Bad Times at the El Royale

First Hit: An oddly strange, yet engaging, film.

The El Royale is a hotel that is split down the middle between the Nevada and California borders. There is a red line that runs through the parking lot and through the middle of the lobby with some rooms in Nevada and the remaining rooms in California. The rooms in California are more expensive because they’re in California.

Father Daniel Flynn (Jeff Bridges) arrives just as Darlene Sweet (Cynthia Erivo) is parking her car. He introduces himself and assists her carrying two very large blanket covered foam rolls into the lobby.

In the lobby we have Laramie Seymour Sullivan (Jon Hamm) waiting for someone to come to the front desk so that he can check in. The three of them make some light chatter until Darlene bangs on a door and out comes Miles Miller (Lewis Pullman) who is the desk clerk and appearing to be the only hotel employee.

They each select a room. In the rooms each person does something that tells you why they’re at the El Royale. Sullivan is removing bugs previously planted there by the FBI. Flynn is really a bank robber from years ago and his partner brother stashed a bag full of money under the floor of a room. Sweet is there with foam to cover the walls so she can practice singing before heading to Reno for a gig. And Miller? He's a junkie.

The El Royale has a single access hallway behind all the rooms. Miller can view and listen in to each room from this hallway. For sound there is a switch under a one-way mirror that is in each room. There is a camera and we learn that Miller used this camera to film people for blackmail purposes.

However, Sullivan learns of this secret hallway and watches, through the one-way mirror, as Emily Summerspring (Dakota Johnson) checks into one of the rooms dragging her sister Rose (Cailee Spaeny). Tying her sister up in a chair, he’s puzzled.

Rose gets away and calls her cult leader boyfriend Billy Lee (Chris Hemsworth) who is a Charles Manson like leader that pontificates what he believes to be the truth. He drives up to collect Rose and find out why Emily kidnapped his prize pupil.

With all seven players engage, the story is about how everyone learns about each other’s reason for being at the El Royale.

Bridges is good as Father Flynn. However, the voice he uses is much like the voice he used for Hell or High Water. It’s sort of a gruff slurring voice that isn’t pleasing at all. Hamm is, at times, hilarious playing up the role as traveling salesman. Pullman is wonderful as the only hotel employee who is looking for absolution for the horrible things he’s done in life. Erivo is fantastic as the singer who is also clearly on her path with purpose. She suffers no fools and I enjoyed her singing – a lot. Hemsworth was strong as the cult leader who felt empowered by his good looks and charisma. Johnson was excellent as the protective sister who wanted to steer Rose away from Billy Lee’s clutches. Spaeny was excellent as the younger sister caught up in Billy Lee’s belief system and his good looks. Drew Goddard wrote and directed this film. His story was oddly interesting and engaging and use of 1960’s music was sublime.

Overall: It was interesting how the disparate reasons for each person in this ensemble  to be at the El Royale worked into a single storyline.

Only the Brave

First Hit: Inspiring true story about the Granite Mountain Hot Shots.

With the recent fires in northern California, this true story about the brave men who fight these fires on the ground with hoes and back fires was poignant.

Eric Marsh (James Brolin) is the committed “Supe” of a team of municipal level 2 firefighters. They’ve been training for years to become certified “Hot Shots.” Hot Shots are federally funded and government developed, trained and paid for firefighters. However, with the number of fires, expertise of the team, and history of success, this municipally trained and developed group of firefighters want a chance to be evaluated and hopefully certified as Hot Shots.

Brendan McDonough (Miles Teller) is a screw up. He spends most of his time getting high, but when confronted with his old casual girlfriend Natalie Johnson (Natalie Hall) saying she’s pregnant with his child, a switch flips and he wants to be a responsible parent. He hears of a job opening at the firefighting center and he goes into an interview.

In a wonderful scene, Marsh comes right out and asks Brendan when was the last time he used. Then when Brendan also explains that he’s going to be a father and wants to be there for his child. Marsh takes a chance on him despite other members of the crew disliking Brendan having had some history with him.

The film’s story is about redemption; the hard work of Marsh and his firefighting team along with Brendan learning to become a father.

The fire scenes were intensely striking. It was interesting and engaging to learn more about how Hot Shots work. I really enjoyed the camaraderie shown by the men as they worked together for a common goal. One of the best scenes in the film had nothing to do with a fire. It was Eric arguing with his wife Amanda (Jennifer Connelly) in their truck while driving home one night. It felt real, deep and powerful.

