Bad Times at the El Royale

GenerationofSwine 1/12/2023 3:43:29 AM 8.4

Ok, Wow, I don't think I've seen a movie like that since the 90s. Some have gotten close, but this one absolutely stinks of clever 90s independent film... ...at least in that era where studios were putting serious bank behind indie films in an effort to score awards and produce something new that audiences would eat up. The wow sort of starts with the soundtrack, which is brilliant found music that not only fits the era, but fits the film like a globe. The casting is perfect, with a special shout out to Cynthia Erivo who sold her role as an R&B singer as if, well, she is one, but the delivery was absolutely brilliant on her end, despite the fact that she is one in real life. I guess it's where basically playing yourself pays off in spades. She was brilliant, but then, so was absolutely everyone else. And this is all put together with a plot that twists and turns and situations that just move from bad to worse in the best possible Hollywood way. It's a movie you have to see.

Gimly 6/23/2021 3:58:15 PM 8.4

More often than not, the fragmented, time-jump-y form of storytelling (a la Tarantino) doesn't do it for me. But _Bad Times at the El Royale_ nails the format, and just about everything else while it's at it. _Final rating:★★★★ - Very strong appeal. A personal favourite._

Wuchak 8/24/2023 7:37:53 PM 8.4

**_Tarantino-esque flick about one rainy night at a dubious motel in Northern California_** In 1969, four strangers spend the night at the El Royale hotel on the border of California & Nevada, near Lake Tahoe. These visitors consist of a priest (Jeff Bridges), a singer (Cynthia Erivo), a vacuum cleaner salesman (Jon Hamm) and an edgy young woman (Dakota Johnson). They’re going to have an unforgettable night. Lewis Pullman plays the meek manager of the motel that used to be a bustling business while Chris Hemsworth and Cailee Spaeny have key roles. “Bad Times at the El Royale” (2018) is a crime thriller that takes the milieu of the “Psycho” flicks and combines it with the dialogue-driven style of Tarantino. The later “The Virtuoso” (2021) is comparable, although this is more colorful, not to mention half an hour longer. Not only is it superior to that film, it’s also superior to the movie the writer/director is most known for, “The Cabin in the Woods” (2012). To appreciate “El Royale” you have to be prepared for a flick that has the confidence to take its time as the characters are fleshed out and their secrets revealed. Some don’t like how things pan out in the last act revolving around Hemsworth’s character, but it worked for me and fit the times in which the story is set. Meanwhile Dakota Johnson looks great in jeans. Fans of “Pulp Fiction,” “Jackie Brown,” “Inglourious Basterds” and “The Hateful Eight” should eat this up. The film runs 2 hours, 21 minutes, and was shot in areas east of Vancouver, British Columbia, including Pioneer Avenue in Agassiz and Mammoth Studios in Burnaby. Additional bits were done in California. GRADE: B+/A-