“It means a lot to me.”

From Bad Times at the El Royale.

On the state line between California and Nevada, there is a hotel that was once grand and popular, but has dwindled into a forgotten one: the El Royale Hotel.   In the past, the hotel allowed guests the opportunity to experience a hotel not quite like any other.  However, over the years the hotel has taken such a downward dive so that now only a lone bellhop named Miles (Lewis Pullman) can run the hotel in the off-season.  This rundown hotel is not without guests though as a priest with dementia (Jeff Bridges), a struggling Affican-American singer (Cynthia Erivo), a loud-mouthed vacuum salesman (Jon Hamm), and two sisters (Dakato Johnson and Cailee Spaeny) all check in on the same day.  At first glance, the guests all seem normal enough, but it quickly becomes apparent that each one is hiding a dark secret.  Each guest is assigned a room while the shy Miles is desperately trying to hide the true nature of the hotel; the truth behind the El Royale quickly comes to light and throws the guests’ lives into chaos, violence, and murder.  The arrival of a dangerous stranger (Chris Hemsworth) forces some alliances to be made, but each guest must use what little they know about the others to try and survive their stay at the hotel where nothing is as it seems.

This movie is a twisting thriller that captures the viewers attention with the unique style and constantly-evolving story line.  The cast is vibrant and each member builds off the others without sacrificing their character’s quirks.  Set around the 60s, the whole movie is bold with lots of excitement and plot twists; while there is some violence and gore, it is not the focus of the film.  Bad Times at the El Royale is very well-written, fun, and definitely not to be missed for anyone looking for an original, keeps-you-guessing movie.

| Rated: R | Running Time: 142 minutes |Genre: mystery/thriller |

||Family Viewing||Cursing: 4* of 10|Nudity: 0 of 10|Sexuality: 0 of 10|Gore: 5 of 10

|AVAILABLE FOR HOME VIEWING|