Films

Ocean’s 13 [2007]

Director: Steven Soderbergh
Actor: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Al Pacino, Matt Damon, Elliott Gould, Eddie Jemison, Don Cheadle, Shaobo Qin, Andy Garcia, Ellen Barkin, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Bernie Mac, Eddie Izzard, Carl Reiner

When I watched the remake of Ocean’s 11 a couple of years ago, I was really taken by the story, the style and the actors in the film. A lot of high rollers with big names that came together and created a light, easily digestable film, with a relatively solid story, and good acting. The characters were well thought out, the language was well-developed, and the setting was detailed and rich. And it was a success, as expected.

Then they came out with the second film, Ocean’s 12, which I thought was just a big joke amongst the actors. They were raving about how much fun they’d had during the making of the first film, and that they wanted to have that fun again, and that they succeeded. Yeah, I believe that, because you can see by their performance that they’re not taking it very seriously. They weren’t there to make a kick-ass film, they were there to just have some fun among friends. The end-result was pretty horrible, which is why I was surprised and a little weary of the third film they were going to make, Ocean’s 13.

Now, the first thing that indicated to me that I might want to go and see the film was the fact that both Zeta-Jones and Roberts were no longer in it. Big bonus, because the relationship angle got really tiring in the second film. Also, the cast included Al Pacino, which to me (still) means that I should pay extra attention. I was hoping that Pacino could bring some clout and some seriousness to the table. I also hoped that this film would break the seemingly endless stream of sub-par films he’d been doing in the last few years.

The story is as followed; Reuben (Gould) and Banks (Pacino) are going into business together, opening up a new hotel/casino on the strip. Banks screws Reuben over and takes over the entire joint for a pittance. Reuben is shocked to the point where he suffers a heart-attack. Queue Danny Ocean and his boys to go up against Banks, trying to wreck his entire operation by causing as much mayhem as possible on opening night, and thereby forcing Banks to relinquish Reuben’s share of the casino…or something.

I say “…or something” because the story is a little messy, leaving massive plot-holes and loose ends that never get tied up. It looks like there was a lot of story that was left on the cuttingroom floor, leaving gaps here and there. Sometimes it doesn’t make that much sense, and discussing it with your friends, like I did with Dennis during lunch today, certainly doesn’t make things any clearer.

Glaring inconsistencies are a little annoying, but are more than made up by solid acting, good style, decent cinematography and a hefty dose of humour – and not the silly campy kind that Ocean’s 12 had. To see Pitt and Clooney get emotional and cry while watching an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show had me in stitches. :)

I liked it!

Zeitgeist, the Movie [2007]

Wow, this is a really cool, and thought-provoking conspiracy theory documentary. It starts with the foundation of Christianity, and how it’s all supposed to be a fraud, then moves into a lot of the major wars fought in the last century, and how they’re all in one way or another purposefully orchestrated, including the 9/11 attacks, and then eventually leads you to international bankers, and their plot to take over the world. It sounds a bit wild, but the material is solid, and with all the stories on The Bilderberg Group floating around, it might just be true. So far, it’s a really great documentary, which tickles my imagination. If you follow the link of the movie to its website, then you’ll be able to see the entire 2-hour documentary, online, for free. Bonus!

Shrek the Third [2007]

Director: Chris Miller, Raman Hui
Actor: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Julie Andrews, Justin Timberlake, John Cleese, Rupert Everett, Eric Idle, Larry King

The king is dying, and Shrek is next in line to the throne of Far-Far-Away. He doesn’t want to, and so the king reveals that there’s another heir to the throne, should Shrek distance himself from the position; Arthur. Arthur lives at the school of Worcestershire, where he’s being bullied around by the jousting team jocks, lead by Sir Lancelot. He is happily saved from his underdog life by Shrek and his companions and is looking forward to being king. Meanwhile, the disgruntled Prince Charming has rallied all the disgruntled fairy tale villains (wicked queen, captain hook, etc.) to help him take over Far-Far-Away and instate him as king. Shrek and his friends, together with Arthur have to fight to get the anarchistic kingdom back under control, all the while Shrek is trying to come to terms with the fact that he’s going to be a daddy.

I really liked the first Shrek, and I thought the second one was amusing. I was glad to see the third film had me in stitches once again. Entertaining.

Cocaine Cowboys [2006]

Director: Billy Corben
Score: Jan Hammer

This is a really great, very comprehensive documentary on the rise and fall of the cocaine-trade in south Florida. It’s very stylishly done, with interviews, footage and images, all set – probably not coincidentally – against soundtrack done by Jan Hammer. The primary people interviewed are two smugglers, who were there from start to finish, and the prime enforcer for Griselda Blanco, the Cocaine Queen of Miami. There were also interviews of prominent law-enforcers en reporters of the time. It gives you a complete view of the impact that the cocaine trade had on southern Florida, its economy, the mindset and behaviour of the people, as well as the development of organised crime in the United States and South America.

It’s long (close to two hours), but if you’re interested in stuff like this, it’s well worth it.

Overnight [2003]

Director: Tony Montana, Mark Brian Smith
Actor: Troy Duffy

This is kind of like an alternate version of “The Making of…” The making of The Boondock Saints. Well, it’s not, really. It’s more the rise and fall of its spiritual father; Troy Duffy. He was a poor guy from Boston who went out to L.A. to make it in the music business. He and his band The Brood, later renamed The Boondock Saints, were trying to break through and get a record deal when he was working at a bar. One night he sees a deceased drug addict being wheeled out of an apartment adjacent to his and he gets the idea for the film. He writes it, works on it, and shops it around, and one day, Harvey Weinstein, boss of Miramax who had at that year’s Oscars scooped up every possible category and he promises him that he will finance the movie, give him creative control and buy the bar Duffy works at, and let Duffy co-own it with him.

From that moment on he becomes an Overnight celebrity and he and his band rise to stardom even before he’s done anything. He’s the quintessential example of The American Dream.

…until Miramax pulls the deal and do a complete “turnaround.” Which mean, in movie-land, that they don’t want to have anything to do with the film. At that point Duffy’s ego has ballooned to a massive, uncontrollable size, and he obsessively tries to get the movie made, burning bridges and upsetting everyone, including his friends in the process. And this documentary deals with that. The train-wreck journey of The Boondock Saints and the career of Troy Duffy from start to finish.

Enjoyable watch.