Nope

 

Written and directed by Jordan Peele, Nope is the story of two siblings who both investigate the death of their father who was killed by an object in the sky as they believe that it might involve UFOs. The film is an exploration about mysterious events in the sky where two ranch-owning siblings seek help from various people that relates to this event where people are killed for looking up. Starring Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun, Brandon Perea, Barbie Ferreira, Donna Mills, Wrenn Schmidt, Keith David, and Michael Wincott. Nope is a horrifying yet intense film from Jordan Peele.

The film revolves around the mysterious death of a ranch owner after a nickel fell down onto his eye as his two adult children deal with not just what happened but also a mysterious object in the sky that is wreaking havoc on their small town near Los Angeles. It is a film that play into these two siblings who deal with what happened to their father but also disappearances around them including a few of their horses. Jordan Peele’s screenplay is largely straightforward though it opens with a quote from the Bible in Nahum 3:6 as it relates to exploitation as the first scene shown revolves around a monkey named Gordy (Terry Notary) who wreaked havoc on a soundstage during a TV show taping as it then cuts to the present where Otis Haywood Sr. (Keith David) is tending to his horse ranch as it is one of the few black-owned ranches that works with Hollywood as Haywood trains horses alongside his son Otis Jr. aka OJ (Daniel Kaluuya).

After Otis Sr.’s death, OJ is struggling to keep the family business afloat with his sister Emerald “Em” Haywood (Keke Palmer) who is more interested in selling it altogether as she is more of a free-spirit while OJ is more serious. Even as he had sold horses to a former child star/western theme-park owner Ricky “Jupe” Park (Steven Yeun) to keep his ranch afloat where the behavior of a few of their horses and their eventual disappearance prompt the siblings to buy some security tech as they get help from a tech store employee in Angel Torres (Brandon Perea) who would discover some things that both OJ and Em are suspecting. Even when Jupe would have an encounter during one of his shows that became the catalyst for OJ, Em, and Angel to take action as they sought the help of the renowned yet eccentric cinematographer Antlers Holst (Michael Wincott) who is resistant at first until he heard about an incident as he wants to capture footage of this mysterious alien object that is causing a lot of trouble.

Peele’s direction is definitely vast in terms of not just its imagery and usage of 65mm film stock for IMAX but also in creating a world that is this strange mix of the western, horror, and suspense with bits of humor. Shot on location in Agua Dulce near Los Angeles, the film does play into this air of intrigue as it has chapter breaks named after some of the horses that the Haywoods own as well as the monkey Gordy and the eventual name they give to this mysterious alien spaceship. The usage of wide and medium shots do play into the setting of the location as well as in some unique tracking shots that Peele create to help play into the sense of wonderment and horror. Notably as Peele doesn’t show the object in full at first but rather through wide shots for brief seconds as it’s more about what is happening on the ground where he would use close-ups to get a reaction from OJ and Em at different points in the film. The scenes that relate to the young Jupe and his encounter with this chimpanzee named Gordy for a TV show alludes to the film’s opening text and what happened during a film shoot where one of Haywood’s horses got agitated all because of a sound.

Even during the second act where Jupe is holding a show yet also has an exhibit about the incident which he pays tourists a lot of money to see this exhibit. His show is a key moment as it play into exactly what this UFO really is as it is far more sinister in the way it treats everyone with OJ, Em, and Angel also getting a closer look at this mysterious thing as it would arrive to drain out whatever electrical power it encounters. Its third act that involves Holst do play into the idea of how to trap this monster as it doesn’t just play into using technology and horses as bait but also to figure out what is it they’re dealing with. Its climax is grand and intense in terms of the stakes but also what a few characters would do to get a shot of this mysterious creature with the resources they have. Overall, Peele crafts an exhilarating and mesmerizing film about two ranch-owning siblings trying to uncover a mysterious creature not of planet Earth.

Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema does phenomenal work with the film’s cinematography with its emphasis on some low-key natural lighting for some of the exterior scenes at night as well as its naturalistic look for the daytime scenes while using some lights for some of the interior scenes. Editor Nicholas Monsour does excellent work with the editing as it does have some style in a few montages and some jump-cuts to play into the suspense and horror while also being straightforward to play into the reaction as well as in the long shots. Production designer Ruth de Jong, with set decorator Gene Serdena and art director Samantha Englender, does amazing work with the look of the home and ranch that the Haywoods own as well as Jupe’s own western theme park with all of its attractions. Costume designer Alex Bovaird does fantastic work with the costumes as it is largely straightforward with the exception of the cowboy costumes that Jupe and his wife wears for their show.

Makeup designer Shutchai Tym Buacharern and prosthetics designer Vincent Van Dyke do terrific work with the look of a character that is a guest of Jupe at his show who would also witness this strange phenomenon. Visual effects supervisor Guillaume Rocheron does brilliant work with some of the visual effects such as the motion-capture work of the chimpanzee Gordy as well as the look of the alien creature that is designed by John O. Dabiri as it has this unique look as well as what it looked like from the inside. Sound designer Johnnie Burn does superb work with the sound as he creates unique sound effects and some of the way music sounds and how it would slow down whenever the power goes down as it is a highlight of the film. The film’s music by Michael Abels is incredible for its rich orchestral score that has elements of bombast but also themes that play up to the suspense and horror while music supervisor Krishna Bissessar creates a soundtrack that largely feature music that is played on location including some hip-hop, pop, and R&B that include pieces from Corey Hart, Dionne Warwick, the Lost Generation, and a strange acapella rendition of The Purple People Eater by Michael Wincott.

The casting by Carmen Cuba is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Oz Perkins as a commercial director, Eddie Jemison as an assistant director, Jacob Kim as a young Jupe, Andrew Patrick Ralston and Jennifer Lafleur as a couple of young Jupe’s costars, Sophia Coto as the young Jupe’s teenage costar, Devon Graye as a TMZ reporter wearing a weird helmet who appears late in the film, Donna Mills as an actress for the commercial, the trio of Lincoln Lambert, Pierce Kang, and Roman Gross as Jupe and Amber’s kids, Barbie Ferriera as Angel’s co-worker, and Terry Notary in a terrific performance via motion-capture as the chimpanzee Gordy who goes nuts during a taping of his show. Wrenn Schmidt is fantastic as Jupe’s wife Amber who works with him for his shows as well as knowing that he’s doing what he can to make money out of his own trauma. Keith David is excellent as Otis Haywood Sr. as the father of OJ and Em who runs a horse ranch that trains horses for movies and TV shows as he is seen prominently in flashbacks as he is also the catalyst for what OJ and Em have to deal with after his sudden death.

Michael Wincott is brilliant as the renowned cinematographer Antlers Horst as an eccentric filmmaker who is reluctant to help OJ, Em, and Angel out following a commercial shoot that OJ and Em was involved in but joins in after an incident involving the alien creature where he is aware of what is at stake but also wants to capture something that no other filmmaker has done. Brandon Perea is amazing as Angel Torres as a tech worker for Fry’s Electronics who helps install cameras at the Haywood home where he makes a discovery into what has been captured as he also helps out OJ and Em in their exploits while is also a resourceful individual. Steven Yeun is incredible as Ricky “Jupe” Park as a former child star who owns and runs a western theme park, with an exhibit devoted to his trauma, as he is trying to help the Haywoods financially while he would create a show as it relates to this alien phenomenon unaware of what it wants.

Finally, there’s the duo of Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer in phenomenal performances in their respective roles as the siblings OJ and Em Haywood. Palmer’s performance is the more exuberant of the two as a woman who harbors some resentment towards her late father for not allowing her to train her own horse as a kid where she would go into the world of hustling and such to get by while coming up with unconventional ideas to trap the alien. Kaluuya’s performance is more reserved as this man who loves tending to the family ranch while was the one who had to drive his father to the hospital during his final moments as he deals with grief but also wanting to avenge his father. Kaluuya and Palmer have unique chemistry in the way they act out as siblings as they have opposite personalities yet are strong when they work together and get shit done as it relates to this being that is not of planet Earth.

