Oceans Thirteen

Willy Banks (Al Pacino) has no idea who he picked up to mess around with. It is indeed important and a mandatory trait for any casino owner to have – ruthlessness. But then one can definitely pick and choose the kind of people one messes around with right? But Banks couldn’t care less. He however, doesn’t realize that his biggest strength – his money – is his biggest weakness. He is about to taste what it feels like to be the recipient of a revenge plan. Little did he know that when he was conning Reuben Tishkoff (Elliot Gould), he was about to rub a few other people the wrong way. These people are led by a suave, slick and extremely talented conman who goes by the name of Daniel Ocean (George Clooney). And whats more, Willy Banks is so cocky that he doesn’t take the request that he receives from Ocean, seriously at all. In fact, he brushes it off only to incense Ocean a bit more. And as the trailer will tell you, Willy Banks is about to experience what it is like to lose $500 million in less than 15 minutes.

Steven Soderbergh continues to charm young and old alike with his signature style of direction which is a summation of several cuts stitched together rather brilliantly in a sepia hue which is so typically of Soderbergh. The classic jazz riffs continue to create an aura of mystique and suspense around what our team of 11 extremely talented con men are upto this time around. Once you know what the idea is i.e. rob Banks of $500 million, the intrigue builds up yet again on how they are going to manage it this time with the challenge of more “state of the art” security systems especially one that teaches itself what to expect. It is just so much fun.

By this time, the cast of the Ocean’s series has immersed itself into the characters they are supposed to play. And one thing that stands out over all 3 movies is the time and effort that Soderbergh takes to flesh out his characters in as detailed a manner as possible. Right from Ocean’s 11, he has given the correct importance to each one of his characters. Even if they are present only for one movie of the series. Like the stunning Ellen Barkin in this one who is given such a meaty role that she really cannot complain. Not to mention that Ellen Barkin is shown in the truest possible light that she can be shown in –stiff upper lip assistant who is probably the sexiest woman alive – heat personified I say.

Some people believe that Ocean’s Thirteen is the best of the 3 parts. I would be inclined to agree purely due to the way Soderbergh has made it contemporary – a fact that most directors forget by the time they are in the 3rd part of a hugely successful series. They tend to get a bit over confident but with people like Soderbergh one can be quite certain that the guard will not be let down. Quite certainly, there is enough appetite that people have for Ocean’s Fourteen but I guess we may not get it. I for one am game but only if it is the same cast and crew. 7.5 on 10 for Thirteen.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1654522137/

Cast                 George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Bernie Mac, Elliott Gould, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Eddie Jemison, Shaobo Qin, Carl Reiner, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Andy Garcia, Julia Roberts, Al Pacino, Ellen Barkin, Eddie Izzard

Oceans Twleve

Although Steven Soderbergh didn’t make it very obvious that there was a sequel in the offing when he closed Ocean’s Eleven, it is the sheer method of making the movie that left all options open for the makers. And why just a sequel? Why not sequels would have been a thought always. I for one believe that the contract was signed with the cast and crew for 3 movies irrespective of whether 3 were made or not. It was then just a matter of time to get the right idea in place to maximize what can be generated from a bunch of nearly twenty immensely talented actors. Can anyone confirm this minor conspiracy theory?
Ocean’s Eleven had about 13 very well known faces. Ocean’s Twelve sees the addition of a fantastic face. One of favouritest (if there is a term like that) faces of a lot of people. One who can easily pass off as a South American beauty but is actually Welsh!!! Now how much of a campaign can that be for welsh women!!! We are – for the record – talking about Catherine Zeta Jones, who plays the role of the Interpol officer, Isabel Lahiri. OK now she pulls off being Turkish as well.

We also see the introduction of the charismatic (as if there wasn’t enough of it) and the extremely talented (as if there wasn’t enough of that either) Vincent Cassel. A little bit of French never hurt anyone right. Only makes things more exotic – maybe sultry. Cassel plays the wily François Toulour aka The Night Fox whose only ambition in life is to be known as the best thief ever to have lived. So when his mentor Jaspar LeMarque arguably the best thief to have ever lived doesn’t object to a claim that Daniel Ocean and his team pulled off the biggest heist ever @ the Bellagio, his ego gets the better of him. And he breaks the #1 rule – never rant on a fellow thief.

Ocean’s Twelve takes off pretty much from where Ocean’s Eleven left in terms of all aspects of film making. Soderbergh lends the consistency to the fabric of the movie with his inimitable style and at the same time ensures that he has kept in touch with the times to ensure that the movie looks and feels contemporary. The signature editing and the superb music seem to be blend in beautifully into the final product – the benchmark for which was set in the previous part itself.