There were two downsides to this film for me. One was the role and or performance of Fire Chief Duane Steinbrink (Jeff Bridges). He seemed to not take this role seriously or created more of a characterization than being a helpful friend and strong fire chief. The second downside was the role of the chief’s wife Marvel (Andie McDowell). Her role was very limited and was clearly a scripting and direction issue. It was almost if it would have been a better if Duane was single because there was only one scene that I recall she had where she states something like the men are more married to the fire than their wives. On a more minor note, the whole symbolism of the burning bear didn’t quite work for me.

Teller was fantastic. His portrayal of a druggie and then his transformation to being a sober father was sublime. He continues to be an actor that deserves recognition for doing solid strong work. Brolin was very strong as the intense man who made fighting fires his drug of choice. Connelly was brilliant as Brolin’s wife. Her clear strength as a woman wanting to chart her course was wonderful. Bridges was wasted in this role and I felt bad that his performance brought this film down. McDowell was wasted in another way, she wasn’t given enough of a role to improve the film. Hall was very good in this minor but very important role. Ken Nolan and Eric Warren Singer wrote a strong screenplay except for the role of the fire chief’s wife. Joseph Kosinski did an excellent job of portraying the fire and how firefighting teams fight them; I was entranced during those scenes.

Overall: A powerful reminder of the power of fire and the amazing abilities of firefighters.

The Kingsman: The Golden Circle

First Hit:  Terrible story with few bright spots.

What a waste of talent. How do Julianne Moore (Poppy), Taron Egerton (Eggsy), Colin Firth (Harry Hart – whose character died in previous film), Channing Tatum (Tequila), Halle Berry (Ginger), Jeff Bridges (Champ) and Elton John (as himself) all sign up for a story that has disaster written all over it? I don’t know. Maybe the Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn script read better than it worked out to be. Maybe it was Vaughn’s issue because he couldn't deliver what he envisioned in his mind.

I just don’t know, how this happened. Besides a couple reasonable fight scenes and a couple slightly amusing tongue-in-cheek scenes, the premise that Poppy was going to blackmail the President of the United States so that she could freely sell her drugs all over the world, was preposterous.

Maybe the film needed to be WAY over the top in the tongue-in-cheek category to work.

Hart died in the previous film, and to make-up a story that he miraculously survived the shooting by some someone using a FEDEX  or UPS looking plastic bubble wrap around his head and followed by an emotional shock to make him be the same person as before is ludicrous.

Anyway, the Kingsman, who have a limited crew, with Merlin (Mark Strong), Eggsy and the partially defective Hart, are trying to find and destroy Charlie (Edward Holcroft) who makes an attempt to kill Eggsy. Charlie blows-up the country mansion and the tailor shop in London and now want Eggsy. Charlie being a shunned former Kingsman, unbeknownst to Eggsy, is really working for Poppy. Poppy is running her drug trade in a lost city in a jungle. She’s turned it into a 1950’s style base of operations. Really? This is the setup. Really, I kid you not.

Then the writers add this: For help, The Kingsman team up with the Statesman, which is run by Champ. The Statesman is the US version of the Kingsman; an independent spy security agency. It is run out of a distillery, hence the names of their agents, Tequila and Whiskey (Pedro Pascal). Now this is exciting! But wait, there's more...

Not only does Poppy build robotic dogs to protect herself, she likes being entertained, so she has hired Elton John to play songs for her in an empty theater anytime she likes. Elton does have a couple other key momentary appearances, but he’s not an actor and it shows.

Egerton is, at times, fun to watch but the script is so disjointed and unfounded that it lets him and the role down. Moore’s role is hopeless. She attempts to be part tongue-in-cheek and part serious, but because the role is ill defined in an ill-defined movie, it falls flat. Firth seems so out of place in this role it just made me cringe. He needed to stay dead. Strong was one bright spot in the film and his centered acting made his role work. Berry was driven to be so much less than what she is by the role. She's made to be a girl Friday and I disliked her scenes completely. Bridges' role was insipid. That he chose to act in this film is disheartening. Holcroft was good as the maniac bionic armed villain. He made it work. Pascal didn’t fit in this film at all. He seemed out of place and it was clear from the beginning, he wasn’t on the side he said he was on. Tatum was fun at times and it seemed as though he was used in this film as eye candy for a female audience. He added little to the story. John can stay away from acting, even as himself. Goldman and Vaughn script was a mess from the beginning to the end. Vaughn had no vision as a director to deliver a story that would engage the audience. The film was thrown at the audience.

Overall:  Don’t waste your time for this insipid film.

The Only Living Boy in New York

First Hit:  I liked the idea of the story more than the pithy clichés and lines that filled up the screen.

