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Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated Ocean’s 8 (2018) in Movies
Jun 10, 2019
Light and breezy but utterly forgettable
It’s a peculiar state of affairs, the film industry that is. While reboots, remakes, prequels and sequels seem to be garnering much disdain from the movie-going audience of late, studios still push ahead with them regardless.
I mean, look at poor Disney and the performance of Solo: A Star Wars Story if you need any indication of a tiring audience. Female-led reboots are all the rage now too with Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters being met with a dreadful run at the box office despite decent critical responses. Next up, we’ve got Ocean’s 8, a sequel no-one was really asking for but got anyway. Is it worth a watch?
Five years, eight months, 12 days and counting – that’s how long Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock) has been devising the biggest heist of her life. She knows what it’s going to take – a team of the best people in the field, starting with her partner-in-crime Lou Miller (Cate Blanchett). Together, they recruit a crew of specialists, including jeweller Amita, street con Constance, suburban mom Tammy (Sarah Paulson), hacker Nine Ball (Rihanna), and fashion designer Rose (Helena Bonham Carter). Their target: a necklace that’s worth more than $150 million.
Gary Ross, director of the first Hunger Games movie, takes over from Steven Soderbergh to helm a film that is perfectly passable popcorn fodder, but sadly nothing more. But, for the sake of this review, let’s start with the positives.
The cast is by far, the biggest selling point for this film. Filled to the brim with talent like Bullock, Blanchett and Paulson, it was always going to be a win-win situation pulling an ensemble like this together. Bullock is absolutely fabulous from the minute the film begins and Anne Hathaway is clearly having a ball playing an over-the-top version of herself. Helena Bonham Carter is surprisingly good as a failing Irish fashion designer and it’s always a joy seeing Sarah Paulson’s understated performances grace the big screen.
What’s not so good is the way the film treats its stars from different ethnicities however. Rihanna, Mindy Kaling (Amita) and Awkwafina (Constance) are sorely underused throughout. In fact, outside of Paulson, Awkwafina and Kaling provide the film with its most intriguing characters – but we learn very little about them apart from a few scenes studying their personal/professional lives.
It’s also best not to talk about James Corden and his hideously over-acted performance as fraud investigator John. Filled with cringeworthy dialogue, it’s a miracle his part is relatively short. Like a bad smell however, he lingers for much too long.
The biggest sin that Ocean’s 8 commits is its complete lack of plausibility
Then there’s the plot, or rather the script. In making these women the absolute best-of-the-best, there are no high stakes, no tension to be had or anything remotely resembling a narrow-escape.
There’s the obligatory ‘oh no’ moment as something looks like it’s going to go wrong, but it’s rectified so suddenly that any joy in watching the heist unfold is completely lost. Where the previous Ocean’s movies were riddled with tension, Ocean’s 8 is devoid of it.
Thankfully, the plan is fun if a little uninspiring to behold, filled with bland cinematography very similar to what was seen in the first Hunger Games film way back in 2012. It’s all just very staid, like the studio was simply ticking boxes on a checklist to make sure they got a film that would make them money, but was lacking anything in the way of originality.
But perhaps the biggest sin that Ocean’s 8 commits is its complete lack of plausibility. Article upon article has already been created in which writers dissect the film’s heist plan and come up with the same conclusion: it can’t be done. You don’t need those articles though, because the plot holes are big enough for anyone to see and that’s a real shame. This becomes increasingly evident in the film’s final 10 minutes which makes a mockery of everything that came before.
Overall, Ocean’s 8 is your typical summer blockbuster. It’s light, breezy and like a big tub of cottage cheese, devoid of any personality whatsoever. It’s saving grace is the cast. Managing to pull together an ensemble this good takes a lot of effort, and for that, it deserves some praise – faint praise, but praise nonetheless.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2018/06/21/oceans-8-review-light-and-breezy-but-utterly-forgettable/
I mean, look at poor Disney and the performance of Solo: A Star Wars Story if you need any indication of a tiring audience. Female-led reboots are all the rage now too with Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters being met with a dreadful run at the box office despite decent critical responses. Next up, we’ve got Ocean’s 8, a sequel no-one was really asking for but got anyway. Is it worth a watch?
