BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE : Tuesday 23rd October 2018.

'BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE' which I saw on Tuesday evening this week is a late 1960's neo-noir set American thriller that is Directed, Written and Co-Produced by Drew Goddard. He also wrote multiple episodes of popular television series 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer', 'Angel', 'Alias', 'Lost', created and wrote two episodes of 'Daredevil' and wrote for the big screen too including 'Cloverfield', 'World War Z', 'The Martian', and 'Cabin in the Woods' which was also his Directing debut. After this outing Goddard is Writing and Directing Marvel's 'X-Force'. Costing US$32M to make, the film has so far grossed US$22M since its release in the US and Australia two weeks ago and has received generally positive press, although some are stating that the two hours twenty minutes running time is a little overcooked.

And so the storyline here follows seven strangers who find themselves at the El Royale, a novelty hotel traversing the border of California and Nevada close to Lake Tahoe. As the film opens we are introduced to a man who enters a hotel room at the El Royale in 1960, rather nervously, pulling out a hand gun, peering out of the window before pulling the curtains closed. He then proceeds to move all the furniture, pull up the carpet, pull up the floorboards and deposits a hold-all bag under the floor before replacing the floorboards, replacing the carpet and replacing all the furniture to its original position. He then hears a knock at the door, opens it and is blasted dead with a shotgun. We then fast forward ten years later to 1970, and at the same El Royale Hotel checking in are Father Daniel Flynn (Jeff Bridges), singer Darlene Sweet (Cynthia Erivo) and travelling vacuum cleaner salesman Laramie Seymour Sullivan (Jon Hamm). Sometime shortly after, Emily Summerspring (Dakota Johnson) drives erratically up to the front entrance and brings her sports coupe to a grinding halt on the driveway. She saunters out, and also demands a room.

They wait patiently at the Reception ringing the bell awaiting for someone to appear but for ten minutes nobody does. The four exchange social niceties to pass the time of day with Sullivan announcing that the former Rat Pack destinational hotel is now a shadow of its former self as it had lost its gaming licence some years ago, since which time trade has gone rapidly downhill. The hotel's only employee Miles Miller (Lewis Pullman) appears and books them into the rooms, giving them the choice to stay in Nevada or California and officially welcomes them to the El Royale giving them the rules of the house . . . . a routine he would have repeated countless times over the years.

Upon checking into the honeymoon suite, at his very specific request, Sullivan (real name Dwight Broadbeck and in reality an FBI Agent masquerading as a travelling salesman) scans the room for bugs. Upon closer examination of the room he retrieves twenty or so hidden microphones of two different designs hidden in every nook and cranny - in light fittings, power sockets, in the phone, the TV set, the curtain rail and behind picture frames. Having turned the room upside down and exhausted his search he puts a call through to none other than J. Edgar Hoover who tells Broadbeck to remove all evidence of the FBI's operations, for reasons that are unclear.

He goes to the Reception to find it, surprise surprise, unattended. He rings the bell but that goes unanswered. He retrieves the master key to gain access to a locked door in his room, and ventures back of house in search of Miller, whom he finds passed out on bed with a needle hanging from his arm. Broadbeck then decides to investigate back of house and sees a passageway leading down a corridor with one-way mirrors looking into each guest room, and with a film camera set up for the far room at the end of the darkened corridor. Broadbeck spies Father Flynn ripping up the floorboards in his room, Darlene practising her singing into the mirror, and witnesses an apparent kidnapping in Summerspring's room.

Broadbeck puts a call into his office again to be instructed to disregard the alleged kidnapping and to sabotage all the vehicles to prevent the other guests from leaving. In the meantime, Flynn had overheard Darlene's singing from the next room and asks her to join him for dinner. She reluctantly agrees and the pair go to the lounge to retrieve some pie from a vending machine. Listening to music from the juke box, Flynn pours himself a stiff drink and request that Darlene join him for one. She observes Flynn spiking her drink and belts him over the head with a bottle sending him reeling unconscious to the floor. She makes a quick exit out of the hotel into the pouring rain. Miles discovers Flynn on the floor in the bar surrounded by broken glass and a big gash to his forehead. Seeking forgiveness for his sins from the Priest, he leads Father Flynn to the back of house corridor stating that the owners of the hotel who live interstate instruct Miles to film certain guests and send them the footage once every month. Miles has however, chosen to withhold one especially damning film reel of a recently deceased public figure, because the subject person in question was kind to him and if it was to go public would cause a huge scandal.

Acting directly against the orders of his superiors, Broadbeck takes the law into his own hands and after sabotaging the vehicles, bursts in on Emily's room where the alleged kidnapping is unfolding. It is revealed that Emily is in fact holding hostage her own sister Rose (Cailee Spaeny) to protect her from running back to cult leader Billy Lee (Chris Hemsworth). Emily opens fire on Broadbeck who is standing directly in front of the rooms mirror, and with a shotgun kills him instantly. Miles who was stood behind that same mirror in the corridor looking in, accidentally gets a face full of buckshot from the same cartridge that killed Broadbeck.

