Reviews

Ocean's Twelve faces the same difficulties as any sequel. By this I don't mean those movies that are essential components to trilogies that continue the story; I mean those movies that basically take an established cast and throw them in a completely new storyline. The problem is trying to meet the expectations of an audience that loved the first and wants a new movie to love for all the same reasons. So many people were disappointed to learn that Ocean's Twelve was not yet another heist movie.

This film had to be a sequel. The plot takes advantage of the relationships the characters developed in the first film, and throws in many MANY subtle jokes the average viewer may miss if they don't listen closely. Some of the phrases like "thief a la mode" used in the film may require a bit of culture to appreciate.

Be warned that while Ocean's team do work together in the same fashion as the first film, the thievery itself doesn't take the spotlight in the film. Ocean's Eleven was the traditional heist film in its plot development with its climax at the point of executing the plan. Ocean's Twelve breaks away from this formula in favor of developing opportunities for some great character interaction.

The film disappoints with many characters taking a back seat in their roles to such an extent that the film could have been named after Pitt's character, with the Benedict aftermath merely serving as a catalyst for the characters finding their way back together. However, it would have been unreasonable for all eleven original characters to share an equal share of the spotlight and still turn out as well.

In the end, Ocean's Twelve is not a mere heist film but an Intelligent Comedy that may need to be watched more than once to appreciate some of the subtleties in the dialog. Just the amount of activity on this film's message board regarding some of the subtleties in the plot is a testament to the thought that went into making this film.

This isn't intended to be a thought-provoking artistic masterpiece, but understandably most reviewers on IMDb are the types who try to look for sophistication in a film and as such, I believe, can't simply enjoy the simply absurd humor in a film such as this. Comparing IMDb reviews for comedies, you'll find The Great Dictator (extremely slow even by Chaplain's standards) at the top and more direct slapstick like The Three Stooges much further down the list. Simply put, most reviewers prefer irony over the kind of things you might joke about with some friends.

That said, once I got into this film, I couldn't stop laughing from all the little unlikely absurdities. It doesn't seem to try too hard to set up the comedy like, say, Club Dread. Instead, it is a pure and simple fun movie with a not-too-quirky cast thrown together in a restricted setting. This setup can be movie gold as in The Breakfast Club, but never strives for greatness and instead settles for a loosely thrown together stream of small-town comedy perfect for when you just need to laugh at practically nothing.

There is so much I could say about this film, which bored me to tears because I went in expecting a comedy. Were not for this confusion, I might have given it a star higher, but I maintain that while it is a decent film, it is a terrible movie. The advertisements make the film out to be something spectacular, but the film strives to be anything but spectacular. This is a film about real life, real family struggles, no fairy tale parents and children. There is one image introduced throughout the film that could be seen as symbolic for attempting to get one's life "on target", which is truly beautiful.

In the end, I believe there is one way to know for sure if you'll enjoy this film: If you enjoyed Ozu's Tokyo Monogatari (Tokyo Story), you'll enjoy The Weather Man. Expect a little bit more humor, sometimes resulting in a little less believability, while maintaining the same focus on realism.

This love story begins with a memorial service for Watanabe Hiroko's ex-boyfriend, Fujii Itsuki. Although he has been dead for a year, it still feels awkward when the dead ex-boyfriend's best friend begins to flirt with Watanabe. Around this time, she decides to send a letter to the old Fujii residence, despite having been demolished for highway construction.

I think it's essential for anybody who watches this film to realize that after this point, a second character is introduced who is played by the same actress who plays Watanabe Hiroko. She has a cold when making her first appearance, so this is the best means of distinguishing between the two characters, besides their respective settings.

The love story is very culturally Japanese (modern), with the natural reactions of the characters representing very accurately current gender roles and attitudes in Japan. I believe however the story's beauty can be easily appreciated worldwide.