Five years, eight months, 12 days and counting – that’s how long Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock) has been devising the biggest heist of her life. She knows what it’s going to take – a team of the best people in the field, starting with her partner-in-crime Lou Miller (Cate Blanchett). Together, they recruit a crew of specialists, including jeweller Amita, street con Constance, suburban mom Tammy (Sarah Paulson), hacker Nine Ball (Rihanna), and fashion designer Rose (Helena Bonham Carter). Their target: a necklace that’s worth more than $150 million.
Gary Ross, director of the first Hunger Games movie, takes over from Steven Soderbergh to helm a film that is perfectly passable popcorn fodder, but sadly nothing more. But, for the sake of this review, let’s start with the positives.
The cast is by far, the biggest selling point for this film. Filled to the brim with talent like Bullock, Blanchett and Paulson, it was always going to be a win-win situation pulling an ensemble like this together. Bullock is absolutely fabulous from the minute the film begins and Anne Hathaway is clearly having a ball playing an over-the-top version of herself. Helena Bonham Carter is surprisingly good as a failing Irish fashion designer and it’s always a joy seeing Sarah Paulson’s understated performances grace the big screen.
What’s not so good is the way the film treats its stars from different ethnicities however. Rihanna, Mindy Kaling (Amita) and Awkwafina (Constance) are sorely underused throughout. In fact, outside of Paulson, Awkwafina and Kaling provide the film with its most intriguing characters – but we learn very little about them apart from a few scenes studying their personal/professional lives.
It’s also best not to talk about James Corden and his hideously over-acted performance as fraud investigator John. Filled with cringeworthy dialogue, it’s a miracle his part is relatively short. Like a bad smell however, he lingers for much too long.
The biggest sin that Ocean’s 8 commits is its complete lack of plausibility
Then there’s the plot, or rather the script. In making these women the absolute best-of-the-best, there are no high stakes, no tension to be had or anything remotely resembling a narrow-escape.
There’s the obligatory ‘oh no’ moment as something looks like it’s going to go wrong, but it’s rectified so suddenly that any joy in watching the heist unfold is completely lost. Where the previous Ocean’s movies were riddled with tension, Ocean’s 8 is devoid of it.
Thankfully, the plan is fun if a little uninspiring to behold, filled with bland cinematography very similar to what was seen in the first Hunger Games film way back in 2012. It’s all just very staid, like the studio was simply ticking boxes on a checklist to make sure they got a film that would make them money, but was lacking anything in the way of originality.
But perhaps the biggest sin that Ocean’s 8 commits is its complete lack of plausibility. Article upon article has already been created in which writers dissect the film’s heist plan and come up with the same conclusion: it can’t be done. You don’t need those articles though, because the plot holes are big enough for anyone to see and that’s a real shame. This becomes increasingly evident in the film’s final 10 minutes which makes a mockery of everything that came before.
Overall, Ocean’s 8 is your typical summer blockbuster. It’s light, breezy and like a big tub of cottage cheese, devoid of any personality whatsoever. It’s saving grace is the cast. Managing to pull together an ensemble this good takes a lot of effort, and for that, it deserves some praise – faint praise, but praise nonetheless.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2018/06/21/oceans-8-review-light-and-breezy-but-utterly-forgettable/
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Molly J (Cover To Cover Cafe) (106 KP) rated Pursued (Nikki Boyd Files #3) in Books
Feb 27, 2019
Holy smokes! Ms. Harris is a FABULOUS thrilling, suspense author. Her book had it all. I mean all. It had the thrills of suspense, the chilling twists, the roller coaster ups and the breath taking romance that makes up a well rounded, beautifully written romantic suspense novel.
The characters within this book are perfectly chiseled. They are real-to-life and complexly portrayed in this thriller. Nikki, Erika, Tyler and the other secondary characters really pulled me into the heart of the story with them. Every fast paced move, every heart pounding scene truly came to life for me. I loved that!
Ms. Harris had me on the edge of the my seat through this whole book. I read it in one intense sitting! That is how a book is written, that's for sure. She added the perfect amount of messages from God and kept the story line flowing. This story is filled with hope and trusting in Him. You need both in today's world!