Nope is a tremendous film from Jordan Peele that features great leading performances from Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer. Along with its supporting cast, ravishing visuals, eerie sound work, a haunting music score, and its themes of exploitation. The film is definitely an unconventional yet riveting horror-suspense film that isn’t afraid to take on something big while also grounding it with a story of two siblings dealing with loss and wanting to avenge their father. In the end, Nope is a spectacular film from Jordan Peele.

Jordan Peele Films: Get Out - Us (2019 film)

© thevoid99 2022

Waitress

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 12/10/07 w/ Additional Edits.

Written, directed, and co-starring Adrienne Shelly, Waitress tells the story of a young woman who works as a waitress in a small-town diner whose life isn’t going so well with a bad husband. Things get worse when she learns she is pregnant and she decides to make a change by entering a pie-making contest while falling for the town's new doctor. The film's mix of humor and drama along with Shelly's themes of female empowerment create a film that is sweet and entertaining. Starring Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion, Cheryl Hines, Eddie Jemison, Lew Temple, Jeremy Sisto, and Andy Griffiths. Waitress is a charming, funny, sweet comedy from Adrienne Shelly and company.

Jenna (Keri Russell) is a waitress at a coffee & pie diner that is owned by quirky businessman named Joe (Andy Griffiths). Working under her grizzled boss Cal (Lew Temple), Jenna is known for making numerous pies that is a hit at the diner. Joined by Becky (Cheryl Hines) and Dawn (Adrienne Shelly), she works and often mulls her dour existence with her only hopes to escape her dreary life and her obnoxious, controlling husband Earl (Jeremy Sisto) is to win a pie-baking contest. Then one day, Jenna receives the worst news of her life as she learns she is pregnant with Earl's child and all of her dreams is now confronted by a new reality. Checking to see if she really is pregnant, she goes to the doctor's office where her regular doctor is taken a break and is temporarily replaced by Dr. Jim Pomatter (Nathan Fillion).

Dr. Pomatter brings a new sense of comfort to Jenna while trying to deal with her own dreary life while Dawn is being courted by a man named Ogie (Eddie Jemison) whom she met a blind date. While Becky is keeping a secret from her two waitresses, Jenna's desperation to leave Earl and her life, she makes an attempt while trying not to tell Earl that she’s pregnant. Another meeting with Dr. Pomatter brings an unexpected romance despite the fact that he's also married. The romance suddenly brings new things for Jenna despite the fact that Earl knows her pregnancy and is hoping that she will love him more than the baby. Writing a diary to the baby about her feelings, Jenna is still trying to find some hope as her affair with Dr. Pomatter is taking its toll. Turning to Joe for guidance about life, Jenna learns what she must do for her child and future.

While the film is set in the romantic-comedy genre, the film is also a feminist statement of sorts about a woman trying to find out her future without the support of a man. While the film at times does play to conventional plot structures, the development of Jenna as a character is strong as Adrienne Shelly makes the audience go along for her journey as she is treated awfully by her husband while her affair with Dr. Pomatter despite its sweet moments is mired in the fact that he's married. Shelly's script is filled with a lot of stylish yet witty dialogue about pies, love, women, and all of the things in life as it's done so well that it gives the film an energy and style that is engaging to watch.

Shelly's direction works to convey the moments of humor while adding bits of subplots for each supporting character to have their moments. Still, it's the story of Jenna and her question of morality as well as trying to figure out if she wants to be mother that remains the key story of the film. Shelly's direction shines throughout the entire film from the way she places the camera to capture the drama and humor while showing moments of pie-making which is an art in itself. Overall, Shelly's writing and direction is superb.

Cinematographer Matthew Irving does some great work with some of the film's lighting in the interiors which were dark and intimate, notably in the nighttime sequences that are very low-key while many of the exteriors on day time are wonderfully colorful. Editor Annette Davey does some excellent work with the film's pacing that is very leisurely while taking the energy of the film's development in one scene to convey Jenna's happiness. Production designer Ramsey Avery and art director Jason Baldwin do great work with look of the diner that is very intimate and colorful along with the messy look of Dr. Pomatter's office. Costume designer Ariyela Wald-Cohain does fantastic work with look of the waitress dresses, Earl's grungy look, and Joe's suit to give that small town feel. Sound editor Frederick Helm does some great work with the film's sound to convey the world of diners as well as Earl's car honks to know he's coming and such.

