Ocean's 13

It is amazing how bad sequels can be when all the same creative talent is in place for follow ups as were in place for the original movie. Ocean's 12 was one of the biggest wastes of time I'm ever seen in a theatre. My hopes for this one were slight at best. What I got was at least a return to Danny Ocean's stomping ground of Vegas. Unfortunately, the magic among the actors isn't there anymore. The snappy dialogue has gone the way of the Stardust. Everybody is going through the motions here.

The plot revolves around their friend Reuben (Elliot Gould) getting screwed over on his partnership with Willie Bank (Al Pacino) involving a new casino being built. Ocean (Clooney) vows to get revenge on Bank. Blah blah blah. Two hours later the film thankfully ends.

Kudos has to go to Ellen Barkin who does manage to show at 50 you can still be a fine looking woman. Not much else to praise here. Pacino continues his paycheck collecting and only a cameo from Super Dave Osbourne could elicit a smile from me. This isn't a terrible movie, but a joyless exercise that left me watching the clock

50/100

A little part of me just died

Actor Roy Scheider Dies at 75


Actor Roy Scheider, a two-time Oscar nominee best known for his leading role as the water-phobic police chief in the smash blockbuster Jaws, died Sunday in Little Rock, Arkansas, at the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences hospital; he was 75. Though an official cause of death was not released at press time, a hospital spokeswoman stated that the actor had been treated for multiple myeloma at the hospital's research center for the past two years. Born in New Jersey, Scheider pursued a career in boxing before turning to acting, and won an Obie award for his work with the New York Shakespeare Festival in the late '60s. His first major film appearances also began in the late '60s in such movies as Star! and Paper Lion, and it was in 1971 that he truly gained fame for his roles two popular thrillers, Klute and The French Connection; the latter earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. However, it was his role four years later in the Steven Spielberg thriller Jaws for which he became most well-known, playing a local lawman in a tourist beach town who must contend with the sudden appearance of a great white shark; his line, "You're gonna need a bigger boat," became one of the most well-known lines in contemporary film. Scheider also appeared in the ill-fated sequel Jaws 2 (after dropping out of the lead role in The Deer Hunter and in order to be let out of his Universal Studios contract) and the thriller Marathon Man before embarking on his most acclaimed performance, that of Broadway director and choreographer Joe Gideon in Bob Fosse's All That Jazz. The role, closely based on Fosse's life, brought Scheider his second Academy Award nomination in 1979, this time for Best Actor. Though none of Scheider's later films would reach the heights of his movies from the '70s, he continued to work steadily in both film and television, with diverse roles in such films as Still Of The Night, Blue Thunder, 2010, The Russia House, Naked Lunch, The Peacekeeper, The Myth Of Fingerprints (for which he received an Independent Spirit Award nomination) and the TV series SeaQuest DSV and Third Watch. Scheider is survived by his three children and his second wife, actress Brenda King.


- from www.imdb.com

Roy was quite a nontraditional actor. He wasn't your normal leading man, yet he found himself in some of the biggest films around. I'll remember him best as Popeye Doyle's partner in The French Connection. The last thing I saw him in was The Punisher as Frank Castle's dad. The acting world has just lost one of it's best. I feel as if one of my very old friends has past away. My heartfelt condolences go out to his family as another great man finds his way home.

-G

Overnight

Troy Duffy was an "overnight" success after he met Harvey Weinstein. Harvery liked his screenplay pitch at the bar so much he signed him. Troy would never make his movie at Miramax because he let it all go to his head and became an asshole. Troy would later snap up financing to make The Boondock Saints, but the damage had been done. The collegues that he alienated had recorded it to be shown as this documentary.

Troy Duffy is an asshole and no one has worked with hims since TBS. We get that... but the filmmakers think we should care about it more coz they got screwed out of profits. The real loser is Duffy - who didn't sign a contract that gave him residuals from rentals or sales from the dvd, which is where TBS made as shit ton of money. Couldn't happen to a nicer moron.

This documentary is nothing more than a thinly veiled attack on a jerk filmmaker that was an asshole to the makers of the movie. A waste of time for everyone including me. Can I sue to get that 85 minutes back?

0/100

Once

I never really thought much of Glen Hansard's band The Frames. I listened to one of their cds (Burn the Maps) to see if I wanted to stay and watch them after Josh Ritter. The disc was awful and I decided that an early retreat from Lawrence was a better idea. About four years later I watch Once which is directed by the former bassist (John Carney - not the former NFL kicker) of The Frames starring their lead singer. The story of Once is very simple and yet it works. A street musician (Hansard) meets a girl (Marketa Irglova) who can play the keyboards. A friendship is forged through music - which is surprisingly great.

