Throwback Thursday Review: 'Ocean's Eleven' (2001)

Sorry that this review's coming a little late, but last Thursday evening I prioritized writing my Hereditary review because I felt compelled to share my thoughts immediately. Anyways, I'd never seen Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's trilogy prior to a few days ago so I went ahead and watched them all before going to see Ocean's Eight yesterday. I won't be reviewing Ocean's Twelve and Thirteen for the time being because I have a lot of reviews to prepare/publish this week before going out of town. This includes publishing Throwback Thursday Reviews of Jurassic Park and The Incredibles in addition to reviewing new releases Ocean's Eight, Hotel Artemis, Tag (2018), and Incredibles 2 and prepping a Throwback Thursday Review for The Lost World: Jurassic Park before I leave. As a result, my review of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom will be coming a little later than normal since I won't likely see the film till perhaps next Friday.

'Ocean's Eleven' Review

Ocean's Eleven trails con artist Danny Ocean shortly after he's been let out of jail and put on parole. Ocean assembles a team of ten other accomplices with plans to steal from three Las Vegas casinos simultaneously.

Ocean's Eleven was directed by Steven Soderbergh, featured a screenplay written by Ted Griffin, and functioned as a full-fledged reboot which went on to become a bankable trilogy of capers. With the help of a star-studded cast, Soderbergh assured direction ensures Ocean's Eleven was a heist film dressed to the nines and has got plenty of style to spare from start-to-finish. Soderbergh even served as his own cinematographer under the pseudonym of Peter Andrews (he does this fairly often) so the cinematography is sleek and stimulating under his watchful eye. When combined with the surefire editing and a jazzy score by David Holmes, the film's bravado is absolutely unrivaled.

I also appreciated how the film was fairly unpredictable and kept me on my toes as I tried to guess how the crew would get themselves out of some hairy situations. The twists and turns along the way managed to be quite surprising and satisfying, and I particularly liked that there was an ulterior motive to the heist beyond stealing tons of money. It's always nice when a heist film is really about something greater and a relatable motivation is a solid start to that. 

Other entertaining elements include the heist itself, some sharp dialogue, and the camaraderie amongst the crew. I've also got to say how impressive it is that the script managed to balance the ensemble despite having an abundance of characters. Some get more focus that others, but that's simply the nature of show business. 

Regardless of all that, the all star cast will charm your socks off. George Clooney imbues Ocean with a suave debonair and calm, collected composure while Brad Pitt's Rusty is a reliable right hand man. Filling out the rest of the crew, Matt Damon, Bernie Mac, Don Cheadle, Elliott Gould, Don Cheadle, Eddie Jemison, Carl Reiner, Shaobo Qin, Casey Affleck, and Scott Caan are exemplary matches to their respective roles as up-and-coming pickpocket Linus, smooth talking croupier Frank, eccentric munitions expert Basher, flamboyant tycoon Reuben, awkward tech genius Livingston, grouchy old con-man Saul, soft-spoken Chinese acrobat Yen, and two hard headed brothers Virgil and Turk. 

On the flip-side, Andy Garcia goes all in for his cold-hearted portrayal of Terry Benedict and stands out as a formidable foe. Meanwhile, Julia Roberts has little screen time, but makes her mark as a fitting femme fatale of sorts. 

While not all that substantive, Ocean's Eleven is slick, stylish, and an all-around good time. It's been seventeen years, but Ocean's Eleven seems to still be the gold standard for this franchise and the heist genre in general.

Film Assessment: A-

Throwback Thursday Review: 'Fantastic Mr. Fox'

I haven't published Throwback Thursday Reviews these past two weeks for varying reasons, but I have a few exciting updates to share regarding my blog and I'm now back on track to review Fantastic Mr. Fox ahead of Wes Anderson's new stop motion film coming later this month, Isle of Dogs. In regards to late reviews, I watched Blade the other day so that particular Throwback Thursday Review will be coming as soon as I finish writing it. However, I've decided to remove all other delayed reviews from my schedule to free up space. I promise I'll get them eventually at a more appropriate time when they're more relevant (ie. review It (1990) when the It sequel comes out, etc.). If you want to know what you should expect to see from me this month, I plan on publishing Throwback Thursday Reviews of A Wrinkle in Time (2004), Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Pacific Rim, and Jurassic Park, new reviews of A Wrinkle in Time (2018), Tomb Raider, Pacific Rim: Uprising, Isle of Dogs, and Ready Player One along with a couple more Star Wars Speculation posts and some Academy Awards coverage this weekend.