The film's music by Andrew Hollander is very dream-like to convey Jenna's dream-sequences of making pies that is very innocent while the soundtrack features some fine music from Mozart, Richard Wagner's Ride Of The Valkyries for a great sequence, a cover of Howard Jones' No One Is To Blame by Emile Millar for a romantic scene, some mix of country and pop music, and a great use of Cake's Short Skirt/Long Jacket in a very funny scene.

The film’s cast is wonderfully assembled with small performances from Sarah Hunley as Jenna's regular doctor and Darby Stanchfield as Dr. Pomatter's wife along with an appearance from Shelly's young daughter Sophie Ostroy as a toddler. Lew Temple is funny as the dirty, insulting boss Cal who just orders people around while having a bit of a sensitive side underneath his bossy exterior. Eddie Jemison is very funny as Dawn's new boyfriend who constantly follows her while professing his love to her as Jemison's performance is fun to watch. Adrienne Shelly is also funny as the mousy Dawn who is trying to help Jenna about her problems while giving her the notebook that would play a part of the film.

Cheryl Hines is great as Becky, the other waitress who is trying to deal with her own breasts while keeping a secret as she has some hilarious one-liners throughout the film. Jeremy Sisto is excellent as Earl, Jenna's obnoxious, abusive, and jealous husband who believe a woman is supposed to serve the man while being all nasty and such as Sisto's performance is fun to watch for all the wrong reasons. Andy Griffith is superb as the cantankerous, grouchy Joe, a businessman who always have specific orders and such while providing Jenna with some wise advice as his performance is a joy to watch.

Nathan Fillion of Firefly/Serenity fame is wonderful as the romantic yet simple Dr. Pomatter who changes Jenna's life while trying to find the lost passion he needed in his life in both Jenna and her pies. Finally, there's Keri Russell in an amazing performance that should give her some big-star attention. Russell manages to mix her cynicism and humor in a performance that is engaging and a joy to watch. Russell not only carries the film but she does it very naturally that it's truly her best work to date as she has many great scenes with her supporting cast.

Waitress is a lovely, charming, and funny film from Adrienne Shelly and company featuring great performances from Keri Russell and Nathan Fillion. Fans of romantic comedies and light-hearted films will no doubt enjoy this little gem for all of its humor and sweetness. The film is also guaranteed to make anyone hungry for some pie. In the end, Waitress is a remarkable film from Adrienne Shelly.

© thevoid99 2014

Schizopolis

Written, directed, shot, co-edited, co-scored, and starring Steven Soderbergh, Schizopolis is an experimental comedy that explores a man who is asked to write speeches for a New Age guru who also deals with another man who is plotting against him. In the two roles of the corporate drone Fletcher Munson and a swinging dentist in Dr. Jeffrey Korchek, Soderbergh creates a film that defies convention as it explores the world of cults, identities, and all sorts of things. Also starring Betsy Brantley, David Jensen, Eddie Jemison, and Mike Malone. Schizopolis is a bizarre yet fascinating film from Steven Soderbergh.

The film is one that defies description as much of it is told in a strange, non-linear narrative style as it revolves around a corporate office drone who becomes a speechwriter for a New Age guru while he would also encounter his doppelganger in a conservative yet swinging dentist with a love for Muzak as both of them are unaware that they’re sharing the same woman. All of which is told in a very abstract form of narrative that features many subplots revolving around an exterminator having affairs with bored housewives along with offbeat news reports and such. It all plays to Steven Soderbergh’s idea of a world that is just absolutely insane where it has no conventional opening and ending. In fact, none of that exists as Soderbergh opens and closes the film with him talking to an unseen audience in an empty theater about what to expect and such.

