“Grand Budapest Hotel” Opens Berlin Fest


I can’t claim to be a huge fan of Wes Anderson movies, but every time I watch the trailer for “Grand Budapest Hotel,” which opens the Berlin film festival tonight, I’m tickled. Maybe it’s the thought of seeing Ralph Fiennes in a comic role; he plays the concierge at this hotel in 1920s Europe in a country called the Republic of Zubrowka. Maybe I’m delighted by the assembly of so many stars (Jude Law, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton): almost as many as there were in MGM’s classic “Grand Hotel,” an obvious inspiration. Or maybe it’s just after all the serious Oscar fare (the Oscars are on March 2, “Grand Budapest” opens March 7) it will be time for something slightly sophisticated and fun.

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