Ocean's 13

Ocean's 13 is exactly what you want from a summer blockbuster. Endlessly entertaining, it looks great, and when it's over you don't really have to think about. You just know you spent two hours having a good time in the theater and that is enough. By no means is this the greatest thing to ever happen, but it's not trying to be.

The action returns to Vegas this time and the whole movie has a 60's European movie vibe. Split screen montages, jazzy music, camera zooms all add to this. This is much closer to the original film than Ocean's 12.

There is a plot but it doesn't really matter. The story plods along and gets better as it goes. By the final heist I had a smile on my face, not so much for the story mechanics but because the whole thing was just so much fun. And how can you not be? These films are basically just an excuse for these actors to get together and hang out and its just nice to be able to go along with the ride.

The timing on this commercial is perfect, especially the end joke with Ellen. Everything Martin Scorsese says is comedy gold.

A really interesting article on crazy director Tony Kaye (American History X).

Apparently not everyone thought The Sopranos finale was as brilliant as I did. Below is from Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood website. She is basically calling for David Chase's head and wants to cancel her subscription to HBO because of the final scene, which again, I thought was fantastic.


"The line to cancel HBO starts here. What a ridiculously disappointing end lacking in creativity to The Sopranos saga. But if you're one of those who found it perversely interesting, then don't bother to read on. Even if David Chase, who wrote and directed the final episode, was demonstrating the existential and endless loop of Tony's life or the moments before the hit that causes his death, it still robbed the audience of visual closure. And if it were done to segue into a motion picture sequel, then that kind of crass commercialism shouldn't be tolerated. (I just checked with Chase's manager and Sopranos' executive producer Brad Grey, who tells me that Chase is living in France and "just taking time off. There is absolutely no discussion of the movie.") There's even buzz that the real ending will only be available on the series' final DVD. Either way, it was terrible. Apparently, my extreme reaction was typical of many series' fans: they crashed HBO's website for a time tonight trying to register their outrage. HBO could suffer a wave of cancellations as a result. (Already, the pay channel's replacement series like John from Cincinnati are getting panned.) Chase clearly didn't give a damn about his fans. Instead, he crapped in their faces. This is why America hates Hollywood. Unlike some network series that end abruptly because broadcasters pull the plug without warning, The Sopranos has been slated for years to go off the air tonight. But instead of carefully crafted, this finale looked like it had been concocted in a day or two. (Some of the scenes were cut so abruptly, they caused whiplash.) Let's not forget that, in later years, Chase had to be dragged kicking and screaming back to the computer to write more episodes against his will even though The Sopranos made him rich beyond what's reasonable. Especially now that it's in syndication. (See my A&E's Profanity-Free Tony Soprano A Hit.) Chase needed to exert himself to a concoct an artful denouement. But he took the lazy way out. The show we all loved deserved a decent burial. Instead, it went into a black hole. Already, some TV critics like The New York Times' Alessandra Stanley are claiming that Chase fulfilled expectations by defying expectations. And the blogosphere is busy dissecting every final moment, with some wanting to see profundity in the screen going black because of Tony's conversation with Bobby -- you wouldn't even know it had happened: everything would just go black. Or making a game of the foreshadowing moments -- the jukebox song below "Don't Stop Believing" was "Any Way You Want It". Phooey. The Nielsen reality is that people don't watch TV closely anymore, much less remember what went on from week to week, to give such a subtle ending its proper due. Besides, The Sopranos was not a show that went on inside your head. It was a richly visual series whose most memorable moments were graphic and in your face and damn proud of it. Like Tony, it was defiant. This was whimpering. If you're angry at wasting an hour, complain with your wallets."

From the Entertainment Weekly recap of The Sopranos finale. This paragraph perfectly sums up the great episode.

"Nevertheless, Chase had a grand time in his almost playful home stretch, offering a clue-strewn valedictory episode and a beautifully unresolved stopping point — not so much a conclusion as a curtain coming down, with the suggestion that in this thing of theirs, these people will continue to go about their business, even if we're not around to see them doing so."

"Pirate Master" will move to a new timeslot. The show will receive a special one-night airing after the "Big Brother" premiere, then shift on July 10 to Tuesdays at 9. Apparently it's not doing so great in the ratings. I can see why, the second episode wasn't quite as fun as the first. The challenges the contestants compete in are a bit on the boring side, they basically consist of a group of people walking, running, or swimming. Not the most interesting thing to see on television. I still love all the action on the ship though and I was sad to see the Nigerian Nightmare sent adrift.

