Tony Revolori has made quite the mark in Hollywood, including Zero Moustafa in Wes Anderson’s highly-praised The Grand Budapest Hotel and appearances in Spider-Man: Homecoming and Lowriders.
Hannah Fidell’s The Long Dumb Road is an exceptional and captivating coming-of-age buddy road romp featuring Jason Mantzoukas (The Good Place) and Tony Revolori.
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Wes Anderson once again proves his skill at crafting an imaginative yet realistic world with The Grand Budapest Hotel, an unusual yet beguiling film which defies categorisation but stands as one of the most original films I have seen recently.
Set in an imaginary European country known as Zubrowka, the movie follows the tale of legendary concierge Gustave H (Ralph Fiennes), who runs the Grand Budapest Hotel during the 1930s. Gustave tends to the sexual needs of old women staying at the hotel while attracted by Madame Celine Villeneuve “Madame D” Desgoffe und Taxis (Tilda Swinton). When Madame D dies mysteriously and leaves him the valuable painting Boy with Apple as inheritance, he is falsely blamed and imprisoned.
As soon as he encounters help in the form of lobby boy Zero Moustafa (Tony Revolori), their relationship grows into something much deeper as they both find themselves caught up in a series of dramatic events that unfold in this fantasy-fueled world.
The Grand Budapest Hotel is an incredibly funny and enjoyable movie from Wes Anderson that boasts some of his best acting. A story within a story, this unique film deserves everyone’s consideration.
It’s also a movie that will challenge and provoke thought, with its unnerving characters and eccentric dialogue, but it is definitely worth seeing.
Anderson credits Stefan Zweig with being his source of inspiration when crafting his script for this delightful, dream-like film, filled with gorgeous scenery and stunning cinematography. I have seen it multiple times now, yet have yet to stop thinking about its story and themes.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Tom Holland plays Peter Parker, an innocent teenager navigating his way through teenagehood while also managing to harness the immense power of the Marvel Cinematic Universe suit. Tom must learn to balance this power alongside its inevitable drawbacks as part of being Peter Parker.
Homecoming is an enjoyable, light-hearted movie targeted towards both teenagers and adult fans of Marvel films. It focuses on Peter Parker (Tom Holland), an enthusiastic high school student introduced to the Marvel Universe through Avengers; who then discovers they possess super powers!
Marvel Studios appear to have found their groove again with Spider-Man: Homecoming, an emotionally gripping coming-of-age story featuring comic book elements but offering something more mature and realistic than most recent Marvel offerings.
Jon Favreau plays Happy Hogan in the film alongside Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Zendaya as Michelle Jones, Donald Glover as Aaron Davis, Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds and Laura Harrier as Liz Toomes; with Tony Revolori taking on Flash Thompson. But Holland stands out as Peter Parker; his performance alone draws audiences into this adventure film.
Director Jon Watts’ indie Cop Car perfectly captured the charm and character of Spider-Man with its blend of comedy, pathos and action sequences that took place against an ever-shifting backdrop of wall crawling antics and wall climbing action. There were references made back to previous Spider-Man movies as well as an old comic book story sequence brought back for relevance in this film’s plot; an emotional moment in particular really highlighted Spider-Man’s core ethos of being “tireless underdog”.
Lowriders (2016)
Lowriders stands out as one of the few films to successfully combine authenticity with strong drama elements and emotion in urban narratives, but Lowriders accomplishes just this feat. It focuses on a Mexican-American family in East Los Angeles who are heavily immersed in lowrider car culture – something central to their heritage and community life.
Danny (Gabriel Chavarria) is a street artist living with his father Miguel (Demian Bichir), an auto shop owner obsessed with building lowriders that have become symbols for both his family and city. However, Danny doesn’t share this passion – instead preferring painting on city streets in his free time to becoming like Miguel.
As Daniel grapples with his desire for success while grappling with Francisco’s (Theo Rossi) return from prison, family dynamics become complicated. His father has since remarried and now Daniel must work alongside Francisco in entering an Elysian Park car competition that requires that vehicles be flawless in order to participate.
While this film does a fantastic job highlighting underrepresented cultures in mainstream cinema, it occasionally dips into familiar territory and perpetuates familiar motifs that may be difficult to watch. For instance, one scene involves a white girl who gets curious about lowriders getting into one to experience its ride for herself and soon afterwards exclaiming with joy as it begins bouncing along.
Additionally, the final climax feels too much like a forced action sequence; the movie would have been more effective had its focus been on competition between Daniel and his family members as well as how they manage personal issues more effectively.
Lowriders is an impressive low-budget film and should not be missed if you enjoy car culture, strong acting or great production value – however it should not be seen by those looking for serious drama.
Lowrider culture is an integral component of Mexican-American society and, while Lowriders does a decent job exploring it, it unfortunately succumbs to oversimplification of history and generalization about those involved with its practice. Unfortunately, the film did not attempt to explain more fully where its roots lay as this could have provided an in-depth exploration of a long-neglected underground tradition.
Table 19 (2018)
Weddings can be exciting events for couples, but they can also be very stressful affairs for all involved. While most movies depict weddings with charming tropes such as hard-partying best men, nympho wedding guests, and trophy wives; reality can often differ. There can also be any number of things that go wrong on wedding days!
Therefore, it’s no surprise that romcoms set at weddings can often prove hilarious. From The Philly Story and Father of the Bride to Four Weddings and a Funeral and Four Weddings and a Funeral, films centered around weddings provide ample comic relief and crazy hijinks.
Table 19 was released back in 2017, yet still manages to offer something fresh in terms of romance and comedy. Starring Anna Kendrick, June Squibb, Craig Robinson and Lisa Kudrow amongst others, it remains charmingly relatable and character driven.
Kendrick plays Eloise, an ex-maid of honor who has been delegated to Table 19 after her brother Teddy abandoned her. While initially feeling awkward around them all, they soon become close and begin helping Eloise feel more at home – especially her favorite auntie Jo Flanagan – grandmother to both bride and groom.
Tony Revolori plays the part of an innocent young man searching for love; Kudrow and Robinson portray a married couple that have lost the spark between them, plus Stephen Merchant plays Stephen Merchant who’s an ex-con who comes home often, Renzo Eckberg represents a socially awkward teen and June Squibb is her former nanny from childhood – these characters make up Table 19ers, with which the film explores what it means to be misfit in modern society.
Table 19 is still an entertaining crowd pleaser that gets plenty out of its small ensemble cast, offering some genuine laughs as well as heartwarming scenes that leave audiences wanting more from this movie and its protagonists’ lives.
Table 19 stands out due to its actors’ powerful performances; they bring emotions alive with such subtlety that it transcends its basic plotline into something far more rewarding. Unfortunately, its screenplay falls flat due to an abundance of cliched Hollywood tropes which slow its pacing and change its tone unexpectedly.