HITCHCOCK/TRUFFAUT [2015]

A Letter to Elia director Kent Jones pieces together this audio/visual companion piece to what is probably the most essential book for film-lovers everywhere, Hitchcock/Truffaut.
Director François Truffaut interviewed Alfred Hitchcock over a period of 8 days on the subject of his impact on cinema and then published it as a book in 1966.  This film explores some of the more interesting bits of conversation and the influence it had on many of the modern visually-driven directors of today.  Jones manages to turn the subject matter into something tantalizing to the well-educated film connoisseur as well as clearly giving informative insight into the craft for those who are new to film as a finely tuned art.  Pair this one with De Palma and you have a wonderful evening of master suspense film-makers talking about what they do best.

4 lite entertainers or masterful storytellers out of 5

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL [2014]

When speaking of a Wes Anderson film it becomes redundant to gush over the beautifully colored and framed visuals, but I'm going to anyway because The Grand Budapest Hotel is all that and more.
With it's delightful miniature sets, hilarious camerawork and dollhouse-esque set decoration a film-lover is sure to be in hog heaven.  Not only that but the off-kilter but humorously precise editing, character quirks & movements and all around zaniness had me giggling and chuckling from beginning to end.  Heavily inspired by Austrian writer Stefan Zweig, Hotel never takes itself too seriously but has enough substance to make you love it's characters and where the story will eventually end up.
Juggling silly and sophisticated at the same time, Anderson's latest is simply a delight that's ever so sweet.

4 bisexual, fucking faggots out of 5

MOONRISE KINGDOM [2012]

Moonrise Kingdom is an oddball romantic-comedy of another kind from writer/director Wes Anderson.

Anderson sets out a funny little story that looks and plays sort of like a children's story, with the adults confused, unaware of their surroundings and clueless to how love works.  It's the kids who have a firm grasp on things and know exactly what they want with life, which hilariously reflects on real life without ever getting too heavy.  It floats around in soft colors, bizarre fashions senses and flighty music that only makes the experience that much more enjoyably surreal.

3½ buggy earrings out of 5

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

A thrill-seeking fox not content with family life can’t resist one last raid on the local farms, but his thieving antics don’t go unnoticed.
I love stop-motion. It may be a dying art. but in FMF it’s alive and well. With not one second wasted on pointless exposition or boring exploding robots it’s a joy to watch. My face felt like it was on LSD I was grinning so hard. Voice work is perfect. The titular fox is given life by George Clooney; throw in Bill Murray, Michael Gambon and Willem Dafoe and the magic is sustained.
The musical score is also fantastic. See here for a review.

4 Are you cussing with me? out of 5