Bad Times at the El Royale

[Jeremy Blackman]

Alright, so this is one of the very best films of 2018. Criminally underrated/overlooked. Tarantino-inspired, certainly, but very much its own thing.

Brought to you by Drew Goddard, the J.J. Abrams protege who directed The Cabin In The Woods, was a writer on Lost, etc.

I would strongly suggest avoiding the trailer, since I had a magical experience going in fresh, but it is a very good trailer and is entirely representative of the movie. Just try to ignore most of the plot details. Significant spoilers begin right at 30 sec.

[wilberfan]

Wanted to like this one--but it felt too Low-Rent Tarantino to me. 

[Jeremy Blackman]

A rewatch completely reaffirmed my love for this film. Better than Widows.

It's so absurdly indulgent, but deliciously so. That's really part of the charm. If I were to make a list of the best performances and best moments of the year, a good number of them would be from this movie.

Two of those moments are character introductions. Of the same character. (It makes sense, trust me.)