Hello, I haven’t been writing lately because of spring break, and I was lazy. I did watch a lot of movies though, that I don’t think I’ll be reviewing… but we’ll see. But, in the light of the corona virus I have decided to watch a movie every morning and do a review of it. And today’s the first one with Grand Budapest Hotel.

The Grand Budapest Hotel is one of the most Wes Anderson movies out there. His distinct style seems to surprise me in every one of his movies, especially this one. His format shouldn’t work, however, it always does. Next to Rushmore, I’d put this as his best work. The movie had a beautiful pallet and overall design. The way Wes Anderson positioned the camera made every shot a piece of art. His way of making a comedy really works here. The acting is superb. I really enjoyed Ralph Fiennes’s performance as M. Gustave. I felt that he was able to bring the right amount of comedy to the role that, at times, reminded me of Fawlty Towers. I also liked seeing Tony Revolori in a role other than Flash in Spider-Man, I feel that he did a great job portraying the timid lobby boy. Obviously, Saoirse Ronan is great in this, along with everything else she does. The script in this is fantastic, allowing the characters to stand out from one and other. Another thing I love about this movie is the score. Still, above all, the colors in this movie really make it work, along with the set design. I’ve found that Wes Anderson’s focus in film is making everything look perfect, especially because the character’s aren’t. This stark contrast is what makes his movies funny. There are obviously some problems with the movie. One of the glaring problems for me is that I felt the tension sometimes didn’t work, and I feel that some of the conflict and emotional moments didn’t hit as hard as they should have. The comedic characters are great, but I feel that in a way, they were 2 dimensional, which I suppose was part of the movie in a way. Still, this movie was definitely deserving of the best picture nomination it received. Watching all of Wes Anderson’s movies in order has made me appreciate the development of his style. Slowly, movie by movie, Wes Anderson begins developing the distinct style he is known for today. I believe that The Grand Budapest Hotel is the best example of his personal style, and that is why it’s one of my favorites. 9.4/10

Where can I find this?: On your normal places to rent/buy things

Little Women is a movie with some great moments. I think Saoirse Ronan’s performance was outsanding and certain parts of the movie worked really well. However, sudden tonal shifts and time jumps made the movie somewhat confusing at times. Little Women is great with its characters. All of the characters are distinct and are played by great actresses. As I mentioned above, Saoirse Ronan is a stand-out among the others and is one of my favorite performances of the year. Furthermore, the story handled emotion really well and made the movie interesting to watch. I enjoyed the use of period-accurate clothing and set pieces. Some of the shots in this movie were shot really nicely. Near the end of the movie, I started becoming more invested in the story and the characters. The final act is a wonderful piece of movie, I’d recommend it for this alone. While I enjoyed this movie, I did have quite a few issues. First off, the sudden tonal shifts felt abrupt at times. I mentioned above that this film handles emotion well. Still, it never seems like the movie can stick with a mood for more than a few minutes. There were also odd uses of time progression, often leaving me confused about when this was compared to other events. I haven’t read the book, so, it’s possible that some of this might have made more sense to others. While this isn’t something that ruined the movie, I was also bothered by how much they complained about how poor they were while they were putting on fancy clothing. Most of my complaints are focused on the end of the first act and the start of the second. After that, I enjoyed it the whole way through. That being said, I really enjoyed this movie overall. It tells a great story and is presented well for the most part. I would definitely recommend this to anyone that has or has not read the book. It’s an emotion-filled movie with great acting and a wonderful final act. I’m giving this movie a 3.5/5 because some of my complaints bugged me more than they should have. Still, it is a great movie, I would recommend it.

Where can I find “Little Women?”: Right now, buy it or rent it if you want to.

Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood offers an interesting look back on Hollywood in the 60s. Quinton Tarantino returns to direct this somewhat comedic look on the Charles Manson that subverts your expectations. It’s a great, fun movie, with great acting (Especially by Brad Pitt.) My largest complaint is that while it may look great, and it may give the audience a precise look at Hollywood in the 60s, it lacks in a great story. It had a fairly basic story, but, it felt jumbled and thrown together. Nevertheless, it was a great movie and I’d definitely recommend it. I’d give the movie 7.9/10

Where can I find this?: If you have the Starz Hulu add on, you can get it. If not, you’ll have to rent or buy it.

