Hostel: Part Two, Surf's Up, Oceans Thirteen
Hostel: Part Two *1/2
Directed by Eli Roth
93 Minutes
Rated R for sadistic scenes of torture and bloody violence, terror, nudity, sexual content, language and some drug content.
The current trend of horror films mainly consisting of torture sequences and constant and pointless blood and gore continues with the ultimate pretentious director Eli Roth's newest installment in his "Hostel" series-although poor box office and one trick wonder story will clearly make this the finale. The idea of "Hostel" is disturbing enough-a hell on Earth place where rich people pay to get the chance to kill an unsuspecting European tourist. And "Hostel" managed to have a few scares-even though the first forty five minutes is a pointless exercise in softcore pornography. But "Hostel Part II" is just more of the same-more of the same party sequences, more of the same torture sequences-and here Roth does not shy away from showing anything.
On the same trend as Tarantino and Rodriguez, Roth centers his tale around a group of women (for some reason all three of them have this newfound fetish for strong women characters-or just bloody women characters.) There is the kind Beth, the slutty Whitney, and the nerdy Lorna (and you could probably guess which is the first to go.) They come into contact with the beautiful Axelle who is really working for this hostel-kidnap the three girls and hand them over to American businessmen Stuart and Todd. Todd is pumped for the kill, but Stuart is having serious doubts. It was somewhat clever of Roth to get us into the mind of the killers instead of just having them come out when its time for the kill, but the late development "plot twists" were seen coming a mile away, and while the very last shot is darkly hilarious (much like the ending to Roth's great "Cabin Fever") the torture scenes are just more of the same. I can't take this trend anymore ,and its clear that a lot of people feel the same. "Hostel Part II" is mainly just sick on one level, and more of the same on the second-but then again the first film did not exactly set the bar that high.
Surf's Up **
Directed by Ash Brannon and Chris Buck
85 Minutes
Rated PG for mild language and some rude humor.
I just want the penguins to go away. Even though I did really enjoy "Happy Feet" and thought that "March of the Penguins" was very fascinating the first time around, it doesn't mean I need to see yet another animated story about penguins. And "Surf's Up" just seems like more of the same-a dull and often uninspired mockumentary about penguins surfing. Based on the concept that penguins were the earliest surfers, directing team Brannon and Buck introduce us to Cody, a seventeen year old penguin that wants to use surfing as his ticket out of Antarctica. Cody is inspired by the legendary Big Z, a buff surfing champ who was killed in a wipe out years ago. Cody boasts a necklace given to him by Z. Facing the new surfing champ-the greedy Tank Evans-Cody tries to win the surfing competition with the help of his friends Chicken Joe (and somehow a chicken got on the North Pole?) and Geek, who has a secret identity that I guessed right when his character was introduced-maybe you wouldn't if you were five or just plain stupid.
The animation is nice to look at here, but that is pretty much the best you can say about it. Even if this had an amazing story behind it, the use of penguins just seems like more of the same-trying to get a quick buck by meshing together the documentary style of "March of the Penguins" and the cartoon style of "Happy Feet," but it does not work. Even the jokes seems way over the heads of children, and the mockumentary style would probably make them somewhat confused. I'll admit I'm not much of a fan of the genre myself, as I've proved with my feelings for "For Your Consideration" and "Chalk." In addition the voice choices were pretty obvious. Real original using Jon Heder as a chicken that uses phrases like "Sweet" and "Radical." Nice choice for Jeff Bridges as an aging ex-surfer that wants to do his thing and be left alone. The whole film just reeked of obvious jokes and a muddled story that failed to capture interest for me. I highly doubt this will be the animated film that lasts through the summer. I believe the penguins have finally sailed.
