"The Grand Budapest Hotel" Movie Review

 

by John Zenoni

Well I finally broke down and watched a movie my younger brother has practically begged me to watch (next on my list is a film my movie buddy keeps asking me to watch, ‘Man of Steel’), Wes Anderson’s ‘Grand Budapest Hotel.’ It wasn't without hesitation though as I'm just not big into Mr. Anderson’s films. His sense of humor just escapes me. However, I will say that this film was better than some of his others that I've watched. I have to admit I did laugh out loud in the opening when the narrator is being so serious and this kid comes popping and the man yells at him. The manner in which he did it was hysterical. Also, I have to say Ralph Fiennes did a splendid job portraying the concierge, Gustavo H. I also loved the performance by the co-star, lobby boy Zero, portrayed by Tony Revolori. Both really played off each very well.

There are some funny moments in the film but I still don’t get the sense of humor. It's just so strange and maybe it takes multiple viewings of his movies to appreciate them.

As usual, a number of celebrities show up in this film (as expected Bill Murray makes a cameo as he seems to love working with Wes Anderson, as does Owen Wilson, who also shows up in the film.

This is one I can finally say I have seen but I'm afraid I don’t have the passion for it that my brother does.

#cinemafiends

#fullycinematic

#grandbudapesthotel

#budapesthotel

#grandbudapest

"Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel" Review

 

by John Zenoni

A very interesting and intriguing show to watch on Netflix is “Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel.” I hadn't heard of this particular hotel in LA, located just on the skirts of the infamous Skid Row area, nor of the mysterious disappearance of the young Elisa Lam, who checked into the hotel while on a trip going up the coast of California and disappeared a few days later.

The story begins with the history of the hotel and how it went from being one of the most extravagant in the United States, at a time when LA was just beginning to boom, to a run down place where homeless people would hang out, prostitution was prevalent and robberies, murders, etc. took over. In fact, at one time the hotel, which has over 700 rooms, was deemed by the city to keep a certain part of the hotel available to tenants who had been renting either by the day, week or month as that was the only place they had to live. What I liked about the intro is that the description and details given about the hotel kind of creeps you out. It does look spooky on the inside - once you're above the lobby - and a lot of people believe it's actually haunted or has a mysterious presence in it due to the number of suicides and murders that have taken place there. It's obvious in the interviews with the staff, local news channels, and residents that the hotel has a bad reputation.

What really made it even more infamous is the case of Elisa Lam. She was a young lady who wanted to leave her home in Canada and travel down the coast to LA to explore the world and find herself. This is back in 2013 and little did she know that after the events took place that she would herself become famous but definitely not in a good way. I won’t give any spoilers as this is the basis of the show but I will say it also is creepy. Even now you can watch the creepy real life video of her in the elevator on YouTube, which is the last time she was seen.

The thing I didn't care for though about the series is that it, while only four episodes long so not too much of an investment, really kind of went all over the place in terms of stories and relied a lot on web sleuths and YouTubers to provide a good bit of input on what they thought happened and why it was so important to them that the case be solved. Many people wanted there to be more to it than there was and they almost seemed disappointed with what happened, which in itself was disturbing to me. Wait until you learn about the black Metal performer, Morbid, and his role in this whole thing.

Anyway, I will say overall it's a good mystery and interesting show. I was impressed to learn that it was executive produced by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, both of whom have produced numerous films in Hollywood. I can see why they thought of being involved with this series as it does capture your attention.

#cinemafiends

#cecilhotel

#netflixcecilhotel

#crimescenececilhotel

The 2021 Golden Globes Nominees Are In

 

Awards season is here and the first big ceremony on deck is for the 78th Golden Globes. We've listed a complete list of this year's nominees and highlighted our picks in red. The winners will be announced on February 28.

FILM

Best Motion Picture -- Musical or Comedy

"Borat Subsequent Moviefilm"

"Hamilton"

"Music"

"Palm Springs"

"The Prom"

Best Motion Picture -- Drama

"The Father"

"Mank"

"Nomadland"

"Promising Young Woman"

"The Trial of the Chicago 7"

Best Motion Picture -- Foreign Language

"Another Round," Denmark

"La Llorona," Guatamala/France

"The Life Ahead," Italy

"Minari," USA

"Two of Us," France/USA

Best Screenplay -- Motion Picture

Emerald Fennell - "Promising Young Woman"

Jack Fincher - "Mank"

Aaron Sorkin - "The Trial of the Chicago 7"

Florian Zeller, Christopher Hampton - "The Father"

Chloe Zhao - "Nomadland"

Best Original Song -- Motion Picture

"Fight for You" - "Judas and the Black Messiah"

"Hear My Voice" - "The Trial of the Chicago 7"

"IO SI (Seen)" - "The Life Ahead"

"Speak Now" - "One Night in Miami"

"Tigress & Tweed" - "The United States vs. Billie Holiday"

Best Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture

Sacha Baron Cohen - "The Trial of the Chicago 7"

Daniel Kaluuya - "Judas and the Black Messiah"

Jared Leto - "The Little Things"

Bill Murray - "On the Rocks"

Leslie Odom, Jr. - "One Night in Miami"

Best Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture

Glenn Close - "Hillbilly Elegy"

Olivia Colman - "The Father"

Jodie Foster - "The Mauritanian"

Amanda Seyfried - "Mank"

Helena Zengel - "News of the World"

Best Actor in a Motion Picture -- Musical or Comedy

Sacha Baron Cohen - "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm"

James Corden - "The Prom"

Lin-Manuel Miranda - "Hamilton"

Dev Patel - "The Personal History of David Copperfield"

Andy Samberg - "Palm Springs"

Best Motion Picture -- Animated

"The Croods: A New Age"

