K. P

This is personally my favourite Wes Anderson movie out of all his inspiring creations. I love how the movie is divided into chapters and how each has a straightforward storyline driving it forward. There is humour, romance, absurdness and generally breathtaking, meticulously-constructed scenes as usual (this is Wes Anderson we're talking about!). There are some scenes of violence but strangely, he juxtaposes those bloody murders with shock-comical reveals and tinny music that makes the whole premise of this hotel more glorious and ridiculous. There will never be quite a place like the Grand Budapest Hotel and its proprietor and the ending is extremely nostalgic, poignant and meaningful. I highly recommend this movie.

The symmetry of the movie will sweep you away and any fan of Wes Anderson will be struck by the familiar candy-coloured, retro-tinted pops of nostalgia that appear throughout the show. The storyline is simple and poignant that truly tells the power of young love: strange and sudden as a storm that sweeps through an island, unstoppable and irrational as lightning strikes and overall triumphant despite all efforts to stop it. Strangely, the two main lovebirds don't seem to show much expression towards each other and lines like "I love you" are delivered in Wes Anderson's familiar dead-pan style, rendering the seriousness of it in a slightly comical light. But maybe as both are "emotionally disturbed", this makes sense and it is still as sweet and honest.

I can't say that this is my favourite Wes Anderson movie. Honestly, I would give this 3.9 stars for its aesthetics and execution but for the amazing stage plays within the movie itself, I would rate it a 5/5 and for the emotional execution, I would give it a 4/5. Watching Rushmore, you would find the movie lacking in the familiar colourful and retro aesthetics of Wes Anderson in his 2000s glory. This movie has a grittier feel to it, down to the suburban plainness of the locations and the primary shades of grey, dark blue and black. The themes of delusions of grandeur, unsuccessful love affairs and the second-hand humiliation/awkwardness of Max were hard to watch at first and I couldn't help cringing. I initially found the love affair and fixation with the female teacher slightly absurd but in the end, it was an integral part in Max's emotional maturity and one can clearly see why it was important because he would have been a very unpleasant individual if he did not get shaken up truly by this. Max grows from a teenage big fish in a little pond with no regards for the emotions of others to a slightly more humble guy who finally has real joy in creating what he loves and owns up to the lies he made in the past. It is his journey from becoming a jerk relentlessly pursuing his big dreams to a kinder person with a single dream he loves that ends up being so relatable and realistic. Max in the beginning ends up taking his very own advice he gives to Mr Blume: "Find one thing you love and do it well the rest of your life." Like all Wes Anderson movies, there are some recurring themes like family and unlikely friendships that are executed wonderfully. The friendship between old Mr Blume and Max should have been absurd but the movie makes it work in a poignant, hilarious manner where both are hurt by each other and both rescue each other in a very matter-of-fact way. You may find it difficult to like this movie if you badly miss the candy-coloured aesthetics we all love about his films but Rushmore makes us realise Wes Anderson's true ability in making friendships and relationships matter on screen without any bells and whistles is the real reason why we stayed to watch this long.

A surprisingly sweet family story of love, redemption and coming back to one's roots to remedy the damages caused in the past. Fans will be delighted by the quirkiness of the family and also the signature retro images here and there. Here is a homage to the sixties done in true Anderson style, full of whimsy and tenderness. The fashion is lovely and makes each character recognizable instantly. The music that ranges from delicate covers of Beatles songs and even the Peanuts Christmas song is a triumphant love letter to the era that fit in perfectly with every scene. There is heartbreak and humour, there is forbidden love, there is a suicide attempt (TRIGGER WARNING: there is definitely blood in that scene), there is an old man trying to change and do good to his family, there's even a homing falcon and as usual, troubled conversations on top of rooftops. It's an age-old story about how family bonds may twist and tear but never really break if you make an effort to tie the knot at the end. It should have been campy or cheesy but somehow, in the master's hands, it comes off as charming and heartfelt. A truly beautiful movie.

For a dark comedy, it isn't very funny. The way they treated women in here made my blood boil. The worst part was that the comedic sections were written in a very cringy way and would have caused more people to either hum, sigh, skip or even whisper, "huh? that was a joke?" than laugh out loud. Other parts of the story feel equally exaggerated such as the overly cartoonish and cliched villains (evil tech mogul and Trump-esque president dressed up as a cougar femme fatale). The only saving grace was perhaps the ending scenes where we had Timothee Chalamet reciting grace as the world ended and the gang holding hands in a doomed gathering. THAT made me feel things because it does seem like the kind of thing we all would do in the event of an apocalypse: spend time having our last supper with the people we love. However, the rest of the movie failed to live up to its "dark comedy" roots. It lagged in most parts, dragged in others and the celebrity cameos felt unnecessary. A complex topic that could have been executed better but failed to move me with meaning. It could have been more meaningful or funny but given the glum theme, it would take a more skillful director to achieve either of that.

I binged this entire series in just three days and it is actually one of the very first series I have ever had full access to so it meant a lot to me. Holy fork, it was SO SO SO WORTH IT. I honestly love it and I think if you want a show filled with philosophy, bittersweet analogies about life, good old fashioned friendship, questions about life and death, you've found it. Oh, and the comedy is spot on. Everyone has such amazing character growth too and you'll just learn to really feel for the characters because the main characters (and 2 side characters) truly transform into better versions of themselves. IT IS BEAUTIFUL AND TEAR-JERKING TO WATCH. Now at season three, you can't help rooting for everyone and the best magic quality of any top notch tv show is the ability to make you care about their characters. The Good Place has done exactly that and I can't wait to see what happens next.

I guess I'm not ordering any boxes any time soon.

Listening to this album just...makes you feel like you're floating on your back on a clear lake in the middle of the woods, thinking about every love you've ever lost or gained, every memory that stripped you down to the core and fading into the past even when you remember the beauty of the present. Swift's voice is lovely here and as a long time listener, this is the most mature, elegant and musical she has ever sounded. Each song sounds intensely personal and you can just sort of believe that this whole album sprouted up from the ground as a rare wild plant or it was born on the breeze in a forest far away. It reminds me a lot of other indie albums I love like Hozier's Wasteland or The Paper Kites. It's that whimsical and I think the sound is dreamier, blurrier and somehow the clearest we've ever seen of good songwriting. In short, I listened to it and felt like a friggin fae mourning over her human lover in my corner of the woods. I am undone.