10.11.18

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•FILM•
BY CARL KOZLOWSKI
John Hamm in Bad Times at the El Royale
The Best of ‘Times’
‘BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE’ OFFERS A NEO-NOIR LOOK AT
SECOND CHANCES AND REDEMPTION
These are tough times for rank and file Catholics, the laity forced
to endure one distressing headline after another about the
clerical sex scandals and attendant cover-ups. But sometimes,
positive reinforcement can come from the strangest places, and the
new movie “Bad Times at the El Royale” is hitting theaters amid the
firestorm with a potent and touching reminder of the good that the
vast majority of good priests do in the world and, more importantly,
the power of forgiveness to bring peace, solace and redemption to us
all.
But don’t worry if you’re not a Catholic, because “Bad Times” is
also an incredibly well-done thriller completely aside from those plot
aspects. While the ads and trailers for “Bad Times” make it appear
like a Quentin Tarantino-style exploration of evil that wallows in
shocking violence for laughs rather than any sense of redemption, it
manages to be both a riveting unpredictable film and one with a deep
sense of humanity.
It focuses on six mysterious people who converge on the El
Royale, a hotel that sits directly on the state line dividing California
and Nevada and is long past the glory days, back when Dean Martin
would stay there during visits to Lake Tahoe.
Among them are an elderly priest named Father Daniel Flynn
(Jeff Bridges), an African-American singer named Darlene (Cynthia
Erivo), two mysterious sisters named Emily (Dakota Johnson) and
Ruth (Cailee Spaeny), a vacuum cleaner salesman named Laramie
who’s actually an FBI agent (Jon Hamm) and a charismatic creep
named Billy Lee who has a strange connection to the sisters (Chris
Hemsworth). They are all greeted by the front desk clerk Miles (Lewis
Pullman), who also serves as the hospitality staff and the bartender,
since he’s the only employee on-site.
Miles is hiding the fact that the El Royale is riddled with bugs, and
not the living kind of critters that often populate low-grade motels.
Rather, the rooms are filled with hidden listening devices and the
mirrors are actually of the two-way variety, with a secret network of
hallways enabling Miles and his unknown bosses to spy upon and film
their guests for unclear nefarious purposes.
On this night, tensions ratchet up more than normal because Laramie
is ordered to ensure that no one can leave the premises, and he
proceeds to disable everyone’s car engines. Soon, everyone’s secrets
start to come out — the most important of which is that Father Daniel
is actually a bank robber looking to dig up his hotel room floor and
retrieve the bagful of money his brother buried there a decade ago
before promptly getting shot to death.
When Billy Lee finally arrives, things get emotionally and then
physically explosive. But what shines through the most in this
remarkable film is that instead of wallowing in darkness, it points
strongly toward the light with one of the most powerful redemption
stories in memory.
The reason for that is that when one of the seven main characters
receives a mortal wound and is fading fast, they ask for Father Daniel
to hear their confession in the hopes of dying with peace and the opportunity
for salvation. The problem is that they don’t realize that the
man claiming to be Father Daniel is not who he says. But at that moment,
Daniel has to decide whether to tell the truth and devastate the
dying person, or do as another character requests and help him die in
peace by playing the role and helping him at least feel absolved.
The resulting scene is beautifully played, expertly written and is
an astounding reminder of the power of forgiveness and grace. The
performances in this film are all first-rate, particularly Bridges as a
man who has done bad things but rises to the occasion when given
the chance to do good. Erivo is also outstanding as Darlene, particularly
in a masterful six-minute sequence in which she sings the pop
classic “This Old Heart of Mine” a capella to cover up the noise of
Daniel tearing up the floor in search of the money bag as a sinister
character watches through the mirror.
Goddard’s writing is crisp throughout, with a great sense of tension
and a lot of darkly funny lines to go with its moments of dramatic
power. He gives this 141-minute movie time to breathe and wrap
audiences in its mysterious embrace with long but riveting scenes that
are often quiet before exploding into whiplash bursts of noisy action.
A single unexpected punch inflicted by one character upon another
roused the audience into shocked applause unlike nearly any film I’ve
ever seen.
That ability to make audiences not just think, but feel, deeply is a
rare thing in these days of noise-driven blockbusters. The characters
at the El Royale may be enduring bad times, but moviegoers seeking
original filmmaking will find plenty of good times at the theater
watching this film. n
“BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE” GRADE: A
CAPSULE REVIEWS
BY CARL KOZLOWSKI
FIRST MAN
Stars: Ryan Gosling
Length: 141 minutes
Directed by: Malcolm D. Lee
Rating: PG13
Teaming up two comedy superstars under
a director on a hot streak should have
guaranteed this being a timeless comedy
classic. But this story of a man going back to
school for his GED amid a classful of weirdos
and a hardass teacher is hit-or-miss with the
laughs. But its positive messages on education
and second chances will leave most viewers
smiling. Grade: B
A STAR IS BORN
Stars: Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga
Length: 136 minutes
Directed by: Bradley Cooper
Rating: R
The fourth update for this classic tale of tragic
romance is co-written, directed by and stars
Bradley Cooper, who plays fading rock star
Jackson Maine as he falls for an unknown
young singer played by Lady Gaga, helping her
career while headed for disaster. The songs
are terrific, the performances Oscar-worthy.
This will be a major Oscar contender.
Grade: A
NIGHT SCHOOL
Stars: Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish
Length: 111 minutes
Directed by: Malcolm D. Lee
Rating: PG13
Teaming up two comedy superstars under
a director on a hot streak should have
guaranteed this being a timeless comedy
classic. But this story of a man going back to
school for his GED amid a classful of weirdos
and a hardass teacher is hit-or-miss with the
laughs. But its positive messages on education
and second chances will leave most viewers
smiling. Grade: B
WHITE BOY RICK
Stars: Matthew McConnaughey, Richie Merritt,
Bel Powley
Length: 110 minutes
Directed by: Yann Demange
Rating: R
Richie Merritt comes out of literally nowhere to
give one of the best debut performances ever,
playing Ricky Wershe Jr., who at 16 became
the youngest drug informant in U.S. history. He
matches Matthew McConnaughey toe-to-toe,
as the Oscar winner plays his father, another
in a string of unglamorous white-trash loser
roles that suit him surprisingly well. Riveting
and gritty with flashes of explosive dark
humor, this movie is a wakeup call for our very
damaged judicial system. Grade: A
A SIMPLE FAVOR
Stars: Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively,
Henry Golding
Length: 117 minutes
Directed by: Paul Feig
Rating: R
Director Feig made his name as a master
director of female comedies (“Bridesmaids”),
but he tries to shake things up with a
Hitchcockian thriller about a rich woman who
disappears and the friend who discovers she’s
not what she seems as she searches for her.
Problem is, Feig keeps trying for laughs that
negate the thrills, while the often too-shocking
twists make it hard to laugh. Grade: C
36 PASADENA WEEKLY | 10.11.18