Meanwhile, it's also worth mentioning that I'm in the process of updating the format of my "Movie Review" page and I've added an area where you can sign up for email updates. For those confused what that first part means, I have an area that's intended to ease navigation around my blog. On the side, there's a series of tabs that will direct you to pages and I'm currently modifying those pages to be more user-friendly. Now, you'll be directed to the respective review if you click on any of the banner images with my score and watermarked logo on them. Then if you'd like to subscribe to the email list, just go over to the side tabs and you'll find an area entitled "Follow by Email." Just enter in your preferred email address and press "Submit" to be added to the list and I believe you'll be notified via email anytime I publish something.

'Fantastic Mr. Fox' Review

Nominated For: Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score.

Twelve fox-years (two human-years) after settling down to start a family, Mr. Fox grows tired of his idyllic lifestyle and yearns to satisfy his animalistic urge of raiding farms. Unaware of the consequences, he seizes his ideal opportunity upon moving near the triple farms of Boggis, Bunce, and Bean. However, the tenacious farmers unexpectedly retaliate to his schemes so Mr. Fox, his family, and the surrounding animal community are forced deep underground where they must amass their cunning wits and instinctual gifts to emerge victorious against the shrewd farmers.

Fantastic Mr. Fox is a feature length stop-motion animated film based on Roald Dahl's famous children's book, which is directed by Wes Anderson and features a screenplay cowritten by Anderson and Noah Baumbach. If you're familiar with Anderson's work, you know what you're in for whenever you see a Wes Anderson production. Anderson's established himself in the industry as a filmmaker with an especially specific style, and it's almost impossible to deny that his approach to making movies is entirely unique. In this case, Anderson actually adapted Dahl's book in such spectacular fashion that he managed to marry his own unique sensibilities as a filmmaker with the spirit of Dahl's source material to the degree you'll believe the union was always meant to be.

 

As a brief aside, I was initially introduced to Wes Anderson through Fantastic Mr. Fox probably seven or eight years ago and I've been drawn to his work ever since! While I haven't explored his filmography extensively, I absolutely adore Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and can't wait to see Isle of Dogs in a few weeks! I'm quite captivated by Wes Anderson's flicks because they're characteristically quirky, colorful, and obsessively symmetrical with a good bit of wry, witty humor to spare. Seeing as Fantastic Mr. Fox was accomplished with the approach of stop-motion animation, the project seemed a perfect match for Anderson's eccentric artistry. 

Stop-motion has to be painstakingly precise if the models are to move with an authentic fluidity when it's all said and done, and I can even speak from personal experience as I dabbled with the medium when I was younger. Which is why I believe Anderson's OCD-like tendencies made him an appropriate artist to tackle this story through this technique. Credit should definitely also be bestowed to the animators for meticulously managing to position the puppets so their movements look genuine and lifelike and, of course, the intricate production design from Nelson Lowry is a nice touch!

Fantastic Mr. Fox isn't just a well-crafted work of stop-motion though... Anderson and Baumbach craftily convey Dahl's story as an exciting, outlandish animal adventure that's energized by a happy-go-lucky soundtrack and supplemental set of cheery compositions from Alexandre Desplat. However, one of the film's most attributed traits is its sharp, hysterical delivery of deadpan dialogue and the imaginative use of farcical situations for amusing interplay. 

As for the illustrious ensemble, Fantastic Mr. Fox features the likes of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Eric Chase Anderson (Wes' brother), Wallace Wolodarsky, Bill Murray, Michael Gambon, Willem Dafoe, Owen Wilson, and Wes Anderson himself in the varying voice roles of assorted animals and heinous human farmers respectively. Each cast member explores the intricacies of their character in enough of an interesting, unique way that they all stick with you once it's all over. With that being said, Clooney slyly steals the show in a fittingly foxy fashion.

There are many words I could use to describe Fantastic Mr. Fox, but I believe the title hits the nail on the head with the word "fantastic." If you have not experienced this film or any of the entertaining antics of Wes Anderson, I strongly encourage you to dig deep into his filmography where you'll be met by a delightful array of equally excellent films.

