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.

This all takes place in the very same room of a hotel at different times (old & modern). Although it starts off rather indifferently, it slowly unfolds into small really interesting stories which finally end up delivering the "goods" and being satisfying, at least to me. Unpredictable, with intense use of colour filters, it succeeds in its goal and in spite of dealing with -not-so-original- subject matters, it still remains authentic in story, technic & style and leaves you with a smile. Not for everyone...

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.

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

These multiple vignettes all taking place in the same hotel room during the course of the last century are brief and engaging enough to keep you interested, but generally don't come together in any meaningful way. They all make a point, but ultimately only one works in bringing the overall framework of the picture to a satisfactory close. Amateurish writing nicely filmed.