Oceans Thirteen ***
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
122 Minutes
Rated PG-13 for brief sensuality
The first film in what is now known as the "Oceans Trilogy" I thought was pure gold. Complete entertainment, extremely clever, and most of all it was a lot of fun. Then they made the second one-the aptly named "Oceans 12"-which, while it looked terrific from the adverts-ended up being a complete mess, and a poor excuse for the cast to try and have a good time again. Soderbergh even tried to experiment with constant shaky camera work, making the entire viewing experience a headache. Now they are all back, and while I was apprenshive when I first read it, the adverts looked decent. And best of all, Soderbergh stopped with his seizures and actually allowed the camera to stay on a tripod in front of the characters as they do their thing. And they even return to Vegas, giving the film a feel like the first one again, and a less complicated heist to add to audience enjoyment. And what did they get? Success. "Oceans 13" might be the most satisfying end to a trilogy during the massive hail of "three-quels," never getting overly emotional like in "Spider-Man 3" and never getting overly complicated like in "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End." I certainly had a lot of fun watching this film.
Taking place a while after the second, we begin with the news for the gang that their beloved Reuben (one of the original 11) was screwed over in a business deal with Willie Bank, millionaire and casino owner played by Al Pacino. This angers Danny Ocean, who takes the 11 and adds two more (Eddie Izzard and their original rival Andy Garcia), to rig up all of the games for opening night at his new casino to ensure that the customers win and the bank looses. What makes "13" different from the horrid "12" is that here they actually seem to be taking everything seriously. "12" tried to revisit some fun, while "13" actually has a script and a clever story. Soderbergh also acknowledges the "conversational style" that they all have, allowing the main three (Clooney, Pitt, and Damon) a chance to share witty banter and over-lapping dialogue. The humor here just works, and did not seem force. Perhaps the lack of Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta Jones just added, as I found them strong weaknesses in the first two. There is just something about both of them that just plain ticks me off. In addition to all that, almost every shot is beautiful to look at, and by not shaking the camera around like a man with a serizure, we are actually able to appriciate the detail in what we are watching. And lastly, I enjoyed how Soderbergh did in fact revisit things from the second film that should have made it richer, and injected them into this one-only better. The addition of Eddie Izzard who I think is great was welcome, and more with the Vincent Cassel character was actually done effectively. I really did enjoy "Oceans 13," and I beg for no more as this would actually end the series on a high note.
Directed by Eli Roth
93 Minutes
Rated R for sadistic scenes of torture and bloody violence, terror, nudity, sexual content, language and some drug content.
The current trend of horror films mainly consisting of torture sequences and constant and pointless blood and gore continues with the ultimate pretentious director Eli Roth's newest installment in his "Hostel" series-although poor box office and one trick wonder story will clearly make this the finale. The idea of "Hostel" is disturbing enough-a hell on Earth place where rich people pay to get the chance to kill an unsuspecting European tourist. And "Hostel" managed to have a few scares-even though the first forty five minutes is a pointless exercise in softcore pornography. But "Hostel Part II" is just more of the same-more of the same party sequences, more of the same torture sequences-and here Roth does not shy away from showing anything.
On the same trend as Tarantino and Rodriguez, Roth centers his tale around a group of women (for some reason all three of them have this newfound fetish for strong women characters-or just bloody women characters.) There is the kind Beth, the slutty Whitney, and the nerdy Lorna (and you could probably guess which is the first to go.) They come into contact with the beautiful Axelle who is really working for this hostel-kidnap the three girls and hand them over to American businessmen Stuart and Todd. Todd is pumped for the kill, but Stuart is having serious doubts. It was somewhat clever of Roth to get us into the mind of the killers instead of just having them come out when its time for the kill, but the late development "plot twists" were seen coming a mile away, and while the very last shot is darkly hilarious (much like the ending to Roth's great "Cabin Fever") the torture scenes are just more of the same. I can't take this trend anymore ,and its clear that a lot of people feel the same. "Hostel Part II" is mainly just sick on one level, and more of the same on the second-but then again the first film did not exactly set the bar that high.
Surf's Up **
Directed by Ash Brannon and Chris Buck
85 Minutes
Rated PG for mild language and some rude humor.