Film Assessment: A+

'Money Monster' Review

Money Monster is a suspenseful hostage drama directed by Jodie Foster. The film showcases a hostage situation on the set of a financial television show called "Money Monster." Money Monster, like the recent film The Big Short, focuses on the fallout of a financial crisis. The difference being that Money Monster's financial crisis is fictional and jumps straight into the public reaction rather than showing the real events as they occur. 

Jodie Foster manages to weave it all in quite well and Foster's direction allows the suspenseful thriller aspect of the film to thrive amidst the tense situation taking place. Unfortunately, every time the film cut away from the claustrophobic hostage crisis the pace of the film slowed down. This is large part to the phenomenal performances that engage the audience into the tense atmosphere that's been expertly executed. 

George Clooney nails the personality of the zany wisecracking host of "Money Monster". Clooney gets to fool around a bit in the beginning, but also gets some terrific opportunities to explore more of the earthly vulnerable humanity of Lee Gates as is to be expected in a tense environment. 

Julia Roberts also does quite well as the director of the show, Patty Feen. Roberts' role primarily finds her advising Gates on how to carefully defuse the situation and she handles the "voice of reason" role nicely. 

Jack O'Connell also gets to showcase a wide range of emotion as Kyle Budwell. Budwell is certainly the most relatable character in the film as the everyman. O'Connell's performance is one of the highlights of the film. My favorite aspect of the film was seeing him slowly build a necessary friendship with Gates that allowed for a very emotional scene towards the film's conclusion. Those three performances really elevated the film overall, but weren't able to save the lackluster elements outside the "Money Monster" set.

Giancarlo Esposito is one of my favorite television actors, but really didn't add any depth or intrigue to his character that any other actor wouldn't be able to do and just seemed to do a serviceable job. Really any actor could have played the role of that police captain and it would have been just as effective.

One actor that caught me off guard was Christopher Denham who was the producer of "Money Monster", Ron Sprecher. Denham added a surprising bit of comedic relief that never took away from the seriousness of the situation, making for a nice standout among the supporting cast. On a side note, IMDB is a very reliable source I use when writing a review and I caught something quite hilarious that I had to share with my readers. There are multiple anchormen in the film and instead of crediting them as "Anchorman #1," "Anchorman #2," and so on, they are credited as "An Anchorman," "Another Anchorman," and "Yet Another Anchorman."

Anyways, Money Monster is best looked upon as a performance piece, the technical elements are just fine but the cinematography and editing never really wowed me. The heart of the film is the standout performances and intensity of the hostage situation. I found the financial elements of the film to never be fleshed out as much as they could or should have been. In comparison to The Big Short, Money Monster never quite explained the economic jargon to the audience. The answers to the questions being asked of this financial crisis were a bit cliché, so I feel the film failed itself and the audience in that regard.

Money Monster is a well-acted and well-directed suspenseful experience that's not necessarily best seen in cinemas. If you're interested in the film I would recommend waiting for it's home video release and either rent or buy the film.

Film Assessment: C

'Hail, Caesar!' Review

Nominated For: Best Production Design.

