The Grand Budapest Hotel

Wes Anderson drops his latest film upon us, and if you weren't a fan of his before, it will continue that way.

Set mainly in a fictional European country in the 1930's, The Grand Budapest Hotel tells the story of Zero (Tony Revolori) who trains as a lobby boy of the titular hotel, under the tutelage of Monsieur Gustave (Ralph Fiennes). Monsieur Gustave runs the hotel like a well-oiled machine and ensures that all guests are promptly taken care of, especially the females.

One female in particular, Madame Celine Villeneuve Desgoffe-und-Taxis aka Madame D (Tilda Swinton) eventually is found dead under suspicious circumstances. As Monsieur Gustave took special care of her during her time at the Grand Budapest Hotel, a journey begins where Monsieur Gustave takes Zero to Madame D's will reading. As Madame D's family expects to be bequeathed all of her fortune, the family is shocked that Monsieur Gustave has been granted a very expensive painting. This especially enrages Madame D's son, Dmitri Desgoffe-und-Taxis (Adrien Brody) who employs his loyal assassin J.G. Jopling (Willem Dafoe) to try and stop Monsieur Gustave and retrieve the painting.

This really is only the start of the plot and does not include an extended prison sequence featuring Harvey Keitel or the brief cameos by Anderson regulars Bill Murray and Owen Wilson. Edward Norton also shows up, sporting an ungodly accent, as an inspector that is really forced by the screenplay into tying up the remainder of the plot.

The film itself is filled to the brim with all of the standard Wes Anderson tropes that you have come to expect. The film may not be making fun of itself, but also really doesn't push any new limits that you haven't seen before from a Wes Anderson film. In regards to Wes Anderson films, this doesn't reach the heights of his latest efforts like Moonrise Kingdom or Fantastic Mr. Fox and certainly doesn't compare to my personal favorite: The Royal Tenenbaums.

As it is, though, with most Wes Anderson films, you know what you are getting, and this film certainly provides that. Even when Wes Anderson doesn't give you his best film, it's still better than most of what's currently playing at the cinema.

7.8/10

31 In 31: The Fly

As soon as I start the 31 In 31, I get really sick. I apologize for not providing a review a day as initially stated, but I will throw out 2 horror films today to make up for yesterday. Sound good?

David Cronenberg's 1986 remake stars Jeff Goldblum as Seth Brundle, an eccentric scientist who has developed transportation telepods. Journalist Veronica Quaife (Geena Davis) is won over by Seth's personality and his showcasing of how the telepods work.

Initially, the telepods are unable to transport living items; resulting in grotesque results. Seth continues to work with the teleportation sequence until he figures out how to transport living things from one telepod to the other. Being the eccentric and gung-ho scientist he is, Seth decides to be his own guinea pig and teleports himself. Unbeknownst to him, a fly is also in the pod with him and both Seth and the fly are teleported.

Upon emerging from his teleportation, Seth has renewed energy and shares it with Veronica. Eventually, though, some of the fly's characteristics begin to show. Early on, Seth begins sprouting small hairs, has an insatiable love for sugar and begins losing his fingernails. Initially believing himself to have a form of cancer from the teleportation, Seth eventually realizes that his DNA and the DNA from the fly have merged. Now Seth has to race against time to try and find a way to cure himself before it's too late.

The 1986 version of The Fly is a major factor as to why I am not entirely against remakes. Along with Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) and The Thing (1982), The Fly is how a remake should be done. David Cronenberg took the general idea of the 1958 film and took it into an entirely different direction. Instead of having a man with a fly head, as is done in the '58 version, Cronenberg took the idea of fusing DNA and watching Seth morph into a fly.

There really isn't much that can be said about this film that hasn't been said before. If you haven't seen this film, it is a must see. The make-up effects by Chris Walas are so well done and very deserving of an Academy Award and Jeff Goldblum gives a once-in-a-career performance. His ticks and mannerisms as Seth Brundle showcase an actor giving a great performance.

If you are a fan of horror or David Cronenberg, this is a must-see. The Fly is a great mold on how to do a remake right.