There isn’t a conventional screenplay though it does have a three act structure as the first act is about Fletcher Munson and the second act is about Dr. Jeffrey Korchek. Then comes this very unconventional third act told from the perspective of Munson’s wife (Betsy Brantley) who would also have her own doppelganger in a woman that Dr. Korchek meets. It plays to a world that doesn’t make sense along with dialogue that is very stylized where it also doesn’t make sense as it involves a co-worker of Munson (Eddie Jemison) who claims that people have targeted him as a mole. The stuff involving this exterminator name Elmo (David Jensen) is also very odd as he refers to himself in a third person as his antics become even stranger where the people following him have no clue to what he’s up to.

Soderbergh’s direction is definitely off the wall in the way he introduces each act as well as how he starts and ends the film where he would play himself in introducing the film and doing questions afterwards. Then it goes into the actual film where it doesn’t open in a traditional way nor does it closes as among its early images involves a guy wearing a t-shirt running around with no pants nor underwear as he’s being chased by orderlies. Soderbergh aims for a myriad of styles as well as shooting scenes in multiple versions as if it plays to a world that is odd such as a funeral scene where the priest blasts the guy who dies in one version while lamenting over that man in a different version. There’s also moments where things become weirder where the third act has the characters that Soderbergh plays being dubbed in Japanese, French, and Italian.

Acting as the film’s cinematographer and co-editor with Sarah Flack, Soderbergh also goes for different array of visual looks with some super 8 film stock to play into some of the fantasies that his characters go into while much of it is lush and exotic. The editing also goes into an array of style from jump-cuts, speedy cuts, and all sorts of things while Soderbergh maintains an air of intrigue into his compositions whether it’s in shaky hand-held cameras or something calm and steady to play into the world that these characters are in. All of which is set in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where it acts as a place that is ordinary but also has that sense of the absurd where it feels like a world that is also out of the ordinary as Soderbergh would do things to subvert the idea that it’s a film or something entirely different. Overall, Soderbergh creates a truly exhilarating yet offbeat film that’s about something and nothing.

Sound editor Mark Mangini and re-recording mixer Larry Blake do amazing work with the sound where they create some unique sound effects and mixes to play into a world that is off-kilter and far removed from what is reality. The film’s music by Soderbergh, Cliff Martinez, Joseph Wilkins, Harry Garfield, and Mark Mangini is brilliant for its odd mix of heavy metal, Muzak, kitsch jazz, electronic music, and all sorts of things to play into that oddball tone of the film.

The casting by David Jensen is incredible as Jensen himself would do a hilarious job playing the wild exterminator Elmo who sleeps around with women and do all sorts of crazy things. Other notable small performances include Katherine LaNasa as an attractive woman Elmo sleeps with, Eddie Jemison as a paranoid co-worker of Munson, Scott Allen as Munson’s boss, Trip Hamilton as Dr. Korchek’s junkie brother, Mary Soderbergh as a documents delivery woman, Ann Hamilton as the wife of the New Age guru T. Azimuth Schwitters, and Mike Malone as the engaging guru Schwitters. Betsy Brantley is wonderful as Mrs. Munson and the second attractive woman that Dr. Korchek falls for as she adds two very different layers that makes the two women very unique with Mrs. Munson being the most interesting. Finally, there’s Steven Soderbergh in a tremendous performance as the bored and weird Jeffrey Munson and the very odd Dr. Korchek as it’s a performance that showcases Soderbergh being funny as well as being very confrontational in his performance.

Schizopolis is a phenomenal film from Steven Soderbergh that defies the idea of what cinema is as well as play into the idea about the way the world is in all of its chaos. Especially as it plays into themes of identity, cults, and the need to communicate where it’s told in such an abstract manner. While it’s definitely not an easy film to watch for its lack of conventional structure, it is still rewarding for the way it refuses to play by the rules. In the end, Schizopolis is a remarkable film from Steven Soderbergh.