Darlene has meanwhile tried to escape, having witnessed Emily's gunning down of Broadbeck through the opened door, and attempts to start her car but to no avail. Flynn catches up with her and asks to talk. They do so, with Darlene pointing a loaded pistol at Flynn. He comes clean that he is really a criminal named Donald 'Doc' O'Kelly, who was sentenced to ten years jail time after a robbery gone wrong.

Released only days ago on parole, O'Kelly has returned to the El Royale dressed as a Priest to retrieve the bag of swag that his brother Felix had stashed there before being gunned down in a double cross. However, owing to the onset of Alzheimer's, Flynn can't recall which room it was in. The reason he had attempted to drug Darlene was to gain access to her room, deducing that the cash had to be stashed there after he couldn't find it in his own room. Darlene agrees to allow him to search her room in exchange for half the cash.

Having discovered the secret corridor behind the shattered mirror in their room, Emily and Rose interrogate a bloodied Miles with half his face covered in buckshot wounds, about the clandestine surveillance operation. It transpires that Emily had forcibly removed her sister from the clutches of Billy Lee's cult, who by the way whilst being very smooth talking and charismatic was also a sadistic murderer wanted down Florida way for several killings. Rose though loves Billy Lee and has already alerted him to their whereabouts and he is en route. Just as Flynn and Darlene are about to leave with their haul of retrieved cash, Billy Lee arrives with his cultist henchmen and hold them both hostage together now with Emily and Miles too.

While terrorising and interrogating his four captives, Lee discovers the money and the film which he realises pretty quickly is much more valuable than the cash stash. In a sadistic game of roulette, Lee shoots and kills Emily, and threatens to kill Miles, Flynn and Darlene if they do not divulge from whence the money came and Flynn's real identity, sensing that he is not really a Priest. When an overhead lightning strike temporarily cuts the power, Flynn attacks Lee and the hotel lounge catches fire. During the ensuing chaos, Miles reveals that he served as an expert sniper in Vietnam with 123 confirmed skills to his name, but that he can kill no more, being racked with guilt over his killings. At Darlene insistence, given the dire circumstances they find themselves in, he picks up a gun and kills Lee and the other cultists. A distraught Rose stabs Miles in the stomach with a hunting life retrieved from Lee's lifeless body, but is then shot dead by O'Kelly. As Miles lays dying, Darlene urges O'Kelly (returning to Father Flynn mode) to forgive him of his guilt over his actions in Vietnam and at the El Royale over the years, so that he can enter the Kingdom of Heaven at peace at last. O'Kelly and Darlene retrieve the money and throw the canister of film and the hotel register with their names on it into the fire now quickly taking hold in the hotel lobby, before the pair flee, leaving in their wake a trail of death and destruction.

I enjoyed 'Bad Times at the El Royale' despite its elongated running time. Some scenes did labour the point just a little too much, and could easily have been trimmed back by ten or fifteen minutes or so, but that said the film moves along at a good pace, and there is plenty of action and unfolding events to maintain the interest. This film is a solid mash-up of Tarantino and Agatha Christie as it weaves back and forth in time over the course of that one fateful evening and tells the story from each players own point of view to build up the entire picture by the time the credits roll. Stylishly filmed with a faithful recreation of the era and sharp dialogue delivered by a strong ensemble cast who individually all deliver violent outbursts and nail their persona's. Especially noteworthy is Cynthia Erivo in her big screen debut as the soulful singer determined to make it on her own terms in very much a mans world, and Jeff Bridges playing an all too familiar if comfortable role as the weary and gruff ageing linchpin to the night unfolding the way it does. Chris Hemsworth's chiseled physique is also on show for all the world to see, and here he plays largely against type and clearly relishing in it. Certainly worth a look and the price of entry, albeit just a tad overcooked.

'Bad Times at the El Royale' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard, out of a possible five.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 11th October 2018.

In September the world bid a fond farewell to a number of stars of the silver screen and the small screen. In brief, shown below, is my passing tribute to those stars who leave an indelible mark on the entertainment industry, and in particular the world of film and television. May you all Rest In Peace, and thanks for the memories . . . . Burt Reynolds, Gary Kurtz, Al Matthews, Fenella Fielding and Christoper Lawford.

