Month: October 2019

Today’s quick review: Ocean’s Eight. Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock), a thief just released from prison, approaches her partner Lou (Cate Blanchett) with a daring plan: to steal a $150 million diamond necklace off the neck of celebrity Daphne Kluger (Anne Hathaway) at the Met Gala. To pull it off, they will need a crew (Helena Bonham Carter, Rihanna, Mindy Kaling, Awkwafina, and Sarah Paulson) with just the right skills to beat the Met’s tight security.

Ocean’s Eight is a crime comedy with an ensemble cast. Ocean’s Eight is a spinoff of the Ocean’s Eleven series that follows Danny Ocean’s sister Debbie on the heist of a lifetime. The movie hits many of the same beats as its predecessors: a juicy target, a large crew, a plan that relies on subterfuge and misdirection, and a light tone that avoids heavy drama or violence. Though not as sharp as Ocean’s Eleven, Ocean’s Eight carves out a niche as a fun watch.

Ocean’s Eight gets the basics right. Sandra Bullock makes for a likable protagonist as Debbie Ocean, a clever thief with the drive to succeed. The film builds up its heist well, laying out the stages in Debbie’s plan while saving a few surprises for later on. The plot doesn’t quite stick the landing, but it’s paced well and has enough going on to entertain. The last piece of the puzzle is the humor, which mainly takes the form of banter among the crew.

Still, the movie’s charms only go so far. The plot is one or two twists short of being engrossing. The jokes are often amusing but never hilarious, and the humor as a whole lacks the snappy rhythm of Ocean’s Eleven. The cast is also not used as well as it could have been. Sandra Bullock, Anne Hathaway, and Helena Bonham Carter end up doing most of the work, but Cate Blanchett fades into the background and the others have only modest parts.

Ocean’s Eight is a decent popcorn flick with just enough in the way of plot, comedy, and star power to make for an entertaining watch. Those hoping for a return to form for the Ocean’s series may want to temper their expectations. But those looking for light, amusing heist will come out satisfied. For another crime comedy in a similar vein, check out Ocean’s Thirteen. For a more action-oriented heist, check out The Italian Job.

6.4 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for decent entertainment value.

Today’s quick review: Brigadoon. While lost in the highlands of Scotland, Tommy Albright (Gene Kelly) and Jeff Douglas (Van Johnson), a pair of hunters from New York, stumble across the picturesque town of Brigadoon. There they spend a pleasant day drinking in the local atmosphere, and Tommy falls in love with Fiona Campbell (Cyd Charisse). Their romance is perfect except for one thing: the ancient secret to the town’s seclusion.

Brigadoon is a classic romantic musical with a gorgeous soundtrack and a simple plot. Fittingly enough, Brigadoon’s main appeal is its music. The songs are catchy and lyrical, a mixture of upbeat dances and gentle love songs. The cast has plenty of talent to go around, with no weak links even in the film’s most elaborate musical numbers. The story is slow-paced, light in tone, and free of any serious drama, and it takes frequent breaks for music.

Still, Brigadoon offers little beyond its music. There isn’t much in the way of plot, only a typical romance with a few wrinkles specific to the town of Brigadoon. The story does have a few novel ideas that help give the movie a storybook quality, but these are not enough to make the movie tense or thrilling. Instead, Brigadoon is merely a reprieve, a refreshing peek into an idyllic, rural world full of love and song.

Fans of classic musicals will enjoy Brigadoon. Memorable songs, a quaint tone, and an endearing lead couple in Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse make it well worth a watch. Those who prefer musicals with more substance should give Brigadoon a miss. For another classic musical with similar music, try White Christmas or Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. For a more sedate romance set in Wales, try The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain.

6.9 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 to 7.5 for gorgeous music and a charming, if straightforward, story.

Today’s quick review: Taking Earth. The Earth descends into chaos when alien invaders take control of a fraction of the population to search for Cameron (Marco Torlage), a disguised alien refugee who holds the key to winning an interplanetary war. Cameron’s only hope is to flee across the country with his friend David (Ronan Quarmby) to a waiting spaceship, all while staying ahead of General Garabon (Brad Richards), the leader of the invasion.

Taking Earth is a teen sci-fi adventure with a low budget and poor execution. Taking Earth attempts to be a dramatic science fiction epic that tells the story of a boy with a secret, a planet-wide invasion, and an interplanetary war. However, the movie falls well short of its ambitions. What potential it has is buried under a host of issues ranging from a muddled script and amateurish direction to stilted acting and counterproductive CGI.

Taking Earth struggles with basic storytelling. It sets up its story in the most roundabout way possible, making the first twenty minutes of the movie almost impossible to follow. Core plot points are never fully explained, while the few explanations given raise the wrong kind of questions. The tone seesaws wildly between the high-stakes drama of the story, an excessively grandiose soundtrack, and pervasive, flimsy attempts at humor.

There are a slew of other problems. The dialogue repeats itself without explaining anything. The characters vacillate between forced excitement and unconvincing drama. The pacing is slower than it intends to be, culminating in a drawn-out ending that is not worth the wait. The low budget compounds these problems: The acting is universally flat and unnatural, the few action scenes are badly choreographed, and the cheap CGI hurts more than it helps.

The vast majority of viewers would be better off skipping Taking Earth entirely. Its storytelling is unclear, its spectacle is minimal, and the overall quality of craftsmanship is low enough to make it a chore to get through. Watch it only to dissect it. For a much more entertaining take on a very similar premise, check out I Am Number Four. For a big-budget movie in a similar vein with better spectacle, check out Jupiter Ascending.

2.8 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 3.5 for sloppy execution of a mediocre premise.