What I’m watching: a new intriguing releases on Blu-ray and the greatest movie serial ever made.

On Blu-ray: Bad Times at the El Royale

I had seen the trailer for this film noir but it exited theaters before I could get to it, but it looked very interesting.

My perception was correct. It is a very interesting and successful mystery that unfolds before the viewers.

Director and writer Drew Goddard mounts this film not unlike a Quentin Tarantino film. We are introduced to the main characters and in each case the backstory we eventually see provides insights that explain who they are and why they are at the El Royale.

The hotel complex is almost a character in the film. Set in 1969, the El Royale, as its lone employee tells us, was once a playground for the Rat pack and other celebs visiting Reno and Lake Tahoe. The opulent hotel has a small casino and is built on the California and Nevada border, meaning the rooms are divided between the two states.

Something has happened, though, and the casino license has been revoked. The glory days of the 1950s, and early ‘60s are over and the hotel has been largely forgotten.

A group of people has checked in all at the same time, setting the events of the film in motion. There is a Catholic priest (Jeff Bridges), a young black woman who is a singer (Cynthia Erivo), a traveling salesmen  (Jon Hamm) and an angry hippie (Dakota Fanning).  

Soon enough we realize that each of these people have a secret and being at the El Royale is either an accident or by design.

There are plenty of surprises in this film and the plot twists and turns admirably. I always enjoy a mystery that doesn’t tip its hand too soon.

I hesitate to say much more about the film’s plot as the surprises forms the core of the narrative.

Goddard’s cast deliver solid performances with Cynthia Erivo as the singer delivering the most potent as the performer close behind another nuanced characterization by Bridges.

Despite the twist and turns the film’s plot is logical and it’s interesting to note there really was a hotel/resort that straddled the states line at Lake Tahoe called the Calneva Resort.

An Appreciation

Shortly the new DC Comic movie “Shazam!” will open, depicting the character once known as “Captain Marvel,” based on a venerable superhero comic that outsold Superman regularly in the 1940s and ‘50s.  

The story of how DC Comics litigated Fawcett, the publisher of Captain Marvel for 15 years insisting the creation was a steal of Superman – he wasn’t – and how DC eventually wound up with the character but Marvel Comics stole the name is another tale for another day.

What I would like to call attention to is that Captain Marvel became the basis for the first superhero adaptation in a live action movie in 1941 in the form of a 12-chapter serial produced by Republic Pictures.

Republic had wanted to make a Superman serial, but talks between the studio and publisher broke down. Republic execs then turned to the publisher of the rival Captain Marvel and a deal was made.

The result is a serial that many have called the best example of the genre. Co-starring western star and character actor Tom Tyler as the Captain and Frank Coghlan Jr. as Billy Batson, the serial‘s writers had to be more inventive since Marvel wasn’t easy to put into cliffhangers.

Directors William Witney and John English knew how to structure the components necessary for a successful series from pace to how to shoot action sequences and this serial excels.

Yes, at moments the story is improbable, as were many serials, but there are many sequences that inspire the eight-year-old kid in all of us.

Like many Republic Pictures productions, the serial is not on a streaming platform, but a wonderful Blu-ray was released about two years ago that is well worth seeking out if you’re interested. The serial can be seen on YouTube – search for the entire name “Adventures of Captain Marvel.”

I’ll be in the audience the opening weekend of “Shazam!” with the hopes this new incarnation of Captain Marvel entertains me as much as the version that is now 78 years old.