Posted on

‘Bad Times at the El Royale’ seems never-ending, but it’s never boring

Straddling the California and Nevada borders on Lake Tahoe, as well as interpersonal moral dilemmas, “Bad Times at the El Royale” is a hotel stay without a checkout date.

I’ll be honest — I loved this drastically laborious movie. My boyfriend, however, found it so boring that he left and took a phone call instead.

Drew Goddard wrote, produced and directed the film. Goddard is known for writing and directing “Cabin in the Woods,” and he also wrote for “The Good Place,” “Daredevil,” “The Martian” and “World War Z.”

Born in 1975, Goddard resurrects an era of cult leaders, Vietnam-rooted PTSD, suspicious surveillance and widespread paranoia.

Set in the late 1970s, the film follows a priest (Jeff Bridges), a singer (Cynthia Erivo), a vacuum salesman (Jon Hamm) and four other strangers as they enter this once-glorious hotel to bury their dark pasts.

Through spectacular performances and facial cues, audiences get the sense that something isn’t right when a hippie (Dakota Johnson) struts in carrying live cargo in the trunk of her car. Or perhaps it’s when the singer (Erivo) has suspiciously bumpy bedrolls and refuses to let the others help her with it.

Told in traditional Tarantino fashion through nonlinear storytelling, there is never a dull moment in this film. The plot is wildly chaotic, with secrets begging to be unveiled in each scene.

Including a killer soundtrack (literally), the only thing missing from this movie is a sense of urgency.

This American neo-noir thriller relates audiences to its characters in the most static of ways. You can feel how torturously slow-moving the plot is as each character gets increasingly anxious about their stay. However, the setup of the movie alienates viewers as much the characters, preventing any connection between the audience and the cast.

Nonetheless, the film’s style is one that many moviegoers are not used to seeing, making it an instant classic.

Opening the Rome Film Festival and closing the San Sebastian Film Festival out of competition, “Bad Times at the El Royale” had critics and viewers alike anxiously awaiting its theatrical premiere.

“‘Bad Times at the El Royale’ is a sophisticated, intelligent, ironic, surprising and elegant film,” said Antonio Monda, artistic director of the Rome Film Festival. “Within the great tradition of the noir, Drew Goddard magnificently directs a splendid cast, reveling in the revelation of the protagonists’ secrets, but above all granting us the pleasure of true cinema.”

Scoring a 7.6 out of 10 on IMDB and securing a “Certified Fresh” rating of 75 percent out of 114 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, “Bad Times at the El Royale” is a movie worth seeing.

http://www.newsrecord.org/arts_and_entertainment/bad-times-at-the-el-royale-seems-never-ending-but/article_b4abb406-d78c-11e8-b586-db8924d2fe00.html

 

Posted on

‘Venom’ takes superhero lovers by storm

“Venom,” the first installment in Sony’s Marvel Universe, is proof that Sony can maintain its presence in a comic book franchise that is heavily dominated by Warner Bros. and the ever-popular Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Released Oct. 5, the new sci-fi thriller excites and entertains. But if you’re looking for immediate action, don’t get your hopes up — and expect little more than a quick “How do you do?” from your friendly neighborhood Spiderman.

In March 2016, Sony officially announced plans to launch a standalone Venom film — nearly 10 years after the spider-villain made his theatrical debut in Spider-Man 3. But based on hints throughout the movie, it’s safe to say that Venom’s character is poised for a very long line of villainous flicks.

Director Ruben Fleischer links his human characters to their fictional Symbiotes quite nicely; however, doing so takes up a significant chuck of the movie.

Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy)’s destructive behavior is shown early on as everything he cares about is taken away from him, to the point where plants literally crumble in his care. It mirrors Venom’s behavior almost instantly after Eddie becomes his host, making them the perfect pair.

Despite its slow start, “Venom” keeps fans entertained with unique action scenes and a harmonious storyline between the protagonist, Eddie; and antagonist, Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed).

It was mysterious — almost to the point of creepy — that keeps audiences on the edges of their seats as they watch sentient alien Symbiotes kill person after person.

If you’re looking for the lighthearted, comical filmmaking that Marvel is famously known for, think again. Although “Venom” has its fair share of funny scenes, it’s more of a dry, murderous, eat-their-heads-and-destroy-the-world-type funny. It’s ultimately a darker tone than some fans may be used to seeing.

“Venom” is a gritty movie in a cinematic universe that mirrors reality. It’s a bit of a far cry from the colorful, “what zany thing will they do next” universe that Marvel fans have grown accustomed to.

Due to the Sony-Marvel-Disney deal last year, Sony still owns the rights to the Spider-verse, meaning the beloved Tom Holland’s Spiderman is still out on loan while many of the story’s more infamous villains are not.

With Marvel having little say in the production of “Venom” and the other villains to come, executive producer Kevin Feige will not risk bringing characters he cannot control to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So, sadly, die-hard comic fans will not be seeing a Spidey/Venom showdown anytime soon.

As a standalone film, “Venom” did OK. But for Sony to set up a new universe dedicated to the amoral? It did its job and then some. Here’s hoping fans can prepare to see bad guys like Carnage, Mobius, Silver Sable and Black Cat return to the big screen in years to come.

http://www.newsrecord.org/arts_and_entertainment/venom-takes-superhero-lovers-by-storm/article_7af0c49e-cd6a-11e8-82de-dba204ad2bc0.html

 

Posted on

‘Tomb Raider’: Fantastic for a franchise, shoddy for a standalone

I honestly have mixed views on the new “Tomb Raider” film. Unlike Angelina Jolie’s rendition of Lara Croft — with her playful, overconfident smile and on-top-of-the-world, strictly-business bravado — Alicia Vikander’s Lara Croft seemed primarily focused on survival. For most of the movie, Vikander’s Croft seemed along for the ride rather than the driving force behind anything, save two scenes (and one was a mistake, too, so does it even really count)?

