Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)

I was pretty excited to see Bad Times at the El Royale, and it was not only because Chris Hemsworth is half-naked every time he's on screen, but because the promotional material had me intrigued. Unfortunately, my theatre didn't show it so I had to wait for home release. 

The story takes place in a remote hotel on the California-Nevada border, the El Royale, in 1969. One day during the off-season, the concierge and sole employee at the hotel, Miles Miller (Lewis Pullman) welcomes four unique individuals: Daniel Flynn (Jeff Bridges), a Catholic priest; Darlene Sweet (Cynthia Erivo), a struggling soul singer; Laramie Seymour Sullivan (Jon Hamm) who claims to be a vacuum cleaner salesman; and Emily Summerspring (Dakota Johnson), a rude woman. They each have their secret and over the course of the night, they will show their true selves.

I'm going to stop right there as going any further into the plot would spoil it for you, in case you haven't seen the film yet. It's not a spoiler though that the plot, although it's quite thin and its twists aren't always as surprising as they should be, is throughout very compelling and interesting as director Drew Goddard —he also wrote the screenplay— makes wonderful use of flashbacks, which are important to enrich the plot, and alternative point of views.

In Bad Time at the El Royale, Goddard took plenty of time to introduce, give depth and develop the characters and it did pay off as the film has interesting, three-dimensional characters you can care about —I ended up rooting against Chris Hemsworth's character, that's how much I cared about some of the others.

The performances are also great. Jeff Bridges gives yet another excellent performance in the role of Father Flynn as he handles the character's oddness and eccentricities very well. Jon Hamm, whome I wish had more screen time, does a great job as the salesman as he brings his charm along with nice comedic timing. Chris Hemsworth gives a charming performance as cult leader Billy Lee. Dakota Johnson is surprisingly good as Emily, especially if you consider she isn't given a lot to do. The standouts, however, are Cynthia Erivo whose singing performance delivers the character's emotions to perfection, and Lewis Pullman who pulls off an apparently dull character beautifully.

20th Century Fox

Goddard was able to build tension and mystery, while also balancing drama and dark comedy. There's a lot of violence but it somewhat feels appropriate. The cinematography is stunning with its lush colours, the production design is superb, and the soundtrack is fantastic.

Overall, it feels like Bad Times at the El Royale is a Tarantino wannabe but, ultimately, I didn't care because the execution is great, and the film is a hell of a fun ride.

The Vanishing (1993)

No home internet can drive a (wo)man insane, but it can also force one to watch those DVDs bought years ago that are yet to see the laser light. The Vanishing, which ended up in my collection because of Sandra Bullock, is one of those. 

The story follows Jeff Harriman (Kiefer Sutherland), a man whose girlfriend, Diane (Sandra Bullock), was abducted at a gas station and has continued to search for her, with no success, for years. Not even after meeting Rita (Nancy Travis) and beginning a serious relationship with her does he give up. Then one day, Barney Cousins (Jeff Bridges) contacts him, the man who kidnapped Diane.

The storyline is definitely intriguing but unfortunately, the execution is beyond dreadful. The plot is predictable —there isn’t a single twist in here and they try to pass this as a thriller? I’m speechless—, it has so many holes and inconsistencies it makes no sense whatsoever, and the Hollywood happy ending is the ultimate weapon to destroy the film.

The characters aren’t much better as they are pretty dumb characters whose actions are illogical to say the least. They are dull and lifeless as they lack characterization and development. Jeff’s motivations are questionable, and you can’t help but despise him as not only he’s still obsessed over Diane when his in a new relationship, but he completely ignores his new girlfriend, Rita, the only character in the movie that deserves our sympathy. As for Barney, he is one of the worst villains ever. While he has a little backstory, we are never told what exactly turned him into a psychopath who enjoys kidnapping and killing women.

The performances are in line with the rest. Kiefer Sutherland, who would have made a very convincing villain, finds himself in the role of the obsessive-compulsive boyfriend looking for his girlfriend and, while he isn’t dreadful —he’s slightly entertaining, to be honest—, he could have so much more. Jeff Bridges is used to playing good guys and it shows —his Barney is creepy but he is not menacing at all. Nancy Travis, on the other hand, gives a convincing performance as Rita, the neglected new girlfriend.

20th Century Fox

At last but not least, the direction is completely flat. The Vanishing doesn’t have any tension or suspense, and, between the abduction scene, which is cheesy and filled with continuity errors, and the never-ending sequence in which Barney refuses to reveal where he’s hidden another character’s body, it makes you wish you were dead.  

New in May: Getting Adventurous (2014)

Minya, can you hear me?

If you like action and adventure, then this is your month. Perhaps in an effort to compete with Hollywood's big spring releases, Netflix is bulking up on its escapist fare. From the high cheese of Fantastic Voyage and all things Godzilla (including Rodan!) to the thrills of the Romancing the Stone flicks and the artful splatter of Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, there are any number of ways to get your streaming action groove on. Oh, and did I mention the latest return of Bond, James Bond? Yep, 007 is back again (some of him, anyway), although if recent history is any guide, he won't be around for long�so take advantage of that license to kill before it inevitably gets revoked. (Click here for an earlier rundown of select Bond titles.)

Raquel, I'm over here!

