Hooked On A Feeling: Matt Donato’s Top 20 Films Of 2014

9) The Grand Budapest Hotel

Is it really a surprise that The Grand Budapest Hotel has made another “Best Of” list for 2014? Wes Anderson seems like he can do no wrong these days, as an endless flood of Buda-praise proved that the filmmaker’s colorful sophistication is still well-loved among the cinematic masses.

There’s something so hypnotic about Anderson’s overwhelming jolliness, even with murderous characters like Willem Dafoe’s bruiser Jopling, but it’s Ralph Fiennes who steals the show as concierge superstar M. Gustave – one of Anderson’s most enjoyable characters to date. The hotel proves to be a home for a number of enchanting tales, from greedy villains to heroic bakers, as each guest opens a brand new chapter of follies and excitement that fit Anderson’s tone like a snug scarf around a chilly neck.

Anderson is a storyteller who needs no explanation at this point, so just imagine a spectacular cast including Jeff Goldblum, Edward Norton, Adrian Brody, Harvey Keitel, and SO many other exceptional talents inhabiting The Grand Budapest Hotel.