OCEANS 8

Sandra Bullock     Cate Blanchett    Rihanna    Sarah Paulson    Mindy Kaling    Awkwafina

Anne Hathaway     Helena Bonham Carter     Richard Armitage     James Corden    Dakota Fanning

     This clever, fun heist movie will engage you, intrigue you, and keep you entertained. Debbie Ocean (Bullock), sister of Danny (George Clooney) in previous Oceans movies, is just being released from prison after serving five years. She bounds out in the same outfit as when she went in—dressed for the evening in a trendy black outfit—assured that she can go anywhere and do what she wants with the $45 in her pocket. And we see how she begins to do just that with her light fingers and made-up stories as she ensconces herself into a fancy hotel and gets in touch with her seven specially talented friends and accomplices, the first being Lou (Blanchett), an Australian motorcycle enthusiast and sharp observer of human behavior  

     Debbie has used her time in prison well, figuring out detailed plans for living up to her family name, exacting a delicious revenge, and getting a ticket to the high life for life.  Debbie and Lou flesh out a strategy for a major heist of jewelry at one of THE social events of the year, the Met Gala, hosted by the iconic Vogue Magazine editor and artistic director of Conde Nast publications, Anna Wintour who appears as herself in the film.  

     Debbie and Lou assemble a motley team of thieves, smugglers, fashion and jewelry designers, forgers, and computer geniuses to play their roles in an intricately choreographed dance designed to net them all a sizeable share. What are they after? Cartier’s 150-million-dollar diamond necklace.  It will involve managing to get just the right celebrity to wear it to the ball.  

     Some of the funniest scenes include the eccentric fashion designer Rose Weil (Carter) flattering the always-aspiring celebrity Daphne Kluger (Hathaway) to go along with the plan to wear the necklace.  (Not hard at all, once she sees it.)  To watch Hathaway acting out preening and self-love in brilliant red lipstick in front of the mirror as she tries on various necklaces (the real diamond one is held out as a tease) will surely make you groan and laugh at the same time.  

     Also engaging are glimpses into the current lives of the fellow co-conspirators. Tammy (Paulson) is a contented mother who buys tens of bicycles on eBay when she has only one child.  Nine Ball (or “Baller”, if you prefer) (Rihanna) is a wizard on the computer, and most of the fun here is seeing others having to catch up with her; and like any good Asian has a relative, April (Midori Francis), to come through at a crucial time.  Mindy Kaling, as Amita, the jewelry designer, is trying to find a partner on an internet match site, but she will amuse and impress you with her rather naïve pronouncements coupled with design efficiency.  Constance (Awkafina) always shows up just in time, and even though she is simply collecting and sorting things, you smile at her dedication.  

     In Oceans 8, Director Gary Ross demonstrates his sensitivity toward women’s important issues, his delight in mixing up craftiness and comedy, and his flair in infusing excitement into a rather predictable plot.  The journey there is the point, and it will serve as a good time to relax and simply enjoy.

     This Oceans’ cast impresses with its unwavering skill and art.  The major protagonists and supporting actors deliver what we hope for and expect in a film of this kind.  Bravo to all!

This is a great movie for kicking back, relaxing, and letting the irony and truthfulness amuse you.

Grade:  B                                    By Donna R. Copeland

VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS

Dane DeHaan     Cara Delevingne     Clive Owen     Ethan Hawke     Rihanna    
Herbie Hancock     Sam Spruell     Voices of:  John Goodman   Elizabeth Debicki

       Valerian (DeHaan) is obnoxious as he can be, but I enjoyed the rest of the cast in the movie, the story, and the special effects.  I’m curious about why Valerian is made to be heroic and still be so obtuse.  Does this come from the comics on which it is based or from Besson’s screenwriting?  Valerian’s fellow agent Laureline (DeLevigne) is sharp, emotionally attuned, and a real fighter when she needs to be.  The film should have been named “Laureline Saves an Agent and a Planet.”  Or at least “Valerian and Laureline”, as the comics are titled.

     At any rate, this very expensive indie film must have invested large sums for the portrayal of exotic creatures, Olivier Bériot’s costumes, Hugues Tissandier’s production design, and all the efforts and equipment involved in special effects; an investment well worth it in my opinion.  If the viewer just “goes with it” and suspends reality, it is an otherworld experience with exotic creatures, harrowing light-speed flights through space and falls to the depths of unknown places.  My favorite creatures are the willowy, iridescent Pearls, who are gentle, gentile, and smart enough to acquire knowledge of science and mathematics, and anything else they need to know to reconstruct their planet, which has been destroyed by an ignorant military force.  The pearls—ejected by “converters”—are life sustaining for the people of Mül, and they treat them respectfully. 

