Ocean's 13

[modage]

this movie is firmly OKAY.  it is passable entertainment but i sort of recommend that you don't see it.  11 was a perfect popcorn movie, it was well constructed, smart, funny, and had a great cast.  12 had a great cast, and some great moments (like the opening sequence), but it also had some cringeworthy moments (like the Julia Roberts Julia Roberts scene).  i don't think there is anything in 13 that approaches the heights of that opening scene in 12 but there is nothing that will make you cringe like its lows either.  it more-or-less, with the exception of soderberghs restless camerawork, plays it safe. 

the first film takes its time in introducing the characters and giving you a reason for them to come together before the big "how they plan to do it" explanation.  13 spends about 5 minutes to show you that everyone has already gotten together and begins into an almost 30 minute explanation of "how they plan to do it".  there are too many characters, too many of them with too little to do, and the con is almost needlessly complicated and yet when it's over you're thinking "wait, are they done?" 

i can't help but think of 11 and how when i left the theatre i thought "i hope they make 100 of these.  if not sequels, then just movies where they allow this cast to get together and have fun".  but a mere two movies later its official, that magic was a one-time-only offer.  still, as a soderbergh fan i am worried what will happen to his career without these hits to fall back on inbetween his flops.  and i'm also worried that it's now been 5 years since i've really LOVED one of his films. 

[©brad]

yeah this wasn't good. the worst of the 3 actually. and i wanted to like it, i really did. i agree w/ mod, although i would say even 12 was better.

beefs
- it's really boring.

- it has no beginning. it just starts. i'm not saying we need a prolonged introduction sequence a la the first two, but it needs something. anything. pacino's introduction was so sloppy. it just cuts to him as if he'd been in several scenes prior.

- speaking of pacino, he should've been much meaner. such a shame. pacino can play a villian better than anyone, but he's such a pussy here. i actually felt sorry for him. but i blame the script. which brings me to my next beef

- the script is so exposition-heavy and unnecessarily complicated. and yet, the heist, which we expect to be the most difficult to accomplish of the trilogy, turns out to be the easiest, by far. seriously, the gang pulls it off in their sleep. you never feel they are in any real danger. no red herrings, no surprises, no hurdles, no suspense(!), no big fuckups. it makes you wonder why a movie is being made about it in the first place. if they were so concerned with recapturing the essense of 11, why didn't they get ted griffin back to scribe? 

- lack of funnies. say what you will about 12, at least it had some good laughs. this had a few "that was sorta funny" moments but nothing "hahah!"

- the colors were nice, but i found soderbergh's restless camerawork, as mod called it, quite underwhelming. in the "cool soderbergh shot" arena, this doesn't hold a candle to the first two.

- i think these got progressively worse b/c they keep adding characters, and thus we never spend enough time w/ any one of them to really care.

it's not one you need to see in the theater. it's not even a rental. it's a "wait until it comes on hbo and there's nothing else on"-er. at best. 

[clerkguy23]

soderbergh should direct medellin with casey affleck as pablo.

[polkablues]

I actually realy enjoyed the movie, but I have no idea why.  There's no dramatic tension whatsoever... any minor setbacks they encounter are resolved so quickly and effortlessly that they don't even matter.  It's the closest thing to a dramatic straight line you'll ever see in a major movie; the characters come up with a plan, they execute the plan, the end.

But still, I really, really enjoyed myself the whole time.  It's a contagious sort of fun that those guys all have when they're making these movies, and I caught it, despite my better judgement.

[Pozer]

i too really enjoyed this.  i loved all the jokes, especially the ones that left you thinking about them for a second, then they hit you.  the audience i saw it with all reacted at the same time too.  little affleck was the best id say. 

it was fun stuff, plain & simple.  and soderbergh's camerawork and little gimmicks does it for me.  even in the ocean flicks, that aspect alone entertains me enough.   

[w/o horse]

By the moment of electric blue ventellation shafts I thought maybe the movie was having Too Much Fun.  There simply wasn't any character development at all - it was suit wearing Vegas heist action all the way through.  This complicated my emotions, because initially I was very appreciative of Soderbergh's energy (it's been a very dull year) and I sensed that he was committing to unfolding the plot with the enthusiasm speed and fun of pure cinema.  But then he took for granted the audience's familiarity with the characters, exploited all the congratulations and all the release of victory, and sang his one note.  It was hard for me to stay amused.

[Pozer]

i said... fun stuff... plain-and-simple.

[JG]

absolutely poz.  i had a lot of fun with this one.  i loved the affleck subplot in mexico the most, but i consistently chuckled throughout the movie.  i still think they should make one of these every two or three years.  even with 12, i had a really good time. 

[Redlum]

I absolutely loved this. These films have got progressively more fun (as guaged by the exuberance of the opening cards - this time was like Austin Powers).

It's sad that Linus has grown up because that kind of signals the end for this series. He always had the strongest arc and his nervous insecurity was always the comedic highlight of the films for me (particularly 12 - "would you call Emily Dickinson a freak?").

I really liked Soderbergh's "restless camera". He really knows how to zoom - optically and digitally. His playful style is absolutely essential to prserving the modesty and subtlety of the films character driven comedy even in the face of huge budgets and visual effects. Take his title cards - I love how they seem like he made them himself in FCP (maybe he did).

In terms of weighing up which film is best, I really thought it would be easy but Im finding it hard to decide. I suppose it's a bit like Indiana Jones for me - Raiders/11 is obviously the classiest but Temple of Doom/12 is just so much fun and the one most likely to re-watch on the spur of the moment, Last Crusade/13 - is a exciting finale full of the characters you've come to love. Nothing in either of the sequels has capped Clair De Lune at the Belaggio, though and I liked the nod to his in 13.

More Soderbergh, please.

[Ghostboy]

I'm with Modage on this. It's mildly entertaning, partially diverting, but you can really feel the wheels turning. The worst scene is the one at the end, where they all watch the fireworks -- it's awful, because it so obviously is trying repeat the magic of that wonderful scene in the first film where they all gather to watch the Bellagio fountains after the con. But the first film completely earned that moment - this one just tacks it on and hopes it works.

The first Ocean film was an amazing piece of entertainment. The second was a terrific piece of experimentation. This one is a paycheck.

[ElPandaRoyal]

To put it simply, I thought 11 was absolutely great entertainment, 12 was painfully unfunny for the most part, and 13 only confirmed that after the first one, they were all there for their own fun. Which is great for them, I guess, but I wanted to be amused as well, and I sure wasn't. Take away some inside jokes or cool shots, and you have nothing but flowers. It's a mere exercise on movie coolness, and zero on character development or dramatic construction. I wish I had loved it, but it really was a waste of (a lot of) talent.