Thomas Webb (Callum Turner) is a mid-twenty-year-old man who is living on the lower east side of New York City. His parents live on the upper east side and are wealthy as his dad Ethen (Pierce Bronson) owns a publishing house.

He meets W. F. Gerald (Jeff Bridges), a rumpled mess of a man, as he walks into his building one day. W. F. tells him he has moved into Apt 2B. He seems very personable in wanting to know more about Thomas. Thomas succumbs to his inquiries and begins to tell W.F. his story.

Thomas is in love with Mimi (Kiersey Clemons) after one magical night they had together under the influence of molly and alcohol. But she only wants to be friends. He’d like to be a writer but when he showed his dad some of his writings, he said they were “serviceable.”

One day he sees his dad having an intimate lunch with an unknown woman named Johanna (Kate Beckinsale). He’s hurt and is afraid to tell his mom Judith (Cynthia Nixon) because she’s so mentally fragile. At a loss of what to do, he follows Johanna and confronts her.

However, he ends up having an affair with her and falls in love with her.

Sound twisted? Yes, because this is used to crack open the real story of the film, which isn’t about his love for Mimi and Johanna but how he came to exist.

Turner was adequate in this role but we never see him suffer, grow, or even write which he says is his passion. He almost played victim throughout the film. Bridges was good as the writer who held the secret and was writing a story about “The Only Living Boy in New York”. Clemons was good at the beginning but I thought her character to be not honest. She shunned Thomas because of his affair with Johanna when she had an affair with Thomas when she was with another person. Beckinsale was interesting as the desired woman. It was only till the end did I think she cared about something. Bronson was OK but his moments were few and far between. Nixon was OK as the fragile mother. Still didn’t think the story warranted such fragile behavior. Allan Loeb wrote a weak script that was poorly conceived to tell this story. Marc Webb had some nice sets to work within. I thought the lower east side apartments that both W.  F. and Thomas lived in were perfect. The other inside sets were equally good as well. However, this plot needed a reworking before being committed to filmed.

Overall:  This was a long and ineffective way to tell the real story of Thomas, 'The Only Living Boy in New York.'

Academy Awards - The Oscars

Once again it is time to celebrate a year of film watching. Here are my choices for the following awards along with thoughts about the selections and non-selections the Academy made.

• Best Actor - Nominees are:  Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea), Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge), Ryan Gosling (La La Land), Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic), and Denzel Washington (Fences). There are strong performances in this group of actors. For me the obvious missing actor is Tom Hanks in Sully because it was so well made and gave me a real sense of a man who saved 155 lives. Given the Academy's choices, Affleck was sublime. You felt him and what he was going through from beginning to end. I loved this performance. I thought Garfield was very strong in this career defining role for him. He brought heart to this role. Gosling was amazing. His charm, piano playing, and dancing brought life to this dream like film. I loved the film Captain Fantastic and Mortensen was the key. His wide eyed brilliance made this film work. Lastly, Washington was simply a nuclear charged bit of energy bottled up and ready to pounce. Great performance, however it felt too much like a play like for me to like it in film. My choice is Affleck.

• Best Actress  - Nominees are:  Isabelle Hubert (Elle), Ruth Negga (Loving), Natalie Portman (Jackie), Emma Stone (La La Land), and Meryl Streep (Florence Foster Jenkins). Granted I did not see Florence Foster Jenkins because I saw a film about the same story a year earlier and didn't want to see the same story again. Missing from this nominee list is Amy Adams. She gave two powerful performances this past year; Arrival which is a film I adored (see below) and Nocturnal Animals where her cool intelligent nature amazingly unfolded on the screen. Given the choices, Hubert was absolutely fantastic in this role. Her ability to be both vulnerable and strong in the same breath expressed her greatness. Negga was very strong and I loved her role as she grows from a timid somewhat subservient person to a woman of strength and grit. I loved this story. Portman is an interesting choice. I found the character to be so different than my perception of Jackie that I was taken aback. This performance made me wonder about the real person and that's important in filmmaking. Stone was so fun and divine in this role. Her chemistry with Gosling is noticeable and helps her to elevate this role to amazing and grace like. Loved her in this film. My selection is Hubert as because she really brought a fully bodied and interesting character to life.

• Best Supporting Actress  - Nominees are:  Viola Davis (Fences), Naomie Harris (Moonlight), Nicole Kidman (Lion), Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures), and Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea).  One of the amazing things about these choices is that a couple of these actors had very limited screen time to make an impact. The most striking was Williams. Davis gave an amazing performance as Washington's wife in Fences. It takes a lot to hold your own against Washington and here Davis shows everyone how. Watching Harris in Moonlight is like taking a very long road to forgiveness. I was amazed at this performance. Kidman in Lion was very strong. There is one scene when she's talking about how she came to adopt her Indian son, that was so deep and heartfelt I cried. Spencer was great in Hidden Figures. As a strong black woman wanting her due, she was fantastic. Williams, as I have said, had a small role but the scene where she is asking for forgiveness from Affleck was the most powerful 2 minute scene on film this year. I've got a close tie, with Williams and Davis, but in the end, I'll go with Davis.

