Ocean's 8

Based on the characters by George Clayton Johnson and Jack Golden Russell, Ocean’s 8 is a spin-off film of the Ocean’s trilogy from the 2000s in which Danny Ocean’s sister Debbie leads a group of women to take part in a big heist at the Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Directed by Gary Ross and screenplay by Ross and Olivia Milch from a story by Ross, the film is a heist film in which eight different women take part in a heist as it play an event that is attended by celebrities where lots of riches are at. Starring Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Rihanna, Awkwafina, Helena Bonham Carter, James Corden, and Richard Armitage. Ocean’s 8 is an exhilarating and enjoyable film from Gary Ross.

After being released on parole from serving five years in prison over a con game gone wrong, Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock) teams up with her former partner-in-crime Lou (Cate Blanchett) with five other women to take part in a heist at the Met Gala that is hosted by actress Daphne Kluger (Anne Hathaway). It’s a film that is sort of a revenge film but it’s really a heist film that play into a group of women wanting to get rich and steal a diamond necklace that is worth more than $150 million. The film’s screenplay by Gary Ross and Olivia Milch follows Ocean’s plan to rob the Met Gala to get this ultra-expensive necklace from Cartier that is to be worn by Kluger yet knows she can’t pull this off by herself as she had a plan for this heist for years. Especially after what happened to her the night she got arrested and her then-lover in arts dealer Claude Becker (Richard Armitage) put her in jail.

The film does have a unique structure as the first act is about the planning of the heist where Ocean and Lou gather a group of people for the heist including the jewelry maker Amita (Mindy Kaling), the street hustler/pickpocket Constance (Awkwafina), the hacker Nine Ball (Rihanna), the disgraced fashion designer Rose Weil (Helena Bonham Carter), and an old friend of Ocean in Tammy (Sarah Paulson) who is a suburban mom that still fences good at her home. The second act is about the actual heist that takes place at the Met Gala where there is a lot that is happening but also things that do play into what isn’t being shown and where the players are at in the roles they’re in for the heist. The film’s third act is about the aftermath as well as a twist into the heist that revolves around other people who might know what happened.

Gary Ross’ direction is stylish as it play into the idea of the heist as he focuses more on the planning and the players involved as well as their contributions to this heist at the Met Gala. Shot on location in New York City, the film does use the locations as well as being able to shoot at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where the Met Gala is held annually as there is this element of realism that Ross would create in the direction that has characters be at the actual event with real celebrities. There are some wide shots in some of the locations in the city yet Ross would take great advantage of the interiors at the museum including scenes during the Met Gala where it is this lavish and enchanting world where the elite eat the finest foods and look at the rare pieces of art and jewelry. There are also some medium shots and close-ups that play into the characters interacting with one another as well as the attention to detail as it add to some of the intrigue as well as this need for repetition of certain scenes where there is something else that is happening that integral to the story.

Ross’ direction also play into some of the low-key events as it relates to Ocean’s own thirst for revenge towards Becker as well as her history with Lou and Tammy who also knew about Ocean’s affiliation with her brother Danny who is presumed to be dead. The status of Danny remains ambiguous as there’s a couple of cameos from members of his gang who appear yet the film does remain a women’s gang as it relates to the heist as well as an aftermath that raises question into how this necklace got stolen. Even as it also reveal more about Kluger’s role in the heist as someone who was a target but also seems to know more about what was going on. Overall, Ross crafts a witty yet adventurous film about a group of women stealing a diamond necklace at the lavish Met Gala.

