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Ocean's Eight
The female reboot of Ghostbusters had me a little hesitant about a female reboot of the George Clooney/Ocean movies, but my fears were quickly vanquished as Ocean's Eight turned out to be a slick, sexy, and delightfully dark crime caper that pays respect to the original franchise but definitely brings something new to the cinematic table.
The 2018 film stars Oscar winner Sandra Bullock as Debbie Ocean, the sister of George Clooney's now deceased character. who, just like Danny in the first film, is first glimpsed at a parole hearing where she swears her life of crime is over and that she just wants to be a normal woman. Only minutes after her release, we see Debbie contacting her old buddy Lou (Oscar winner Cate Blanchett) to get her in on her latest plan: Debbie wants to steal a necklace worth $150 million right off the neck of a flighty socialite (Oscar winner Anne Hathaway) during an important gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
We then watch Debbie and Lou put their crew together including a soccer mom/professional fence (Sarah Paulson), a jewelry reconstruction artist (Mindy Kaling), and a pool hustler/computer hacker (Rhianna).
Director and co-screenwriter Gary Moss is clearly a fan of the first franchise, having mounted an elaborate tale that not only sets up paper-thin connections to the first film but provides plot points very similar to plot points in the first film that only true fans of the first film are going to catch. I love at the halfway point when Lou learns that part of the plan involves revenge on the guy who put Debbie in jail. I immediately flashed back to Brad Pitt in the first film threatening to walk when he learns that Danny's ex-wife, Tess, is a part of Danny's plan. The way Moss worked that into the screenplay was nothing short of brilliant. I also loved the dash of originality added to the story with the addition of an insurance investigator who quickly puts together what happened but still can't get his girls. I also loved the fact that the girls' plan doesn't go exactly as planned and have to deal with some unexpected hiccups that could have derailed the entire operation.
Moss provides a solid eye with the camera, the waist high camera following the girls passing things to each other was a joy to watch. It was nice seeing Sandra Bullock playing a character with a bit of an edge and she and Blanchett (who has never been sexier onscreen) create the same kind of chemistry that Clooney and Pitt did. I also enjoyed Paulson and perfect comic relief was provided by the fabulous Helena Bonham Carter. The offbeat casting of James Corden as the insurance investigator also totally worked. The film also features cameos by Heidi Klum, Marlo Thomas, Dana Ivey, Elizabeth Ashley, Kim Kardashian, Mary Louise Wilson and original film alumni Elliott Gould, and Shaboa Quin. The film also features top-notch cinematography, film editing, art direction, and sound editing. Can't wait for the sequel.
The female reboot of Ghostbusters had me a little hesitant about a female reboot of the George Clooney/Ocean movies, but my fears were quickly vanquished as Ocean's Eight turned out to be a slick, sexy, and delightfully dark crime caper that pays respect to the original franchise but definitely brings something new to the cinematic table.
The 2018 film stars Oscar winner Sandra Bullock as Debbie Ocean, the sister of George Clooney's now deceased character. who, just like Danny in the first film, is first glimpsed at a parole hearing where she swears her life of crime is over and that she just wants to be a normal woman. Only minutes after her release, we see Debbie contacting her old buddy Lou (Oscar winner Cate Blanchett) to get her in on her latest plan: Debbie wants to steal a necklace worth $150 million right off the neck of a flighty socialite (Oscar winner Anne Hathaway) during an important gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
We then watch Debbie and Lou put their crew together including a soccer mom/professional fence (Sarah Paulson), a jewelry reconstruction artist (Mindy Kaling), and a pool hustler/computer hacker (Rhianna).
Director and co-screenwriter Gary Moss is clearly a fan of the first franchise, having mounted an elaborate tale that not only sets up paper-thin connections to the first film but provides plot points very similar to plot points in the first film that only true fans of the first film are going to catch. I love at the halfway point when Lou learns that part of the plan involves revenge on the guy who put Debbie in jail. I immediately flashed back to Brad Pitt in the first film threatening to walk when he learns that Danny's ex-wife, Tess, is a part of Danny's plan. The way Moss worked that into the screenplay was nothing short of brilliant. I also loved the dash of originality added to the story with the addition of an insurance investigator who quickly puts together what happened but still can't get his girls. I also loved the fact that the girls' plan doesn't go exactly as planned and have to deal with some unexpected hiccups that could have derailed the entire operation.
Moss provides a solid eye with the camera, the waist high camera following the girls passing things to each other was a joy to watch. It was nice seeing Sandra Bullock playing a character with a bit of an edge and she and Blanchett (who has never been sexier onscreen) create the same kind of chemistry that Clooney and Pitt did. I also enjoyed Paulson and perfect comic relief was provided by the fabulous Helena Bonham Carter. The offbeat casting of James Corden as the insurance investigator also totally worked. The film also features cameos by Heidi Klum, Marlo Thomas, Dana Ivey, Elizabeth Ashley, Kim Kardashian, Mary Louise Wilson and original film alumni Elliott Gould, and Shaboa Quin. The film also features top-notch cinematography, film editing, art direction, and sound editing. Can't wait for the sequel.