Steven Soderbergh Films: sex, lies, & videotape - Kafka - King of the Hill - The Underneath - Gray's Anatomy - Out of Sight - The Limey - Erin Brockovich - Traffic - Ocean's Eleven (2001 film) - Full Frontal - Solaris (2002 film) - Eros-The Equilibrium - Ocean's Twelve - Bubble - The Good German - Ocean’s Thirteen - Che - The Girlfriend Experience - The Informant! - And Everything is Going Fine - Contagion - Haywire - Magic Mike - Side Effects - Behind the Candelabra - Logan Lucky - (Unsane) - (High Flying Bird)

The Auteurs #39: Steven Soderbergh: Pt. 1 - Pt. 2

© thevoid99 2014

Ocean's 11 (2001 film)

Based on the 1960 film version that was scribed by Harry Brown and Charles Lederer with story credit by George Clayton Johnson and Jack Golden Russell, Ocean’s 11 is the story of eleven men who plan to rob three casinos in one entire night as they’re owned by the same man. Directed by Steven Soderbergh and screenplay by Ted Griffin, the film is a modern update on the original 1960s Rat Pack film with a new edge. Starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Elliott Gould, Carl Reiner, Casey Affleck, Scott Cahn, Bernie Mac, Eddie Jemison, Shaobo Qin, with Andy Garcia and Julia Roberts. Ocean’s 11 is a fun heist film from Steven Soderbergh.

After being released on parole for various theft crimes, Danny Ocean (George Clooney) decides to organize another theft as he meets up with old friend Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt). The plan is to rob a trio of casinos in one night as the money is stored the vault of one of those casinos. Pitching the idea to a former casino owner in Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould), Tishkoff agrees to fund the operation as Ocean and Ryan began to recruit and assemble their team. With Tishkoff and Ocean’s con friend Frank Catton (Bernie Mac) on board, joining the team are mechanics Virgil and Turk Malloy (Casey Affleck and Scott Caan, respectively), electronics surveillance expert Livingston Dell (Eddie Jemison), acrobat Yen (Shaobo Qin), explosives expert Basher Tarr (Don Cheadle), old-school con man Saul Bloom (Carl Reiner), and a young thief in Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon).

The team scout the Bellagio casino as a big boxing fight is coming as the casino is owned by Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia) who also owns the other two planned for the robbery. With Linus and Rusty also watching over Benedict, Rusty realizes that Danny’s ex-wife Tess (Julia Roberts) is dating Benedict which complicates everything as Rusty wonders about Danny’s true motives for the robbery. With planning still underway including re-creating the vault for practice, things become complicated when Yen gets injured in a theft for a device Basher needs to black out the city for a small amount of time. Danny also sits out due to his feelings for Tess as Rusty takes over as he and the team decide to play roles to get into the casino and its vaults while Livingston watches everything he sees.

On the night of the heist, Danny makes a final plea to Tess before he’s taken away by Benedict’s men while Frank, Linus, Rusty, and Saul poses as different people for the con game with Virgil and Turk assisting them. Things go underway as Danny makes a last-minute assist with a bit of help as he and the gang make the robbery in grand style.

The film is essentially a heist film set in Las Vegas as eleven guys decide to steal more than a $150 million in one night just so they can pull off the impossible. Notably as it involves three casinos and an owner who will do more than put the thieves in jail. Amidst this heist is its leader who has just been paroled and is risking it just so he can claim his ex-wife back from a guy he knows is far more dangerous. The script by Ted Griffin is pretty loose in terms of its storytelling as he creates some wonderful scenes about the set-up of the heist and how the team is assembled. It’s a script that is filled with lots of humor and action while not taking itself very seriously.

Steven Soderbergh’s direction definitely is geared towards style as he creates dazzling compositions and montages to play up the assembling of the team as well as the set-up into the heist. While most of the film is about the set-up of the heist for the first two acts, Soderbergh does allow the film to be quite playful in the way the actors interact and play their con roles. Soderbergh also chooses to play up the film’s romantic moments in an understated tone involving Danny and Tess while keeping the compositions straightforward. Serving as cinematographer under his Peter Andrews alias, the film has a look that is quite stylish to play up to the glitz of Las Vegas from its nighttime and interior lighting to the sunny look of that city in the day. Soderbergh creates a truly crafty and ravishing film that is very funny and exciting for the heist genre.