"Onward"

"Over the Moon"

"Soul"

"Wolfwalkers"

Best Actor in a Motion Picture -- Drama

Chadwick Boseman - "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"

Riz Ahmed - "The Sound of Metal"

Anthony Hopkins - "The Father"

Gary Oldman - "Mank"

Tahar Rahim - "The Mauritanian"

Best Actress in a Motion Picture -- Drama

Viola Davis - "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"

Andra Day - "The United States vs. Billie Holiday"

Vanessa Kirby - "Pieces of a Woman"

Frances McDormand - "Nomadland"

Carey Mulligan - "Promising Young Woman

Best Actress in a Motion Picture -- Musical or Comedy

Maria Bakalova - "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm"

Kate Hudson - "Music"

Michelle Pfeiffer - "French Exit"

Rosamund Pike - "I Care A Lot"

Anya Taylor-Joy - "Emma"

Best Actor in a Motion Picture -- Musical or Comedy

Sacha Baron Cohen - "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm"

James Corden - "The Prom"

Lin-Manuel Miranda - "Hamilton"

Dev Patel - "The Personal History of David Copperfield"

Andy Samberg - "Palm Springs"

Best Director -- Motion Picture

David Fincher - "Mank"

Regina King - "One Night in Miami"

Aaron Sorkin - "The Trial of the Chicago 7"

Chloe Zhao - "Nomadland"

Emerald Fennell - "Promising Young Woman"

Best Original Score

"The Midnight Sky"

"Tenet"

"News of the World"

"Mank"

TELEVISION

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series -- Musical or Comedy

Don Cheadle - "Black Monday"

Nicholas Hoult - "The Great"

Eugene Levy - "Schitt's Creek"

Jason Sudekis - "Ted Lasso"

Ramy Youssef - "Ramy"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series -- Musical or Comedy

Lily Collins - "Emily in Paris"

Kaley Cuoco - "The Flight Attendant"

Elle Fanning - "The Great"

Jane Levy - "Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist"

Catherine O'Hara - "Schitt's Creek"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series -- Drama

Jason Bateman - "Ozark"

Josh O'Connor - "The Crown"

Bob Odenkirk - "Better Call Saul"

Al Pacino - "Hunters"

Matthew Rhys - "Perry Mason"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series -- Drama

Olivia Colman - "The Crown"

Jodie Comer - "Killing Eve"

Emma Corrin - "The Crown"

Laura Linney - "Ozark"

Sarah Paulson - "Ratched"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Bryan Cranston - "Your Honor"

Jeff Daniels - "The Comey Rule"

Hugh Grant - "The Undoing"

Mark Ruffalo - "I Know This Much is True"

Ethan Hawke - "The Good Lord Bird"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Cate Blanchett - "Mrs. America"

Daisy Edgar-Jones - "Normal People"

Shira Haas - "Unorthodox"

Nicole Kidman - "The Undoing"

Anya Taylor-Joy - "The Queen's Gambit"

Best Television Series Drama

"The Crown"

"Lovecraft Country"

"The Mandalorian"

"Ozark"

"Ratched"

Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

"Normal People"

"The Queen's Gambit"

"Small Axe"

"The Undoing"

"Unorthodox"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Helena Bonham Carter - "The Crown"

Julia Garner - "Ozark"

Annie Murphy - "Schitt's Creek"

Cynthia Nixon - "Ratched"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

John Boyega - "Small Axe"

Brendan Gleeson - "The Comey Rule"

Daniel Levy - "Schitt's Creek"

Jim Parsons - "Hollywood"

Donald Sutherland - "The Undoing"

Best Television Series -- Musical or Comedy

"Emily in Paris"

"The Flight Attendant"

"Schitt's Creek"

"The Great"

"Ted Lasso"

"The Mauritanian" Early Movie Review

 

by John Zenoni

As most people of this blog's readers know, I normally post lots of my thoughts about the films I see but with ‘The Mauritanian’, I was reading through several reviews after watching the screening and I just happened to find one by The Hollywood Reporter that pretty much sums up all my feelings about the film. So I'll keep this brief.

I do have two key points to share though and that is one, actor Tahar Rahim, who plays the central character Mohamedou in the film, does an outstanding job in his performance. This should definitely bring him to the forefront of today’s actors and the other is, why would you have such a build up in the film and get to the point where Mohamedou can talk to the US Court after all his years of being detained to give what I will call a ‘lackluster’ speech at most? That is the one letdown to me about the film.

Anyway, this is definitely a good film that will leave you thinking a lot about the actions of many and how someone could bring detained for 14 years without being charged for a crime.

#cinemafiends

#themauritanian

#mauritanianfilm

"The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" Book Review

 

by John Zenoni

I wasn't sure that I'd be ready for another novel, particularly a prequel, in the wonderful Hunger Games series as I thought everything was wrapped up very nicely. However, I loved this latest entry! Again, it's a prequel that gives us insight into the early years of Coriolanus Snow, who would go on to become president of Panem (and main villain) in the original trilogy.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is an origin story for the Hunger Games themselves and tells us how and why they came to be in the first place.

With all that said, the primary character of Coryo (nickname in the novel) and his family are people who I liked and thought they were well developed as far as characters. We also are introduced to a love interest, Lucy Gray, and her family and clan that endured hardship by not being part of the Capital but who would capture the attention of Snow.

The action and buildup is done very well and we get inside the mind of Coriolanus and I actually feel for him throughout the majority of the book until he begins to justify in his own mind certain actions that he partakes in. It's there at the end that you see how he's beginning to turn into the man he was in the original trilogy.

The ending was spot on and so good!

I don’t think fans of the Hunger Games will be disappointed with this one! Great read!