Ocean's 13

Well I certainly liked it better than the first, but I still feel the second was the best.

Despite Ocean's 13 not being as good as 12, I still have to say it is a decent movie. Once again not going for the straight heist movie, they do something unique again. So, debts have been paid off in the second movie, the crew has been doing good until one of their members Reuben is double crossed and the poor guy suffers a heart attack from it, spurring the crew to not only steal this casino owner's prized diamond collection but sabotage his newly constructed casino. Good story, got your usual heist stuff, but a bit of sabotage too. I mean thank God for this variety, cause let me tell you something if each movie was essentially the first movie all over again, I would have severely lost my fudge man. But they tried to innovate and do a new thing each time, and that must be applauded. And I'm fully with them tearing this casino to shreds cause Al Pacino is an asshole in this movie! I mean yeah, he plays Al Pacino but he is so...just not nice, and it's very gratifying to see him get his comeuppance. And you know what I noticed? The best character of the whole crew is Linus, Matt Damon because he has an arc. From rookie, to kinda knowing the ropes but not fully trusted to do stuff, to truly being a part of the crew and helping out a lot, that's really cool. You could almost argue this is his story, despite the expansive cast. It was just something I noticed, and I thought it was a neat idea. Really, these movies are okay. Competently written, shot, and edited but nothing too special. Which just leads me to wonder, will I enjoy Ocean's 8? It looks decent, but I guess we will find out tomorrow.

Ocean's 12

Alright, I was pleasantly surprised!

After the overwhelming adequate reception of Ocean's 11, I got to say I was really hoping the sequel would be a lot better and it actually was. I think the reason I liked it more is the fact that it wasn't a straight up heist movie. So the crew after 3 months has finally been caught up with the guy they stole all the money from in the first movie and he gives them an ultimatum, garner all his money back and then some or die. So the crew heads over to Europe to try and recover the money before time runs out. Already I liked it much more on a story basis. This movies does so much more than the first, and betters what was already there. The story is interesting with an almost unknown goal as if the crew are just spitballing ideas until they hit their mark, the Coronation Faberge Egg. And I actually liked the characters this time too, they are given much more personality in this movie and are genuinely funny. But we even get a new character, and she was my favorite character by far! Isabel played by the ridiculously great Catherine Zeta-Jones, who has had a past with Rusty and is a good sort of antagonist but not really. This is why she is my favorite, she is the most interesting of the characters. Fully willing to take them all down and yet kind of admiring and helping them too. I don't know, just everything has been done so much better. Now the camera work was really good in the first movie but they get so many better shots in Amsterdam and Rome, just so beautiful with some interesting shots here and there. It really does make me curious as to how this all ends, what awits for me in Ocean's 13. So needless to say I can fully acknowledge this is a better movie and a very good one at that, I almost would say skip the first and just start here. But we got one more before the girls hit the scene so stay tuned tomorrow for Ocean's 13.

Ocean's 11

Well I guess I have Ocean's 8 to blame for me being here.

Well it only took 17 years to finally see this movie, and while you're reeling from that bitter truth let's talk film. Ocean's 11 is an alright movie, I have to admit I have never been for heist movies but a realization occured to me about an hour in this movie. It's not about whether the heist is a success or not, but more for the characters and how the heist was done. You know they're going to walk away with cash from 3 different Vegas casinos, but you want to know how and see these crooks sort of bounce off one another. And I have to say the character's are fine, nothing stands out much beyond the star power. We got a lot of people in this movie, all good actors so the main focus as far as I can guess why you would watch this movie is the heist. And it is interesting how they find ways through the most heavily guarded safe in Vegas, it did intrigue me but I wasn't fully grabbed by it. Hell I made it more entertaining by making a drinking game, and the sad part is it works for every heist movie. Just take a shot anytime either there is a fake out to where you think they have just been caught red handed or when they come withing breathing distance of being caught. You're probably gonna get buzzed good by the end credits. All I can say is I really hope the sequel can grab me and keep me invested. The movie is totally fine, there's no mind breaking amounts of stupid, it's just that these types of films never really appealed to me. And yet the trailer for Ocean's 8 actually got me curious about this whole thing, so go figure. I'd just watch this movie on a lazy day and there is nothing better to watch. Ocean's 12, you got a low bar to pass so here's hoping for tomorrow.

