THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL [Blu-ray KIMCHIDVD Steelbook LENTICULAR Slip Edition; REGION-FREE; Sold Out; Kimchi Exclusive; Only 1300 Worldwide]

A surefire way to laughter!Wes Anderson’s indie absurdist comedy-drama The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) is absolute nonsensical comedy and pure joy filmmaking for 100 minutes of delightful charm. Wes Anderson’s direction is sublime and fast in one of his funniest features. The odd humor and resonant dramatic moments keep you guessing as he lures you in with elegant charm and stays engaged because of all the quirky characters and sleek filmmaking. Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness adapt Stefan Zweig’s novels into a surreal crime mystery full of endless absurdist humor of the highest caliber. You will not stop smiling during The Grand Budapest Hotel until the credit hit.All the delicate pinks and vibrant purples in Stephan O. Gessler and Adam Stockhausen’s production design make The Grand Budapest Hotel look like a luxurious period dollhouse. It’s so beautiful to look at Robert Yeoman’s cinematography as every shot is a cute square and close medium shot of adorable perfection. His style is so refreshing and breathtaking that it’s clearly influenced anyone from Paul King’s Paddington and Paddington 2 to Rian Johnson’s Knives Out. Barney Pilling’s editing is quick with slick cuts from one decorative German locale to another lavish spot. Milena Canonero’s costumes are neat concierge uniforms to period soldier uniforms all in striking purple or black. She outdid herself with these outfits of colorful flair.Alexandre Desplat’s score is so pleasant as his whimsical charm is still present in his ambient sounds that are more electronic this time around, yet remain graceful. His movie music is refined, yet chaotic fun and always fun to hear. Heike Merker and Norma Webb’s make-up is excellent as they age Tilda Swinton decades into an elderly lady, in a role that she delivers convincingly. Meanwhile, they give all the gentlemen of The Grand Budapest Hotel an air of sophistication and grace. All the ladies are gifted with cute looks and restrained beauty with pulled back hair and neat dresses.I must mention Ralph Fiennes elevates The Grand Budapest Hotel into all time great comedy status thanks to his riveting and hilarious comedic turn as Monsieur Gustave H. His endless poetic ramblings and rude offhand remarks are just too funny. Tony Revolori is fun as the steadfast lobby boy Young Zero Moustafa. F. Murray Abraham is heartbreaking and interesting as Old Zero Moustafa. Jude Law is excellent as the Young Writer, who is our narrator along with Tom Wilkinson as the Old Author.I loved Mathieu Amalric as the secretive Serge X. Adrien Brody steals every scene he’s in as the scoundrel heir Dmitri Desgoffe-und-Taxis. His sudden curses and calm walk show a level of refinement to his acting that allows him to be intimidating without trying too hard. Willem Dafoe is monstrous as the serial killer J.G. Jopling. Jeff Goldblum is funny as the lawyer Deputy Vilmos Kovacs. His cat getting killed is so funny like how Wes Anderson kills off many of his furry creatures suddenly in his features.Saoirse Ronan is magical and sympathetic as the pastry girl Agatha. She’s captivating every second she is on screen. I simply adore Léa Seydoux, so it is delightful seeing her as the maid Clotilde. My only complaint to Wes Anderson is that Ronan and Seydoux should have had more lines!Harvey Keitel is cool and funny as the tough prisoner Ludwig. Bill Murray gets a fun cameo as Monsieur Ivan, meanwhile, Jason Schwartzman is funny as the lazy Monsieur Jean. I really enjoyed seeing Owen Wilson in a Wes Andreson feature again as the helpful Monsieur Chuck. Edward Norton cameos as a pivotal character called Inspector Albert Henckels. Furthermore, Wes Anderson puts in all manner of cameos of actors from his previous films for the astute fan of his extensive filmography now.In all, Wes Anderson utilizes his magnificent cast wonderfully resulting in an enchanting picture.

The best in its class as far as director, art direction, dry, dry humor. Certainly one of my favorite movies!

This is a good film.

Don’t know why it took me so long to view it, funny, charming, just the thing for an enjoyable way to relax.

Watched iot many times.

