Welcome to “Trailer Tuesday” where I talk about trailers for upcoming movies, since I’ve always found them to be fascinating.

People either tend to love or hate Wes Anderson movies.  Even his detractors will probably admit a grudging respect for some of his earlier films (Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, or The Royal Tenenbaums), but he lost some of his early followers as his films got more bizarre (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and The Darjeeling Limited).  But recently he has had a bit of a resurgence, and Moonrise Kingdom was considered by many to be his best film yet.  With all that in mind, I give you a trailer you’re likely either to love or hate.  Take a look at The Grand Budapest Hotel, and read on for my thoughts:

In a lot of ways, The Grand Budapest Hotel seems like the most Wes Andersony of all the Wes Anderson films thus far.  He’s known, of course, for his directorial style, his unique production design, his unusual writing style and how he regularly features the same group of actors.  All of that seems to be in play here.  Among the cast we have many Wes Anderson repeats: Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Harvey Keitel, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton, Owen Wilson and Bob Balaban.

However, we’ve got some notable new additions as well, first and foremost being Ralph Fiennes as the concierge of the Grand Budapest Hotel.  We’ve also got F. Murray Abraham as narrator and Jude Law as a writer, along with Saoirse Ronan and a new actor, Tony Revolori, as one of the film’s main characters.

The story here, as with many Wes Anderson films, isn’t the main draw of a film like this, though it’s worth looking at.  After the relatively simple tale of Moonrise Kingdom, the plot of The Grand Budapest Hotel seems downright convoluted.  Fiennes’ concierge takes a young man under his wing as a lobby boy, and the two are caught up in a caper when one of the concierge’s lovers, an older lady, dies and leaves a valuable work of art to him, infuriating her son.  He is framed by her son for her murder, and they try to escape and hide the painting from the son and the authorities.

But the plot probably won’t matter to you in terms of helping you decide whether or not to see the film.  Fantastic Mr. Fox and Moonrise Kingdom had some mainstream appeal that might have helped rope in some new fans, but The Grand Budapest Hotel makes it seem like Wes Anderson will continue to make the sort of movies that he wants to make, without seeking to appeal to the masses.  I think no matter your opinion of the movies he makes, that’s something to be admired.  As for me, I’ll continue to be a fan, as his films strike a tone that resonates well with me.  I look forward to more.

What do you think?  Are you a Wes Anderson fan?  What’s your favorite of his movies?  Are you looking forward to The Grand Budapest Hotel?  Or would you rather just skip an more of his movies?  What do you think of the new additions to his acting troupe?  Let me know in the comments!