think pink for a look at the days of yore

Rating: 9/10 (29 March 2014)

So far I've liked every Wes Anderson movie that I've seen, and that includes "The Grand Budapest Hotel". This comedic tale of murder and mayhem in inter-war Europe has everything that we expect in Anderson's movies: dolly shots, pronounced colors, and quirky characters. Watching the movie, I got the feeling that Anderson made it with the aim of appealing to a larger audience due to some scenes that tended more towards action. Not that it subtracts from the good stuff in the movie. One thing that struck me is that even though the movie takes place in a fictional country in Central Europe, every cast member uses his/her real voice: we hear American, English and French accents. It's as though this country is a microcosm of the entire Western world.
This time Anderson assembled what appears to be his largest cast. Ralph Fiennes as the hotel concierge and newcomer Tony Revolori as the lobby boy are the main focus, but there are lots of others (including, naturally, Anderson regular Bill Murray). It's just a really fine piece of work. I'll be very eager to see Anderson's next movie.