Showing posts with label Edward Norton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Edward Norton. Show all posts

Sunday, 1 February 2015

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014): ****



The Grand Budapest Hotel recalls the glory days in the 1930s of the titular faded hotel in the fictional country of Zubrowka. Whilst the likely prospect of war looms over the country, the Grand Budapest occupants are more concerned with living in opulent luxury; all their pleasures cared for by top concierge Monsieur Gustave (Ralph Fiennes). Under his tutorage is young Zero (Tony Revolori), the newly appointed lobby-boy having escaped from his war-torn homeland. When one of Gustave’s patrons dies unexpectedly and leaves him a priceless painting, Gustave is accused of murder and theft, and requires the help of his trusted lobby-boy.      

Wednesday, 14 January 2015

Birdman (2014): *****



One of the first scenes in Birdman tracks in on the cast of Riggan Thomson’s (Michael Keaton) play rehearsing a scene, flowing seamlessly between acting out their parts and asking Thomson for direction in the same breath. It is one of the countless incidences where we call into the question the line between artificiality and the truth. It is also one of the numerous themes that director Alejandro González Iñárritu tackles in Birdman, a technically marvellous, darkly humorous and insightful film.