fulfilled none of these qualifications. I know a quite a few people who liked this film and I expect it will be big come awards season next year due to all of its pre-release hype generation that started the people talking.  Either way, personally I couldn't stand it.

The film was 100 minutes of me thinking “it’s got to get better than this, right?” but it didn’t. I sat in the dark theater watching diligently until I realized it had only been 20 minutes since the movie started. I sat their twiddling my thumbs, jealous of the dust particles who roamed free past the brightly lit film projector and constantly checking the time wondering when the next bus could take me home.

The film told by the point of view of Mr. Moustafa who grew up working at this hotel as the personal bellhop to Mr. Gustave.  Gustave was the former owner of the hotel and Moustafa told all about his adventures and reminisced about old times.  But, you really don’t understand this concept until the last five minutes of the film.

The film was chunky, the events didn’t flow together and the transition scenes were heavily manufactured. By the last half hour of this film I couldn’t take it anymore. I was ready to walk out and go home but I fought the urge, stayed in my seat.  I was determined to get my money’s worth.

 When the movie ended and the house lights came up I dashed out of the theater in disgust.  I was furious thinking that I will never get back those 100 minutes of my life. So, I have forewarned you.  At all cost avoid The Grand Budapest Hotel.  But, after all that you read, if you still feel the need to watch this film please, please, please, wait for redbox or your local bootlegger.   Save your money and your time you’re worth it.    

Movies I have recently watched (reviews to come soon)

What I have watched so far and will soon right about

Touch of evil (Date??)
Super 8 (Date??)
psycho 10/31/13
rocky horror picture show 10/31/13
Elvira's Haunted hills 11/6/13

Just watched "Man on a Wire"

9/30/13- “Man on Wire” (2008) directed by James Marsh
Featuring: Philippe PetitWhen this movie first started I was very confused because they was no real introduction, it was just non-diegetic sound (audio you could hear but not see) you could hear the heavy French accent of Philippe Petit with just a shot of someone fidgeting with a box. A few people amongst the class looked to me to figure out what was going on I shrugged with a look of slight confusion until I goggled (because no need to wait to see what would happen)  when I read the first line of the Wikipedia page about the movie my jaw dropped in utter shock. “Philippe Petit the man who crossed a high wire between the two twin towers!” This film was a suspense builder, when Philippe and his men were hiding on the 82^nd floor of the North tower hiding from security guards who would roam the buildings at nigh to check for un-usual activity (the security guards obviously didn’t check very often).  I felt that me myself had to hold my breath in fear of blowing these high wire dare devils in, because once you watch this film unfold you want these French sirs effort to be put to go use to accomplish this undercover operation , that will eventually astound the public and Philippe’s team themselves. Well not only was the mission a success to cross the wire once between the towers he exceeded his own standers by crossing the wire eight times to tease the police officers at the top of the South  tower  trying to catch him to inevitably arrest him. Now he was a smart aleck so he “ran back out into the middle and began bouncing up and down. His feet were actually leaving the wire, and then he would resettle back on the wire again....Unbelievable really” (Sgt. Charles Daniels reporting his experience). Finally, when asked why he did the stunt, Petit would say, "When I see three oranges, I juggle; when I see two towers, I walk." I highly suggest this movie if you like high suspense and can tolerate subtitles because when the interviews with his helpers comes they basically only speak french which is another thing I loved because I love accents) but this to me was a feel good movie because you get to see someone accomplish a dream of theirs and just seeing that hard work does pay off. I absolutely adored this movie I was fully engulfed in this film from start to end.

 "Life should be lived on the edge of life. You have to exercise rebellion: to refuse to tape yourself to rules, to refuse your own success, to refuse to repeat yourself, to see every day, every year, every idea as a true challenge - and then you are going to live your life on a tightrope." 