Does it live upto the billing of Eleven? Probably falls a tad short but mind you – only a tad. Not terribly short in any manner. A well balanced effort overall which unlike reglar sequels, retains the essence of the first part and adds value in terms of movie making to the 2nd part. It is probably the freshness of the story which falls just a bit short and hence my rating of 7 on 10. Where Eleven was something most people in the audience were watching for the first time as a concept, Twelve didn’t have the novelty. Definitely worth watching despite this gap. Playing on WB TV – Channel 353 on Tata Sky

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1989804313/

Cast                 George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Bernie Mac, Elliott Gould, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Eddie Jemison, Shaobo Qin, Carl Reiner, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Andy Garcia, Julia Roberts, Michael Delano, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Robbie Coltrane, Vincent Cassel, Eddie Izzard, Albert Finney

Oceans Eleven

I have always wondered what the original Ocean’s Eleven would be like. From what I hear, it was stunning to say the least. From what I hear as well, Steven Soderbergh’s tribute, 40 years since the release of the original was equally brilliant, if not better. I haven’t seen the original and for my money’s worth, the 2001 version is one of the better movies made in the past decade. It is fast paced, slick, super funny, extremely stylish, with loads of eye candy for both genders, contemporary, believable and yet totally edge of the seat – kind of like the James Bond of thievery – for lack of any other words to describe what I had seen. Considering that I had the great fortune of watching both Ocean’s Eleven and Twelve back to back last night, I thought it would be great to begin 2012 with the review of 2 classics. Old but evergreen.


For those who are unfamiliar with the concept and story (and believe me there would be quite a few out there who haven’t seen Ocean’s Eleven) of Ocean’s Eleven, the story revolves around Daniel Ocean (George Clooney) a conman par excellence who decides to rob three casino’s in one night. Did we mention that this was immediately after his release from prison? Danny doesn’t waste much time in rounding up his old cronies and I will not take up space here by calling out their names – suffice to say that each one of them is a great conman in his own right. And once they find a sponsor for their little adventure, it is only a matter of time before they really get down to executing their daring but as mentioned before – very believable plan.

Ocean’s Eleven is a fantastic story independent of any originals. The casting is simply superb. I am quite certain that there has been a tremendous amount of effort put into ensuring that the right people were picked up for each role. Maybe it was decided well in advance that there would be a trilogy and the cast was signed up for all of them put together. Smart idea I must say. Goes a long way in achieving consistency. Needless to say, the performances are simply superb. Each member of the cast has been given just the right amount of screen time irrespective of the stature of the star. And each one has delivered – no questions asked. Soderbergh can really take a course on how to manage multiple stars at one go – seems to have become his specialty of sorts after Ocean’s Eleven.

One of the hallmarks of Ocean’s Eleven would be the editing. The number of cuts in the first 10 minutes would make your head reel just that little bit but Soderbergh has stitched it all up so beautifully that it adds significantly to the intrigue. I am certain that if I would have paid more attention, there would be quite a few consistency errors but I can also vouch for the fact that it would not be visible to the human eye. And then there is the music which I have been searching for since I first saw the movie. It is one of the finest soundtracks used in a movie to date for my money’s worth.

Is Ocean’s Eleven Oscar material? Not by a country mile for any category. But is it an outright entertainer? No questions there for sure. I call it as 7.5 on 10. Playing on WB TV – Channel 353 on Tata Sky

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1822294297/

Cast                 George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Bernie Mac, Elliott Gould, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Eddie Jemison, Shaobo Qin, Carl Reiner, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Andy Garcia, Julia Roberts, Michael Delano,

Contagion

Back to back movies after a really long time and I had no clue about what was in store for me when I walked in to watch Contagion. My super hectic schedules ensured that I had not seen even the hint of a poster and had no idea about the “Power-Packed” cast that was waiting for me. Starting with Beth Emhoff (Gwenyth Paltrow) who is somewhere in Hong Kong apparently having a super duper time in the casinos. But little does she know that she is going to live for only the next 48 hours. She comes back to her home in Minnesota and her husband Mitch Emhoff (Matt Damon) – only to collapse in a heap like an epileptic would but for no apparent reason. The only thing worrisome was the high fever she had by the time she got back home from Hong Kong. She is rushed to the hospital but survives only for a few minutes more before the docs give up. They request for an autopsy so that they can find what actually happened.

Meanwhile, several such cases are being reported across the globe for the same kind of illness. A Japanese businessman on his way home. A girl in London. A waiter from a casino in Kowloon, Hong Kong. Someone in San Francisco. And the chain reaction has just about started. In what seems to be an Outbreak (Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo) kind of movie, Steven Soderbergh uses the power of his star cast to weave a story line that is littered with exceptionally heavy medical terms. Most of which go flying past you like a jet plane would. But the star cast does manage to hold the movie together for what its worth. Ignore the unpronounceable and you can watch Contagion purely on the merit of performances. Matt Damon has the biggest role other than Laurence Fishburne and both get out the intensity of their characters beautifully. Damon is in the role of a father whose only objective is to save his daughter after the loss of his wife and son to the “Contagion”. Fishburne plays the role of a committed doctor at the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and is torn between a commitment to his role and that towards his wife to be. And then there is probably the most beautiful woman in Hollywood today – the ethereal and immensely talented Marion Cotillard in the role of a French doctor who is kidnapped and develops a case of Stockholm Syndrome. Jude Law as the over obsesses blogger is also very good. And Kate Winslet – what can I say – effortless is the word that always comes to mind. Superb all round performances in short.

Cannot say the same thing about Soderbergh though. For a director as superb as Soderbergh, he is unable to hold the movie together. The trademark cinematography, music and cuts are conspicuously missing for no apparent reason. The story seems to meander around endlessly around some random population figures across unrelated cities. Soderbergh is unable to build the suspense factor too well – another talent that he has always had but seems to have suddenly taken a leave of absence. Also, the fact that there are too many stories within a story doesn’t help. Worth a dekko for certain but don’t expect too much. 6 on 10 is what I would give.

The trailer can be viewed on http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3924270105/