When I first heard that this movie was “a beautiful story about divorce,” I was confused to say the least. Tonight, I finally sat down to watch it. While it isn’t my favorite movie of the year, I’d definitely recommend it. As a start, the acting in this was some of the best I’ve seen in a while, personally, Adam Driver’s performance was a huge stand-out. I think Adam Driver did alright in the Star Wars franchise, but this really helps me see him as a really good actor. On the note of great acting, I’d also like to point out Laura Dern’s performance as the lawyer, which was also a notably good performance. Another strong component to this movie was the screenplay, Laura Dern’s story about reading the script for the first time really sums it up. Baumbach used a great progression to convey the way the characters felt without simply stating it. On the other hand, I had a few issues with the movie. I felt that there were certain unresolved threads. For example, this is getting into some light spoilers, the punch in the wall was hardly brought up again. There were a few other things that were never brought up. Another complaint for me would be some of the cuts the movie makes. I also felt that certain comedic bits were misplaced. Other than those complaints, this movie is great. In retrospect, this movie is one of the best of 2019. Adam Driver’s performance was a stand-out. While I know the Oscar will go to Phoenix for the Joker, I hope Adam Driver gets recognition for his performance in this. The movie’s use of emotion kept me invested until the very end. I’d give this a solid 3.75/5

Where can I find “Marriage Story?”: Well, it’s a Netflix original, so…

(Spoilers) The movie itself is a fun action-packed adventure. If you are going into this movie to have a fun time, you will be happy. This movie kept me grinning from ear to ear the whole way through. However, as someone who enjoyed the Last Jedi, I can’t help but saying that I’m kind of disappointed. To start, the first act was incredibly awkward. For me, the course correction JJ Abrams included isn’t the problem, the real problem is how quickly it all happened within the first act. Another problem I had with the first act was the over-use of McGuffins. Rey, Poe, and Finn needed to get one McGuffin to find another McGuffin that would lead to a McGuffin leading to Palpatine. Speaking of Palpatine, the plot hole involving the fact that Kylo Ren went to the temple at the very beginning was frustrating, to say the least. After that, the movie finally began warming up on me. Following the numerous frustrating jumps between planets and quests, we go to Endor. If anything is great about this movie, it’s the relationship between Rey and Kylo. Truly, it’s at the best it’s been in this trilogy. But, the reveal of Rey’s parents was kind of disappointing honestly. There’s too much praise for this movie saying that it’s unpredictable, I have to disagree. This movie, I found, to be extremely predictable, including Rey’s heritage. But again, this is NOT A NEGATIVE REVIEW. There were things I really enjoyed about this movie as well. I thought that some of the fan service actually worked nicely with the (somewhat convoluted) plot. Han’s return, Luke’s force ghost powers, Ben’s redemption, and Chewbacca’s metal were all big highlights. But, so many of those great moments ended up getting lost to me with huge gaping plot holes (i.e. where did Palpatine’s army come from, how did he survive, etc.) and rushed plot lines. But again, it’s a Star Wars movie. If anything is wrong with Star Wars right now, it’s the fans. Everyone holds Star Wars to an incredibly high standard, what people need to realize is that this is a kids movie. The kids of each generation fall in love with their respective trilogy. 3.5/10 This should have been better.

Where can I find this?: It’s currently not on any streaming services, but it will be on Disney Plus very soon.

This movie might just be my favorite movie of all time. That might sound like an extremely bold claim (especially for a comedy about Nazis), but trust me, I can explain. Taika Waititi is easily my favorite director present day. I’m a huge fan of the use of character quirks and Taika’s use of harsh reality for comedy, there is plenty of that in this movie. Every character in this movie serves a wonderful purpose, even some of the smaller characters.

Although only a secondary character, Captain K is probably the deepest character in the entire film. Although it’s not too obvious at first, it becomes clear that Captain Klenzendorf is not a Nazi. In fact, as someone on this subreddit pointed out, he has a paper clip in his front pocket, meaning he is part of a resistance. However, Taika Waititi made the creative choice not to focus on this, after all, we are following an indoctrinated child who is completely ignorant to a lot in the world around him. While one could argue that imaginary Adolf played the part of Jojo’s father figure, I think there would be a stronger argument on Captain K’s side. Jojo may not recognize him being as big of a part of his life until much later in the film. Captain K seems to care for Jojo a lot, but, will never be rewarded for the fact that he wasn’t “one of the bad guys.” Jojo probably won’t fully understand Captain K’s sacrifice until later in life, which is why Captain K is one of my favorite characters.

