‘Ocean’s Thirteen’
Clooney, Pitt, and Damon return to anchor the third entry in the super-slick heist franchise, under the direction of Stephen Soderbergh.

Most of the ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ and ‘Twelve’ cast return, with only Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones absent, but not missed. This, possibly final, chapter makes up for the oft-derided second instalment, by returning to the setting that made us care in the first place; Las Vegas.

“What are the odds of getting even”, reads the tagline, as the story centres around a revenge plot on hotel tycoon Willy Bank (think an over-the-top Donald Trump), played by Al Pacino, for swindling and bankrupting their friend and financier, Reuben (Elliot Gould), one of the original eleven.

While never quite reaching the heights of ‘Eleven’s’ razor sharp dialogue and untouchably cool look (perhaps as third time out, it’s simply not as fresh), ‘Oceans Thirteen’ nonetheless progresses with breathtaking pace, plot twists and reveals, unravelling and dazzling in equal turn, no matter how far-fetched the situation.

A certain degree of suspension of disbelief must be employed with these type of movies. Essentially, we all know what’s going to happen come the end credits, but the fun part is how we get there.

All the leads are in top form, with Damon yet again, the stand out, unsurprisingly bringing a depth of character to the thinly written Linus Caldwell. It’s business as usual for Clooney and Pitt: say cool things and look good doing it!

The cast all seem to be having fun and it shines through on screen, bringing an almost whimsical feeling to it all. Andy Garcia, an often insipid performer, has been eminently watchable in these movies, and is given a chance here, to have a little fun with his Terry Benedict character, and it pays off, for the hilarious finale.

A fun summer movie then, it lives up to the high standard set by the first movie, redeems the second, and closes out this first trilogy perfectly. The box office receipts for this one should make ‘Oceans Fourteen’ a sure thing.
3.5 out of 5

‘Grindhouse’
Directors Quentin Tarantino (‘Kill Bill’) and Robert Rodriquez (‘Sin City’), bring this unique proposition to the table, each directing a feature-length homage to seventies’ exploitation horror flicks, under the ‘Grindhouse’ banner.

First up is Rodriguez’s ‘Planet Terror’ which involves zombies, a machine-gun legged heroine (Rose Mc Gowan), and buckets of blood. We are then treated to a series of fake trailers for movies that donít exist, but could, featuring everyone from Danny Trejo to Simon Pegg.

‘Death Proof’ is Tarantino’s offering, a slasher movie with cars and is, it must be said, the superior movie. ‘Planet Terror’ was the most reckless fun to be had at a movie this year, ‘Death Proof’, while infinitely less in-your-face, left the lasting impression.

‘Planet Terror’ oozes a kind of sick charm, and the laughs come thick and fast. There are cameos from Bruce Willis and Tarantino himself. Honestly, the plot is about as run-of-the-mill as any zombie movie, but the key to the success of the film is in its execution, and when the level of creativity on show here is brought to the screen, plot weakness can be easily forgiven.

With ‘Death Proof’, the slow build-up, Tarantino’s trademark rapid-fire dialogue, and, Kurt Russell’s performance as crazed serial killing stunt driver, Stuntman Mike, combine to make this movie a must-see.

Potential audiences for these movies will know by the most basic of plot outlines, whether ‘Grindhouse’ is for them or not. It is an acquired taste, but for anybody who enjoys films like Peter Jackson’s ‘Bad Taste’, Sam Raimis’s ‘Evil Dead’ series, or any of the so-called ‘video nasties’ from the eighties, will have an absolute ball with ‘Planet Terror’. ‘Death Proof’ is undoubtedly the more mainstream audience-friendly portion, and will be released before ‘Terror’ in Europe this summer.
4.5 out of 5