{"id":5139,"date":"2018-09-29T12:22:14","date_gmt":"2018-09-29T16:22:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/?p=5139"},"modified":"2022-11-05T20:04:16","modified_gmt":"2022-11-06T00:04:16","slug":"oceans-eight-2018-movie-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/oceans-eight-2018-movie-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Ocean&#8217;s Eight is a pleasantly diverting trifle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Gary Ross&#8217; <em>Ocean&#8217;s Eight<\/em> is, like all <em>Ocean&#8217;s<\/em> films before it, a pleasantly diverting trifle. But its relative deficiency of zip and pizzazz makes me wonder if co-producer <a href=\"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/tag\/steven-soderbergh\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"83\">Steven Soderbergh<\/a> positioned his own <em>Logan Lucky<\/em> as an act of sabotage. I found myself mentally compiling a wishlist while watching:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>I believe it was intended as a plot twist that James Corden&#8217;s insurance investigator was chummy with career criminal Debbie Ocean (<a href=\"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/tag\/sandra-bullock\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"1797\">Sandra Bullock<\/a>), but it only reduced the stakes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Nice to see Elliot Gould and Shaobo Qin, but a cameo from Julia Roberts would have been fun and fitting.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Speaking of cameos, I would have LOL&#8217;d if one of the hapless chefs <a href=\"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/tag\/cate-blanchett\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"142\">Cate Blanchett<\/a> was training had been Topher Grace.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The insurance investigator could have been a female English star &#8212; how about Emma Thompson? Kate Winslet? Thandie Newton? Yes, thematically, it makes sense for the character to be a male antagonist, but it still seems like a missed casting opportunity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>I didn&#8217;t note one, just one, quotable line of dialogue &#8212; like &#8220;and <em>then<\/em> he&#8217;ll go to work on you&#8221; or &#8220;allllllll reds&#8221; or &#8220;did you check the batteries&#8221; or countless others from <em>Ocean&#8217;s Eleven<\/em>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A score by David Holmes would have gone a long way.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Some praise: <a href=\"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/tag\/anne-hathaway\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"1798\">Anne Hathaway<\/a> was totally the MVP. As in Tim Burton&#8217;s <em>Alice in Wonderland<\/em>, she stole all the scenes, and elevated the material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some trivia: I was startled to hear an unmistakable sample of No-Man&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=p6tQqk-J2OU\">&#8220;Dry Cleaning Ray&#8221;<\/a> repeated several times in Daniel Pemberton&#8217;s score. I&#8217;m a big <a href=\"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/tag\/no-man\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"1657\">No-Man<\/a> fan, and this is a deep cut. I hope Steven Wilson and Tim Bowness were cut a check.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gary Ross&#8217; Ocean&#8217;s Eight is, like all Ocean&#8217;s films before it, a pleasantly diverting trifle. But its relative deficiency of zip and pizzazz makes me wonder if co-producer Steven Soderbergh positioned his own Logan Lucky as an act of sabotage. I found myself mentally compiling a wishlist while watching: Some praise: Anne Hathaway was totally [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5140,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,2],"tags":[1700,1798,1800,142,1802,1796,986,1803,1799,1801,1797,450,83],"class_list":["post-5139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-3-stars","category-movies","tag-1700","tag-anne-hathaway","tag-awkwafina","tag-cate-blanchett","tag-elliot-gould","tag-gary-ross","tag-helena-bonham-carter","tag-james-corden","tag-mindy-kaling","tag-rihanna","tag-sandra-bullock","tag-sarah-paulson","tag-steven-soderbergh"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/oceans-eight.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa9lhB-1kT","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1464,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/solaris\/","url_meta":{"origin":5139,"position":0},"title":"Death Has No Dominion in Steven Soderbergh&#8217;s Solaris","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"February 2, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"As a huge title card reads immediately at the end of the film, Solaris was \"written for the screen and directed by Steven Soderbergh.\" I am a big admirer, but that seemed a bit egotistical even to me. Perhaps an overenthusiastic end-credits designer is to blame? Or maybe the studio\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;3 Stars&quot;","block_context":{"text":"3 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/3-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Solaris","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/solaris-2002-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/solaris-2002-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/solaris-2002-feature.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/solaris-2002-feature.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/solaris-2002-feature.