Tom Wolfe and acclaimed filmmaker Gus Van Sant are teaming up for an adaptation of Wolfe's 1967 hallucinogenic novel "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" reports Variety.

The story follows the 1964 cross-country bus trip from California to New York that author Ken Kesey and a group called the Merry Pranksters.

Along the way they took, and freely encouraged others to take, vast amounts of LSD which inspired Kesey to write his most famous work - "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."

Van Sant will direct, and Lance Black ("Big Love") will write the script. The story will focus on Kesey and include events that occurred after the road trip.

Bill Murray will star in "City of Ember," with Gil Kenan directubg and Playtone partners Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman are producing. Kenan's first film was Monster House, which was fantastic.

Toby Jones ("Infamous") and Saoirse Ronan ("Atonement") also star.

The script is about an insular, dark place where the only light comes from street lamps. As the power source begins to fail, two teenagers search for clues that will unlock ancient mysteries about the city but they are thwarted by a corrupt mayor. Murray will play said mayor.

So The Sopranos concluded last night and it ended on a perfect note. It was so unexpected I had to rewind my television twice to make sure that is how it really ended, it was the television equivalent of the final chapter of Ulysses. For a show of this nature it was the perfect ending to a series filled with unexpected twists and turns and the final scene perfectly showed what life was like for Tony Soprano.

Apple has the trailer up for I Am Legend. The movie stars Will Smith as the last survivor of a plague living in a lonely New York City until a group of vampire-mutants reveal themselves. The trailer actually looks better than I thought it would but with very little dialogue who is to tell how the entire movie will turn out.

Richard Matheson's story has already been a comic adaptation and two feature films, THE OMEGA MAN and THE LAST MAN ON EARTH

A review of the new collection of Woody Allen short stories, Mere Anarchy. It also serves as a lookback at the other collections of Allen's works.

From the creators of The State, the trailer for The Ten.

Premiere has an article up about 20 films stuck in development hell. I love reading articles like this even though they extremely frustrating in a "what could have been" way. My favorite anecdote is that The Rock was set to star in the next Robert Altman movie.

Matt Damon will reteam with his "Bourne" director Paul Greengrass on an adaptation of "Imperial Life in the Emerald City" for Universal reports Variety (whose website has almost become impossible to look at due to pop up ads everytime you open a new window).

Damon would play a composite character based on figures in Washington Post scribe Rajiv Chandrasekaran's book about chaos in Iraq.

Someone has posted the making of The Shining on Youtube. The documentary was shot by Vivian Kubrick, Stanley Kubricks daughter. I have seen this before, but I can't remember where or when. It's interesting just to see how Kubrick treated Shelley Duvall, basically having her in tears the entire shoot.

John Hurt has joined the previously-announced Cate Blanchett and Ray Winstone in Indiana Jones 4, while Sean Connery has made it official that he won't be returning. Here's part of the official press release:

"I get asked the question so often, I thought it best to make an announcement. I thought long and hard about it and if anything could have pulled me out of retirement it would have been an Indiana Jones film. I love working with Steven and George, and it goes without saying that it is an honor to have Harrison as my son. But in the end, retirement is just too damned much fun. I, do however, have one bit of advice for Junior: Demand that the critters be digital, the cliffs be low, and for goodness sake keep that whip by your side at all times in case you need to escape from the stunt coordinator! This is a remarkable cast, and I can only say, 'Break a leg, everyone.' I'll see you on May 22, 2008 at the theater!"

The trailer for Werner Herzog's Rescue Dawn. I'll see pretty much anything with Christian Bale in it, this thinking did lead me to my least favorite movie of last year though. This, however, looks much better.

Spike Lee is going to make a World War II Drama. This is good news, I'll watch pretty much anything based in or around World War II and also feel that every great director eventually makes a war film. It will be an Italy-set World War II drama based on "Miracle at St. Anna," U.S. author Walter McBride's novel about black American soldiers fighting the German army in the mountains of Tuscany.

The project is about the true tale of four members of the U.S. army's 92nd division of all-black soldiers, who in 1944 became trapped in a Tuscan village, as they contended with their racist, incompetent commanders and the Nazis.

Every month when I get the Criterion newsletter it comes with one of these animals previewing what will be released soon from the collection. They drive me absolutely crazy. I really wish they could just tell me instead of making me wait until the next month when I will have forgotten what the damn animal told me from the month before.