While this is not the first book in this series, it wasn't hard to get acquainted with the characters and their stories. But, I will for sure be checking out the first two books in the series as well as looking forward to the next installment! Ms. Harris, you are truly, superbly talented and I give this book a whopping 5 star praise and roof-top-shouting recommendations. <a href="http://cafinatedreads.com/revell-reads-review-pursued-by-lisa-harris/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Cafinated Reads</a>
The characters within this book are perfectly chiseled. They are real-to-life and complexly portrayed in this thriller. Nikki, Erika, Tyler and the other secondary characters really pulled me into the heart of the story with them. Every fast paced move, every heart pounding scene truly came to life for me. I loved that!
Ms. Harris had me on the edge of the my seat through this whole book. I read it in one intense sitting! That is how a book is written, that's for sure. She added the perfect amount of messages from God and kept the story line flowing. This story is filled with hope and trusting in Him. You need both in today's world!
While this is not the first book in this series, it wasn't hard to get acquainted with the characters and their stories. But, I will for sure be checking out the first two books in the series as well as looking forward to the next installment! Ms. Harris, you are truly, superbly talented and I give this book a whopping 5 star praise and roof-top-shouting recommendations. <a href="http://cafinatedreads.com/revell-reads-review-pursued-by-lisa-harris/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Cafinated Reads</a>
Sean Farrell (9 KP) rated I am Pilgrim in Books
Mar 15, 2018
This novel has been garnering high praise all summer long so I was very excited to get into it, and I was certainly not disappointed. This suspense novel simultaneously tells the story of a mysterious murder in New York City and a potential terrorist plot in the Middle East that could have unimaginably catastrophic effects for civilization as we know it. The protagonist, who has gone by many names throughout his life, is a compelling and necessarily flawed character. There are certainly things about him that one could find disagreeable, but he is still more than human enough to be worth rooting for. The other primary characters are also fleshed out enough to be equally compelling. As for the plot, it jumps around the world and across decades smoothly and at such a breakneck pace that it gets harder and harder to put this book down as it goes. While the mystery winds up being satisfyingly twisty, it is the terrorist plot that is the main point of the book, and it is easily one of the most plausibly horrifying things I have ever read. Suffice it to say that it has added something new to my list of worries, and I certainly hope that some actions are taken to ensure something like this never happens in real life. This is one of the most entertaining (and harrowing) books I have read this year, and is likely to wind up on more than a few end-of-the-year best lists.
BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond in Books
Jan 2, 2019
I couldn't read this book fast enough! Jaime Jo Wright weaves such a tale of mystery and suspense that you won't want to put it down. Thankfully, when house duties called, I have SCRIBD, so I could listen to the book while I did dishes, vacuumed, and did the laundry.
Filled with so much agony for all that these characters go through, the empath in me had a rough go of it. But, all said and done, the author created the perfect balance with the tension, the hope, the suspense, and the romance. I am not sure how much more I can say without giving away the story! I couldn't figure out who the "bad guys" were for the longest time. I was trying so hard to figure out how everything all meshed together...But couldn't work it out on my own.
Annalise and Libby are two women that I think are incredibly strong, brave, and heroines of the best sort. Sure they have made mistakes (who hasn't), but the important thing is that they learned from them, grew, moved on, and are helping others.
I just want all of Jaime's stories in my hands right now! I could read them all year. Haha! I adore her voice and the vision she has behind her stories. They truly are remarkable and deserve the highest praise.
I received a complimentary copy of The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond from the publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
Filled with so much agony for all that these characters go through, the empath in me had a rough go of it. But, all said and done, the author created the perfect balance with the tension, the hope, the suspense, and the romance. I am not sure how much more I can say without giving away the story! I couldn't figure out who the "bad guys" were for the longest time. I was trying so hard to figure out how everything all meshed together...But couldn't work it out on my own.
Annalise and Libby are two women that I think are incredibly strong, brave, and heroines of the best sort. Sure they have made mistakes (who hasn't), but the important thing is that they learned from them, grew, moved on, and are helping others.
I just want all of Jaime's stories in my hands right now! I could read them all year. Haha! I adore her voice and the vision she has behind her stories. They truly are remarkable and deserve the highest praise.
I received a complimentary copy of The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond from the publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
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