Cinematographer Eigil Bryld does excellent work with the film’s cinematography as much of the exterior lighting in the daytime is straightforward with some low-key interior lighting for the scenes at the main base for the gang to the interiors of the Met Gala inside the Museum of Modern Art. Editor Juliette Welfling does brilliant work with the editing as it is stylized with its montages, jump-cuts, split-screens, and rhythmic cuts that help play into the film’s energetic and comedic tone. Production designer Alex DiGerlando, with set decorator Rena DeAngelo and supervising art director Chris Shriver, does amazing work with the look of the home base that Ocean, Lou, and the gang work at as well as the design of the presentation of the Met Gala in the middle of the museum. Costume designer Sarah Edwards does incredible work with the costumes as it is largely stylized to play into the personality of the characters including the gowns that they would wear at the Met Gala

Makeup artists Joanna and Louise McCarthy, along with hairstylist Liliana Meyrick, do fantastic work with the look of the gang with the disguise that Ocean would have as well as the hairstyle that Nine Ball and Weil would sport. Visual effects supervisors Jiwoong Kim, Vico Sharabani, and Asaf Yeger do terrific work with some of the set dressing for scenes at the Met Gala along with the 3D printing design of the jewels. Sound editor Paul Hsu does superb work with the sound as it is straightforward along with the mixes of the atmosphere of the Met Gala with its crowds. The film’s music by Daniel Pemberton does wonderful work with the film’s music with its mixture of electronic music along with playful organ backgrounds that add to the film’s energetic tone while music supervisors Gabe Hilfer and Devoe Yates provide a soundtrack of a wide array of music from Sammy Davis Jr., Eamon, the Notorious B.I.G., Kelis featuring Too $hort, Dorothy Ashby, Sofi Tukker with Nervo, Alisa Ueno, the Knocks, Patti Page, Amy Winehouse, and Nancy Sinatra.

The casting by Shayna Markowitz and Debra Zane is great as it feature cameo appearances from Elliott Gould and Qin Shaobo reprising their respective roles in Reuben Tishkoff and “The Amazing” Yen who were part of Danny’s gang. Other notable small roles include the quartet of Elizabeth Ashley, Dana Ivey, Marlo Thomas, and Mary Louise Wilson as four old ladies who were hired by Ocean for a crucial role in the heist, Nathanya Alexander as Nine Ball’s younger sister Veronica, and Dakota Fanning as a young starlet that Weil would be pictured with to rouse jealousy in Kluger. James Corden is terrific as the insurance fraud investigator John Frazier who plays a key role in the third act as someone trying to find out who stole the necklace as he suspects Ocean. Richard Armitage is superb as the arts dealer Claude Becker as a former lover of Ocean who betrayed her and put her in prison as he becomes a target for revenge as he would attend the Met Gala as Kluger’s date.

Awkwafina and Rihanna are fantastic in their respective roles as the street hustler/pickpocket Constance and the hacker Nine Ball with Awkwafina providing a comical and lively performance as Constance and Rihanna being low-key yet cool as Nine Ball. Mindy Kaling and Sarah Paulson are excellent in their respective roles as the jewelry maker Amita and the suburban mom/fence Tammy with Kaling providing some humor and determination as a woman desperate to leave the shadow of her family while Paulson is more straightforward as a woman secretly doing criminal stuff to fund her lifestyle as she would take a job working at the Met Gala to help with the heist. Helena Bonham Carter is brilliant as Rose Weil as a disgraced fashion designer whose is in serious debt as she is looking for a break as she joins the gang to pay off her debts but also revive her name as it’s a mixture of comedy and drama.

Anne Hathaway is amazing as actress Daphne Kluger as the host of the Met Gala who is full of herself and bitchy towards people as she is someone that is an obvious target but there’s a lot more to her as it play into a woman that is just dealing with the world she’s in. Cate Blanchett is incredible as Lou Miller as Debbie’s girlfriend/partner-in-crime who works at restaurants and such as she is eager to renew her relationship with Ocean as well as be someone is also a mastermind in the world of crime knowing that it can help her financially. Finally, there’s Sandra Bullock in a remarkable performance as Debbie Ocean as the sister of the famed thief Danny Ocean who had just been released in prison on parole as she is seeking revenge for the man that put her in prison but also hoping to get a major payday through the one thing she and her family are good at as it’s a performance full of charm and wit.

