Eric's DVD watching.

[Eric]

I will certainly never watch a film if I'm not in the mood for it though.

I know you would understand "Oh you the one with great wisdom".

Now talking about watching what we feel like.  I've been looking forward to tonight for quite a few days now because I'm preparing for a "Ocean X" marathon.

As you probably remember this box set jumped in my hands at Future Shop recently.



These are 3 movies that I have never seen and I plan on watching all three this week-end.

[Jon]

I will certainly never watch a film if I'm not in the mood for it though.

I know you would understand "Oh you the one with great wisdom".

Now talking about watching what we feel like.  I've been looking forward to tonight for quite a few days now because I'm preparing for a "Ocean X" marathon.

As you probably remember this box set jumped in my hands at Future Shop recently.

These are 3 movies that I have never seen and I plan on watching all three this week-end.

At last you recognise me!

Good luck with this marathon. I mean that. Your resolve will almost certainly falter halfway through Ocean's 12, but stick with it cos 13 is great. 

[Eric]

Good luck with this marathon. I mean that. Your resolve will almost certainly falter halfway through Ocean's 12, but stick with it cos 13 is great. 

 


Will do my best.  At least now I know after 11 I can go watch 12 in bed and fall asleep on it without having remorse tomorrow morning.

[Jimmy]

I realized that I was feeling forced to watch certain movies at a certain times because of the Marathons...

I agree with you here Eric. I won't use the word force but program watching as we do with television viewing. My marathon this month doesn't go very well, but I don't look like the only one. I watch the movies, but not as much as I do usually. I pass 2 or 3 days without watching anything and I have no inspiration for my review (usually I wrote them every couple of days). Maybe I will restart watching whatever I feel to watch and my inspiration will come back...

[Eric]

Ocean's 11



Summary: I guess this is not necessary, most people probably know what this movie is.

My Thoughts:  Rather entertaining.  Since I am not particularly a huge fan of Clooney it's kind of good that I liked that.  These movies are usually all about the heist itself, how brilliant the plan is and how well it's executed etc.  In this case I find it well done except for 1 or 2 things that I believe were mistakes. 
Score:

[Eric]

Ocean's 12



Summary: Same as above.

My Thoughts: Following Jon's comment I was expecting I wouldn't like it much and get really bored after one hour of watching.  I actually found the first part to be funnier than the first movie.  Ocean's 11 was more subtle and more entertaining but I find 12 to be more humorous. 
My Score: because the first 75-80 minutes were actually amusing and more enjoyable than 11 otherwise I would have given it a because of what I wrote in the spoiler.

[Achim]

Wow, tough rating, especially on the first one...

[Eric]

Wow, tough rating, especially on the first one...

You think ?  I wouldn't say I was generous but I don't find it tough.  I gave it a 3, I would probably have given it a 3.5 it our scoring system allowed for it.  They're good movies but I don't think they're great which would have called for or very great which would be worth a

[Achim]

They're good movies but I don't think they're great which would have called for or very great which would be worth a

Not sure if that actually applies to you here, but it reminds of my own voting process. I occasionally look at the film more objectively, which usually lowers the rating a bit, meaning a "guilty pleasure" could never score high with me that way... What I mean is, at that moment I am not thinking "how much did I like the film?" but more like "was this a good film?".

I try to get away from that though...

[Jon]

I'm glad you enjoyed Ocean's 12, but I am surprised! Funnier, maybe, at the expense of plot coherence. I was finding it so utterly ridiculous and then they spring the Julia Roberts stunt. Urgh.

I'd rate 11 as a full 5 out of 5. Technically superb and perfectly balanced. 12... 2? Maybe? 

[goodguy]

Following Jon's comment I was expecting I wouldn't like it much and get really bored after one hour of watching.  I actually found the first part to be funnier than the first movie.  Ocean's 11 was more subtle and more entertaining but I find 12 to be more humorous.

I would say that O12 is better than O11. O11 is too much about the clever details of the heist, which gets a bit boring, even the first time around. O12 has not only one, but several heists, and it refreshingly doesn't give a damn about their plausibility. O13 is still mildly entertaining, but nowhere near as good as the other two.

[Jon]

I find this fascinating! The only two people I have ever met who actually liked Ocean's 12, thought it better than its predecessor, AND they're both here!!!

[Eric]

When I review a movie I try to look at different things like plausibility, performance, direction, visual etc.  These are the things that will affect how I like the movie although I'm not really paying attention to these details while I watch.  I just reflect back on it when I write my review.

My rating however is more a general evaluation of my viewing experience and I alway do it in comparison of other movies that I've watched.

Ocean's 11 and 12 are good movies, I liked them but never nears as much as many other movies so I can't give them a perfect score because I've seem many movies that I liked much than that.

As an example I would give a score to "The Lord of the Rings", "Amadeus", "A Beautiful Mind", "Pollock", "Others", "The Hours" etc.

Ocean's 11 and 12 aren't nearly as good as these movies so I can't give them the same score.  3/5 is a good score coming from me, it means it's a good entertaining movie that I'm happy I bought and would watch again.

[Jon]

I always rate on integrity and overall enjoyment and even then, a full 5 needs to have something special. If the sum of the parts achieves the film they were obviously trying to make, and they were making it for the right reasons, then it'll get full marks. A breezy caper movie would normally get 3 or 4 from me, simply because there are so many that could fall into that bracket and making another one doesn't seem ambitious. But Ocean's 11 is ambitious, technically superb and balances a great cast so everyone gets a chance to shine; they really did need all the characters. And it's so much damn fun! I thought 12 struggled to justify all the characters. 13 does a little as well, but just about pulls it off.

Using this scale, I can't see a difference between 5 stars for say Raiders of the Lost Ark and Schindler's List, even though Spielberg probably found Raiders much easier than the latter. The latest Indiana is a bit lazy in general, so would get a 3, except for the sheer brilliance of some sequences that rival earlier instalments. That special something.

[Eric]

Ocean's 11




Summary: Most probably not required.

My Thoughts:  Not much to say except that I think it's the best of the three.

My Score: and a half.