A trailer for the Ridley Scott directed Denzel Washington/Russell Crowe starring American Gangster. It looks a bit like a 70's set Departed, even down to the cityscape going throughout the title.

A few posters from the Cannes Film Festival and a production poster for Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut. You can see more here.

A few scenes from Killer of Sheep.

According to Variety David Gordon Green's new comedy Pineapple Express will open on August 8, 2008.

Produced by Knocked Up and The 40-Year-Old Virgin helmer Judd Apatow, comedy stars Seth Rogen, James Franco, Danny R. McBride, Gary Cole, Rosie Perez, Amber Heard and James Remar.

Killer of Sheep (1977)

Killer of Sheep is perfect in its imperfections. The soundtrack hisses and pops and the photography is sometimes muddled in too much darkness but these hiccups just add to its overall appeal. It's almost like you are discovering the movie rather than watching it.

With no discernible plot this film is like a mix of David Gordon Green's George Washington (it had to be a big influence), early John Cassavetes movies and the Italian neorealists films from the 50's. You follow a group of adults and children in their everyday life set in the inner city. Children play and throw rocks at trains, adults complain about work and try to fix the engines on cars.

This was writer/director Charles Burnett's first feature and his thesis for his MFA in film at UCLA. It was started in 1973 but not completed until 1977, shot with a mostly unprofessional cast on the weekends. It has an episodic nature because of this with most of the photography being gritty, almost documentary in style. This adds another layer to the film. These are people living their lives, nothing seems false.

"The drawer opened with a bang. The thing was a record. It was the “Original Motion Picture Soundtrack” for the 007 movie “Thunderball.” I looked at the picture on the album cover of two men wrestling underwater, and my heart throbbed, like a thunderball. I stood up quickly, and my head swelled with blood, like a thunderball. I knew what I had to do; it was massive and unavoidable, like a thunderball. I had a soundtrack; now all I needed was an original motion picture"

-A Mirandy July article from The New Yorker.

Apparently the image below may or may not be official, it's definitely not finalized with none of the credits listed other than the actors. Either way it's really the first material I have seen from I'm Not There and I like it. It does a good job showing the actors in the movie without resorting to the floating head method (see post below).

This is probably that most annoying case I have come across of posting the names of actors and their faces in a different order.

"Among the six or seven of us, we all had the staple elements—Swiss Army knife, wrist rocket, eye black, as many bandannas as possible—so the equipment modifications and additions became key. I brought my homemade nunchaku (two long dowels tied together with a shoelace), wore the biking gloves I’d painted to look like Mel Gibson’s, and taped a steak knife to my leg. (I always liked to have some kind of knife taped to my calf.)"

-From Dave Eggers article on summer movies from his childhood.

An interview with Judd Apatow.

"Midnight in Barcelona" is tipped to be the title of Woody Allen's new film to shoot this Summer in Barcelona and star Scarlett Johansson, Javier Bardem, and Penelope Cruz.

Harold Ramis is back in the Judd Apatow business with a new comedy starring Jack Black and Michael Cera called Year One. Ramis says he will direct Year One based on a story he developed.

The movie, set up at Sony, will mark the first time Jack Black has appeared in an Apatow film. Year One will mark a reunion with Apatow for Cera, who stars in the forthcoming Apatow-produced Superbad. The plot of Year One is being kept under wraps, but Ramis has brought in two writers from The Office (Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg) to flesh it out.

An interview with Seth Rogen.

Knocked Up

This is easily one of the best movies I have seen all year, I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard in the theater. The minute I left the theater I was ready to see it again, I wanted to hang out with the actors and actresses and live in the movie.

Everybody in the film is great and I can't think of a better group of actors to share scenes. These people feel like real friends and family, not just for the movie. Everyone has a relaxed sensibility that fits perfectly within this story.

The best comedies come from real life and all the situations in this feel real. Not everything is tidied up at the closing credits, there are a few loose threads just like life. There are some tender moments too, not that it contains any heavy drama but there are heartfelt moments that ground the film. Funny and honest this is American comedy at its best.

I'm not sure how long this streak is going to last for Judd Apatow but everything he touches seems to turn to comedy gold. With the 40 Year-Old Virgin and now this he has placed himself in the upper echelon of comedy directors. Knocked Up is an instant classic.

Charlie Kaufman and Producer Spike Jonze talk about shooting his directorial debut, Synecdoche, New York.