Spoilers! I think everyone misses the idea behind this movie. It takes place during the Holocaust and if you were as confused as I was about this movie, it may help you to understand it if you place Gustave in the place of the older Zero. It makes so much more sense this way! Gustave was blonde and blue eyed. The Nazi's (or ZZ in this movie) would have had no problem with him unless he harbored Jews or foreigners or was actually homosexual which I believe he wasn't, he was just a flamboyant straight man who was bullied and mocked. After all, Abraham's character says Gustave lived in a time past his own. Anyway, at the end if the movie, something significant happens. The movie suddenly turns black and white. I take this to mean, of course what's coming is significant and dark, but also gray... In that what is about to happen may be the truth or not, it's black and white, we are in some kind of middle ground also expressed by the poem told by Agatha, that a moment in time two brothers, one from the East (Zero) and one from the West (Gustave) cross paths and become one. Then we see Zero get smashed with a rifle butt and Gustave lose it. I think Gustave likely didn't react that way and regretted it forever. He then assumed the persona of his best friend Zero and likely concocted stories seen in the news paper about how Zero escaped a Nazi camp in an uprising. Gustave then likely could have truly used the hotel to hide Jews and whomever as seen in the papers. Perhaps once again, he didn't, wished he had, and that added to his depression.Now, older Zero, or Gustave... Had brown eyes. Blank eyes really. I think it is to reflect Gustave's emptiness. Agatha was killed during the "Prussian Grippe" meaning German grip.. She was Scottish in the film, a prime candidate for Nazi encampment. The older man at the end says he kept open the hotel in honor of Agatha. If it's Gustave as I believe, it is the truth. Paying close attention, Gustave respected Agatha because his "brother" loved her so well and in turn I believe Gustave would have loved her just the same. The old man also sleeps in the servant's quarters.. Likely where Zero stayed. I think Gustave could have slept there too in order to feel closer to his deceased friend whom he failed to save.Truthfully, it could go either way. But there is a moment on the train when Abraham narrates that he never asked Gustave where he was from, and never asked about his family. We see a close up of Gustave staring blankly at the bunk above him where Zero was sleeping during this.. It makes me feel as though Gustave was thinking this and in turn, saying it. Not Zero. We find out later after a fight between the two that Zero left his country because of a civil war and his parents were killed. I think Gustave regrets this fight severely. If he had asked Zero ahead of time, he wouldn't have hurt Zero the way he did. Sure they make up, but the event after are very wacky and likely twisted truths.In the end, I feel like the older man then presents himself as Gustave when he lays on the table a room key with Gustave's suite on it. I feel he was saying, this is who i am. Truthfully though, they were the same. But Gustave says that Zero was the better lobby boy, he was the most accommodating, more reason to think we are hearing Gustave's regret for not protecting his friend.Other keys to this theory is the opening lines from the author about how writers understand when they are hearing a story and it's up to readers to interpret things themselves and to analyze things to understand the correctly. This would be pointless words of there wasn't a twist at the end as I believe there is.It's a phenomenal film. I may be wrong. But I encourage all to watch this movie with the idea that Gustave is the old man who has come to model himself after Zero, a merging of two brothers, one who died, and one who regretted not being able to save him.

This is a beautiful and very entertaining film with a truly remarkable all star cast. Everybody who is anybody in the world of contemporary screen acting seems to be in this. But however enticing it is to see all those big names in the same film, the concept is not without its problems. Apart from Ralph Fiennes, the then practically unknown Tony Revolory and possibly Saoirse Ronan, the stars don't really get as much screen time as they deserve and I was left wanting to see more of most of them. Much more. Because the acting is flawless throughout. Down to the smallest supporting parts, everybody is on top of their game. And they all look absolutely fabulous in those amazing costumes.Like the costumes, the sets are stunningly beautiful. Everything is so highly stylized as to be exaggerated - befitting for the setting inside a luxury hotel, a place where reality is suspended the moment you enter. Visually, the film is a masterpiece. Every frame is composed down to the last detail. It's a joy to watch. The story is fun, especially the more whimsical moments, but I must admit that I couldn't get emotionally invested in the fate of the characters. For me, this one is style over substance. Great entertainment, I enjoyed watching it, enjoyed Ralph Fiennes' amazing performance, loved the music, but the thing I remember most are the sets and costumes.The DVD is lovely. It has English subtitles for those who may need them. Also included are the following extra features: - Mendl's Secret Recipe - Promotional Featurettes (Cast, Wes Anderson) - Stills Gallery - Theatrical Trailer

I’m not sure why I do this... Even though I have already seen this film through means of streaming, I still want to own it, and most probably never watch it. I think it’s a man thing, we like hunting, if not buffalo anymore then it’s records and dvds. The fact I bothered getting a hard copy means I think highly of it, as I’ve been scaling down my dvd collection of late. But this is not reversing the trend. So to all those collectors out there, it’s worth having in your collection in my opinion.

The movie was released in 2014, just to make things clear. 100% best cinema from me, having seen most of Wes Anderson's work. The movie is so symbolic and that's why it is so popular and widely understood and appreciated. The symbols of by- gone eras, the many nations' symbols and even loyalty becomes a symbol because it is so set in stone. Love, once found, also gets set in stone and is represented by many objects or places... which become symbolic as the plot unravels. The cast,superb , makes it easy to follow a fascinating plot and enjoy the humour. It's an action movie once we learn a bit about the writer's job in this story. Emotions are seen in action, there is no time for their development, so enjoy the roller coaster !

A breath of fresh air, originality, hilarity, and fine acting in this marvellous romp starting in the hallowed portals of the old world epitome of splendour and elegance The Hotel Budapest. The cast is superbly led by Ralph Fiennes, playing the hotel general manager who does whatever is necessary to keep his older female guests happy, contented and returning.It is when one of his 'older very wealthy dear ladies' dies and leaves her considerable fortune to him, much to the anger of her very large extended family, that frantic events, murder and wild chases take place, that are in the tradition of The Blues Brothers, Indiana Jones and The Pirates of The Caribbean chaotic chase scenes.'Hammy' overacting, earthy language, and exuberant fantasy-like sets are the order of the day in this film which is very funny, gripping and excellent entertainment.For it's originality, panache, settings, and outstanding 'make-you-laugh' comedic values "Grand Budapest Hotel" richly and justifiably deserves several Oscars.

Not my favorite Wes Anderson film but wonderful visually.the cinematography by Robert Yeoman is really stupendous as are the sets .The costumes are designed by the great Milena Canonero who I think is the modern Edith Head.She won the Oscar for her designs here.I find the story rather rambling but the performances by Ralph Fiennes in particular as well as the young Tony Revelori are well woth watching and the supporting cast give wonderful,character filled performances,especially Tilda Swinton.And worth mentioning Jude Law who is both amusing and restrained here. I do recommend this.I much prefer The Darjeeling Express which is my favorite movie of Wes's and the Royal Tennenbaums but this is great fun nevertheless. Worth the small investment !