Oceans 12

So I finally got around to watching Oceans 12 this weekend. I've had it from Netflix since it was released, but with all the TV on, and everything else I've been up to lately, I never had a chance to watch. I'd heard bad things about it, and most of what people said was true. The story wasn't great, the guys all seemed to be there to cash a paycheck... But I still thought it was fun. Something about watching rich superstars all having fun together, knowing that without even trying this movie was going to make a ton of money. The hard part was keeping everyone happy by giving them enough screentime, although some actors, like Bernie Mac, seemed to have better things to do. He disappeared for the majority of the film. Brad Pitt was clearly the star this time out, with George Clooney taking a back seat. The best part was Julia Roberts playing Tess playing Julia Roberts. It was an absurd moment that could have been really stupid, but turned out OK. Having Bruce Willis cameo was also fun. All in all, Oceans 11 was definitely the better film, but Oceans 12 wasn't as horrible as it was made out to be. If they get around to making an Oceans 13, they'll need a much stronger story and maybe get rid of some of the characters early on so that you can concentrate on the main players.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

So I saw Eternal Sunshine for the second time this weekend. I had warned my family that it might be a little too complicated to understand immediately. At least that's how I felt the first time I saw it. But as I watched it again, I wondered what issues I had the first time around. First of all, I think it's a tremendously well made, well written love story. And the idea is fantastic. Who among us hasn't wished they could erase someone from their memory because the memories hurt so much? Hell, I'm contemplating doing it right now (which may be while I enjoyed it so much the second time around, generally most movies the second time around don't hold as much joy for me.) The filmmakers do jump around a lot and if you're not paying attention you could get lost, but if you concentrate it's not that hard to follow. I really think the movie got lost in the shuffle when it was released over a year ago. Or maybe mass audiences just didn't get it. But it's definitely worth seeing. Jim Carrey has never been better and Kate Winslet is always a treat. But it's the writing of Charlie Kaufman that takes the day.

Tron/Meet the Fockers/Finding Neverland/Hungama

Just testing out a new blogging system where I'll talk about movies I've seen but haven't reviewed for one reason or another. For instance this past weekend on DVD/VHS I watched Tron, Meet the Fockers, Finding Neverland and a Hindi film called Hungama.

I'd never seen Tron before and a friend at work told me I *had* to see it, so I borrowed her 20th anniversary collectors edition and watched it. While the special effects were certainly ahead of their time, the movie itself was awfully cheesy. And the story was just bizarre. But for some reason, I kept watching. I can understand why it's become a cult classic I guess.

Meet the Fockers was just disappointing. Not nearly as funny as the original. I think they lost the humor from the first, which was mostly Ben Stiller's character falling apart, and instead followed the other characters, none of whom were that funy.

Finding Neverland was pretty much what I expected. Well written, well acted, looked good, made you laugh, made you tear up. But nothing spectacular. I don't really think it was one of the top 5 films of last year, but I did enjoy it.

And finally, Hungama, a movie with so many plot lines it would be impossible to discuss them all. It is Bollywood, so even though it's a comedy, there were song and dance sequences that I thought were unoriginal and uninspiring. The movie was funny in parts, but for a comedy, the characters took themselves way too seriously.

So that's my first blog post. Let's see how long I can keep this up.