Hail, Caesar! follows the daily life of a PR man who must solve many behind the scenes issues with the various talent at Capitol Pictures, a movie studio at the height of it's powers. I've been looking forward to Hail, Caesar! since the first trailer released for the film hoping it would be similar in tone to The Grand Budapest Hotel, even though I was completely aware that different directors were behind both projects. So as may be apparent from the date I'm publishing this review, the combination of school and work as well as releases of films I was anticipating a bit more constantly delayed me from seeing the film. The delay however has allowed me to see the general response to the film, which was unlike any I had ever seen. In this case, I've noticed that critics enjoyed it and audiences hated it, and having seen the film I think I might have discovered why that is. The film boasts a star studded ensemble cast that's filled to the brim with great talent. However, the cast is used sparingly with a few actors relegated to a few scenes sprinkled throughout the film and I think that's one of the issues that audiences have with the film. They saw the name talent that compelled them to see the film and were disappointed by the underuse of some of these actors. I'm going to discuss them in order of actors who were on screen the least to the more important characters. Most notably absent was Jonah Hill, who is relegated to a one scene cameo yet is featured prominently on the poster and quite a bit in the promotional material for the film. However Hill's role does service the narrative in a small capacity and he's great for his minute on screen. Ralph Fiennes plays the snide Hollywood Drama director Laurence Lorenz, which works perfectly juxtaposing with Alden Ehrenreich's western star Hobie Doyle forced into drama as the studio attempts to change his image. This allows for a hilarious scene between the two where Lorenz is trying to get Hobie to correctly say a line, which Hobie is unable to do. This gag runs a bit long but it only gets funnier and funnier. Fiennes is limited to a few scenes but fantastic in the capacity used. Scarlett Johansson gets to take on the role of DeeAnna Moran, an Esther Williams esque actress, enduring some personal problems of her own that the studio wants to sweep under the rug. Johansson is primarily featured in a mermaid synchronized swimming sequence that's just a delight that leads into a particularly funny bit in the film. So she's restricted to about two or three scenes but also great when onscreen. Tilda Swinton gets to play twin rival journalists, Thora and Thessaly Thacke, who are trying their best to get an intriguing scoop about one of the studio's stars and she's the perfect balance of irritating and snoopy for both characters. Swinton is brilliant as usual but utilized conservatively in the film with a few scenes sprinkled around. Channing Tatum plays a Gene Kelly type as Burt with a spectacular tap dance and song number. Tatum continues to impress me again and again, first proving he can be a comedic and action star in the Jump Street movies, and now getting to flex more of his musical talents. I'm aware Tatum's acting career began with dancing in the Step Up films but tap dancing is a whole other animal that requires rhythmic precision. I was amazed at Tatum's abilities on display for the sequence and he also shocked me when I learned he could carry a tune as well. Channing Tatum's character is an interesting case as I can't go into too much detail without spoiling the film but he has one scene that had me laughing hysterically throughout. On the flip side of that, there are the members of the cast that carry the narrative focusing on George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich, and Josh Brolin. George Clooney gets to play the dunce movie star, Baird Whitlock, who is kidnapped in the film by a nefarious secret organization, which makes for an intriguing reveal that at times allows for some effective comedy. Alden Ehrenreich, who I mentioned a bit earlier, plays the cowboy western star Hobie Doyle and is surprisingly a standout among the cast with great comedic timing and heart. Josh Brolin is perfect as Capitol Pictures' studio fixer, Eddie Mannix, and really the main character of the film as it follows a day in his hectic life. Speaking of this, the film feels very unfocused which is certainly a problem but after I saw the film I realized that this is to reflect how insane Mannix's life is because of the crazy talent he must deal with on a daily basis. Conclusively, if you are interested in Hail, Caesar! because of the cast, I'd be very wary. The cinematography, score, and direction are all standard and effective but nothing particularly stood out to me. The Coen Brother's do a fine job and achieve what they set out to do with the film as they clearly are fascinated with 1950's Hollywood. Another strange thing was the style of editing that would would randomly jump from one part of the story to another without the proper groundwork and foundation to understand what is going on initially. In summary, the Coen Brothers created a strange love letter to old, classic 1950's Hollywood that I'd recommend for rental or home media purchase as opposed to checking out in theaters. 

Film Assessment: B-

'Tomorrowland' Review

I was a little apprehensive going into Tomorrowland due to mixed reviews and will admit that I even have a mixed perspective of the film. The first two-thirds of the film are amazing and quite enjoyable but towards the end there were a few things that I found to be a little ridiculous that took me out of the cinematic experience. Nevertheless I enjoyed Tomorrowland as a whole movie. I will refrain from discussing any plot details since the marketing for the film did the same. This film is a fun movie going experience with plenty of laughs, action, and an intriguing storyline that keeps you interested and dying to learn the secrets of Tomorrowland throughout the film. The mystery of the film helps to add to the storyline. Britt Robertson and George Clooney are both enjoyable as the film's two leads and really counter off one another with two distinctly different personalities and outlooks on life. Clooney has a much darker perspective and Robertson has the bright cheerful personality. The two worked well together in this film and I hope that this helps Robertson land roles further in the future. Brad Bird does a great job of crafting this interesting world to explore in this film but unfortunately the film hasn't performed well at the box office as of now so it's unlikely that there will be a sequel. The visuals of the film are quite stunning especially once the characters reach Tomorrowland. Overall, I recommend Tomorrowland since it is a fun cinematic experience you are likely to enjoy.