Films: The Grand Budapest Hotel & Love Is In the Air

The Grand Budapest Hotel 

Set between the wars, there is a hint of the bittersweet romanticism of Ernst Lubitsch with the freewheeling comedy of the Marx Brothers all wrapped in the gorgeous production design and attention to detail in this latest from Anderson.  Fiennes heads an all-star cast as the legendary hotel concierge Gustave H. and Tony Revolori is the lobby boy Zero Moustafa who becomes his trusted friend and closest ally when the disputed ownership of a priceless Renaissance painting threatens to escalate into an international scandal.  Love, death, fractured families and broken hearts are all part of the riotous mix in a perfect blend of style, substance and unforgettable characters from Tilda Swinton as Gustave’s elderly paramour Madame D to Adrien Brody as her vengeance-seeking son Dimtri.

Fri 4 April 6pm
Sat 5 April 8pm
Sun 6 April 5.30pm
Tues 8 April 8.30pm
Wed 9 April 2.30pm & 6pm
Thur 10 April 8.30pm

Dir. Wes Anderson, US, 2014, ? mins.
Cast. Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton, Adrien Brody, Edward Norton, Jason Schwartzman, Owen Wilson, Bill Murray.

Love Is In the Air 

One bright sunny New York morning, soon-to-be-married Julie (Sagnier) flits from post-it note to post-it note, making sure that she has taken care of everything before returning to Paris. Handsome Casanova Antoine (Bedos), on the other hand, awakens late, handcuffed, surrounded by empty bottles and nameless ladies. By chance, they are seated next to each other in first class, though it isn’t a welcome arrangement—he broke her heart three years prior, and they haven’t spoken since. Over the next seven hours, their initial verbal sparring gives way to genuine reminiscences and awkward silences. This is a breezy and decidedly glossy Gallic take on the classic comedy of remarriage, ripped right from the pages of a Hollywood romantic comedy playbook.

Fri 4 April 8.30pm
Sat 5 April 2.30pm & 5.30pm
Sun 6 April 8pm
Tues 8 April 6pm
Wed 9 April 8.30pm
Thur 10 April 6pm

Dir: Alexandre Castagnetti, France, 2013, 96 mins, subtitled.

Cast. Ludivine Sagnier, Nicolas Bedos, Jonathan Cohen.