OCEAN'S 8 Review

Very early in this spin-off of director Steven Soderbergh's trilogy of movies about George Clooney's ultra-smooth, ultra-smart thief we are introduced to what is and arguably always has been the most fascinating thing about these movies not to mention heist and/or crime dramas in general. This being the fact that the type of people who find themselves in such scenarios have enough self-confidence and charisma to be able to pull-off whatever facade they wish to carry. It's not about what you may or may not be hiding on the inside or what you know about yourself that you believe everyone who sees you immediately assumes as well, but more it is utilizing your appearance, age, and swagger (or lack thereof) to allow those who see you to make those first, quick assumptions only for you to then deliver upon them so as they don't think about you again. It is an awareness of sorts that Clooney's character never fully utilized, he was always the cool guy in the nice suit, but it is almost immediately that his sister, Debbie Ocean, as played by Sandra Bullock utilizes this tool. And then she uses it again. And again. Hell, if her character's tastes weren't so expensive she could make a fine enough living as a salesperson given the way she is able to adapt to and go with whatever environment she finds herself in and whatever people she finds herself in front of, but this is a movie that is meant to both continue the Ocean's legacy while expanding on the diversification of those gender and ethnic gaps that are being actively addressed in Hollywood as of late. Whether you are in support of this or moronically opposed for one reason or another this agenda doesn't really factor into the execution of the film save for one very pointed line of dialogue that is delivered in such a fashion so as to provide reasoning if not necessarily a justification for this movie's existence. Whether this was an Ocean's movie or not though, what gives the film its pulse is this throughline idea of knowing how to interact with people by scanning them upon meeting them and figuring out what type of person they want in their life and immediately becoming that person. Bullock and a few of her co-stars are able to explore this in a few different ways, but it is mostly Bullock who presents a surprisingly layered approach to this train of thought as we see her Debbie battle with how long such a lifestyle can remain exciting as masked by intentions of justice and vengeance. It's a shame the movie itself doesn't follow through on these instincts as the movie Bullock presents us with and allows us to assume Ocean's 8 might become is far more fascinating than the fun, but ultimately derivative one it ends up being.

First Trailer for OCEAN'S 8 Starring Sandra Bullock

I remember going to my local dollar theater at fourteen in what was probably early 2002 to see Ocean's 11 and more or less being taken with what was this star-studded affair where no one was taking themselves too seriously and having a total blast in this smooth and effortlessly cool remake of the 1960 Rat Pack movie. After two varied, but equally entertaining sequels in 2004 and 2007 it seemed as if the run was done for these crime caper comedies, but Warner Bros. has figured out a way to re-tool that franchise with Pleasantville and Hunger Games director as well as close friend of original trilogy helmer, Steven Soderbergh, Gary Ross to write and direct an all-female version of those movies. While it may feel like this is little more than a studio mining a brand for all it's worth, Ross and Soderbergh actually developed this idea together with Soderbergh serving as a producer on this new film. One even wonders if Soderbergh returned to feature directing this past year with a southern-fried version of an Ocean's movie in Logan Lucky to give Ross a tutorial on his process for making this type of film. Doubtful, but I wouldn't be surprised to find out Ross was on set more than a few times. All of that said, the idea seems to be to jump-start a new franchise with a new cast and this looks to be going swimmingly so far as the cast Ross has assembled is pretty stellar with a good mix of heavy hitters, unknowns, and diamonds in the rough that some know about, but are about to be exposed to a much broader audience. Also, Mindy Kaling seems like she's going to have a great 2018. And while this new movie is only tangentially related to Soderbergh’s Ocean’s trilogy, Ross certainly took aesthetic cues from his friend as the suave and stylish essence of Soderbergh's films is still intact, Sandra Bullock does star as Debbie Ocean, the sister of George Clooney’s Danny Ocean, who gets a nod in the trailer. In the film, Debbie is fresh out of prison and ready to assemble a team of her own to pull off a unique heist at the Met Gala. Ocean’s 8 also stars Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, the aforementioned Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Awkwafina, Rihanna, Helena Bonham Carter, Richard Armitage, and opens on June 8, 2018.

VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS Review

It's all about context, people. As an individual who thoroughly enjoys and kind of revels in the imagining of what's beyond our own solar system and, by default, creating something unique and fascinating out of that imagination I am always intrigued by something that looks like Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. Intrigued being the key word here as there is always the potential for such an experiment or endeavor of such imagination to go off the rails in ways that it can't maintain or doesn't think through. With Valerian, director Luc Besson (The Fifth Element, Lucy) has adapted a French science fiction comic series that is no doubt close to his French heart, but while Valérian and Laureline (which would have seemingly been a better, simpler title) was first published in Pilote magazine in 1967 and went on to become one of the top five biggest selling Franco-Belgian comics titles for its publisher, Dargaud, one has to wonder if Besson's vision is what original creators Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mézières imagined their imaginations becoming some fifty years later. I've never read the source material and this may very well be in line with exactly the kind of style and tone Christin and Mézières utilized in their original stories, but one has to wonder about the purpose of style and tone then and the purpose of as much now. Is the more irreverent and frankly, rather goofy tone in response to other science-fiction adventures being more serious or was that how it was originally intended to be read? With something of a farcical quality to it? I'm sure someone on the internet will be more than happy to oblige my curiosity with a detailed answer, but the fact of the matter is it doesn't really matter what the original intent was or how well or not well Besson has adapted the material because we're here now-in a post-Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets world that just so happens to exist in the same world that is post-Star Wars, and post-Guardians of the Galaxy, and hell, even post-John Carter so what is it about Valerian that differentiates itself and does it differentiate for better or worse? For me, Valerian is a step in the wrong and a rather bizarre direction. Sure, it has some interesting visual ideas and some fun sequences, but with dialogue this bad, a rather hackneyed story that attempts to disguise itself by accentuating its bizarre elements, and a completely miscast Dane DeHaan I can't help but to feel Valerian might have been better off left on the page than having come alive only to find itself dead in the water so soon after.

Teaser Trailer for VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS

EuropaCorp has released the first trailer for director Luc Besson's (The Fifth Element, Lucy) sci-fi epic that looks to be one of the few original offerings next summer. Based on a long-running French comic Valérian and Laureline that was first published in 1967 Besson and his film have apparently "advanced" the material into a contemporary, unique and epic science fiction saga where the titular Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are special operatives for the government of the human territories who are charged with maintaining order throughout the universe. Given the amount of nonsense that may sound like to some this teaser looks especially intriguing on a visual scale as we don't get too many story elements given it is, in fact, a teaser trailer. That said, I'm in for this weird mix of Besson's own Fifth Element (one can sense the similar production design in the cityscapes) and Guardians of the Galaxy. That more recent comparison will likely come to the mind of most movie-goers under the age of twenty-five as the trailer is accompanied by a classic pop song in the form of the Beatles, "Because," with the amount of strange creatures and space battles being more than reminiscent of that Marvel film. Of course, GotG fans will get their cake the first weekend of the summer movie season and with Valerian going head to head with Chis Nolan's Dunkirk opening weekend I'm curious to see how this $180-million epic is able to do. That said, the comparisons to James Gunn's film are likely only valid in terms of marketing as Besson has such a particular set of tendencies it's hard to imagine the final product resembling something as board room mandated as a Marvel movie. No matter the outcome and despite the fact I'll still be more anxious to see Dunkirk opening weekend I look forward to the potential this holds and hold out hope for something more along the lines of what Besson has crafted before rather than a Jupiter Ascending déjà vu. Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets also stars Clive Owen, Rihanna, Ethan Hawke, John Goodman, Herbie Hancock, Kris Wu, and opens on July 21st, 2017.

THIS IS THE END Review

This is the End feels like the epitome of something I've been waiting a long time for. In reality it is slightly odd to think that this kind of product would ever be made and sold to general audiences, but luckily it seems the one almost guaranteed way for these actors who have now become staples of the American comedy scene to regain their place among the Hollywood elite and re-establish themselves as the kings of the comedy genre is to make fun of themselves and they do that to hilarious results here. Anyone who has ever been really into movies and has ever loved a certain comedic actor or group of actors knows what it's like to want to hang out with those kinds of guys and girls because you too feel like they would love to be your friend if not for anything else but because you share that same sense of humor they've branded. As creepy as that may come off or as much as they probably wouldn't care to be your friend at all we come to feel we know the actors in our comedies better than anyone else in the movies because they always relate closest to the kind of people around us, if not always intentionally. That may come off as slightly delusional to some, but to those who watch a good amount of movies, especially comedies, and to those that surround themselves with people that they find to be genuinely funny than I imagine it is as true for them as it is for me. All of that is to say that my anticipation and expectations for This is the End were pretty high. As one of the many apocalyptic comedies coming out this year I was also worried the film may not get the recognition I hoped it would so likely deserve, but first time directors Seth Rogen and his long time collaborator Evan Goldberg strike just the right chord between horror and comedy and lay claim to the fact they've had this in the works longer than anyone else. Thankfully, This is the End gives this brand of goofy subversive humor new life in the form of a sharp satire that invites us to experience the end of the world with who our minds have come to place as some of the most ridiculously funny people working today.