Suburbicon

This was a very different movie.

Now I'm gonna be honest, I liked the movie. I think George Clooney did a very good job directing and handling a Cohen brothers script, which basically concerns just your average suburban family being pushed too far and the ensuing chaos and death that follows. I gotta admit, that ending was great! I don't know, it was just such an odd little movie that had some genuine tension in some scenes, had a very good and very true social satirical viewpoint. All the actors did good work, with Matt Damon just being an average guy trying to cope with the terrible tragedy (get used to hearing that a lot in this movie) and how he tries to handle it all, Julianne Moore who has been cloned in this movie, yes you get not one but two Julianne Moores and once you try to get used to that...well let's move on. Next point, white people were assholes back then in 1959 or whenever this takes place, like Jesus do you people have anything better to do with your life than ostricize a black family? The most genuinely best and all around nice character, is a kid and he does great work for the dark and disturbing subject matter. The movie has a point but it sure does serve it in a very WTF way. And it finally happened, after 22 years, I have finally went to a movie theater and watched a movie alone. There was not a soul in there besides me. And I had a blast with it. I think that's why I enjoyed this movie, cause I could just say out loud "Dude....WTF?" when stuff started going to hell in a handbasket. Do I recommend the movie? Uh....yeah. Probably best just as a rental unless you have to see this movie soon. It certainly got reactions from me, so take from that what you will.

And yes, I did not forget about Murder On The Orient Express, we'll get to that next week. Best part is I have no idea how it ends so the mystery factor should be high for me! So I'm very excited to see that and can't wait to talk about it, so until then don't be a jerk to your neighbors but suspect all you like.

Up In The Air

You know, I've been hearing about this movie for a little while. Oh, Up In The Air it's such a great movie! Up In The Air it's so celebrated and loved and enjoyed. And it's true.

Up In The Air is one of the best movies I have ever seen in my entire life. The plot follows a man whose life is lived through airports, he constantly travels around the country with the sole purpose of firing people. That is his job, to end people's jobs, nothing more. We follow him and we meet a lovely woman who he forms a quick and lovely relationship with, we also see him gain a new friend in the form of someone who is controlling a force that could end his life as he knows it. She takes the digital approach to terminating jobs instead of in person, putting his life job in jeopardy. From there many things happen, both good and bad, as in life culminating in a somber, bitter sweet ending. The main thing about this movie that I love is how it can break down the average working human being. It's very detached from emotion, and yet like at the same time embraces the center of emotion. It brings up the points of life, love, happiness, being alone, why do people react the way they do, all done in a truly amazing and beautiful way. It stars George Clooney as our main character, who is not even acting in my opinion he really is just being this character. It's unreal how great he is. Vera Farmiga is his love interest, she is wonderful as always and I love to see her in fun roles. Anna Kendrick is actually very un-Anna Kendrick, she starts off sort of uptight and for lack of a better word neurotic but halfway through the movie we get the Anna Kendrick that I know, love, and adore but sadly it doesn't last for long. The music is mellow, and very slow paced and it hit me hard near the end of this movie, this is the kind of music I want to hear while I look at a city from the window of a plane. I really must say that this movie was important for me to watch. I know if I watched this movie 2 or 3 years ago, hell even a year ago I would not look at it the way I do now. I watched it at just the right time in my life and sort of, you know, my current emotional state and my thoughts toward the world, and the people that live in it. This movie brings up the point which really only reaffirms the fact that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. This is what makes me happy, I love to talk about movies, and this movie makes the point of to follow your dreams and to do something that makes you happy. Whether it's to spend time with the people that you know and love, or to do the job that you want to do. To not settle for anything lesser. It brings up that people shouldn't be alone, you should always spend time with people that you like and enjoy being with, never be alone. Uh....Star Wars is my favorite movie of all time, nothing is really going to change that. And yet, it is not a movie that literally changed my life. This movie did. It made me look at the world I live in and the people that surround me very differently. Very few movies have made such an achievement, but what I have noticed is that they all deal with relationships, real genuine human interaction. Up In The Air is a movie about not spending your life alone, to follow your dreams, to be happy with what you are doing in your life, and to be with people you care about. Her with Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johannson was about building a meaningful and true relationship, about love in a true sense, in the most human-y human way possible. Lost In Translation, the movie I can never stop praising, and is in fact very similar to this movie, was finding a person that gives you this sort of solace in life, someone you love to be with and want to always be around, this beautiful special bond that two people can form with one another. It's these movies that change my life perspective in many ways, but mostly the way I look, treat, and talk to people. If there was any movies to take from these reviews that I do, to really sit down and watch, it would be these. Most of the time I feel very alone, but when I am with my friends and my family I grow very sort of...appreciative of life. You really can't take living for granted. We are all running clocks, we can't turn back or be put on pause, we all have our time to go. So you better make something really worth of it, so when you, like I, look back on your life you will not say these words, "It was all a waste of time. It was not worth it. It was a mistake.". Live the way you want to live, and the way I want to live is through movies. I'm The Dude, and I want to see you tomorrow.