Call for a revival- Tamara (play)

About a month  ago I went to the Stormville flea market in New York state with my family for a day full of walking, haggling and buying stuff I really didn't need. When we got to the flea market I was already sore due to a pair of new insoles that I had received just the day before. Anyway, when walking in you could just see the sea of items that were just waiting to be pawed through and brought to a nice new home. Well at about the third stand that I went to right on the front table of this guys stand I could see a familiar face that I recognized well, the face looking back at me was Tamara de Lempicka herself (in a green Buggati, I might add) but on the most unusual surface, on a pack of playing cards! I took a deep breath not wanting to show the guy running this stand my excitement (because that’s when the price goes up) I casually walk over picked up the cards ,and glanced the other chotchkies he had for sale “nothing could trum this purchases” I though. “who much for the playing cards” I asked “for you $1” I smiled in delight while whipping out my crumbled dollar bill from my pocket. I gently placed them in the pocket of my bag I was carrying. That day I bought a few other things but nothing as cool as these cards. On our way home I couldn’t stop admiring Tamera’s sultry look that just stared at me and this very prominent seal on each of the cards covering a small corner of the card that read “A true story you follow Tamera from room to room” this phrase led me to google it. on the first page I opened this was the first sentence “Tamara is a 1981 play by John Krizanc about the painter Tamara de Lempicka. The play is based on the historical meeting of Gabriele d'Annunzio and de Lempicka.”  Now what I also read on multiple different sites is that it was a play where the audience walks around through different rooms and follows what character they choose, so that each person sees a different version of the play and altered storyline, how cool right?  so I beg of people of the internet please help to get the attention of who ever we have to, to bring this back to a stage somewhere, where the new generation will be able to see theater in a new light. Bring history to life again “Tamera” we cry out in desperation of a revival. Haven’t we had enough Cabaret revivals please lets try something new help me to this out their we can all enjoy this “new version” of theater. 

- “Tamera” (play) 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamara_(play)

(The picture that is on the playing cards)

Late Watch - "The Seven Year Itch"

8/25/13-”The Seven Year Itch” (1955) directed by Bill Wilder

featuring: Marilyn Monroe ,and Tom Ewell 

I watched this movie first of all because I want to watch every Marilyn Monroe movie because ever made. I just find her (like the rest of the world) fascinating. I liked this movie, to me it seemed to me to be a color version of the twilight zone with the main character Richard Sherman played by Tom Ewell going delusional since he sent his wife and kids out of town for the summer. Marilyn was just his fixation or was it his mind just playing tricks on him? I liked this movie, I would recommend it to someone. Just one question Champaign and Potato Chips? 

Recent Watch - "Annie Get Your Gun"

9/14/13- "Annie get gun" (1950) directed by Charles Walters, George Sidney, Busby Berkeley 

Featuring: Betty Hutton, Howard Keel 

When I choose to watch this movie I was in the middle of watching "As good as it gets" on TV but with the commercials it became a 3 hour movie and I couldn't take it. Anyway, this was a musical movie production of the sweetest, gun sling-ing-ist , damsel of the West Ms. Annie Oakley. I just happened to find this movie on demand through Comcast on the "Turner Classie Movie" network. I choose to watch this movie when I saw it listed as FREE because I love the song "Anything you can do I can do better" at first I didn't like the movie when she was basically an out skirted townsmen talking in a southern twang, I could not believe this was how the movie started but I laughed at how much technology had changed by seeing the "accurately" painted backgrounds and convincible lighting. After I got over the initial shock of the  beginning, the shoot out show started with Annie facing off her soon to be husband Frank Butler ,and shocker (sarcasm) she won! Leading her to start her new life on the road as a performance shooter and as people say "the rest was history". Overall the movie was ok I like the trick shooting (of corse by Annie and Frank) and some of the songs but I wouldn't watch it again anytime soon.  

Recent Watch- "Now You See Me"

9/12/13 - "Now you see me" (2013) directed by Louis Leterrier 

Featuring: Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson ,and Isla Fisher 

I watched this movie because my dad turned it on (and I wanted to see it myself) I really like the movie it was about the above actors portraying magicians but their big trick was being able to rob banks, kind of. Anyway I won't give anything away but I honestly thought this crime,mystery, thriller was pretty good, it was not what I expected, but it is a exceedingly  engaging movie "the closer you look the less you see".Now this movie is a little confusing (at least to me) and if you hate those camera shots where they slowly spin around a the actor or actress to make you understand the actors point of view or to represent their confusion then this might not be the movie for you (especially if you get easily motion sick) but if you can stand those few spinning scenes it is worth your time to watch. And just remember "all you have to be is the smartest person in the room".