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DVD Ocean's Twelve (Widescreen Edition)
Like its predecessor Ocean's Eleven, Ocean's Twelve is a piffle of a caper, a preposterous plot given juice and vitality by a combination of movie star glamour and the exuberant filmmaking skill of director Steven Soderbergh (Out of Sight, The Limey). The heist hijinks of the first film come to roost for a team of eleven thieves (including the glossy mugs of Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Bernie Mac, and Don Cheadle), who find themselves pursued not only by the guy they robbed (silky Andy Garcia), but also by a top-notch detective (plush Catherine Zeta-Jones) and a jealous master thief (well-oiled Vincent Cassel) who wants to prove that team leader Danny Ocean (dapper George Clooney) isn't the best in the field. As if all that star power weren't enough--and the eternally coltish Julia Roberts also returns as Ocean's wife--one movie star cameo raises the movie's combined wattage to absurd proportions. But all these handsome faces are matched by Soderbergh's visual flash, cunning editing, and excellent use of Amsterdam, Paris, and Rome, among other highly decorative locations. The whole affair should collapse under the weight of its own silliness, but somehow it doesn't--the movie's raffish spirit and offhand wit soar along, providing lightweight but undeniable entertainment. --Bret Fetzer
Review(s): DVD Ocean's Twelve (Widescreen Edition)
No New Tricks Here.
OCEAN'S ELEVEN was a great heist movie. It was far more entertaining than the original Brat Pack film and included a more upbeat ending. The movie worked on a lot of different levels and though the cast including a huge list of stars, each character had just enough screen time to make the audience care for everyone involved on Danny Ocean's team. The plot of the film was tight and the payoff for the audience was in learning how the heist was pulled off. OCEAN'S ELEVEN was only expected to be a moderate success, but ended up doing quite well. So well, in fact, that they quickly put together plans for a sequel.
Thus came OCEAN'S TWELVE. Beginning three years after OCEAN'S ELEVEN ended, Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), the casino owner the gang ripped off in the OCEAN'S ELEVEN has uncovered the identities of everyone that was involved and wants his money back plus interest, close to $190 million. They've got two weeks to pay up or they're all good as dead men walking. Apparently there isn't a gig with a big enough pay off in the U.S. (or perhaps the filmmakers just wanted to spend some time in Europe) so the crew travels overseas: Amsterdam, Rome, and Paris. Meanwhile, the group is being hunted by an Europol agent, Isabel Lahiri (Catherine Zeta-Jones), who is connected to Rusty's (Brad Pitt) past and they are also being out conned everywhere they go by a Frenchman known only as the "Night Fox."
All of the members of OCEAN'S ELEVEN are back in this movie (that was one of the film's tag lines--something like "They're back, all of them") but unfortunately most of them have much smaller roles to play. Don Cheadle, Carl Reiner, Bernie Mac, et al are basically regulated to roles as props and set pieces. Catherine Zeta-Jones is added as part of the cast (thus the "twelve" of the title) and is a nice addition, but she's the only new element added that adds any flavor to this facsimile of the first movie. Also, instead of trying to think of something original, the general plot of the movie falls into the land of the absurd so much than when the final revelations are revealed the whole film comes off as being a disappointment and a cop-out.
I was disappointed by OCEAN'S TWELVE. It could have been a great follow-up to an excellent heist picture. Instead Soderburgh, Clooney, and crew must have decided that they would rather have fun than focus on making a movie. Thus, what is left is a film full of stars and fluff, but one that has no substance or style. It has some small moments, but those are drowned out by the lack of intention and purpose. Stay tuned for OCEAN'S THIRTEEN to see if Soderburgh and Clooney end up redeeming themselves for the failure to pull-off the coup in OCEAN'S TWELVE.
Awful
The first movie worked because it highlighted how the thieves planned and executed the amazing heist. This one fails because 95% of the movie has nothing to do with showing us a theft. It's like they figured 'we showed a theft last time - so let's focus on the story this time'. That's all well and good except for this movie - the heist IS the story. So in other words they forgot to show us the very movie we went to see. So instead of seeing how these guys work - we get to see lots of junk. Not for a second does the audience believe the Oceans crew is in danger because the story has no substance to it. On the plus side Catherine Zeta Jones is ridiculously hot - so that's great to see. On the down side - Julia Roberts looks terrible (as per usual) but this time she plays the character Tess who plays the actress Julia Roberts!!!??? This whole scene with Bruce Willis is awful and ridiculous. I cant believe they filmed it - let alone wrote it. I half expected the scene to turn into a blooper reel and the director apologizing for trying out this bad idea. Anyway - overall this movie was boring and garbage. I expected to see a heist film that showcased how professional thieves work their trade. Instead I saw a movie that had nothing going for it other than beautiful talent. Hollywood figured we should love this movie because it had style. I guess Hollywood won because they took my money again.