When I first saw this film, I connected with Bill Murray's character, which isn't a good thing. The main characters are disenchanted with life, and watching their boredom made me feel even worse about my own boredom. Having lived in Japan, half of the people who learn about my travels ask me if I've seen this film. It is a popular film to like among philosophers and travelers alike, going against the mainstream Hollywood bang. Many of my favorite films are far more depressing than Lost in Translation, but Lost just seemed to be lacking a real message. The film has great cinematography and the characters certainly have their moments, but unless you are a huge fan of realism, this film may leave you feeling empty, one scene after another.

Densha Otoko is the true story of a young man who lives in Tokyo, but spends most of his life on his computer or shopping for anime character figurines. Unconfident in public, he has never learned how to talk to women, lacking all the social skills we have come to expect from leading characters in romance films. Usually relying on the internet as his social net, he finds himself posting messages to a popular Japanese BBS (bulleton board service chat room), asking for love advice. Much of the dialog from the original BBS posts is preserved in the film (both on-screen and spoken), and much of the supporting cast is composed of those who respond to his internet posts.

I particularly loved the film because it shows one of the most authentic views of Japanese city life of any film I've ever come across. In particular, people who live in big cities like Tokyo spend a great deal of their time on the subway, where this love story begins. Thus, after the main character has posted the story of his train encounter to the BBS, other users begin to call him Densha Otoko (Train Man). Too many recent drama films, particularly from Japan, have become too melodramatic, but Densha Otoko is a beautiful, authentic love story.

Watching this movie with some friends, we had mixed reviews. The dominant positive note was that the film's main characters, a duo set for adventure, were some of the most charismatic men to come out of a cartoon. Their dialog was played out very well, giving the impression from the start that the target audience was probably older than films from Disney. Dreamworks has been successful with older audiences before. However, their characters were so simply defined as the "thrill-seeker / plan-maker" pair, that the film became too predictable, right down to which facial expression would be dished out next. Enter the token cute animals as support characters, and immediately the target audience seems to be back into preteens... until we're introduced to a character whose sole purpose seems to be sex appeal. Were this kind of character in a Disney film, I can see a leading male role dropping his jaw for a minute, requiring assistance getting it closed again. This movie takes a much more... adult approach.

In any case, the movie is well worth watching for Cortes. This guy should have dominated the film. Although I was more than happy to settle for El Dorado's high priest. Even if he is a little dumb at times, his demeanor is entertaining.

Oh and only one of Elton John's songs fit the scene. I just can't understand how a love song can be thrown into the middle of a fun party scene. So to sum up, a lot of the film is cheesy and predictable, but the characters bring a lot of wit and energy to the screen.

What makes this film great is the historical context in which is was made. Having been made early in the second world war, this film is a great spectacle of wartime propaganda and satire against Hitler. Unfortunately, as Charlie Chaplin's first talkie, his well-renowned comedic timing suffers in the film. Chaplin's signature comedic walking makes one appearance, and his signature suit makes about two. All in all, visual gags are only provided every 15 minutes or so. This is understandable, as he is mocking Hitler for half the film, and he's attempting to replace visual gags with something more appropriate for a talkie. His pseudo-German is hysterical, but he relies on it too heavily. English dialog is extremely dumbed down compared to the Marx Brothers' films of the same period, leaving political jargon that, rather than having satirical merit, tends to simply slow down the film. After an hour of bearing with this shortcoming, the film does pick up slightly, especially after a turning point in the film involving new diplomacy. We do get a nice idealistic speech at the end that reveals some of Chaplin's political views.

As for the aggression against Jews in the film, one might expect Chaplin to turn the scenes into something similar to chase scenes from his silent films. Modern films, on the other hand, tend to develop the victims in the film well enough so we can feel some connection. In other words, I would expect to feel the need to either laugh or cry if Chaplin were to depict this kind of situation. Unfortunately scenes are more uncomfortable to watch than they are compelling.

Perhaps this film is highly regarded for what it stands for, but as a fan of Chaplin's silent films, as well as a huge fan of comedic talkies from this era, I felt highly disappointed and nearly fell asleep watching the film.

This movie goes through 12 significant nights (not consecutive nights) in a relationship between two characters. The movie offers some insight into the repetion involved in relationship cycles from interest through various tensions to eventual disinterest. There are many cute scenes, but it isn't exactly a life-changing movie.