Bad Times at the El Royale by SHINYGOODGUY

CINEMA

Bad Times at the El Royale

POSTED BY: SHINYGOODGUY
UPDATED: Saturday, November 24, 2018 00:42
SHORT URL:
VIEWED: 3727
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Sunday, October 14, 2018 1:47 AM

How I love a good mystery, and Bad Times at the El Royale is a good murder mystery in the style of Tarantino's Pulp Fiction; a film noir with a dash of
Stephen King and a whisper of Stanley Kubrick.

Yes, your eyes didn't deceive you. I said it.

Bad Times is written and directed by Drew Goddard (he wrote Cabin in the Woods, The Martian and Cloverfield), and has in it a touch of the master storytellers from cinema's recent past. This was not "borrowing" so much from those masters, it was paying homage in the best way possible - through storytelling. It is the craft that matters most and Goddard methodically weaves a story that is more implosive than explosive. He's deliberate in developing the characters ticks and impulsivities. It plays like an onion, slowly he reveals his characters motives and we have fun watching it all unravel.

The story involves 7 characters that show up at the titular hotel on the California/Nevada state line, presumably to get some R&R. But as time passes we find that there's more to their stories than they first admit. The story
begins with a mysterious prologue where someone gets shot and we embark on
the journey of the murdered mystery man. Like in any good mystery there are red herrings and clues, and despite it's deliberate pace, we never get bored.

Quite the opposite happens, we reach for our popcorn and keep our eyes peeled for the next character to reveal a hidden truth. We find out why these characters all find themselves registering at the hotel. Some may say that
the pacing is a bit slow, but film noir is not meant to be formulaic or predictable...if you want that, then go watch CSI on television. This is something quite unique and intriguing. What I loved most about it was it's unpredictability and it's sense of mystery, you literally didn't know what would happen next. I only had one quibble, which I won't discuss here because
I do not wish to spoil it for anyone that hasn't seen it.

But I genuinely had a good time at the movies, because finally someone came
up with something original and well written. Oh and one more thing, this is a dark movie, with dark over and undertones, that is not to say that it isn't funny (there are some distinctly dark and funny moments in the film). So go, enjoy and tell me what you think. I get the feeling that this is going to
be a cult hit.

I give it 4.5 Stars out of 5.

SGG

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Sunday, October 14, 2018 11:26 PM

WISHIMAY

Hey, thanks for the suggestion. Hubbs has had a couple long weeks (6 days, 12 hrs) so I made him wake up and go with me into town to eat and I told him he was going to a movie for some alone time and I wasn't going to tell him which and that he just had to trust me....

THANKFULLY, he enjoyed it. He said the point of view scenes from the four people slowed it down but that he'd still give it at least a solid 4 stars, and that he thought me and the kiddo would enjoy it (I had a couple errands to run or I would've). I'll put it on my Netflix list for sure. It has Hemsworth with his shirt off so I know my kid will be sure to not miss. You should've seen her the first time she saw him do that...The look on her face was "OMG...guys come in THAT flavor???"

Hilarious.

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Tuesday, October 16, 2018 3:07 AM

SHINYGOODGUY

Quote:
Hey, thanks for the suggestion. Hubbs has had a couple long weeks (6 days, 12 hrs) so I made him wake up and go with me into town to eat and I told him he was going to a movie for some alone time and I wasn't going to tell him which and that he just had to trust me....

Wish, you're a good wife....your name wouldn't happen to be Brandy, would it?

Quote:
THANKFULLY, he enjoyed it. He said the point of view scenes from the four people slowed it down but that he'd still give it at least a solid 4 stars, and that he thought me and the kiddo would enjoy it (I had a couple errands to run or I would've).

Yeah, I got that from my son as well, about the pace at the point in the movie, but I liked that part of the story, although I can't explain why. It
definitely had a different pace to it, and like I said in my review, I thought
it had a hint of a Tarantino movie.

Quote:
I'll put it on my Netflix list for sure. It has Hemsworth with his shirt off so I know my kid will be sure to not miss. You should've seen her the first time she saw him do that...The look on her face was "OMG...guys come in THAT flavor???"

Hilarious.

Yeah, I get the attraction and I actually like Hemsworth (not in the same way your daughter does), but I appreciate his performance in this. Both he and Jackman are dutiful actors who have a charisma that comes across very well
on screen. Hemsworth has quite good comedic chops, but overall a solid actor
in his own right. Both you and the kiddo, will enjoy.

SGG

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Wednesday, October 24, 2018 3:07 AM

JEWELSTAITEFAN

The womenfolk should know this is not the Hemsworth version from Star Trek.

BD Crew includes Lisa Lassek, Film Editor.

I felt the slow pacing was detracting.

The sensibility felt like Deadpool.

I felt The Old Man and the Gun was better - reminded me of 3 Billboards.

I did enjoy the score during end credits, after the lead-in score from the singer. I didn't place it, or see it in the credits.

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Saturday, October 27, 2018 12:22 AM

SHINYGOODGUY

Quote:
I felt the slow pacing was detracting.

The "slow pacing," as you put it, is a signature, much like that of Stanley Kubrick (hence my mention of a hint of his modus operandi). Today's cinema
has a rather M-TV type of quick-cuts style that keeps the eyes and brain pinging back and forth, so anything that has character development and deliberate pace may seem "slow" in comparison.

