THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL: Tainted Laugh

Director: Wes Anderson
Writer: Wes Anderson
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori, Saoirse Ronan, F. Murray Abraham, Jude Law, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Harvey Keitel, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Mathieu Amalric, Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson, Owen Wilson, Lea Seydoux, Bob Balaban
Runtime: 100 mins.
2014

Some of my best movie-watching experiences have been in movie theaters: the uproarious midnight showing of The Avengers; the palpable tension of Looper; the oppressive atmosphere of Sinister.  Sitting on the floor in the aisle of an empty movie theater during Gravity and getting lost in space.  Experiencing The Dark Knight in IMAX.  Hating every moment of Knowing.

"Movie theaters are fun" is certainly no groundbreaking statement, but I think it's one we have to think about and reaffirm every so often now that the way we consume entertainment is shifting drastically.  At any rate, I was more than pleased at having the opportunity to see Wes Anderson's new film, The Grand Budapest Hotel, this past Saturday with a few friends.  We had the movie theater experience, and we had it hard.

GRAVITY: In Space No One Can Hear You Win Seven Oscars

Real women don't let go.  Take that, Frozen.

Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Writer: Alfonso Cuarón
Cast: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney
Runtime: 91 mins.
2013

Here's the breakdown:

12 Years a Slave: 3.  Dallas Buyer's Club: 3.  Frozen: 2.  The Great Gatsby: 2.  Her: 1.  Philomena: 0.  Nebraska: 0.  Captain Phillips: 0.  The Wolf of Wall Street: 0.  American Hustle: 0.

Gravity: 7.

Seven Oscars.  That kind of success is remarkable.  Not to mention that it is absolutely unprecedented for a sci-fi film.  The question of Can Gravity win? has been satisfactorily answered.  The question that remains is Did Gravity deserve to win?  After that is answered, an even more savory question lingers: Why, after 86 years, did the Academy open their arms to a sci-fi film?  These are the questions I'm looking to address.