"St. Vincent"

Vincent is far from being a Saint, in fact anything but.
A little down on his luck, he drinks, gambles, is usually in a permanant sombre mood. His disposition does not improve when new neighbours arrive, a Mom and her young boy Oliver.

He drinks to forget his problems, most of which are a combination of his mounting gambling debts, and that his beloved Wife is in a care home that he cannot maintain the payments on.
In order to try and get some more stake money for the dog track, he finds himself the most unlikely babysitter. So Oliver finds himself being taken to all of Vincent's regular haunts, the Bar, the Race track, and frequenting with his Stripper friend too.
Oliver finds himself getting bullied at school, so as an unlikely father figure Vincent steps in with guidance on how Oliver can defend himself. But alas time is running out for Vincent what with his money worries, and a loan shark breathing down his back. Also unbeknownst to Oliver, his Father has filed for full custody, something which terrifies his loving mother.

Oliver and Vincent do strike up the most unlikely of friendships, but it does work, for two reasons, the great writing from Theodore Melfi, who also directed the movie, and from the great performances courtesy fo Bill Murray and newcomer Jaeden Lieberher.
It also especially nice to see a dramatic turn from comedy queen Melissa McCarthy, who proves she is not just for laughs, and I for one would like to see her doing more drama.

If Vincent is not bitter enough, things are not helped when he suffers a stroke. And whilst recovering from this condition, he receives the most devastating news. And it is in these scenes that Bill Murray reminds us all what a great actor he is.

All in all it is a highly enjoyable film, whilst not in the same league as my all time favourite Murray film - "Lost In Translation" - it is still a great movie and a delight to watch, and this despite a slightly over sentimental ending..................7 out of 10

"The Grand Budapest Hotel"

First an admission, to me Wes Anderson is one of those Directors that people can find to be somewhat odd ball. He can write and direct something which many regard a classic, and I am not a fan of, like "The Royal Tenenbaums, and then there is the flip side with him writing and directing pure joy in the form of "Fantastic Mr. Fox".
Now a confession. When I initially saw the title of this film, I thought blimey, they have done a sequel to "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" jolly quickly. As it turns out, that is still being filmed !!

A writer talks about his past, and a chance meeting in the venue that is the title of the film. The meeting is with the mysterious owner of the hotel. They talk amongst the quiet surroundings, as the hey day of the hotel has long since gone. The owner discusses how he came to be the proprietor, and how his life changed forever, when employed at the Grand Budapest Hotel.

Zero, the now owner tells us how he started life as a mere lowly Lobby Boy. But despite his position, he had the very best teacher, the most respected and beloved member of staff, M. Gustave. A foul mouthed precisionist who enjoys the company and pleasure of a very mature lady. When one of these ladies dies in mysterious circumstances, a mad cap adventure begins, especially when Gustave is a benefactor within her will of a famous painting, much to the annoyance of her family. To make matters worse, he also becomes the key suspect in her demise. But constantly by his side is his new and faithful underling, Zero. And all this takes place against the backdrop of an ever changing political climate.

The screenplay is just pure joy. An absolute gem, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. It has real laugh out loud humour, a rare thing these days, but the humour is also very clever. I do seem to the following phrase a lot of late, but this film really does have a cast list to die for. In fact there are so many top names involved with the film, that there was not enough space within the labels section to list everyone. Every cast member is wonderfully funny, whether it be Tilda Swinton looking brilliantly aged under a lot of prosthetics, as one of Gustave's love interests, or Willem Dafoe who is wickedly funny as the terrifying looking henchman to Adrien Brody, also on good form. Newcomer Tony Revolori is superb as Zero, our hero Lobby Boy. But by far the main praise has to go to Ralph Fiennes, whose comic turn as M. Gustave is quite remarkable. Who would have thought that his classic film actor could be so funny?

There is something of an old fashioned feel to the film, whether it is due to the fact that part of it is shot in full screen, or the vibrant colours of the film. It could even be the simplistic way some of the scenes are shot, but rest assured this film is a delight for so many of your senses. Taste as you savour the culinary delights on screen, sight because of the rich colour and beautiful artwork plus some great visual comedy, and hearing as you will be lucky to have some hysterical lines delivered that will make you roll.

I read a recent review that said that the film may be too odd-ball for some, and that could well be the case, but I for one loved it, and hope to see it again very soon. Please note I have deliberated over what score to award, and this could well alter after a second viewing.

Could this already be one of the years best films?..............9 out of 10