That deliberate style used by Drew Goddard was, well, purposeful. It built up the tension and kept the audience guessing as to when and what would happen next. I was thinking of Kubrick's The Shining as the movie unfolded. No, it's not as good, but it was lightly flavored with that "slow" unveiling of the
characters and their motives. It was good creepy fun. Best among the actors was Jeff Bridges (one of my favorite actors) and Cynthia Erivo (who played Darlene Sweet, the singer) and Lewis Pullman (Miles Miller, the hotel clerk).
Their performances drove the movie.

Quote:
The sensibility felt like Deadpool.

What exactly does that mean? The vibe I felt was more in the line of Cabin in the Woods and the aforementioned Shining. Deadpool, I don't see it.

Quote:
I felt The Old Man and the Gun was better - reminded me of 3 Billboards.

I'm kind of at a loss. You weren't exactly overflowing with praise for 3 Billboards...

Quote:
I finally saw this today. No mention made of Kerry Condon, who has been Friday in Marvel films lately. Also from Ireland, like the director.
The film was pretty funny. It was well put together, but for me I can't place it higher than Wind River, for overall enjoyment, impression, or recommending to others. This is a bit more quirky while Wind River is more straightforward.

I will only go see Old Man and the Gun because two of my favorite actors are
in it...Redford and Spacek.

SGG

I did enjoy the score during end credits, after the lead-in score from the singer. I didn't place it, or see it in the credits.

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Saturday, October 27, 2018 1:11 PM

JEWELSTAITEFAN

Quote:
Originally posted by SHINYGOODGUY:
Quote:
I felt the slow pacing was detracting.

The "slow pacing," as you put it, is a signature, much like that of Stanley Kubrick (hence my mention of a hint of his modus operandi). Today's cinema
has a rather M-TV type of quick-cuts style that keeps the eyes and brain pinging back and forth, so anything that has character development and deliberate pace may seem "slow" in comparison.

That deliberate style used by Drew Goddard was, well, purposeful. It built up the tension and kept the audience guessing as to when and what would happen next. I was thinking of Kubrick's The Shining as the movie unfolded. No, it's not as good, but it was lightly flavored with that "slow" unveiling of the
characters and their motives. It was good creepy fun. Best among the actors was Jeff Bridges (one of my favorite actors) and Cynthia Erivo (who played Darlene Sweet, the singer) and Lewis Pullman (Miles Miller, the hotel clerk).
Their performances drove the movie.
Quote:
The sensibility felt like Deadpool.

What exactly does that mean? The vibe I felt was more in the line of Cabin in the Woods and the aforementioned Shining. Deadpool, I don't see it.
Quote:
I felt The Old Man and the Gun was better - reminded me of 3 Billboards.

I'm kind of at a loss. You weren't exactly overflowing with praise for 3 Billboards...
Quote:
I finally saw this today. No mention made of Kerry Condon, who has been Friday in Marvel films lately. Also from Ireland, like the director.
The film was pretty funny. It was well put together, but for me I can't place it higher than Wind River, for overall enjoyment, impression, or recommending to others. This is a bit more quirky while Wind River is more straightforward.

I will only go see Old Man and the Gun because two of my favorite actors are
in it...Redford and Spacek.

SGG

I did enjoy the score during end credits, after the lead-in score from the singer. I didn't place it, or see it in the credits.

SGG, after you see Old Man, tell me what you think of the pacing. Danny Glover is quite reserved in his role, but I like him better than Redford. Affleck usually annoys me. In reflection, this story reminds me of subplots from Absolute Power - and that may be the best comparison and preview that this film could have had (I had heard nothing of it prior to starting scenes).
I felt the pacing fit better than the pacing in BTaER. Old Man felt like a lesser version of Bridges of Madison County.
You were effusive with praise for 3 Billboards. I don't normally "pile on" unless I have something to add. I don't recall arguing with your view. I considered it one of the 20 best films of the year. But you quoted my comparison to Wind River. I consider Wind River to be the Best Film of that year, IIRC. I enjoy researching it each time. Of the non-actioner non-blockbuster films, practically none will fare well when I compare to WR, sorry.

I feel quite disappointed after this summer's roster of films. I had hoped for more. But kiddie flicks seems to have overrun the Box Office. Is the raging economy forcing parents to spend more kid money at the theater, pushing out the quality films?

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Saturday, November 24, 2018 12:42 AM

JEWELSTAITEFAN

Quote:
Originally posted by SHINYGOODGUY:
Quote:
I felt the slow pacing was detracting.

That deliberate style used by Drew Goddard was, well, purposeful. It built up the tension and kept the audience guessing as to when and what would happen next. I was thinking of Kubrick's The Shining as the movie unfolded. No, it's not as good, but it was lightly flavored with that "slow" unveiling of the
characters and their motives. It was good creepy fun. Best among the actors was Jeff Bridges (one of my favorite actors) and Cynthia Erivo (who played Darlene Sweet, the singer) and Lewis Pullman (Miles Miller, the hotel clerk).
Their performances drove the movie.

SGG

I did enjoy the score during end credits, after the lead-in score from the singer. I didn't place it, or see it in the credits.

I see that Lewis Pullman is cast in Top Gun: Maverick.

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