Jun 6, 2007 3:37 pm US/Pacific
Review: A Four-Pack Of Summer Releases
CBS 5 Film Critic James Rocchi
As summer kicks in, big movies try to make big money -- and smaller films try to make their mark as well. Here's some short, quick takes on some of June's releases.
Ocean's Thirteen
(3 out of 4 Reels)There are worse things to do at the movies than watching good-looking people have fun; Ocean's Thirteen gives you that, and just a little more. George Clooney returns as scammer and schemer Danny Ocean, this time joining up with his crew (including Brad Pitt and Matt Damon) to torpedo Vegas villain Al Pacino. Ocean's Thirteen looks great -- director Steven Soderbergh shot the film himself -- and it's easy fun, but it's not quite as good as the first film; there's a certain fatigue factor you can see just behind the bright lights. I know the Ocean's films aren't supposed to be high art; at their best, they're glossy fun fantasies of male camaraderie and custom-tailored cool -- and Ocean's Thirteen is no exception.
Paprika
(3 out of 4 Reels)Don't be fooled by the animation; the Japanese sci-fi film Paprika is a grown-up brain-bender of the highest order. Paprika's set in a near-future where a new invention allows psychologists to enter the dreams of their patients -- but the device falls into the wrong hands, and the psychologist who helped created it has to go into action in the dream world as a super heroine of the subconscious. As the shadowy forces behind the device's theft start forcing a lunatic's dreams on everyone, the line between the real world and the land of dreams gets more and more confused -- and more and more dangerous. Paprika's full of visual wonder and astonishment, and may be one of the best science fiction films of the summer.
Crazy Love
(0 out of 4 Reels)This documentary -- directed by PR maven Dan Klores -- left me feeling literally unclean when I saw it at the Sundance Film Festival. Crazy Love introduces us to long-married squabbling couple Burt and Linda Pugach -- showing us how they met, how the fell in love, how Linda found out Burt was already married, how she left him, how Burt arranged to have acid thrown in her face, leaving her nearly blind. After Burt's prison sentence, the two re-met, reconciled and re-married. Grim, clammy, creepy and co-dependent, Crazy Love is one of the most thoroughly unpleasant films I've seen this year -- a badly-shot bore about shameless, thoughtless people.
Surf's Up
(3 out of 4 Reels)With March of the Penguins and Happy Feet, penguins are hot right now; Surf's Up, a kid's animation flick made as a mock documentary follows young penguin Cody (voiced by Shia LaBeouf) as he tries to make it as a pro surfer. Unlike the Shrek films or some other recent animated fare; Surf's Up doesn't blast you with non-stop gags and triple-layered references. Instead, it's got a simple-but-endearing story and characters -- and great vocal performances from Zooey Deschanel, James Woods, Jeff Bridges and more. (Bridges -- playing an older, surf-mentor Zenguin -- is a real treat, in fact; what's great is that he sounds like he's playing it straight.) Surf's Up looks terrific, but it has real heart under the great animation -- it's a fun family film that will work for kids and their grown-up escorts.