Ocean’s 8 is a marvelous film from Gary Ross. Featuring a great ensemble cast, fantastic locations, a cool music soundtrack, and lots of fun and exciting moments. It’s a film that never takes itself seriously while taking the time to create a heist as well as focus on the players who are involved. In the end, Ocean’s 8 is a remarkable film from Gary Ross.

Gary Ross Films: (Pleasantville) – (Seabiscuit) – The Hunger Games - (Free State of Jones)

Related: Ocean's Eleven - Ocean's Twelve - Ocean's Thirteen

© thevoid99 2019

Demolition Man

Directed by Marco Brambilla and screenplay by Daniel Waters, Peter Reneau, and Peter M. Lenkov from a story by Reneau and Lenkov, Demolition Man is the story a cop from the 1990s who is cryogenically frozen for 36 years as he is reinstated to go after an old foe who was also cryogenically frozen in a futuristic society. The film plays into the aspects of utopia and dystopia where a cop and a criminal from the 20th Century deal with the new rules of the new world as a cop gets the aide of a 20th Century-loving officer. Starring Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, Sandra Bullock, Nigel Hawthorne, Benjamin Bratt, Denis Leary, Rob Schneider, and Bob Gunton. Demolition Man is a silly but very exhilarating film from Marco Brambilla.

Set in 2032 in a futuristic city called San Angeles that combined three Californian cities in the aftermath of an earthquake, the film explores a utopia that becomes disrupted by cryogenically frozen criminal who escapes as he is ordered to kill a rebel leader prompting the police force to revive his cryogenically frozen foe in a former cop. While it’s a film with a simple plot that does take many of the dystopian ideas of Aldous Huxley, it’s a film that not only pokes fun at the idea of utopia but also how flawed it can be. The film’s screenplay not only create this utopian world where there’s little-to-no violence as well as no anti-social behavior or anything that can harm humanity. It also creates this world where there’s no usage of profanity, no sex, no touching skin, no smoking, no eating red meat, no vices, and there’s no toilet paper where people have to use three seashells in case they wanted to take a shit. Essentially, it’s a fucked up world where everyone acts like a bunch of pussies.

The protagonist in John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone) and the antagonist in Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes) are two men who were part of a world that is very violent and destructive where Spartan’s actions to capture Phoenix led to the death of many hostages that Spartan was supposed to save. The disgraced Spartan and the already-dangerous Phoenix were forced to take part in an experiment where they’re both cryogenically frozen for 36 years until Phoenix in a parole hearing escapes. Phoenix’s actions in San Angeles which allowed him increased programming to hack into computers and do more than he already knew makes him a viable threat to the city. Especially where the police force reluctantly revive Spartan to capture Phoenix as Spartan would have trouble adjusting to his new world and the family that he had lost.

While Spartan is seen by many in the future as this brutish caveman, his new partner in Lenina Huxley (Sandra Bullock) is a woman fascinated by the past as she learns about Spartan’s actions while telling him the rules of the new world. Leading this idea of a utopia is San Angeles’ leader Dr. Raymond Cocteau (Nigel Hawthorne) who has a very warped view about how society should live where his ideals are being threatened by a rebel leader in Edgar Friendly (Denis Leary) who lives under the city with a bunch of people who refuse to live under Cocteau’s rules despite the risk of starvation. Once Spartan realizes what Cocteau is about and how Phoenix is being used to carry Cocteau’s plan to kill Friendly. It becomes not just more complex but also filled with this concept that there is no such thing as a perfect society where even the deranged sociopath in Phoenix even questions Cocteau’s own ideas. It’s the script’s willingness to ask the big questions while putting enough humor that is among the key strengths of the film.

Marco Brambilla’s direction is pretty typical of the action-blockbusters in terms of approach to extravagant action sequences as well as some stylish approach to fights and gunplay. Yet, Brambilla does know how to slow the film in order to explore this idea of utopian San Angeles and how pacifism can lead to this idea that there is no bad in the world. Much of Brambilla’s compositions in these light-hearted moments are very simple in terms of its close-ups and medium shots in the way he plays out the drama. In his approach to humor, it is also light-hearted with some very offbeat references such as Spartan discovering that Arnold Schwarzenegger was President of the United States despite not being a natural-born American.

