Those of you who pay attention to these things might be wondering what happened to this article over the last two weeks. Never fear, faithful reader. I have answers. Two weeks ago, I was at the beginning of a week-long bout with a virus that kept me bed-bound and mostly comatose. This last week, I was on the mend but there really was nothing worth talking about. Last Tuesday, otherwise known as New Release Day was also known as Christmas. The people who make decisions, such as what new Blu-rays to release and when had spent the previous four weeks putting out all of their top-shelf releases in order to snatch the all important Christmas-present dollars. But come Christmas Day, we were all presumably spent. Thus, there were maybe six new releases coming out that day, none of which looked interesting.
Here we are one week later and things have improved ever so slightly. There are a few more releases and a few that actually look interesting. Bad Times at the El Royale is a comedic thriller from Drew Goddard who also wrote films like The Martian and World War Z plus episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lost and directed Cabin in the Woods. So he’s got a pretty good pedigree. The film stars Jeff Bridges, Jon Hamm, Dakota Johnson, and Chris Hemsworth. It’s about a bunch of people who have all checked into a seedy motel where dark secrets will be revealed.
The trailer makes it look like a dark, violent comedy, which is right up my alley and the reviews have been good, at least the ones from folks I like, such as our own Matthew St.Clair. It might be a slow release week but I’m excited by this one.
Also out this week that looks interesting:
Night School: Kevin Hart comedy about a group of troublemakers who are forced to enroll in night school in order to get their GED. Presumed hijinks ensue.
A.X.L.: Sci-fi adventure about a boy who gets a few enhancements by an accidental encounter with secret military tech.
Trouble: Angelica Houston and Bill Pullman star in this dramatic comedy about two siblings fighting over their fathers estate.
Love, Gilda: A documentary that pays tribute to the comedienne who won America’s heart as one of the original Not-Ready-for-Prime-Time Players from Saturday Night Live.
