Ocean's Thirteen

In the past I've owned some pretty snobby ideas of what constituted good taste in film, among other things. Independent film, foreign flicks, unique cynical comedy. Opening up to a love of horror starts to destroy those ideals in a way, because of how much sludge you become exposed to... and how much you actually love to wallow in such filth. But it also eventually created space for me to appreciate a wider variety of genres, which is what led me to my surprising enjoyment of action, adventure, and eventually heist films like OCEAN'S TWELVE.

I saw OCEAN'S TWELVE in the theater and really enjoyed it. As I've learned in the past few months, that is not a popular opinion. Most people felt TWELVE was weaker than the first film (OCEAN'S ELEVEN). I eventually watched ELEVEN, and obviously liked it just as much. Looking back, I suppose there are some weak moments in TWELVE, but I love it so damn much that I really don't hold those weaknesses against it.

That said, I thought OCEAN'S THIRTEEN was absolutely wonderful. The two things that make this series so attractive to me are the visuals and the music. The shots are great, the sets are beautiful, and the color blows me away every time. The music in the previous two films has been a perfect complement to this particular kind of film, and THIRTEEN is no exception. I don't mean to gloss over the relationships and chemistry of not only the characters, but the actors themselves. Nor am I ignoring the brilliance of the plot-- there's an incredible attention to detail, and it keeps me delighted throughout the entire film. Those factors are just as influential when it comes to my opinion of the OCEAN'S series.

Regardless of my disagreement with other critics when it comes to the previous film, I echo their overwhelmingly positive response to OCEAN'S THIRTEEN. It's an amazing piece of work, and I can't wait to see it on DVD.