* Gary Douglas Kurtz : born July 27th 1940, died September 23rd 2018, aged 78. Kurtz was an American film Producer and Assistant Director who had seventeen Producer credits to his name, five as Assistant Director, four as Production Manager and two as Editor. His most notable film Production credits include 'American Graffiti', 'Star Wars : Episode IV - A New Hope', 'Star Wars : Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back', 'The Dark Crystal', 'Return to Oz' and 'Slipstream'. Over the years he collected thirteen award wins and eight nominations including two Academy Award nods for 'American Graffiti' in 1974 and 'Star Wars' in 1978. He began his career in the movie industry in 1965 as Assistant Director on the Jack Nicholson and Harry Dean Stanton Western 'Ride in the Whirlwind' and continued up until 2016 with 'Gangster Kittens'.
* Al Matthews : born Alexander Basil Matthews on November 21st 1942, died September 22nd 2018, aged 75. Matthews was a folk singer and songwriter and Actor with 36 acting credits to his name including 'Yanks', 'The Final Conflict', 'Superman III', 'Aliens' (perhaps his most famed role as Sergeant Apone), 'The Fifth Element' and 'Tomorrow Never Dies'. Matthews served for six years in the US Marine Corps taking in active duty in the Vietnam War and to that end his website reads 'I hold thirteen combat awards and decorations, including two purple hearts. I was the first black Marine in the 1st Marine Division in Vietnam to be meritoriously promoted to the rank of sergeant; I served with Kilo Battery, Fourth Battalion, 11th Marines, 1st Marine Division, of that I am very proud'.
* Fenella Fielding : born Fenella Marion Feldman on November 17th 1927 and died September 11th 2018 aged 90. Fielding was an English theatre, film and television actress, popular in the '50's and '60's and having a reputation as 'England's first lady of the double entendre', she was known too for her seductive image and distinctively husky voice. With sixty Acting credits to her name, she got her break in 1957 on three episodes of British spy drama series 'Destination Downing Street' followed up two years later with her film debut in 'Follow a Star' with Norman Wisdom, John Le Mesurier, Ron Moody and Hattie Jacques. Over the ensuing years she appeared in the likes of 'Doctor in Love', 'The Old Dark House', 'Doctor in Distress', 'Doctor in Clover', 'Carry On Regardless', 'Carry On Screaming', 'Drop Dead Darling', 'Lock Up Your Daughters', 'Guest House Paradiso' and 'The All Together'. In between time she appeared in numerous television series across single and multiple episodes, as well as short films and voice work as recently as 2017 on the short film 'Frankula'. Fielding was appointed as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours for services to drama and charity.
* Burt Reynolds : born Burton Leon Reynolds Jnr., on February 11th 1936 and died September 6th 2018 aged 82. Reynolds was an American Actor, Director and Producer but his career didn't start out that way. He attended Florida State University on a football scholarship and played halfback and he had hoped to be named to All-American teams and have a career in professional football; however, he injured his knee in the first game of his second season, and later that year lost his spleen and injured his other knee in a bad car accident, so effectively ending his professional football aspirations. With 186 Acting credits to his name, fourteen Director credits and eleven as Producer he gained his first break in television in 1958 and from that point onward worked regularly throughout the next sixty years right up until the time of his death. His television works included multiple recurring appearances on 'Riverboat', 'Gunsmoke', 'Hawk', 'Dan August', 'B.L.Stryker', 'Out Of This World', 'Evening Shade' and more recently 'Hitting the Breaks'. His more notable big screen appearances over the years include his debut film role in 1961's 'Angel Baby', and then 'Navajo Joe', 'Sam Whiskey', 'Deliverance' (one of his most famed roles), 'The Longest Yard' (both the 1974 original and the 2005 remake), 'Gator', 'Nickelodeon', 'Smokey and the Bandit' (another famed role), 'Hooper', 'Smokey and the Bandit II', 'The Cannonball Run', 'Best Friends', 'Sharky's Machine', 'The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas', 'City Heat', 'Boogie Nights' (highly acclaimed and award winning role), 'The Dukes of Hazzard', the critically acclaimed 2017 drama 'The Last Movie Star' and 'Defining Moments' set for a Christmas release this year. Reynolds had 34 award wins (including two Golden Globes) to his name and a further 29 nominations (including one Oscar nod, five Golden Globe, two Primetime Emmy and one BAFTA nomination).
* Christopher Lawford : born March 29th 1955, died September 4th 2018 aged 63. Lawford was an American author, actor, and activist. He was a member of the prominent Kennedy family, and son of actor Peter Lawford who had numerous film and television Acting roles from 1930 through until his death in 1984. One of the famous 'Rat Pack' he starred alongside Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jnr., in the original 1960 'Ocean's Eleven'. After battling various drug and legal issues throughout his earlier life, Christopher turned to the movie business in 1988 and spent over fifteen years in the film and television business as an Actor, Lawyer, Executive, and Producer. He got his first film role in 1988 in 'The Suicide Club' which was to be the first of 45 Acting credits which over the years took in 'The Russia House', 'The Doors', 'The Confession', 'The 6th Day', 'Thirteen Days', 'Exit Wounds', 'Terminator 3 : Rise of the Machines', 'The World's Fastest Indian'  and 'Slipstream' with 'Eavesdrop' being his last Acting credit in 2008. Lawford worked extensively in politics, government and the non-profit sector holding executive staff positions, and was appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to serve on the California Department of Public Health Advisory Board.

