Hotel Artemis: I hate to play spoiler, but Hotel Artemis isn't the next John Wick. In fact, this film centered around a particularly busy night at a members-only hospital for criminals in an impoverished, riot-torn, near-future Los Angeles is much more of a noir thriller than a straight-up action flick. Writer/director Drew Pearce packs way too many subplots into such a short film (it clocks in at just over 90 minutes) and the few fight scenes it does have are pretty sloppy, but the excellent work from its wildly talented ensemble cast (particularly Jodie Foster, Sterling K. Brown and Charlie Day) combined with the badass atmosphere of its contained yet chaotic setting prove to be more than enough to make Hotel Artemis a slick, respectable crime flick.
Grade: B
Ocean's 8: For better or worse, this reboot/spin-off of the George Clooney/Brad Pitt/Matt Damon-led franchise from the early-to-mid 2000's is built around the same ingredients that made the installments not named Ocean's Twelve immensely likable. The largely underdeveloped titular gang of thieves, played by numerous A-listers including Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett and Rihanna, bring the charisma and their robbery of a $150 million Cartier necklace from the annual Met Gala is about as elaborate, clever and adversity-free as movie heists get. As breezy, well-acted and generally watchable as it is, Ocean's 8 still manages to be kind of a letdown. While the proceedings are never dull, Gary Ross' restrained direction nixes any chance this movie had of being an over-the-top good time. Even with his blatant thievery of Steven Soderbergh's hallmarks (jazzy musical cues, multi-frame shots, liberal usage of montages), Ross never even comes close to replicating the effortlessly cool style and electric level of energy that helped make Ocean's 11 and Ocean's Thirteen premier pieces of entertainment. If Debbie Ocean and the gang get called into action again, Warner Brothers needs to bring back Soderbergh to direct or find another similarly gifted person that revels in lighthearted spectacle so this well-matched powerhouse ensemble can make a legitimate grin-inducing crime romp.
Grade: B
Set It Up: The quality of a romantic comedy is usually correlated with the likability of and general rapport between its protagonists. With underappreciated young actors Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell steering the ship, Set It Up coasts to genre respectability with relative ease. Deutch and Powell are both magnetic presences with an effortless, palpable chemistry that keeps the proceedings of this Netflix production about a pair of 20-something personal assistants that attempt to dupe their demanding bosses (Lucy Liu and Taye Diggs, both respectable in comedic psycho roles) into entering a relationship with each other so they can receive a reprieve from their hellish existences funny, sweet and engaging throughout. Definitely worth a look if you're looking for a nice romcom you can watch from the comfort of your couch.
Grade: B
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