There’s also elements of style such as a weird sex scene between Spartan and Huxley which involves virtual reality since actual sex is forbidden. The action scenes are pretty intense with lots of explosions and fighting as Brambilla knows how to keep things engaging without losing insight into what is at stake. Even as it can get over the top at times while mixing it with some offbeat humor. Overall, Brambilla creates a very enjoyable yet intelligent film about two men from the 1990s who are reawaken in a futuristic utopia gone wrong.

Cinematographer Alex Thomson does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography from the stylish and mesmerizing look of San Angeles in day and night to the look of the grimy underground with its low-key lights. Editor Stuart Baird does excellent work in creating a very straightforward style in the humor and drama while putting in some stylish jump-cuts and fast-cuts for the action scenes. Production designer David L. Snyder, with art director Walter P. Marthishius and set decorators Robert Gould and Etta Leff, does fantastic work with the set pieces from the futuristic look of San Angeles from its museums, police station, and its Taco Bell restaurant.

Costume designer Bob Ringwood does superb work with the costumes from some of the futuristic clothing the characters wear that includes the dress that Huxley wears at Taco Bell. Visual effects supervisor John C. Wash does nice work with some of the film‘s visual effects such as phaser gun bullets and other futuristic objects that Phoenix would use. Sound designers Michael Geisler, William Griggs, Sam Horta, and Kevin Spears, with sound editor Robert G. Henderson, do terrific work with the sound from some of the layers of sounds in the action sequences to the stun baton that the police uses. The film’s music by Elliot Goldenthal is pretty good for its orchestral bombast that plays into the action and humor while the soundtrack features an array of jingles that serves as the oldies radio station plus a re-worked version of the Police song Demolition Man by its front man Sting.

The casting by Ferne Cassel and Joy Todd is incredible as it feature some cameo appearances from MTV host Dan Cortese as a Taco Bell lounge pianist, Jack Black as one of Denis Leary’s gang members, Rob Schneider as a humorous police receptionist, Andre Gregory as an older version of the cryo-prison warden, Brandy Ledford as the naked video girl that Spartan sees, and Jesse “The Body” Ventura as an associate of Phoenix. Other notable small roles include Glen Shadix as Dr. Cocteau’s aide Associate Bob, Bill Cobbs as an old cop who knows Spartan who suggested that Spartan should go after Phoenix, Benjamin Bratt as the content but violence-phobia officer Alfredo Garcia, and Bob Gunton in a superb performance as the police chief George Earle who despises Spartan’s brutish tactics. Denis Leary is excellent as the rebel leader Edgar Friendly who opposes Dr. Cocteau’s ideas of utopia as he is just trying to get food for the people as Leary has this very funny rant about how he wants to live.

Nigel Hawthorne is amazing as Dr. Raymond Cocteau as this city leader who wants to create his own idea of society as he is described an evil version of Mr. Rogers. Sandra Bullock is fantastic as Lieutenant Lenina Huxley as this young cop who is eager for action as Bullock brings a charm that is fun to watch as well as some funny moments where she tries to say some puns to impress Spartan. Wesley Snipes is phenomenal as Simon Phoenix as this offbeat villain who says some amazing puns as well as being very diabolical as it’s one of Snipes’ finest performances. Finally, there’s Sylvester Stallone in a marvelous performance as John Spartan as Stallone brings that sense of tough guy attitude to his role with some humor that allows him to be overwhelmed and the butt of jokes as it’s one of his more underrated performances that has him be cool and funny.

Demolition Man is a spectacularly off-the-wall and entertaining film from Marco Brambilla that features great performances from Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes. Along with a great supporting cast led by Sandra Bullock as well as very engaging themes on utopia, it’s a film that has enough entertainment value for fans of action films but it’s also very funny and has some unique satire that makes it a cut above most action sci-fi films. In the end, Demolition Man is one absolutely ass-kicking film from Marco Brambilla.

