Hold on there. We’re almost at the end. I can see the finish line.
While we let these last few weeks run their course (and power through them ourselves!), how about a little journey through wonderfully crafted places—quirky, dark, explosive, and unexpected—coming to you soon, via the big screen?
The first stop is a step back in time, because who doesn’t love a quaint, luxurious hotel, set against the backdrop of snowy mountains and Wes Anderson’s latest color palette? It’s a symmetrically intricate world, a Wes Anderson land, blending in characters yearning for their own realities, Futura fonts, awkward but endearing romantic scenes, and dancing to romanticized, 20th century French pop numbers. As a follow up to the summer camp romance of two 12-year-olds in the ever-charming Moonrise Kingdom, Anderson takes us to wartime Europe, in the period roughly muddled between the first and second world wars. There, we meet Gustave H. (Ralph Fiennes, The English Patient), the legendary concierge of the ostentatiously pink and lavishly designed Grand Budapest Hotel. Events unfold when a guest, Madame H. (Tilda Swinton, Only Lovers Left Alive) is murdered, and her will is read, upon which Gustave inherits a famous painting, to the anger of Madame H.’s son Dmitri (Adrien Brody, an Anderson alum from the Darjeeling Limited). Teamed up with his protégé, lobby boy Zero Mustafa (introducing newcomer Tony Revolori), Gustave goes on the run. An eccentric cast of characters, played by an impressive group of actors assembled for this film, become tangled in the events afterwards. There’s Jude Law (The Holiday), Edward Norton (Moonrise Kingdom’s Scout Master), Saoirse Ronan (one of the youngest Oscar-nominated actresses for her incredible work in Joe Wright’s Atonement), and rising French star Lea Seydoux (Cannes’ Palm d’or winner for her work as the philosophy-musing, blue-haired artist in the controversial Blue is the Warmest Color). With its setting, music, characters, and humor sprinkled throughout, the Grand Budapest Hotel is sure to be a delight to watch, just as it would be to taste the Hotel’s signature dessert piece, Courtesan au Chocolat. Tip: Catch it at the Princess Twin, April 4-10!
Dim the lights a little, signal the bus to stop at a dark alley way, and we’re in Richard Ayoade’s (the IT Crowd) neighborhood for his second feature film, The Double, an adaptation of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel of the same name. In this bleak, soulless world, lives our protagonist, Simon James (Jesse Eisenberg, the Social Network’s Mark Zuckerburg), the introverted, shy worker, overlooked by the girl he holds affections for, Hannah (Mia Wasikowska, Alice in Wonderland), his boss, and even his mother. Enter James Simon (Eisenberg), Simon’s exact physical double. Confident, charismatic, and calculating, James Simon starts out befriending his doppelganger but soon begins a relationship with Hannnah behind Simon James’ back. Using his cocky charm, James Simon takes over Simon James’ spotlight at work and, eventually, his life. As Simon James screams, helpless and ignored by people around him, “Look at me! Look at him! He stole my face!” his world is turned upside down. The film’s style, the trailer’s teasing music rhythm and the suspenseful footsteps, lures you into the dimly lit, darkly comic world. Who is the fraud? Who is the ‘real’ Simon/James, and would the original Simon James ever figure out how to return to his life, with James Simon in the picture? Hopefully we may find out the answers for ourselves on April 11.
Now we take a left turn out of the surrealist world, into modern day New York City, where our favorite web-slinger lives and protects its citizens. That’s right, he’s back. After a pretty successful reboot two summers ago, Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield, The Social Network) faces a whole new level of complications than concealing his identity and merely chasing a car thief. His long-time best friend, Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan. Watch out before you say, “Who the heck is this guy?” Because he’s an up and coming star. From his breakout role as troubled teen Jesse in HBO’s In Treatment to the superhero box-office hit, Chronicle, and 2013’s indie film on beat writers, Kill Your Darlings, DeHaan’s more than proven he’s got the talent that Hollywood would focus its eyes on.) has returned to New York City and to his father Norman’s company Oscorp, which now proves to be the source of trouble for Peter. Peter’s rescue of a seemingly innocent Oscorp worker, Max Dillon (Jamie Foxx, Ray), triggers a chain of events related to Oscorp that forces Peter to save the day, at the risk of compromising the ones most dear to him, including his girlfriend, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone, Easy A). Villains, familiar and honest to the original comic storylines, emerge. With Marc Webb at the helm as the director, the film boasts an impressive mix of action-packed sequences and light-hearted humor in its final trailer. This is one blockbuster to definitely look forward to, coming this May 2.
Speaking of villains, we jet off to 1962 Athens, Greece, to meet a con artist and his wife, Chester (Viggo Mortensen, Lord of the Rings) and Colette MacFarland (Kirsten Dunst, The Virgin Suicides), on the run from their past. Under the guise of being tourists, the couple run into Rydal (Oscar Isaac, Inside Llewyn Davis), an American stranger who claims to be working as a tour guide. Mesmerized by Colette’s beauty, Rydal accepts an invitation to join the couple for dinner. When a man from Chester’s past appears and Rydal gets himself involved with the couple’s troubles, events spiral out of control. As Chester says to Rydal in the trailer, “Now look at you, a real criminal,” tables will be turned and secrets revealed and hidden in this tale of mystery. Filled with beautiful landscapes and scenery, fabulous costume designs, and guaranteed top-notched acting from its leads, The Two Faces of January promises to be an intriguing journey to take this summer. The film, an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel of the same name, is the directorial debut of Hossein Amini, Drive’s (the 2011 arthouse film by Nicholas Winding Refn) screenwriter. Catch it on May 16.
“Please, we need you to hope again,” we hear Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart, X-Men series) plead to his younger self in this film’s trailer. Past, present, and future blend together in the long-awaited sequel to 2011’s X-Men: First Class: X-Men: Days of the Future Past. The older Professor Charles Xavier and his nemesis/old best friend Erik Lensherr/Magneto (Ian McKellen, Lord of the Rings) send Wolverine (Hugh Jackman, Prisoners) into the past in an attempt to alter the course of history and prevent future events that would endanger the mutants and the human race. Dramatic, explosive, and nostalgic, the latest X-Men film in the franchise ties the reboot film with the preceding X-Men films through the time-traveling plot and brings back old, familiar faces to fight battles alongside their younger selves, not to mention having the older and younger versions of Professor X (Stewart and James McAvoy) and Magneto (McKellen and Michael Fassbender) share the screen. The 2011 team, from Raven/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) to Hank McCoy/Beast (Nicholas Hoult) are joined by the original X-Men franchise characters, from Shadow Cat/Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page) to Ororo Munroe/Storm (Halle Berry). Bryan Singer, the producer and the director of the previous X-Men films, takes over the role of director from X-Men: First Class’s Matthew Vaughn. The team of mutants, past and future, take a stand on May 23.
So there it is—my pick of 2014’s Spring films to watch. Take a break, immerse yourself in one of these stories and characters, and have fun! You won’t be disappointed.
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