An arrogant waste of time
I liked Ocean's Eleven but this movie was just ridiculous. Someone seemed to think that if you get enough big celebrities in one place and try to make it "stylish" you'll have a good film. Unfortunately, the plot, dialogue, and even the internal logic of the plot is just poorly done. The clever banter isn't clever. The plot is slow and dull. And without giving too much away (although you really should pass on this movie!) there is a plot twist involving the Julia Roberts character that is so ridiculous as to be arrogant. Overall, a terrible film and a terrible waste of everybody's time.
Ocean's Eleven improves on 1960's Rat Pack original with supernova casting, a slickly updated plot, and Steven Soderbergh's graceful touch behind the camera. Soderbergh reportedly relished the opportunity "to make a movie that has no desire except to give pleasure from beginning to end," and he succeeds on those terms, blessed by the casting of George Clooney as Danny Ocean, the title role originated by Frank Sinatra. Fresh out of jail, Ocean masterminds a plot to steal $163 million from the seemingly impervious vault of Las Vegas's Bellagio casino, not just for the money but to win his ex-wife (Julia Roberts) back from the casino's ruthless owner (Andy Garcia). Soderbergh doesn't scrimp on the caper's comically intricate strategy, but he finds greater joy in assembling a stellar... More Info about this DVD DVD Release Date: Released the 07 May 2002 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Like a Hardy Boys mystery on steroids, National Treasure offers popcorn thrills and enough boyish charm to overcome its rampant silliness. Although it was roundly criticized as a poor man's rip-off of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Da Vinci Code, it's entertaining on its own ludicrous terms, and Nicolas Cage proves once again that one actor's infectious enthusiasm can compensate for a multitude of movie sins. The contrived plot involves Cage's present-day quest for the ancient treasure of the Knights Templar, kept secret through the ages by Freemasons past and present. Finding the treasure requires the theft of the Declaration of Independence (there are crucial treasure clues on the back, of course!), so you can add "caper comedy" to this Jerry Bruckheimer... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Jon Turteltaub DVD Release Date: Released the 03 May 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Meet the Parents found such tremendous success in the chemistry produced by the contrasting personalities of stars Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller that the film's creators went for broke with the same formula again in Meet the Fockers. This time around, Jack and Dina Byrnes (De Niro and Blythe Danner) climb into Jack's new kevlar-lined RV with daughter Pam (Teri Polo), soon-to-be son-in-law Gaylord (Stiller), and Jack's infant grandson from his other daughter for the trip to Florida to meet Gaylord's parents, Bernie and Roz Focker (Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand in a casting coup). The potential in-laws are, of course, the opposite of Jack, a pair of randy, touchy-feely fun-lovers. The rest of the movie is pretty much a sitcom: put Bernie and Roz together with Jack, and... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Jay Roach DVD Release Date: Released the 19 April 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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From Hollywood's legendary Cocoanut Grove to the pioneering conquest of the wild blue yonder, Martin Scorsese's The Aviator celebrates old-school filmmaking at its finest. We say "old school" only because Scorsese's love of golden-age Hollywood is evident in his approach to his subject--Howard Hughes in his prime (played by Leonardo DiCaprio in his)--and especially in his technical mastery of the medium reflecting his love for classical filmmaking of the studio era. Even when he's using state-of-the-art digital trickery for the film's exciting flight scenes (including one of the most spectacular crashes ever filmed), Scorsese's meticulous attention to art direction... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Leonardo DiCaprio - Cate Blanchett - Kate Beckinsale Director(s): Martin Scorsese DVD Release Date: Released the 24 May 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Will Smith's easygoing charm makes Hitch the kind of pleasant, uplifting romantic comedy that you could recommend to almost anyone--especially if there's romance in the air. As suave Manhattan dating consultant Alex "Hitch" Hitchens, Smith plays up the smoother, sophisticated side of his established screen persona as he mentors a pudgy accountant (Kevin James) on the lessons of love. The joke, of course, is that Hitch's own love life is a mess, and as he coaches James toward romance with a rich, powerful, and seemingly inaccessible beauty named Allegra (Amber Valetta), he's trying too hard to impress a savvy gossip columnist (Eva Mendes) with whom he's fallen in love. Through mistaken identities and mismatched couples, director Andy Tennant brings the same light touch that made... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Andy Tennant DVD Release Date: Released the 14 June 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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From Hollywood's legendary Cocoanut Grove to the pioneering conquest of the wild blue yonder, Martin Scorsese's The Aviator celebrates old-school filmmaking at its finest. We say "old school" only because Scorsese's love of golden-age Hollywood is evident in his approach to his subject--Howard Hughes in his prime (played by Leonardo DiCaprio in his)--and especially in his technical mastery of the medium reflecting his love for classical filmmaking of the studio era. Even when he's using state-of-the-art digital trickery for the film's exciting flight scenes (including one of the most spectacular crashes ever filmed), Scorsese's meticulous attention to art direction...