Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)

I was pretty excited to see Bad Times at the El Royale, and it was not only because Chris Hemsworth is half-naked every time he's on screen, but because the promotional material had me intrigued. Unfortunately, my theatre didn't show it so I had to wait for home release. 

The story takes place in a remote hotel on the California-Nevada border, the El Royale, in 1969. One day during the off-season, the concierge and sole employee at the hotel, Miles Miller (Lewis Pullman) welcomes four unique individuals: Daniel Flynn (Jeff Bridges), a Catholic priest; Darlene Sweet (Cynthia Erivo), a struggling soul singer; Laramie Seymour Sullivan (Jon Hamm) who claims to be a vacuum cleaner salesman; and Emily Summerspring (Dakota Johnson), a rude woman. They each have their secret and over the course of the night, they will show their true selves.

PadMan (2018)

One of my movie goals last year was to watch more non-English language movies, specifically Indian movies as I'd like to change the image I have of Bollywood because of the musicals. I didn't really do it last year so I'm starting now, with PadMan, a movie Sid, my only source of Indian movie suggestions, stressed me so much to watch.

Inspired by the life of Tamil Nadu social activist Arunachalam Muruganantham, the story follows Lakshmikant Chauhan (Akshay Kumar), a devoted husband who gets worried on seeing his wife, Gayatri (Radhika Apte), using a dirty rag during her periods. When his wife refuses to use the expensive sanitary pads he bought at the pharmacy, he sets out to create them himself in order to provide his wife, and other women, a safe and hygienic period and will be criticized by his village and disowned by his family in the process.

Gangs of New York (2002)

I finally watched Lars von Trier's Dogville last week and I loved it, so I figured it was about time to watch another of those movies I've been putting off for years because of its length, Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York. 

It is set in 1863 when gangs ran the streets of New York and the government couldn't or wouldn't gain control of the city, and it mainly focuses on Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio), a young man whose father (Liam Neeson) was killed sixteen years before by Bill "the Butcher" Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis), the leader of the most powerful gang in New York, and is now seeking revenge. 

Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench (2009)

Long before First Man, La La Land, and Whiplash, even before he graduated from Harvard, Damien Chazelle made his directorial debut with Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench, which I had to watch as I love his three big pictures. 

The film tells the story of Guy (Jason Palmer), a promising young jazz trumpeter, and Madeline (Desiree Garcia), his introverted girlfriend. After three months of dating, Guy breaks up with Madeline and pursue a relationship with another woman, the more outgoing Elena (Sandha Khin), only to realise that she is not interested in his music, that she is actually annoyed by it and his friends. Meanwhile, Madeline takes a job as a waitress in a diner to save money to go to New York.