Hail, Caesar!

Yet another damn good Cohen Brothers movie.

Hail, Ceasar! is a really fun and entertaining movie, although I must admit I knew very little about the actual plot. Now the plot follows the head of a motion picture studio set in the 50s, as he tries to keep everything cool, calm, and collected especially when one of the major stars is kidnapped. And an aspect I must give major props to is how in the dark you are about the whole kidnapping scheme, they did a good job to keep up the mystery. Now let's talk about the casting, dear sweet God in Heaven this is a friggin' cast man! George Clooney, Josh Brolin, Ralph Fiennes, my sun and my moon and my star lit sky Scarlett Johannson, and even a few other familiar faces we have encountered here. Absolute awesomeness! Also, the look of the movie...I am in the 50s when I watch this movie both in the real life scenes and in the acting scenes. They nail how films were made back then, with extravagant musical numbers, with dancing, and aquatic ballet, the whole nine yards! Perfect! I would definitely say you should check this movie out, I think you will like it very much especially if you are an old movie fan or a Cohen Brothers fan.

Now tomorrow, we got another In Retrospect review. It kinda sets the stage for what is coming up next week so tune in tomorrow.

Batman & Robin

This is it. This is my last review. I am about to lose all credibility as a critic. It's the end.

Batman & Robin is a very campy throwback to the Adam West series, with a ludicrous plot, cartoon action, puns galore, and resulted in the death of the Batman for about 10 years in film. But before we delve into the plot, let's look at the good parts. George Clooney is perfect casting to play Batman and he is a terrific Batman but he had to deal with some bullshit in this movie! If not for the awesomely ridiculous plot this would be one of the best potrayals of Batman ever. Second, I still love the look of Gotham City in this movie. The art designer himself stated it was like "...the world fair on steroids" and that is pretty awesome! Also, big praise towards the fact they adopted the Animated Series origin of Mr. Freeze, that was pretty great that they added that human emotion to his character. And lastly, the best part of the entire movie is when Bruce and Alfred talk about life and death. Alfred is terminally ill and that already is very heartbreaking but it gets more sad, they are very quiet scenes where Bruce and Alfred talk about their relationship. Life and death, happiness and sadness, the fact that they are not just master and butler but family who love each other. That is what I take away from this movie. Alfred has always reminded me of my grandfather, and my grandfather got very sick and passed away. And everytime I see those moments, I remember him. And it is because of those scenes that elevates this film higher than most other people would deem it. Sorry about that emotional bomb, it's just what I remember most. But we will delve into the plot now. Crazy plot even whenever summarized so bear with me here. Batman is called to action once again battling the frigid Mr. Freeze, who teams up with both the lethal Poison Ivy and the behemoth Bane to destroy Gotham and break the Bat. It gets more ridiculous in depth, but I just wanted to give a brief overview of the madness. Now for the bad parts! And I'll try to keep it short and coherent. Where do I begin? You know, the whole bat nipple thing never really bothered me especially after Joel Schumacher said he modeled the suits after Greek statues and I thought that was pretty clever so no issue there. But my God, they butchered Bane. If you saw The Dark Knight Rises, you know how Bane is and he is so much more than that potrayal in the comics but they screwed him up the most more than any other villain! At least with the