12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic Idea, Enjoyable Film!, September 2, 2002
This review is from: Century Hotel (DVD)
Century Hotel has one of the most inrtiguing plots ever turned into a movie. It is the story of the life of a hotel room. The film tells seven tales of events which have occured in room 720 over the course of almost 80 years. Century Hotel, a fictional hotel, was opened in 1921. A newlywed couple arrive on opening night on their honeymoon. In 1933, an oriental women is mysteriousl prepared for to meet her husband, waiting anxiously to start a new life in a strange place. After World War II ends, a couple re-unites in the room, that is to say, two couples, but three people. A man and his fiance, and the man's homosexual boyfriend, who's relationship is unbeknownst to the fiance. In 1953, a film noir nightmare takes place, invovling detectives, missing spouses, and money. Then, we visit the 1960s, where a prostitute finds true love with a client. Emerging in the 1980s, a reclusive rock star conducts an affair with the made. Finally, on the eve of the new millenium, two new age youths ren-dez-vous in the newly restored room.
The idea is brilliant, the film is well done. One of the strange things with the film is that it is very unconventionally put together. Unlike most episodic films, where each story occurs after a previous one, these seven tales are interspliced. You see a bit of one story, then a bit of the next, then the next, then go back to a previous one and see more, then go to another.
What really makes this film is the acting. The stellar standout is Lindy Booth, in two roles. She is fantastic. I didn't even know she was both characters until the credits at the end. And although all the stories are intriguing, the 1921 vignette is my favorite one.
A large Canadian production, Century Hotel will probably not be fully appreciated in the United States. However, if a Hollywood exec sees it, maybe they'll realize that it would make a perfect big budget american star studded extravaganza. If the haphazard editing would be changed into a more typical style, and some really big named stars come in to play the parts.
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13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wow!, November 15, 2002
This review is from: Century Hotel (DVD)
While I will admit that my true reason for watching Century Hotel was that I am a diehard Our Lady Peace fan, and frontman Raine Maida stars along side his wife Chantel Kreviazuk in the 70's scene, I was nothing less than amazed by this movie. The plot was nothing less than captivating, although the dvd was an hour and a half long, I felt as if I had only been watching for half an hour. The way the stories of the different decades intertwine with one another is beautiful, and definately leaves you waiting in anticipation for the next time each decade comes into focus. Each decade is different yet the characters all seem to be after the same things, love and inner peace. Although you only see each of them for a short time, it is very easy to relate to each of the characters in Century Hotel, regardless of the decade the scene takes place in. My only complaint about this movie isn't even in the movie itself, but rather in the Character bio feature of the DVD, whoever did the writeups has the years wrong on the release of Clumsy...1997, not 1999 as well as some other small errors, but like I said that has nothing to do with the movie. Century Hotel was beautifully made, the acting was amazing and I definately recommend this movie!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Century Hotel the movie, May 12, 2007
This review is from: Century Hotel (DVD)
Great movie to watch. You have to watch the whole thing form the beginning or you could get lost. David Hewlett was great.
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