• Best Supporting Actor  - Nominees are:  Mahershala Ali (Moonlight), Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water), Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea), Dev Patel (Lion), and Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals). I was a little taken back by the inclusion of Patel as a supporting actor. It felt more like a lead actor role to me. Ali in Moonlight is such a powerful integral character and he made it work so well. Loved his compassion. Bridges was wonderful in Hell or High Water. He made this character heart filled as well as having an distinct edge of sarcasm. Hedges in Manchester by the Sea was good. However, it wasn't enough for me to give him a good chance. Patel, as I previously stated, seemed nominated in the wrong category. Although he was really good, it just doesn't fit here. Shannon in Nocturnal Animals is beyond great. I loved his intensity and persistence of character. I was entranced when he was on the screen. I've got two front runners, Shannon and Ali. Upon reflection as to how they impacted the story, I'll go with Ali.

• Best Cinematography  - Nominees are:   Arrival, La La Land, Lion, Moonlight, and Silence. I will admit I did not see Silence as I just couldn't get motivated to see this film. Given this, Arrival was amazing with the visualizations of the ships, the anti-gravity sections of inside the ship and how they displayed and handled the aliens.  La La Land was gorgeous. Whether is was in or outside the Observatory, on the streets of LA, or in an apartment. There was care in how the colors and sets looked on the screen. Lion had wonderful accurate feeling scenes of India, especially the railway stations. I didn't quite buy the butterfly scenes as they seemed slightly over the top. However, the rest of the sets were amazingly done. Moonlight reflected just this, moonlight on the ocean. The shifts from scenes in school, on the beach, and cities in South Florida were luxurious. As I previously said I've no information about Silence because I didn't see it. From what I saw, I would have to select Arrival as my favorite with La La Land and Moonlight a very close second.

• Best Adapted Screenplay  - Nominees are:   Eric Heisserer (Arrival), August Wilson (Fences), Allison Schroder and Theodore Melfi (Hidden Figures), Luke Davies (Lion), and Barry Jenkins (Moonlight). All of them are wonderful stories. I loved the story and meaning behind Moonlight, Arrival, and Hidden Figures. Each of these stories were very impactful. Moonlight because it shared the somewhat hidden story of a black gay community. Arrival because it was one of the most amazing ways to share the concept of non-linear time. Hidden Figures was so powerful as to how the segregation of blacks almost hurt our chances to be successful in the space race with Russia. It is difficult to choose from such diverse stories, however in the end I'll select Moonlight.

• Best Original Screenplay  - Nominees are:  Taylor Sheridan (Hell or High Water), Damien Chazelle (La La Land), Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou (The Lobster), Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea), Mike Mills (20th Century Women). Great list. The depth of friendship as expressed in Hell or High Water, the stories of love and growth as expressed in La La Land, The Lobster, and 20th Century Women, and humbling forgiveness as expressed in Manchester by the Sea - all were amazing. As an original story I am tossed between Manchester by the Sea and La La Land. Either winning would be accepted.

• Best Director  - Nominees are:  Denis Villeneuve (Arrival), Mel Gibson (Hacksaw Ridge), Damien Chazelle (La La Land), Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea), and Barry Jenkins (Moonlight). Interesting that Lonergan, Jenkins, and Chazelle wrote the films they directed and it shows the importance of knowing what it is you want to portray/express. What is missing? For me the missing directors are Tom Ford (Nocturnal Animals) and Theodore Melfi (Hidden Figures), both of these films had great vision and execution. Choosing from this strong list is difficult. However, for the impact it had on me I'm down to two: Villeneuve and Chazelle because of how they eloquently told their stories. However, if Gibson, Lonergan, or Jenkins were to win, I wouldn't be upset.

• Best Picture  - Nominees are:   Arrival, Fences, Hacksaw Ridge, Hell or High Water, Hidden Figures, La La Land, Lion, Manchester by the Sea, and Moonlight. This is a full and dynamic list. I liked all these films. However, if I had to start separating these nominees, I'd pull out these three as my top contenders: Arrival, La La Land, and Manchester by the Sea. Each tells a story and tells their story very well. Each film was fully engaging and opens the heart in a new and different way. I cannot pick a winner because I loved watching these three films.

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