Must-See of the Month:
Plot
Summary: The film focuses on the adventures of Gustav H, the concierge
at the legendary Grand Budapest Hotel, and his lobby boy Zero, centering on a
caper involving a missing painting and Gustav’s relationship with a wealthy
elderly guest Madame D. Filmmakers: Auteur
Wes Anderson creates magical films that capture the imagination with their
lavish style, design, and characters. Each new film from Anderson is a treat.
He is working again with his Moonrise
Kingdom collaborators: composer Alexandre
Desplat, cinematographer Robert
D. Yeoman, and production designer Adam Stockhausen.
Cast: The film stars Ralph Fiennes
and co-stars newcomer Tony Revolori.
It also features a brilliant supporting ensemble, including: Saoirse Ronan,
Bill
Murray, Edward
Norton, Tilda
Swinton, Lea
Seydoux, Jude
Law, Owen
Wilson, Willem
Dafoe, Adrien
Brody, Tom
Wilkinson, Jason
Schwartzman, Jeff Goldblum,
Bob Balaban,
Harvey Keitel,
F. Murray
Abraham, and Mathieu Amalric
(ten of whom have worked with Anderson previously). Expectations:
The Grand Budapest Hotel debuted in February at the Berlin Film Festival
to rave reviews. It is a film that pays homage to the classic Hollywood era
both narratively and stylistically – and filmmakers like Ernst Lubitsch.
Anderson has a style unlike any other filmmaker (though often imitated), with
every shot (its mise en scene, blocking, and camera movement) specifically designed
down to the tiniest detail. His films also have a great dry humor and excellent
soundtracks. I am very interested to see what he does with a story that takes
place in Europe between the World Wars, as it was a bizarre time. Plus, this
film probably has 2014’s best cast so there a bound to be many wonderful
performances. This, with Christopher
Nolan’s Interstellar,
is the film I am most anticipating for 2014. I cannot wait to see it. Trailer: Here.
Worth Checking Out:
Noah (Darren Aronofsky) – Adventure
Epic – Mar 28
Plot
Summary: The Biblical story of Noah’s ark – basically, God is upset with
man so he decides to flood the world, cleansing it and giving mankind (and animal
kind) a new start (and fish a momentary heyday). He speaks to Noah and tells
him that the flood is coming. Noah decides to build an ark to protect his
family. Filmmakers: Auteur Darren Aronofsky
is making his first Hollywood blockbuster with Noah (although, one could
consider The
Fountain a stylistic attempt, maybe). He is known for his edgy character
dramas like Requiem
for a Dream, The Wrestler,
and Black
Swan, none of which resemble a Hollywood blockbuster in the least. He is
working with frequent collaborators composer Clint Mansell
and cinematographer Matthew Libatique;
new to the team is production designer Mark Friedberg
– all of whom are excellent in their respective fields. Cast: The film stars Russell Crowe
and co-stars Jennifer
Connelly, Emma
Watson, Logan
Lerman, and Anthony
Hopkins. Douglas
Booth, Kevin
Durand, Nick
Nolte, Ray
Winstone, and Frank Langella
feature in support. Expectations: Noah is
going to an interesting film one way or another, and also probably very
polarizing. There is no doubt in my mind that Darren Aronofsky is going to make
something very ambitious and aesthetically brilliant. He has a great cast as
well. Plus, Paramount Pictures has given him final cut, so it will be his
vision we see in theaters. What does an Aronofsky blockbuster looks like? Like
I said above, probably a lot like The Fountain, which could be really cool and
different when it comes to what we are accustomed to from Hollywood disaster
epics. I am also very excited to hear Clint Mansell’s score for the film (his
recent stuff, like Black Swan and Stoker,
has be really great). Trailer: Here.
The Raid 2 (Gareth Evans) –
Action Crime Thriller – Mar 28
Plot
Summary: Following the events of The Raid,
Rama again goes undercover with the thugs of Jakarta with the plans of bring
them down and uncovering the corruption within his police force. Filmmakers: Everyone from The Raid is back for the
sequel, including: writer-director Gareth Evans, composers Aria Prayogi, Fajar Yuskemal,
and Joseph
Trapanese, cinematographers Matt Flannery
and Dimas Imam
Subhono, and fight choreographer Yayab Ruhian. Cast: Indonesia action star Iko Uwais is
back as well playing Rama. Expectations: The
Raid was probably the best pure action film of 2012 with incredible fight
sequences (and lots of brutal violence). Many claim that The Raid 2 is an even
better film with bigger and better fight set pieces. Fans of The Raid are no
doubt very excited to see this film, and for those who have not seen it (and
like martial arts action films) it is one worth checking out (see the trailer
for the original here).
This is likely to be one of the biggest and best cult films released in 2014.
It has been playing to critical acclaim on the festival circuit. Plus, Gareth
Evans is at work on The Raid 3. Trailer: Here.
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