Movie: Ocean's 13 and the previews before it.

Oceans13

The wife and I saw Ocean's 13 this week. And we both liked it. A lot.

We both liked the first one. We like the twists and turns of it, the general comradery, and the way problems came up and people reacted to them.

The second one wasn't as good to me. It seemed a bit self-indugent. And the guys were on a caper because they had to, not because they wanted to. That took a lot of the fun out of it.

The third installment is a return to the spirit of the first one. Al Pacino portrays a Steve Wynn type hotelier who screws Elliot Gould's character out of part ownership in a hot new hotel/casino. Gould's character as a result has a life treatening heart attack. They gang reunites to be by his bedside and plan revenge for him.

The comradery is played up in this move from the get go, as Brad Pitt's character walks away from a safe cracking job as soon as he gets word that Gould is sick. The all for one/one for all vibe is one of the best parts of the movies.

I also like the way the sequel ties into not only the first movie, but also the second and the Rat Pack original. Actors who have appeared previously in the series make a reappearance and so do some of the themes. And shaking the hand of Sinatra means that you should do your business in an honorable way. If you don't, then you are betraying the history of Las Vegas. Nostalgia for the old Las Vegas also plays a part in the flick too, another good addition.

You need a lot of suspension of disbelief to go along with the movie. There are a lot of things happening just at the right time, a lot of coincedences that you have to go along with. But the movie was so much fun that I was willing to gladly go along.

There are a few minor foibles. A personal one for me was Gould's character lighting up a big fat stogie towards the end of the movie. He had a massive heart attack just months prior. I just wanted to rip the cigar out of his mouth.

And, while Clooney, Pitt, Damon, and whoever is playing the bad guy are the leads, I felt some forced conssions were made to some of the players in the cast whose careers have rose in stature since the last one. Bernie Mac, Don Chedle and even Casey Affleck had meaty scenes focused mainly on their characters. Sure, they were fundamental to the plot, but they seem padded to give those actors roles that made it worth their while to sign on again.

But all in all, the acting was great from top to bottom, including newcomers to the Ocean's series Eddie Izzard, David Paymer and Bob Einstein (nee, Super Dave Osbourne) in a meaty role. I thought it was a good wink to have Super Dave in a movie where stunt cycling plays such a big part (although his role has nothing to do with the stunt).

All in all, a great movie. A fun film that you would enjoy if you liked the first one. Lots of action, thrills and in-jokes for you to enjoy.

And now, the trailers:

• I Am Legend: I have never read Richard Matheson's book of the same name. I don't know why. It seems that it would be right up my alley. One man alone in a world, fighting against the undead (zombies? vampires?)? Sign me up! This movie has been in the works for a number of years. I believe Arnold Swartzenegger was involve during his height of popularity. Will Smith is in the lead role, which sounded like miscasting. I mean, Will Smith is good, but he's no Arnold. This trailer changed all that. After watching this trailer, even if it really doesn't tell you much about the movie, you will wonder why Arnold was even in the running. Will Smith's humanity on screen brings you in. In just a simple teaser, you empathise with the guy and feel for him. That is one of Smith's great talents (not that I'm saying Arnold is inhuman, just his screen presence is). This movie is now on my list of most awaited movies.
• A MIghty Heart: Page down and you'll get my feelings about this movie. It's probably a great film, but I don't want to see a tragedy featuring characters who don't know the bad ending is coming.
• Ratatouille: The Pixar one about the rat who wants to be a chef. My wife saw 9 minutes from it on Saturday I believe and said it looks cute. Which means we will probably be seeing this next week. And I really don't mind because I believe that Pixar can make even this concept rock.