While enjoying Jolie’s Croft, the audience is quickly thrown into the middle of the action. She was already a well-seasoned explorer and adventurer with ample amounts of money and resources at her disposal, and a well-defined antagonist is swiftly introduced. However, Vikander’s Croft was set at her origin. It began with Croft still coping with her father’s disappearance and refusal to take the family inheritance. It not only illustrates how she became the Tomb Raider, but suggests why she did so.

Based on the 2013 and 2015 games “Tomb Raider” and “Rise of the Tomb Raider,” the movie follows key aspects of both games and mirrors specific suspenseful cutscenes. Among them include a daring jump from a waterfall to a World War II bomber plane, as shown in the trailer. Although Croft didn’t dramatically die as many times in the movie as her video game counterpart might have, her Hollywood-adapted story mirrored the game quite harmoniously.

To be honest, I never played any of the games and wouldn’t have known how well the movie followed its counterpart without relying on information from friends and colleagues. But as a moviegoer and lover of action films, “Tomb Raider” was all right. For an origin film which hopes to birth a franchise, the movie did its part. It set up Croft’s character well and defined an ever-present antagonist.

For an origin movie aiming only to lay a foundation for its successors, “Tomb Raider” did its job well. Standing alone, the movie — though enjoyable — was not the best. The plot was slow-moving, making it seem like anyone who can take a beating and solve puzzles would be just as equipped as Croft — as long as their dead dads left them treasure maps detailing step-by-step instructions for every task they must complete, of course. Croft was mainly an icon for the camera to follow until the quick climax and even quicker plot resolution.

Regardless of the slow plot, the action scenes were cool, and the movie was packed with them. With interesting camera angles and quick wits, they were enjoyable to watch unfold. If there wasn’t action, there was suspense. Despite the actors and actresses portraying suspenseful scenes well, producers were heavily reliant on the engulfing music used to set the scene. Ultimately, the overuse of music for storytelling made the film’s dramatic scenes all too predictable.

Though “Tomb Raider” is worth the ticket to check out in theaters, don’t expect it to become the next big blockbuster franchise.

http://www.newsrecord.org/arts_and_entertainment/tomb-raider-fantastic-for-a-franchise-shoddy-for-a-standalone/article_282fbd0a-2d01-11e8-b003-77029c1ad128.html

 

Posted on

‘Thor: Ragnarok’ lives up to its Marvel Predecessors

With classic one-liners, bright colors, epic action scenes and a fantastic soundtrack bringing light to the end of a world, “Thor: Ragnarok” was a smashing success.  In true Marvel fashion, this movie answers all the questions from previous movies about his — as well as Hulk’s — long absences.

Directed by Taika Waititi, this film remained consistent with the other Marvel films while breaking its own barriers in the process. This is Waititi’s first directed film in the Marvel family, and he did not disappoint. Letting Chris Hemsworth (Thor) improvise a majority of his lines, each joke was well timed with an easy flow into the storyline.

Since the premiere of “Iron Man” in 2008, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has grown up along with its loyal fan base over the past nine years. The humor has grown more adult-like with each passing movie, and this shows in Thor through innuendos and an alcoholic hero that becomes an unlikely ally.

In spite of the plot about the destruction of the Asgard realm being slightly depressing, the film is far from depressing. The colors are bright and flashy showing respect to the original comic flares for the dramatic. It makes fun of what it means to be a “hero,” as nothing goes right whenever Thor proclaims his own heroism. However, he never loses hope after being defeated.

“Thor: Ragnarok” started out with Thor being imprisoned and describing to an unknown party how he landed in prison and where he has been since Sokovia two years prior in “Avengers: Age of Ultron.”  Thor finds a way to escape back to Asgard through the first of many action-packed battle scenes of the movie, which are characteristically packed with intensity, humor and perfectly fitted music to go along with it.

With many returning characters such as Loki, Dr. Strange, Odin, Bruce Banner and the Hulk, Marvel also introduces their fans to new characters such as Hela, Grandmaster and Valkyrie.  Each interaction between characters is engaging to the viewers with a natural ease for comprehension.

Throughout the film, one of the most humorous and growing interactions to watch is the relationship between Thor and Loki.  In a back-and-forth duel of rivals and brotherly love, these two learn to work together despite their actions in past movies. Their wacky relationship continues in “Thor: Ragnarok,” as they openly say that they are enemies, yet they treat each other as brothers would.

Another relationship filled with turmoil is that of Bruce Banner and the Hulk. In past Marvel movies, we see Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) struggling to remain in control of “The Green Guy.”  It portrays him as almost scared to let Hulk out. Yet, in “Thor: Ragnarok” not only is Hulk unleashed, but he has been for the past two years. While Hulk smashes his contenders in an arena that would make the Romans drool with jealousy, he is worshipped among the crowd. The longer the Hulk is out and becomes his own character, pushing Banner to the side.

Overall, the movie was a blast to watch. It kept viewers entertained as it easily glided through the plot with a natural feel. While it was made to be comedic, there were many parts that toyed at the heartstrings for what might potentially happen to Thor and the Asgardians.  This movie was action-packed and full of suspense and laughter, making it another great Marvel movie.

http://www.newsrecord.org/arts_and_entertainment/thor-ragnarok-lives-up-to-its-marvel-predecessors/article_94997ab8-c27f-11e7-9b33-0fec4f98f682.html