Century Hotel

Anyone who reads the back of the movie sleeve will have some idea of what Century Hotel is about. ONE ROOM, SEVEN STORIES, etc. For the most part, every major event in the film takes place in room 720, as if the room (or a ghost who inhabits the room) is telling us each of these tales.

Since all seven stories are being told from the ROOM'S perspective, we can only expect to know what goes on in that room and nothing more. Not all the stories are completely wrapped up in room 720 and we shouldn't expect them to be. Just as we don't see everyone check in, we shouldn't be surprised that we don't see everyone check out.

What Century Hotel provides for viewers are glimpses into different people's lives from different time periods. Each of these stories is about a different form of LOVE and it is interesting to see these sides of love, even if each story only occupies about 15 minutes of film.

To quote the great Roger Ebert, "I prefer to evaluate a film on the basis of what it intends to do, not on what I think it should have done." On this basis, Century Hotel succeeds for what it is: Seven glimpses into different forms of love, complimented with good acting, great cinematography and beyond.

I just saw this film last night at the Victoria Independent Film Festival and was very impressed. The intertwining stories of eroticism, death, betrayal, love and understanding were a feast for the eyes and the heart. David Weaver and Co. give a lesson in how to construct a beautiful movie on a limited budget with a minimum of location.

The set design was impeccable. From the opulence of the turn of the century to the stark functionality of the recession era 80's the designers managed to capture the essence of each era in the furnishings and decorative aspects of the room.

Less than convincing was Raine Maida's effort at the cliched emotionally unstable rock star recluse. I suppose my judgment is clouded by seeing the excellent portrayal of said cliche by Maury Chaykin in Whale Music. Also, the dialogue between Raine and Chantal was strained and really didn't fit into the stream of the rest of the movie.

Of particular enjoyment were the scenes between the Hotel Detective and the Nerdy Book Lover. Their chemistry together was unmistakable. The simplistic dissection of the nature of love between a man and a woman gave me many a laugh.

All in all, a highly recommended Canadian flick.

9/10

This movie was an intriguing concept- I'd read a bit about it. One room in one hotel, different years, different people. However, I found it highly disappointing for three main reasons. The first is that many of the vignettes are rather disjointed and uneven, which makes the plot really confusing and hard to follow at times. The vignettes continually weave in and out of each other, which only confused this viewer. The second is the inordinate amount of sex and foul language used in the film, often with no context. While I'm no prude, I felt that there was just too much of both in this movie, and it was overused. Did every vignette need to have some sort of sex scene? Often, no context is given. The third reason is that the particular hotel where the room is located could have been better explained. What type of hotel is it? Where is it?

Once in a while, one rents a potentially interesting movie that turns out to be a big disappointment. This was one of those for me.

The winding stories of each of the characters make for interesting plot lines. Alone they could each stand as a separate movie, making the film even more interesting. I find that the cinematography is quite fluent: always finding the right angles and points that are most interesting for the viewer.

Yes. It is a little slow going, but completely and totally worth the sit through. Especially if you like plain old GOOD film.

The acting in it is superb from every angle, making each of the characters unbelievably believable. You care or hate for each of them, and are constantly wishing to see "What happens next". My friends and I all sort of latched on to a certain story line and were all anxious to get back to different pieces throughout the movie, which made for a great time.

But over all, terrific casting, clean cut scripting, and just a damn good movie. Props to David Weaver and the cast.

A score of seven might seem a bit high for a "decent" movie, but I so rarely enjoy movies these days that this one deserves it.

Basically, it's seven stories that happen in this one hotel room at different points in the twentieth century. Some of the stories are good, some are only mediocre, but overall it's a nice effect. The distinct atmosphere of each story gives you a good feel for the changing time periods. The transitions take a bit of getting used to at first, but I've seen worse. The ending isn't anything spectacular, but it fits in all right with the rest of the movie.

This is the kind of movie that you can walk away from without feeling that you've wasted an hour and a half of your life. As a rule, I like that in entertainment. It's an interesting film that never slows down so much as to lose your attention. It's not a heavy film by any means; it's even got it's amusing moments. Watch it some evening when you've got nothing better to do.