      Pearls in the film are metaphors for that which is of value, like the earth and nature.  “We give to the earth what the sea grants to us”, the Mül people say about their recycling, as they deposit pearls into the water.  In keeping with the film’s central message, we find out what happened to the Mül planet, and the ignorance on which the attack was based (e.g., “primitive” civilizations are not as important as ours—a la the current day message, “America First”). 

     Valerian and Laureline are charged with finding and recovering the universally coveted converter belonging to the people of Mül, called the Pearls, which went missing when they were attacked. The converter, which looks like an adorable animal, makes copies of anything it ingests and ejects the copies in endless amounts.  The Pearls give it pearls because they’re essential for their survival.  Others covet the converter for their own nefarious purposes.  The assignment to retrieve the converter takes the two agents through numerous venues—other planets, U.S. military space stations, a colorful “Big Market”, and even a fancy brothel.  Their paths cross those of Commander Filitta (Owen) and General Okto-Bar (Spruell), a Jabba the Hutt kind of character (Goodman), the pimp Jolly (Hawke), and an exotic dancer Bubble (Rihanna).  In the process of carrying out their assignment, the two agents survive life-threatening situations, but eventually uncover the mystery of what happened to the planet Mül.

     Director Luc Besson (Nikita, Lucy, The Fifth Element) wrote the screenplay, based on a French comics series, and although he successfully attempted to recreate some of the Star Wars elements, the dialog lacks the sharpness and creativity of the visuals.  Better editing could have omitted a number of scenes that are extraneous and shorten a 2½ hour film.  DeHaan is miscast as a heroic character, and he comes across as braggadocios and self-centered.  The rest of the cast are highly entertaining, particularly Delevingne, Owen, Hawke, Goodman, and Debicki.  Rihanna’s exotic, shape-shifting dance and song act is a highlight. 

Besson’s adventure is a wild tour of other worlds in time and space.

Grade:  B                                    By Donna R. Copeland

HOME

--> Voices of:  Jim Parsons     Rihanna     Jennifer Lopez     Steve Martin

-->

I was put off by Home right from the beginning by the “language” invented for the aliens from another planet, called the Boov.  It slaughters the English language by messing with the grammar, e.g., “I needs help.  You are arresting (arrested).  Can I come into the out?”  I’ll be interested to hear what children actually think of this, but I doubt they will find it very funny.  Apparently, the grammar is in Adam Rex’s 2007 book, Home, on which the film is based, and his “Smek Smeries” have been very popular, so maybe children do get a kick out of the messed up grammar.  The book was adapted for film by Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember.  Home is a Dreamworks 3D production directed by Tim Johnson (Over the Hedge, Antz).

      The story is slow to get started with anything meaningful or entertaining.  We have to listen to the insufferable Captain Smek (Martin) demonstrate his idiocy.  For one thing, he has led his people to earth on the run from his archenemy, the Gorg, mistakenly thinking he is helping earthlings by relocating them to a desert somewhere.  This is done by gently vacuuming them up into the sky.  But one little girl, Gratuity “Tip” Tucci (Rihanna), has managed not to be captured, so she still remains.  She encounters one of the runaways from the Boov tribe, Oh (Jim Parsons), who is on the run from being arrested for making too many mistakes.  For instance, the lonely Oh decided to have a party and mistakenly sent the invitation to the Gorg along with everyone else.  After major difficulties in getting to know each other, Tip and Oh become allies in trying to find Tip’s mother, who was taken to the Desert Planet.

      There are sequences with Tip’s car and Oh, which are delightfully entertaining, especially when he’s able to convert it into a space ship to aid in the mother search.  As they get to know each other, Oh learns the value of family—something missing from the Boov culture—and Tip learns that the Boov aren’t all bad.   

      One of the most enjoyable aspects of the film is the music.  Rihanna created a concept album for it, including her “Towards the Sun”, and incorporated additional songs by others, such as one by Jennifer Lopez (voice of mother Lucy), “Feel the Light.”  Of course, since the film is for younger children, the filmmakers again find it necessary to include fart jokes, toilet paper scenes out of context, and adding a 3^rd option to #1 and #2.  It amuses me that filmmakers continue to do this; some children laugh, but most don’t.  So I’ve concluded it must be the filmmakers’ own preoccupations.

      Except maybe for the appreciation of family, it is only at the end of the film that some of Home’s important messages come through, and these are gone through so fast I doubt children will pay much attention.  They include messages about change being something good at times; it’s OK to make mistakes; and it’s important to have courage, face your problems, and deal with them. 

Home isn’t a bad film, and younger children are likely to enjoy it.

Home, Dreamworks’ elementary sci-fi adventure

Grade:  C                        By Donna R. Copeland