There's a little something for every taste, from every decade since the 1950s. Want to gawk at a miniaturized Raquel Welch, shrunk down and wetsuited to enter a dying man's bloodstream? Apparently, a lot of people did in 1966, which is where the aforementioned Fantastic Voyage comes in. Feeling the urge to bone up on the many moods and manifestations of Godzilla before the latest remake hits the big screen? Then plan to spend a lot of time sitting in front of the little screen, because over half a dozen Godzilla films have reemerged from the earth's core after being buried in January. Most of these are pretty crappy (including what's arguably the worst of all, Godzilla's Revenge), but if you take your monsters seriously�and prefer to avoid a talking baby Godzilla�then stick with the first installment, Godzilla, King of the Monsters (1956) or 1964's Godzilla vs. Mothra. Or, go ahead, queue up Godzilla's Revenge. As long as you're prepared to uncork a bottle of Awwws (and guff-awws) to randomly hurl at your screen. Talking baby monsters, indeed...

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New May Titles (2013)

Despite last month's massive MGM/UA purge, a few notable new titles have found their way to Netflix Instant.

The Three Musketeers (1973) - Expired 7/1/13

Director Richard Lester (A Hard Day's Night, Petulia) brings a fresh take to this old tale, cramming a large all-star cast into corsets and tabards and letting the mud and swords fly. Bawdy, messy, violent, and occasionally thrilling, this first of two Musketeers movies shot back-to-back (The Four Musketeers is inexplicably unavailable on Instant) remains the standard for all Dumas interpretations before or since. Michael York, Oliver Reed, Richard Chamberlain, Christopher Lee and others take part in some of the most spirited�and exhausting�swordplay ever put on film, made all the more convincing for being performed by the actors themselves. Lester accomplishes the rare feat of fusing a sometimes Monty-Pythonesque tone with genuinely escalating dramatic stakes. Good old-fashioned fun.

Harry & Tonto (1974) - Expired 5/1/14

Art Carney gives an Oscar-winning performance in this Paul Mazursky road movie. I haven't seen this one myself, but it's always been well regarded and I'm a lifelong fan of Mazursky's other work (including Moscow on the Hudson, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, and Enemies, A Love Story). This one's definitely going into my queue. [UPDATE: Saw it. Loved it. Sorry to see it gone.]

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Expiration Watch: THE AMATEURS

My first exposure to The Amateurs (2005) was in a discount DVD shop on Manhattan's 8th Avenue. I knew nothing about it, but the large ensemble of character actors listed on the box--headed by the always reliable Jeff Bridges--immediately got my attention. With Bridges, Ted Danson, Tim Blake Nelson, Glenne Headly, Joe Pantoliano, Eileen Brennan, Judy Greer and (of all people) Valerie Perrine playing small-town denizens banding together to make a porn film, how bad could it be? Plus it was only five dollars, so even if it was crap I could probably make back a few bucks on eBay.

Surprise, surprise--it actually turned out to be one of those shaggy-dog sleepers you secretly hope all unheralded movies in an 8th Avenue video store will be, but never are. Bridges plays Andy, a softhearted, down-on-his-luck dreamer who's the de facto leader of a group of quirky losers who are always just a corner or two away from their Million Dollar Moment. As we learn from Andy's droll voiceover, those moments are usually engineered, in a burst of inspiration, by Andy himself and acquiesced to by his forgiving friends even when they know he's batting .000. (As one character later puts it, it's not like they've got anything better to do.)

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R.I.P.D. Confirmed As A 3D Conversion!

The upcoming actioner R.I.P.D. starring Ryan Reynolds, Jeff Bridges and Kevin Bacon has been confirmed as being a 3D conversion by Universal.

The movie stems from a group of dead cops who form the "Rest In Peace Department". Ryan Reynolds is a "just died" cop who partners with Jeff Bridges. Kevin Bacon will be the villain and judging by some spy shots, (highlight sentence after to read spoiler): he will also turn into some sort of CGI enhanced "thing". Who knows what that will be.

Our 3D movie list for this year has just hit 40. Not bad at all! We'll have more 3D movie announcements once they are made public by the studios.

R.I.P.D. hits theaters on June 28.

Image source: Zimbio

Must See: New International Poster For TRON: LEGACY!!

Stunning new international poster for this year's soon to be mega-hit TRON: LEGACY!

Click to enlarge.

The poster reveals Kevin Flynn (older, not the young CGI version and portrayed by Jeff Bridges) posing with a light disc. It definitely has a MATRIX feel to it with his black outfit and computer run environment. FirstShowing seems to think it is from Vietnam. Originating site is KinoGallery.

Storyline:
Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), the tech-savvy son of Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), looks into his father's disappearance and is pulled into the digital world of Tron where his father has been living for 25 years.

TRON: LEGACY (In Disney Digital 3D™ and IMAX® 3D)
WALT DISNEY PICTURES
Website: Disney.com/TRON
Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/TRON
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/DisneyPictures
Genre: Action-Adventure
Rating: TBD
U.S. Release Date: December 17, 2010

Cast: Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Bruce Boxleitner, James Frain, Beau Garrett and Michael Sheen
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Producers: Sean Bailey, Jeffrey Silver, Steven Lisberger
Executive Producer: Donald Kushner
Written by: Eddy Kitsis & Adam Horowitz (credit not final)
Based on characters created by: Steven Lisberger and Bonnie MacBird

This movie is going to be a MONSTER. Trust me on this - it's going to have a nice long run. More when I get it!!