How did you guys feel about the narrative style towards the beginning of the film, with a narrator describing all the events and leaving spaces for the dialogue? It seemed to me like it was trying a bit too hard to be just like the viewer was reading the book with the girl from the opening.
I was not a fan of the opening couple of scenes. From the chanting/musical intro to the way it was shot to the narrative at the beginning, it was all a bit too much to me. To the point where I was wondering if I was watching some sort of self-parody of a Wes Anderson movie. Should rewatch it to see if I still feel that way though.
I'll admit, I had a similar feeling. The opening shot of the cemetery wall seemed very familiar to me because of Royal's funeral in Tenenbaums. Then the shot of the author at his desk seemed very familiar too, like Raleigh St. Claire during his intro scene in Tenenbaums as they describe Heinsbergen Syndrome. Wes seems to have an affection for Hotel employees, Bell hops etc. Here's a neat short on the concierge
To me that came across as a nice bit of self-awareness on Anderson's part. Kind of a 'Yes I know what my movies look like, so I'm going to hit you over the head with it at the beginning so that we can get past that prejudice and get on with the movie.'To the point where I was wondering if I was watching some sort of self-parody of a Wes Anderson movie.
A bit of lampshade hanging (WARNING: TV TROPES LINK), perhaps?