Editor Stephen Mirrione does a fantastic job with the editing to play up the film‘s sense of style by utilizing rhythmic jump-cuts as well as multiple split-screens to play up some of the montages displayed in the film. Production designer Phillip Messina, with set decorator Kristen Toscano Messina and art director Keith P. Cunningham, does excellent work in the set pieces created such as the bar that Rusty manages to Reuben‘s home and the look of Benedict‘s safe. Costume designer Jeffrey Kurland does some wonderful work in the costumes from the dresses and gowns that Tess wears to the stylish suits that the men wear including the ones for the actual job they do.

Sound editor Larry Blake does a brilliant job with the sound work to capture the raucous world of Las Vegas from the boxing scene to the sounds of what goes in for the actual heist including chaos that occurs in the blackout as the heist is well underway. The film’s score by David Holmes is superb for its playful mix of jazz and electronic music that is perfect for the film’s humor and visual style in relation to the world that is Las Vegas. Particularly as the soundtrack plays to a wide variety of music from the likes of Elvis Presley, Perry Como, Handsome Boy Modeling School with De La Soul, Quincy Jones, Liberace, and classical pieces from Claude Debussy.

The casting by Debra Zane is extraordinary for the ensemble that is created along with the slew of cameo appearances made for the film. Among these cameos include Shane West, Barry Watson, Holly Marie Combs, Topher Grace, and Joshua Jackson as Rusty’s poker pupils. Other cameos include the film’s producer Jerry Weintraub as a high-roller poker player, director Steven Soderbergh as one of Basher’s bombing associates, boxers Lennox Lewis and Wladimir Klitschko, Wayne Newton, Siegfried and Roy, and from the original 1960 film, Angie Dickinson and Henry Silva.

In the roles of the various players that forms the heist team, there are definitely some very funny performances from Eddie Jemison as the nervous Livingston Dell, Bernie Mac as the smooth con artist Frank Catton, Shaobo Qin as the Asian acrobatic Yen, Carl Reiner as the old-school yet multiple-accent portraying Saul, and Elliott Gould as the old-school casino owner Ruben Tishkoff. Casey Affleck and Scott Caan are very good as in their respective roles as the bickering brothers Virgil and Turk Malloy while Don Cheadle is brilliant by sporting a Cockney accent as the witty explosive expert Basher. Andy Garcia is excellent as the suave yet vicious casino owner Terry Benedict while Julia Roberts is terrific as Danny’s ex-wife Tess.

Matt Damon is wonderful as the young thief Linus who tries to find his footing as part of the team as well as hoping to break out of his father’s shadow. Brad Pitt is great as the cool Rusty who always try to keep everyone ground while always eating something on the job. George Clooney is superb as the team’s leader Danny Ocean as Clooney brings his usual charm and swagger into the character while also being the kind of guy who can get the job done.

Ocean’s 11 is an entertaining and witty heist film from Steven Soderbergh. Armed with a great ensemble cast and a visual style that is dazzling to watch, it’s a film that aims to just entertain and give the audience a good time. Notably as it’s one of Soderbergh’s more accessible films proving that he can do anything while give the film buffs something to be enamored by. In the end, Ocean’s 11 is a sensational heist film from Steven Soderbergh.

Steven Soderbergh Films: sex, lies, & videotape - Kafka - King of the Hill - The Underneath - Gray’s Anatomy - Schizopolis - Out of Sight - The Limey - Erin Brockovich - Traffic - Full Frontal - Solaris (2002 film) - Eros-Equilibrium - Ocean’s 12 - Bubble - The Good German - Ocean’s 13 - Che - The Girlfriend Experience - The Informant! - And Everything is Going Fine - Contagion - Haywire - Magic Mike - Side Effects - Behind the Candelabra - Logan Lucky - (Unsane) - (High Flying Bird)

The Auteurs #39: Steven Soderbergh Pt. 1 - Pt. 2

Related: Ocean's 8

© thevoid99 2012