Most of the time when you refer to a movie as a "cult classic" it falls into one of two categories. One, it's a movie that didn't get hardly any notice or make hardly any money during its theatrical run, but became huge on video. Or two, it's a strange, out-there, ultra violent, super creepy, nauseating film that only people in an actual cult would enjoy. There are a lot of films that you probably love that are actually in the latter category of cult classic. Films like Donnie Darko, The Big Lebowski, Office Space, Boondock Saints, Reservoir Dogs, Fight Club, Clerks, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Dazed and Confused were considered box office flops. Hell, even the first Austin Powers was a dud and only got sequels because VHS rentals and sales were through the roof. It's hard to classify WHY these movies were theatrical failures. Some of them just don't have mass appeal and it took word of mouth just a little bit too long to get around. Others just came out at the wrong time. I mean... Fight Club came out on Christmas. Now, while Hotel Artemis isn't exactly a "flop", it still underperformed due to summer movie standards and it's about to finish its theatrical run. Most of you... actually, I'm pretty sure all of you, haven't seen this movie. It's a shame because it's got a suspenseful story, great acting, a wonderful cast, and some very cool stylized action. It's like they took the hotel from John Wick and made it into its own movie. And that's why I believe this movie, once available to watch from the comfort of your couch will find its audience and popularity.
It's not often a director can fit together a cast this great into a single film. The Hotel Artemis is a refuge for criminals. You must have a membership to get in and you must obey all of the rules. No weapons. No hurting any of the guests. No insulting the staff. No non-members can get in. And many more. The Nurse (Jodie Foster) runs the place. She's a quick-talking agoraphobic who tends the the injuries of hardened criminals who only go by the names of the rooms they're in. People like Acapulco (Charlie Day), an arms dealer. Nice (Sofia Boutella), an assassin. And Honolulu, a bank robber brought in by his brother Waikiki (Sterling K. Brown). The film is set in an alternative future where a large corporation has monteized clean drinking water and the country is in a state of upheaval. Los Angeles, where the hotel is located, is on the brink of war and the the hotel is right in the middle of it. The city is owned and run by a man known only as the Wolf King (Jeff Goldblum), who is constantly followed by his bratty and anger-fueled son (Zachary Quinto). Finally, to round out the cast, the Nurse has an assistant/orderly/muscle/guy with a heart of gold, Everest (Dave Bautista). As the city comes crashing down, so do the people in the Hotel. As the Nurse quietly breaks one rule, the rest of the rules be damned by these bad guys and gals.
Hotel Artemis is a very sleek script running at a nowadays unheard of 94 minutes. It tries to keep everything concise, though it does feel sort of rushed in certain areas, including the climax of the film. There are a few areas of the film concerning character and backstory that I would've like to have been more detailed and explored, but other than that it's a pretty riveting 94 mins. And while I was hoping it did turn into a little bit more like a John Wick film, it plays out more like a film noir. It focuses on story and character motivation and everything leading up to the big confrontation at the end that you dread coming. You can already tell by the names of the actors involved, but it's a stellar cast. A cast deserving of more of your money and attention than it's received in its theatrical run. Foster, who hasn't been in a movie since 2013, is perfect as the neurotic nurse, whose backstory fuels her flawed character. Charlie Day is at his most un-Charlie-Day as a despicable arms dealer you just want to grab by the throat and slug in the gut every time he opens his mouth. Boutella, as always is alluring and badass. I fear she's being typecast as villainess types, but damn if I don't enjoy each performance (well, except for The Mummy... but that wasn't her fault). Sterling K. Brown is starting to get a little bit more notoriety and deservedly so. I was fixed on his every word, every mannerism in this film as he has a hypnotizing way of speaking-- much like his co-star Goldblum. Hell, even Bautista doesn't stick out as a sore thumb and will go down as literally everyone's favorite character in this movie. He steals each scene he's in, much like he does in the Guardians movies.
The film is just cool. It's too dark and grungy to be labeled as FUN, but you'll have a good time watching it. The way everything moves at such a rapid pace, the gross David Fincher-esque cinematography, the lack of really any hero whatsoever and the always looming doom of the story make this one film that grips you from its opening scene and doesn't let go until the credits roll. Hell, I don't even know if it let go then as I waited through the credits hoping for more. It's a movie that's going to find a lot of eyes and get a lot more notice on "video". I predict this film will achieve cult status. The best part is-- it's an original concept! It's not based on any previous works (that I know of) and it's fresh and it's good! We're not getting them often, people, but for the past few years, the films that are original concepts have been really good. Hollywood is trending somewhat in the right direction. If we can get one original film like Hotel Artemis for every superhero, prequel, origin story, sequel or based on movie... I'll be more than happy.
B
No comments:
Post a Comment