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":168,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/bubble\/","url_meta":{"origin":5139,"position":1},"title":"Steven Soderbergh&#8217;s Bubble","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"March 6, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"As Bubble's loos into the lives of factory workers in an economically depressed town turns into a noir (as Steven Soderbergh himself notes on the commentary track), I caught a whiff of class anthropology. That said, I understand Soderbergh's point that critics' charges of exploitation are condescending; the non-actors are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;3 Stars&quot;","block_context":{"text":"3 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/3-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Bubble","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/03\/bubble-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/03\/bubble-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/03\/bubble-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/03\/bubble-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/03\/bubble-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2120,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/the-therapist-experience-the-girlfriend-experience\/","url_meta":{"origin":5139,"position":2},"title":"Sasha Grey Provides The Therapist Experience, in The Girlfriend Experience","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"August 8, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Steven Soderbergh's The Girlfriend Experience is a low-fi, partially improvised production loosely associated with his periodic palate-cleansing experiments including Schizopolis, Full Frontal, K Street, and Bubble. Working with real locations and relatively cheap cameras, this class of thrifty productions allows Soderbergh a rapid turnaround from conception to finished product. In\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;3 Stars&quot;","block_context":{"text":"3 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/3-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/the-girlfriend-experience.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/the-girlfriend-experience.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/the-girlfriend-experience.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/the-girlfriend-experience.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/the-girlfriend-experience.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":193,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/the-dork-report-for-april-18-2006\/","url_meta":{"origin":5139,"position":3},"title":"The Dork Report for April 18, 2006","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"April 18, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Cute Overload (no longer online: cuteoverload.com) is so... cute, it makes my teeth hurt. Warning: the Cats 'n' Racks category may be not quite safe for work. (guest submission from Cute-as-a-Bug-in-a-Rug Andrea) How can I be sure you're not pretender? I want you to love me tender (no longer online:\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;The Dork Report&quot;","block_context":{"text":"The Dork Report","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/dork-report\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Dork Report","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/dork-report.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/dork-report.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/dork-report.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/dork-report.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/dork-report.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":956,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/glengarry-glen-ross\/","url_meta":{"origin":5139,"position":4},"title":"Death of a BLEEPing salesman: James Foley&#8217;s Glengarry Glen Ross","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"August 22, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"For better or for worse, Glengarry Glen Ross is very pointedly set in a world of men. I believe only one woman so much as appears onscreen, in the background of one single scene. It's no accident, oversight, or deliberate act of Hollywood misogyny to banish women from this 24-hour\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;4 Stars&quot;","block_context":{"text":"4 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/4-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/glengarry-glen-ross-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/glengarry-glen-ross-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/glengarry-glen-ross-feature.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/glengarry-glen-ross-feature.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/glengarry-glen-ross-feature.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":425,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/the-dork-report-for-september-27-2006\/","url_meta":{"origin":5139,"position":5},"title":"The Dork Report for September 27, 2006","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"September 27, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Jasper Hauser on designing an icon. Steven Heller interviews Gary Hustwit, director of the documentary Helvetica. A new record in narrowly focused blogs: Hawk Wings (no longer online: hawkwings.net) focuses exclusively on Apple's Mail.app. Who knew there were so many add-ons (no longer online: hawkwings.net\/plugins.htm)? Disco (no longer online: discoapp.com\/blog)\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;The Dork Report&quot;","block_context":{"text":"The Dork Report","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/dork-report\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Dork Report","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/dork-report.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/dork-report.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/dork-report.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/dork-report.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/dork-report.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5139","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5139"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5139\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8069,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5139\/revisions\/8069"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5140"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5139"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}