© thevoid99 2014

Aningaaq

Written, edited, and directed by Jonas Cuaron, Aningaaq is a seven-minute short film about Inuit fisherman who talks to an astronaut stranded in outer space through a two-way radio. The short is an accompanying piece to the 2013 film Gravity that Jonas co-wrote with his father Alfonso as it features the voice of Sandra Bullock with Orto Ignatiussen as the titular character. The result is a fascinating short from Jonas Cuaron.

The film is essentially a scene where an Inuit fisherman is fishing at a fjord where he tries to communicate through a two-way radio for help only to finding himself talking to the stranded astronaut Ryan Stone (the voice of Sandra Bullock). It’s a scene that showcases the point of view of Aningaaq who is just a simple fisherman as he has no idea what Stone is talking about yet they manage to communicate in this very poignant scene. It’s a simple piece that is directed with such simplicity by Jonas Cuaron that showcases a moment that is happening from the other side as it features the same voice and dialogue that the Stone character is talking to as she is stranded alone in outer space trying to survive.

Through Cuaron’s methodical yet understated editing and his gazing camera where he creates some unique compositions. It’s a short that is just full of these tender yet touching moments that is also captured with such beauty by cinematographer Alexis Zabe as well as the evocative sound design of Pablo Lach that would underscore Steven Price’s music in the background. Even as the film features some low-key yet effective visual effects by Kyle McCullough and Raul Prado to help play into the film’s story. Yet, the film really belongs to Orto Ignatiussen who is full of charm in this very understated performance. Overall, Jonas Cuaron creates a truly mesmerizing short film in Aningaaq that serves as a fitting companion to his father’s film Gravity.



Gravity

© thevoid99 2013

Gravity (2013 film)

Directed by Alfonso Cuaron and written by Alfonso and Jonas Cuaron, Gravity is the story of two astronauts struggling to survive in outer space after a satellite debris crashed their space shuttle. The film is an exploration into the world of outer space where two astronauts deal with survival as they do whatever it takes to return to Earth. Starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. Gravity is an absolutely tremendous film from Alfonso Cuaron.

What happens to two astronauts as they’re stranded in outer space after a satellite debris has crashed their space shuttle leaving the two to survive and reach for whatever space craft there is left? That’s pretty much a summary of the film as it is about these two astronauts floating and drifting around in outer space as one of them in Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) is a veteran astronaut on his last mission as he has to guide Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) to a space station as she has to cling on to him in order to survive. Yet, Dr. Stone is someone that is carrying a lot of emotional baggage and anxiety as she’s on her first space mission where she has to do a lot of the work while carrying little oxygen that she has. Even as she and Kowalski have to through many obstacles as the satellite debris orbits around the earth every 90 minutes in their path.

The screenplay by Alfonso and Jonas Cuaron does have a traditional three-act structure yet its plotting and approach to suspense is very different as it is about survival where a lot of things have to happen. Especially as Dr. Stone has to be the one to get inside the International Space Station with a couple of Soyuz space capsules to get one of them used so they can reach the Chinese Shenzhou space capsule that will get them home. Of course, it’s not just the satellite debris that becomes a problem but the fact that some of the equipment inside the space station and the capsules are either out of date or have parts that aren’t working. It just adds to the stakes that Dr. Stone and Kowalski have to deal with as the former is wracked with fear and frustration where the latter has to tell her to stay calm and do whatever to survive and go back home.

The direction of Alfonso Cuaron is definitely out of this world in not just the way the presents the film as it’s set entirely in outer space. It’s also a film where what happens when two people are in outer space where something goes drastically wrong and they’re in absolute danger that is a matter of life and death. Much of the film is set in outer space where there is a sense of unknown and it’s a world that is very different. Everyone is floating and has to wear space suits or else they die. There is no walking for much of the film as the characters are often floating around or sometimes spin-drift as they have no idea what to do or to hold on to. That element of suspense is very gripping and also very dangerous in the idea that something like this could actually happen.

