Century Hotel (2001)
David Weaver makes his feature debut with this omnibus film in which each tale is told during different points during the 20th century, but in the same hotel room -- room 720. The film opens during the swinging '20s when a beautiful young woman, married against her will to a brutish thug of a man, endures a tension-fraught honeymoon. During the Depression segment, a mail-order bride from China meets her husband for the first time. Following the end of WWII, a soldier returns home to meet his girlfriend and his best friend. During the paranoia of the 1950s, a professor searches for his wife. During the 1980s, a lawyer has too much sex and debt, and during the dawn of the millennium, a woman comes to a newly refurbished room 720 to meet her Internet lover. Such acclaimed Canadian actors as Tom McCamus, Sandrine Holt, and Colm Feore star in this film, which was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival.
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Waste of time
This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.
Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies
The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.
the way the movie bounced around kept me watching because I got involved with every story. I liked them all except for the guy with the book of poems. What was that? the story about the hooker was sad. It was sad because she continued hooking for him, a married guy, or at least thats what I understood. then towards the end, shes all trashy and just gives it away and for what? About the Cantonies ( I don't know if I even spelled that right) I don't speak it there for I don't care if it wasn't spot on. I th0ught the whole blind folded while dressing her thing was kinky. The guy coming back from war tricked me. I was thinking that they were fighting over the girl when in fact it was something very different. Nothing warms the heart like seeing two men lieing in necked embrace!!!!!!! Moving on, The beginning and end was cute. I like the whole reincarnation thing but my favorite part was the maid and the reclusive rocker. that song kept me watching the movie. Its stuck in my head. I liked her voice better than his but their duet had me watching the credits. I want so bad to find that song. I don't know if it was done just for the video or what. Shouldn't it be out there somewhere? Shouldn't it? If any one reads this. Hit me back! If anyone finds this song, PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAS get back to me.
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.
The sole reason that this movie isn't anything special is that it doesn't try to be. It's creative in the way it weaves the stories together but they're not tied together enough to be considered "Arty". It doesn't take itself seriously enough to be a real good drama either. If you compare this to something similar, like Le Violon Rouge, which took many stories and successfully combined them into one, you see the flaws. There are too many stories in Century Hotel, and they're chopped up which makes it harder to present. (I agree that this is the only way to present this movie but I think it works better with less stories) There is also very little significance among some of the stories; you could take out one and most likely wouldn't effect the main story. It would be a lot better if there was a connection with the stories told and the main story. It would be even better if there was real significance with that particular room, instead of the actions just happening in that room and not being connected. *******(Definite Spoilers)********* One thing everyone would notice is the sex- after all what else goes on in a hotel room? But it happens in every story except the last, and even then it is just a joke: you think that's what they're doing but the expectation is cut short. This could have worked better if there was either less stories or less of them contained sex. If just the three scenes before the last had sex in them, the joke could have worked. The main story is good too, but why were they going to do it? Why in that particular room? Just by chance? It should have been played out more clearly. ******end of spoilers********* But overall it's just a simple good-viewing flick, which is okay. But with an ensemble of great Canadian actors like there was in this movie you would think it would have been something bigger.
I got this film on the strength of one actress that I like... Lindy Booth. Her performance in Century Hotel seems a little below par, but it was adequate.The film doesn't seem to go anyway in the first hour, but then it unfolds nicely after that. Which is unfortunate since the film is only about 90 minutes long.The Cantonese pronunciations were absolutely crap. I didn't they just stick to using imitation bad English (Canadian) accents instead of getting the actors to speak very poor Cantonese? Or perhaps they should have rewritten that part of the script. Sorry, it's a nitpick, but I believe films are an art form and, as such, should be given more TLC than Century Hotel was given.I did like the little "twist" regarding the soldier guy who was soon to be married to his sweetheart who he hadn't seen for a long time. Watch the film and you'll find out!All in all, this wasn't a bad film. But they could've done so much more with it. 6/10 is a fair indication of its entertainment value.