others, they got the basics right about what they can do, what their backstory is, simple stuff like that but with Bane...fail! The ice puns...they actually kinda make me laugh just because how horrible they are. Yeah the jokes really suck in this movie, and the action ain't much better. I'm still debating which is worse, but I think I lean more to the jokes. At least the action, while silly is still done well (kinda). I just can't recommend this movie unless you are morbidly curious or just enjoy bad movies. Take what you will from this review for better or worse, and decide if you have the sheer nerves to sit through the whole thing.

And with that ends the Batman marathon. After this review, I need something good. Something that makes me happy. Something maybe new! Next week, the first week of May so let's get some more brand new films in here.

A Very Murray Christmas

This was really, really good.

A Very Murray Christmas is Bill Murray's new Christmas special exclusively on Netflix. It's directed by Sofia Coppola, and I was praying that Scarlett Johannson was in this so I could call it the unofficial Lost In Translation reunion but sadly she did not appear. But hey it was still very good, the comedy was great and made me laugh a lot, although I did wish it was longer since it clocks in just barely under an hour. All the special guest stars like George Clooney and even Miley Cyrus were a treat to see, it had quite a bit of singing in it and it was all very good, and even lifted my spirits a bit. I actually forgot how well Bill Murray could sing even though we have heard him sing in his movies! I do wish it was longer, and that seems to be a running theme with Sofia Coppola's movies, but beyond that I didn't have any major problems with it. I did expect like this huge ensemble cast of celebrities, but I was thankful I could see George and Bill hang out. Do I recommend this special? I think so, in fact and not many things can do this, it really got me into the Christmas spirit. It's a great special and I think you will enjoy it just as much as I did. Now I want to watch Lost In Translation....

From Dusk Till Dawn

This is just what I needed after Fright Night. A true badass vampire movie.

From Dusk Till Dawn is one of the best movies Quentin Tarantino has ever made with his friend Robert Rodriguez, with a pretty famous cast including George Clooney, Harvey Keitel, Tom Savini, and so many others. George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino himself play bank robbing brothers who have to flee to Mexico from the law. The brothers soon meet up with a family led by a priest played by Harvey Keitel and they all soon make it to Mexico at a bar open from dusk until dawn. Now the film plays out more like a crime movie until about halfway through the movie when all hell breaks loose and it turns into a very, very different film. Keep an eye out for Salma Hayek and that's when the movie gets turned on it's side. This is a pretty damn great movie with a very realistic script as is standard with Tarantino movies where the talking feels real and not just script reading, the special effects done by Tom Savini are a feast to the eyes and he even plays a role in the movie, and it's just a great movie. A classic to be remembered, truly. I love this movie, especially George Clooney but I have always loved George Clooney but he gives one of his best performances in this movie. What can I say? This is a horror classic and I am so happy to finally have it in my movie collection, I'm going to watch the hell out of this every October. I highly, highly recommend you see this movie. You'll love it.

Alrighty, in a day or two I am going to be reviewing two new horror movies. One that came out not that long ago and another that is brand new. And neither of which I have seen before. So that will be fun.