Many of the technical elements that Cuaron puts in has him making a lot of shots set with many long takes including this very intense sequence that is very long where the satellite debris has crashed with Dr. Stone attached to an arm as she suddenly have to take off her belt where she suddenly drifts in a circle. It’s shot largely in one entire take where it goes from Dr. Stone spinning in space where the camera moves closer to her as it is shown from her perspective and inside the spacesuit as she’s struggling to breath whatever oxygen she has left and having to hear Kowalski’s voice who is trying to get her back. It’s among the many moments in the film where it is about that sense of danger and need to survive. Some of the shots set inside the space station and capsules are quite intimate yet the characters are either floating around or sitting on a chair on a seatbelt tied on them.

The direction of Cuaron also plays into the emotion of the characters where both Dr. Stone and Kowalski have to talk to each other as they’re the only survivors of this horrific incident that left their crew dead. Yet, there is also that sense of isolation where Dr. Stone has to be the one to go inside the space station and capsules as she’s left alone dealing with the chaos as well as the emotional baggage that she’s carrying. Cuaron’s camera is always on her as it’s mostly her story as she is on her first space mission and has to do things to survive no matter how inexperienced she is. Overall, Cuaron creates a thrilling yet exhilarating film about survival in outer space.

Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, with additional work from Michael Seresin, does incredible work with the look of the film in terms of its lighting and imagery as he creates amazing lighting schemes for many of the exteriors set in space to the use of low-key lights for the scenes inside the space station and capsules as Lubezki‘s work is an absolute highlight of the film. Editors Alfonso Cuaron and Mark Sanger do brilliant work with the editing by creating cuts that capture the element of suspense while using very little cutting to play out every action that occurs to get the sense of danger that goes on in space. Production designer Andy Nicholson, with set decorator Rosie Goodwin and supervising art director Mark Scruton, do fantastic work with look of the space shuttle as well as the space station and capsules in its interior scenes.

Costume designer Jany Temime does excellent work with the look of the astronaut and cosmonaut space suits that Dr. Stone would wear in her journey. Visual effects supervisors Chris Watts and Timothy Webber do phenomenal work with the visual effects in not just the way outer space looks outside of earth but also in the look of the debris as it‘s another technical highlight of the film. Sound designer Glenn Freemantle is amazing for the atmosphere he creates in the way satellite debris sound as well as the air of silence that occurs in space where it‘s a world of the unknown. The film’s music by Steven Price is superb for its chilling yet intense music that ranges from calm, ambient pieces to thrilling, orchestral-based suspenseful cuts to play out the action while music supervisor Alejandro de la Llosa uses an array of music that is played in the background such as a country song that Kowalski likes to hear.

The casting by Richard Hicks and David Rubin is great as it features a lot of voice actors playing the role of the other astronauts and those in mission control with the most famous being Ed Harris as the NASA mission control director. The performances of George Clooney and Sandra Bullock are outstanding in the way they play to the sense of danger they deal with as well as their struggle to survive. While Clooney gets to bring a bit of humor in his role as Kowalski, he adds that grounding that his character needed in order to ensure that Dr. Stone would not panic. Bullock is in top form as Dr. Ryan Stone where she plays into that sense of fear and anxiety of what she’s facing as well as being someone that has to succeed despite her inexperience as Bullock brings a lot of emotional weight to her performance.

Gravity is a truly magnificent film from Alfonso Cuaron. Thanks to the remarkable performances of Sandra Bullock and George Clooney as well as its phenomenal technical work from its crew including cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki. It’s a film that is unlike anything that is out there as well as a gripping suspense film set in space that bends all sorts of genres as well as what to expect in the world of science fiction. In the end, Gravity is a triumphant achievement from Alfonso Cuaron.

Alfonso Cuaron Films: Solo Con Tu Pareja - A Little Princess - Great Expectations (1998 film) - Y Tu Mama Tambien - Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban - Children of Men - Roma (2018 film)

Related: Aningaaq - The Auteurs #11: Alfonso Cuaron

© thevoid99 2013