THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL – Check in!

Oddball characters,  larger-than-life sets, dead-pan humour, a solid storyline – Director Wes Anderson hits all the right notes with “The Grand Budapest Hotel”.  He truly transports you to a world of his own.

Recounted in flashback, the film introduces M.Gustave (played by Ralph Fiennes), the concierge at the hotel.  He takes the lobby boy, Zero (played by Tony Revolori) under his wing, who goes on to become his best friend and confidante. When one of the hotel’s richest visitors (played by Tilda Swinton)  dies, leaving all her wordly possessions to Gustave, including an invaluable Renaissance painting, her son is enraged with disbelief, and accuses Gustave of murdering her. How Gustave and Zero escape from the Nazis, the police, a psychopath serial killer (played by Willem Dafoe) across Europe to prove their innocence, forming bonds of comradeship along the way forms the rest of the plot.

Ralph Fiennes has outdone himself in one of his best performances to date. The film truly does belong to him, and his performance ensures that there isn’t a dull moment throughout the movie. The rest of the cast also excels, and boasts of names like Bill Murray, Owen Wilson and Jude Law in intriguing cameos. The film is brilliantly puppeteered by Wes Anderson, who has proved his unbeatable skills of a director yet again by bringing in the moments of subtle humour right when needed, yet never breaking away from the intensity of the storyline.

Quirky, hilarious and beautifully made, The Grand Budapest Hotel is a must watch. Check in! 

                                         -Priyanka Rajagopalan

Jigarthanda

A HEADY BEVERAGE

Jigarthanda is every bit worth the wait that the delays and controversies resulted in. Karthik Subbaraj (director of Pizza) once again proves his mettle with this darkly humorous gangster film. A film of sheer brilliance, Jigarthanda effortlessly breaks the set molds of gangster films in Tamil cinema.

Karthik (Siddharth) is an aspiring filmmaker who is determined to  discreetly delve deep into the life of notorious Madurai gangster, Sethu (Bobby Simha), in the quest of coming up with a novel script replete with a generous dose of violence. This dangerous task brings Karthik in close contact with these ruthless killers, as the film puts it. What follows is an epic tale with quite a few plot twists and not a single dull moment.

What sets Jigarthanda apart from the numerous gangster/rowdy movies in Kollywood is its treatment of the genre. The hero isn’t the quintessential hero; the villain isn’t the quintessential villain.One commendable thing about this movie is that comedy isn’t used as a diversion track, there is no comic relief character, all characters are dark, and all characters are humorous. The hero and heroine don’t break into dreamy love songs, making it very realistic and keeping you connected to what’s happening at all times.Never before has a film like this been portrayed in such a stylish manner. The cinematography, particularly those involving violence and chase scenes, is outstanding. The true star of Jigarthanda is its spellbinding background score by Santhosh Narayanan. It is quirky, eclectic, and well, there is no other word for it, sexy. The mood it sets is one of thrill, adrenaline, elegance and awe, reminiscent of Soodhu Kavvum. The songs are catchy too.

The plotline is ingenious, as are the plot twists. The movie is rife with suspense, particularly the way in which it breaks for intermission. Though the second half doesn’t quite continue in the vein of the first, that’s what makes this movie all the more enjoyable – that it tries to incorporate a bit of everything and doesn’t fail. No emotion is overdone; it more or less achieves the ideal mix. The dialogues are extremely well written, some giving you many laughs, throwing up strategically placed English words and phrases when you least expect them, and some making you applaud for the “punch” they deliver. The climax will leave you gaping at the screen as the end credits roll.

Jigarthanda has an amazing cast. Siddharth has achieved what he set out to do with this film – break his guy-next-door image. He beautifully underplays his role, not once going overboard. Bobby Simha shines as an aged gangster, and you can’t help but cheer this slightly crazy criminal on. Karunakaran is delightful as Karthik’s friend and the supporting cast of Sethu’s hoodlums is perfect. Lakshmi Menon is a little raw but convincing. Maybe the only flaw is that it is a little too long (171 minutes), but with a film like this, it doesn’t really matter. Definitely worth a watch;this one will likely change the way movies are made and perceived in Kollywood. 

                                                                                          -Sanjana Gautham

22 Jump Street

A “Bromantic” comedy

After a successful undercover drug bust operation in high school in 21 Jump Street in 2012, Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko( Channing Tatum ) are on their next big assignment, to do the same in college in 22 Jump Street. In 2012, 21 Jump Street gave us some belly aching moments, so expectations for its sequel were higher and does it deliver? It makes us laugh, but not as much as we would like it to.

The main flaw of the film is that there haven’t been any drastic changes in its plot or storyline; it is almost exactly the same as the previous one which makes it predictable and doesn’t have any elements of surprise in it. 22 Jump Street is a self-aware movie that follows the formula of its origin without any twerks whatsoever. However,you can look past it because of how enjoyable it is otherwise. The movie reflects directors Chistopher Miller and Phil Lord’s only one purpose with the making of this movie – to make us laugh, and they excel at it consistently throughout the movie, even until credits. The jokes are clever, fast-paced, relentless and never tiresome.

The chemistry between the leads Jonah Hill ad Chaning Tatum is well improvised on incredibly in this sequel. Their presence on screen brings a smile, and makes the viewers believe that they are in for a treat. As great as the duo are with their comedic timings, special mention has to be given to the impactful role of Captain Dickson (Ice Cube) who steals the show each time with his mere smirk expression that puts us into fits of laughter.

Don’t go in with too many expectations, and you would enjoy this film.

                                                                                             -Disha Munoth