Masukarêdo hoteru

GRAND HOTEL (1932) Japan style. Uneven mini plots (linked to a small, but expensive looking hotel) make up the bulk of the film - sort of like TV episodes. Murder mystery (usually running in the background except for the closing scenes) is hard to follow, since it is totally thread bare and stretched to the point of being an obviously faked plot. Actors are OK, but performances are nothing great. Cinematography is packed with tricks (camera is hyper acrobatic!) plus lots of CGI seems to have been used to compensate for the small main set (the lobby of the hotel). Special effects are fine, but highly repetitive. Music is overkill with dramatic sounding themes that seldom match the bland scenes displayed. Big orchestra sound. Subtitles are mostly OK, but can hit or miss the dialog. Viewed at JICC J-Film event. WILLIAM FLANIGAN