I just want the penguins to go away. Even though I did really enjoy "Happy Feet" and thought that "March of the Penguins" was very fascinating the first time around, it doesn't mean I need to see yet another animated story about penguins. And "Surf's Up" just seems like more of the same-a dull and often uninspired mockumentary about penguins surfing. Based on the concept that penguins were the earliest surfers, directing team Brannon and Buck introduce us to Cody, a seventeen year old penguin that wants to use surfing as his ticket out of Antarctica. Cody is inspired by the legendary Big Z, a buff surfing champ who was killed in a wipe out years ago. Cody boasts a necklace given to him by Z. Facing the new surfing champ-the greedy Tank Evans-Cody tries to win the surfing competition with the help of his friends Chicken Joe (and somehow a chicken got on the North Pole?) and Geek, who has a secret identity that I guessed right when his character was introduced-maybe you wouldn't if you were five or just plain stupid.
The animation is nice to look at here, but that is pretty much the best you can say about it. Even if this had an amazing story behind it, the use of penguins just seems like more of the same-trying to get a quick buck by meshing together the documentary style of "March of the Penguins" and the cartoon style of "Happy Feet," but it does not work. Even the jokes seems way over the heads of children, and the mockumentary style would probably make them somewhat confused. I'll admit I'm not much of a fan of the genre myself, as I've proved with my feelings for "For Your Consideration" and "Chalk." In addition the voice choices were pretty obvious. Real original using Jon Heder as a chicken that uses phrases like "Sweet" and "Radical." Nice choice for Jeff Bridges as an aging ex-surfer that wants to do his thing and be left alone. The whole film just reeked of obvious jokes and a muddled story that failed to capture interest for me. I highly doubt this will be the animated film that lasts through the summer. I believe the penguins have finally sailed.
Oceans Thirteen ***
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
122 Minutes
Rated PG-13 for brief sensuality
The first film in what is now known as the "Oceans Trilogy" I thought was pure gold. Complete entertainment, extremely clever, and most of all it was a lot of fun. Then they made the second one-the aptly named "Oceans 12"-which, while it looked terrific from the adverts-ended up being a complete mess, and a poor excuse for the cast to try and have a good time again. Soderbergh even tried to experiment with constant shaky camera work, making the entire viewing experience a headache. Now they are all back, and while I was apprenshive when I first read it, the adverts looked decent. And best of all, Soderbergh stopped with his seizures and actually allowed the camera to stay on a tripod in front of the characters as they do their thing. And they even return to Vegas, giving the film a feel like the first one again, and a less complicated heist to add to audience enjoyment. And what did they get? Success. "Oceans 13" might be the most satisfying end to a trilogy during the massive hail of "three-quels," never getting overly emotional like in "Spider-Man 3" and never getting overly complicated like in "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End." I certainly had a lot of fun watching this film.
Taking place a while after the second, we begin with the news for the gang that their beloved Reuben (one of the original 11) was screwed over in a business deal with Willie Bank, millionaire and casino owner played by Al Pacino. This angers Danny Ocean, who takes the 11 and adds two more (Eddie Izzard and their original rival Andy Garcia), to rig up all of the games for opening night at his new casino to ensure that the customers win and the bank looses. What makes "13" different from the horrid "12" is that here they actually seem to be taking everything seriously. "12" tried to revisit some fun, while "13" actually has a script and a clever story. Soderbergh also acknowledges the "conversational style" that they all have, allowing the main three (Clooney, Pitt, and Damon) a chance to share witty banter and over-lapping dialogue. The humor here just works, and did not seem force. Perhaps the lack of Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta Jones just added, as I found them strong weaknesses in the first two. There is just something about both of them that just plain ticks me off. In addition to all that, almost every shot is beautiful to look at, and by not shaking the camera around like a man with a serizure, we are actually able to appriciate the detail in what we are watching. And lastly, I enjoyed how Soderbergh did in fact revisit things from the second film that should have made it richer, and injected them into this one-only better. The addition of Eddie Izzard who I think is great was welcome, and more with the Vincent Cassel character was actually done effectively. I really did enjoy "Oceans 13," and I beg for no more as this would actually end the series on a high note.
posted by Eric at
12:31 AM
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