Surf's Up : Flawless casting lets animated surfing flick ride wave of hilarity 'Disappearances' opens a new chapter on the literary film Paprika: So many intriguing paths, and the director took none of them Crazy Love: You won't be humming the theme song to this 'odd couple' What happens in the "Ocean's" movies should stay in Vegas. "Ocean's 11" was set there, whereas the spotty sequel, "Ocean's 12," seemed to take place Everywhere in Europe. But the new and improved sequel, "Ocean's 13," is back in Nevada, where these gambling con-artist movies clearly belong.
In fact, what's coolest about "13" is that it brazenly invents a snazzy new (computer-generated) casino and plops it down on the famous Vegas strip. It's called the Bank, and it's so believably incorporated into that familiar skyline that it's a thrill every time we see it. The other great thing about "13" is that it assumes the audience is up to speed, even when we aren't.
For instance, you'll have to have seen "12" to know who the beady-eyed guy lurking around the margins of "13" is. And, while most movies get clearer as they go along, "13" gets murkier and more complicated (it always seems like this gang's plans cost more than they could possibly earn, which I think is part of the joke). George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and their genetically blessed compadres drop invented, nonsensical references to "pancake eaters" and "doing an Irwin Allen.
" And even the legitimate references are a bit obscure - does everyone know "cougars" are older women who prey on young men? - implying the characters in "13" are at the peak of hepness and are doing us the favor of assuming we can summit that peak, too. When "13" is trading in loopy in-jokes (there's a doozy at the end, when Clooney and Pitt make fun of themselves), it's at its best.
That's when it achieves the casual, Sinatra-tossing-off-a-tune feel it's going for. But sometimes, the ginormous sets and elaborate special effects give "13" a labored feel that's more Celine Dion than Sinatra, sort of like a conversation that can't quite get off the ground. What saves the movie is the con itself, in which Danny Ocean (Clooney) and gang get the best of a nasty casino boss (Al Pacino, with orange hair and dyed-to-match skin).
"Ocean's 13" knows everybody loves to see the house lose, which is what makes watching the gang rig the casino to go bust so fun. There's even a sly visual joke in there. The scenes in "13" are divided into three color schemes - some are washed in gold, some in blue and some in red.
It's only at the end, when we see a vivid forest and the boys are divvying up the spoils, that we realize the only color we almost never see is, ironically, Vegas' favorite: green. Chris Hewitt can be reached at chewitt@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5552.
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