15 most memorable and overlooked films of 2018

Bad Times at the El Royale

I’m fairly certain I’ve been the one-woman marketing manager for Drew Goddard’s Bad Times at the El Royale. I paid to see it four times in theaters. I pre-ordered the home video as soon as I was possibly able. And, next to Blindspotting, I’ve talked it up to nearly every person I’ve met.

Seven strangers all meet at the rundown El Royale hotel with their own individual stories that play out over the film’s runtime. Goddard, who burst out the gate with his meta-horror film, Cabin in the Woods, returns with a movie that’s a nostalgic mind trip you need to experience.

Goddard knows how to work with actors, and he’s assembled the best slate of them here. Dakota Johnson, the queen of 2018 between this and Suspiria (we’ll ignore that 50 Shades movie), is wonderful, as are Jon Hamm and Jeff Bridges, but the true scene stealer is Cynthia Erivo. Erivo, a long-time darling of Broadway, is utterly spellbinding as a singer looking to catch a break.

This is a movie that benefits multiple watches. I could watch this movie and just look at the set design, hear Erivo’s beautiful voice, and gaze in wonder at Chris Hemsworth.