Once doesn't go much deeper than the surface. The two leads seem to have a chemistry of great proportions, but the writer/director seems determined to subdue it. Tis a pity a couple of unnecessary f-bombs are thrown, coz nothing else is stopping this from being PG. Hansard comes across as clone of Hugh Laurie (House), while Irglova (who has never acted before) never really gets a third dimension. The script leaves their relationship feeling boxed in.

Clearly the film is a showpiece for some marvelous musical collaborations between the two. The soundtrack is a must buy. The film is ok, but leaves you wanting more out of this little movie.

65/100

The Kingdom

The Kingdom is from actor/director Peter Berg. Berg made a name for himself in directing for his last two efforts: The Rundown and Friday Night Lights. Both turned a little profit allowing him to go nuts here with a big budget political-action film. "The Kingdom" refers to the a section of Saudi Arabia with a lot of westerners live. A series of violent terror strikes kills 70 plus people. One of Foxx's best friends was killed in a blast prompting Foxx to use his connections to go investigate.

His team includes the surly Chris Cooper (Don't placate me like I'm your mother boy!), the out of her element Jennifer Garner, and the cheap comic relief Jason Bateman. When you get down to it, The Kingdom is just another fish out of water story with an overly complicated first 80 minutes culminating in a fantastic climax. Berg clearly knows how to direct an action film. The final sequence is one of the best choreographed action sequences I have ever seen.

All of the actors playing the Saudi's are excellent especially Ashraf Barhom as the liason to the FBI. Cooper is criminally underused here. If I had it my way, Cooper would be in every film along with Michael Rooker, William H. Macy, William Sadler, and Andre Braugher. Foxx is fine as the lead who does a solid job with the action scenes.

I clearly would like to see Berg do some more material. Word is he has some crappy Will Smith/Charlize Theron film coming out later this year. I like both of those actors, but they have a terrible history of picking films. The Kingdom is fairly decent flick that's not very memorable.

60/100

The TV Set

From producer Judd Appatow and writer/director Jake Kasdan, The TV Set is satire on the tv industry. It follows a writer named Mike (David Duchovny) trying to get his script made into a pilot and the horrible influence a network has in that. The network big wig Lenny (Sigourney Weaver) makes her decisions on programming based on the opinions of her 14 y/o daughter.

You go through all the crap with Mike from having to cast an actor you hate to having to changed the basic premise of the show. There are some hilarious stuff with Duchovny trying to get through a simple scene with the less than desirable lead. Judy Greer does excellent work here as Mike's business manager Alice. Alice tries to keep the ball rolling by softening the blows from the network.

This is film for people who know a bit about tv and film. The network seems to be loosely based on the Fox Network and their reputation for bawdiness. (Slut Wars is their top show) Lots of on target criticism makes The TV Set a must watch. Duchovny does his best work since Fox Mulder. I was really happy to see Jake Kasdan rebound to greatness after the box office sell out of Orange County. I look forward to catching Walk Hard soon. On the dvd, you not only get a commentary from Jake and David, you also get one from Jack and Judd! Lots of good talk about Freak and Geeks.

90/100

The Ten

If you are in the mood for a batshit crazy movie then look to The Ten. Written by the fellows who did The State and Stella, The Ten brings together 10 stories veeery loosely based on the The Ten Commandments. And the best part, well they got Paul Rudd to introduce each one. All of the stories have interlocking characters - mostly in unexpected ways.

This is the kind of film where if most of the stories work, then you enjoy it. Not every single one did work, but I like 8 out of the 10. My favorite being when co-writer Ken Marino is sent to prison following a death of one of his patients. Inside Marino's character is quickly claimed as a bitch by Big Buster only to fall in love with The Daily Show's Rob Corddry. I promise you it is hilarious.

Two other stories that were solid included Liev Schreiber (?) as a man trying to one up a neighbor to bizarre proportions and Winona Ryder (who is in two stories) who falls in love with a dummy - the puppet kind. Ryder goes all out and I was disturbed by her decication, but yet oddly turned on since it involved her in very little clothing... hmmm. When did she buy new breasts? Anyone?

Anyway, The Ten is a quick, little movie. If one story bores you, it is quickly over and you move on to the next one. Look for a HILARIOUS cameo from Oliver Platt. I can almost forgive him for the Ice Harvest.

80/100