Turning to this week we have three new filmic offerings to tease you out to your local Odeon. We launch (literally) with a biographical drama from a multi-award winning Director about mans greatest and most dangerous journey in the history of great and dangerous journeys to go boldly where no man had gone before. We then have a fictional story about a bunch of seemingly normal folk all harbouring their own secrets and lies who come together one rainy night at a hotel that straddles two States, and their last chance to find peace with themselves . . . or not as the case may be! And we then wrap up the week with another historical telling, this time of a series of terrorist attacks in India just ten years ago, as the victims fight for their survival seemingly against the odds.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the three latest release new movies as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release and as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are most welcome to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and in the meantime, enjoy your big screen Odeon outing during the week ahead.

'FIRST MAN' (Rated M) - this American biographical drama film is based on the 2005 book by James R. Hansen titled 'First Man : The Life of Neil A. Armstrong' and is Directed and Co-Produced by Oscar winner Damien Chazelle of 'Whiplash' and 'La La Land' fame. Made for US$60M the film saw its World Premier screening at the Venice International Film Festival back in August, and was subsequently screened at the Telluride Film Festival and then the Toronto International Film Festival in early September. It goes on general release in the US this week too having received generally widespread critical praise for Chazelle's Direction, the performances of Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy especially, the score and the cinematography.

The film tells the riveting story of NASA’s mission to land a man on the moon by the time the clock ticks over into 1970, focusing on Neil Armstrong and the years 1961-1969. A visceral, first-person account exploring the sacrifices and the cost on Armstrong and on the nation of one of the most dangerous and ultimately triumphant missions in history - the Apollo 11 mission to conquer the Moon before the decade was out in 1969. Starring Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong, Claire Foy as Janet Shearon (Armstrong's first wife), Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Corey Stoll as Buzz Aldrin, Ciaran Hinds, Patrick Fugit, Lukas Haas as Michael Collins, Shea Whigham, Brian d'Arcy James and Pablo Schreiber as Jim Lovell.

'BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE' (Rated MA15+) - here we have a 1960's set American thriller that is Directed, Written and Co-Produced Drew Goddard who wrote multiple episodes of popular television series 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer', 'Angel', 'Alias', 'Lost', created and wrote two episodes of 'Daredevil' and wrote for the big screen too including 'Cloverfield', 'World War Z', 'The Martian', and 'Cabin in the Woods' which was also his Directing debut. After this outing Goddard is Writing and Directing Marvel's 'X-Force'. Back to this film though, and the storyline follows seven strangers who find themselves at the El Royale, a novelty hotel traversing the border of California and Nevada. But as the strangers — which include a priest Daniel Flynn (Jeff Bridges), a vacuum cleaner salesman Seymour Sullivan (Jon Hamm), a gangster from down south Emily Summerspring (Dakota Johnson), a former singer Darlene Sweet (Cynthia Erivo), and a charismatic cult leader Billy Lee (Chris Hemsworth) all settle into their rooms for the night, they all get one last shot at redemption before discovering that something strange is afoot inside and outside the hotel, and everything goes pear shaped. Also starring Nick Offerman, Cailee Spaeny, Lewis Pullman and Russell Crowe.

'ONE LESS GOD' (Rated MA15+) - this Australian and Nepalese joint produced film is based on the real life events that unfolded in November 2008 when a small group of Islamic militants from Pakistan lays to siege the iconic Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai, and another eleven coordinated shooting and bombing attacks across Mumbai resulting in 164 deaths and 308 wounded. Not to be confused with the other, as yet to be released film of the same subject matter 'Hotel Mumbai' due for release in early 2019, this film is Directed, Co-Produced, Written and Edited in his feature film debut by Aussie Liam Worthington. The film had its Premier screening in completion at the 'Dances with Films' Festival way back in June 2017 where it took out the Grand Jury Award for Best Film as well as the Industry Choice Award. When the group of terrorists bomb the hotel with six separate explosions and threaten the lives of its guests and employees the Indian forces are powerless to overcome the perpetrators, and for a whole four days are unable to regain control. During which time the guests battle for their survival as the terrorists seek to drive them out of hiding. Starring Jospeh Mahler Taylor, Sukhraj Deepak, Kabir Singh, Kieren Kumar, Nathan Kaye and Mihika Rao.

With three new release films this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephile friends afterwards here at Odeon Online. In the meantime, I'll see you sometime somewhere in the week ahead at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-