Then there are other characters playing the role of the father figure to Jojo, such as imaginary Adolf. The thing I love most about Imaginary Adolf is the way Taika’s portrayal progresses as Jojo gains an understanding. For example, the speech about being a grain of sand lost in a desert of insignificance (an actual Hitler speech) is completely different from the beginning of the movie where Jojo and Adolf are basically just really close friends. It’s hard for most directors to convey a change in children’s characters. Imaginary Hitler doesn’t only represent the world surrounding our protagonist in a comedic manner, but, Imaginary Adolf also represents the side of Jojo’s brain that has been flooded with Nazi beliefs.

It’s interesting that in a movie listed as a “comedy” we need the comedic relief character like Fraulein Rahm. Really, yes, she’s a very devoted Nazi and shows the mindset that almost everyone in Germany, not just children, were influenced by. However, a larger part of her character is to serve a very comedic purpose. I feel that her original ending in the script (which, if you like the movie as much as I do, read the script, there are quite a few changes that make it worth the read) where she dies under a house would have either ruined the continuous flow of her character’s tone if done dramatically or been out of place in the scene’s context if done comedically. Overall, I think that the ending they went with was much more fitting, making Fraulein Rahm one of the funniest characters in the movie.

The progression of Jojo Rabbit is done in such a way that, although each character is given their unique moment, it is all told well within the main story, and through the eyes of the protagonist. Jojo and Elsa, being the main characters, experience the most growth out of all of these characters. Obviously, Jojo learned of all the wrongs he has been taught, and that change is the center of the film’s plot. However, Elsa also goes through a change as well. Through her experiences with Rosie and Jojo, she starts to realize that there is hope. That is why we start to see the spirit of Rosie in Elsa near the end of the film, shown through the shoes. Which brings me to the wonderful symbolism in the film.

For example, there is some brilliant symbolism in my favorite scene of the movie, and maybe of any Waititi film. That scene is when “everybody’s gotta live” plays, and we see Elsa and Jojo grow closer. The way he uses smart editing of rotation to show the passage of time, along with being a touching and sometimes funny scene, shows everything I love about Taika and more. Watching Jojo Rabbit in theaters, seeing this scene is the precise moment that my eyes opened up to real film. But, that scene ends with a shot of Jojo and Elsa, close, looking out over Germany, which is a war ridden place in the middle of a bombing. Yet, they are able to find peace. I believe that it was to show the juxtaposition between the new and the old Jojo. Having a conversation with Elsa of this manner was a huge step for him, showing an air raid in the background is symbolic of them both looking at their past while talking about their future. Jojo is all too familiar with this type of war, but through talking with Elsa, he’s definitely becoming more peaceful in nature, and he’s able to discuss that while looking directly at his past. I hope this makes sense.

Taika Waititi’s movies are funny, beautiful, have great messages, and most importantly are relocatable. Often, Taika Waititi uses improv as one of his main directing techniques, this allows the actors on set to feel more relaxed, allowing a real read. However, in this movie, Taika Waititi wrote a brilliant script that allowed the actors to have a lot of fun reading it, which is really good for a movie. Scarlet Johanson’s portrayal of Rosie is a prime example of how good this movie is. Her performance as a mom supporting the anti-war campaign shows Jojo the truth. This is easily one of my favorite performances of the year. The movie doesn’t only offer the odd take on the WWII genre, but it is also a really solid story about a child’s forced growth and how he learns to love. From a child’s perspective, we see how easy it is to be brainwashed by an authoritative figure, which is a very relevant topic today. Taika Waititi’s portrayal of Hitler changes throughout the film to capture this. As Jojo realizes the truth of love, we are forced to reflect on how we view and treat others. The cinematography is simply incredible. Unlike the typical dull color scheme from WWII movies, Jojo Rabbit shows a brighter pallet only to fade into darkness as Jojo’s perspective changes. For me, just about everything in this movie is near perfection. The acting, the visuals, even the music by Michael Giacchino is surprisingly good. Overall, this movie gets a 10/10 from me. Taika Waititi’s masterful balance of comedy and drama really works here.

Taika Waititi is truly an incredible visionary director. He’s really good at cementing his characters and stories in reality. When we hear about the holocaust and WWII in today’s world, it seems like something out of a fictional movie. But, only when we see a fictional movie, we can actually relate to the characters and relate to what’s happening. It’s honestly ironic. But, yeah, I love Taika Waititi. He did a wonderful job with this movie, and I think Jojo Rabbit will be one of my favorite movies moving forward as well. The movie touched me in a way no movie has before, I think that this really is the start of a newfound love for movies. I’d recommend this movie any day, watch it. Watch it now! That’s an order, but not in a strict authoritative, dictator-esque, way…

Where can I get “Jojo Rabbit?”: As of now, it is only on HBO Max, but you should buy/rent it… it’s worth it.