November 11, 2001

10:42 AM

The remake of Oceans Eleven, starring a myriad of $10 to $20 million per pic actors (including two Oscar winners) and helmed by Oscar winning director, was made for just $80 million. If the chemistry in this LA Times Calendar article is any indication, they seem to have a good handle on the Rat Pack spirit, or maybe it's just the vodka and cranberries.
posted by eyeballkid (16 comments total)

i think soderbergh is an awesome director. have you seen the limey? you should.
posted by moz at 11:12 AM on November 11, 2001

That's a surprisingly fun read. Rumor has it that George Clooney is very down to earth and I think his attitude influences the rest of them.
The remake just has to be better than the original. I think its smart to remake a bad movie -- why remake a classic?
posted by drunkkeith at 11:36 AM on November 11, 2001

sometimes it's fun to embrace the american movie star machine. from this article, it seems like this is going to be that kind of fun. when does this movie come out, because it seems like the perfect thing to see on thanksgiving, slightly drunk and completely sick of family and friends. also, the trailer just reminded me that brad pitt is really really cute. i'd forgotten.
posted by babydoll at 1:04 PM on November 11, 2001

The reason I posted this thread was that I found myself laughing out loud, mostly because of Clooney, when I was reading the interview this morning. If for only that, I'll end up seeing it when it's released.
posted by eyeballkid at 1:15 PM on November 11, 2001

Remaking a rat pack movie? Isn't that illegal? Something must be done to stop this.
posted by geoff. at 1:19 PM on November 11, 2001

I started dreaming I was part of the rat pack when I was six. Clooney is a great choice but they all still seem too young to me. Soderbergh too. Scorsese would have been ideal. Or Leone, were he still alive. But I guess it's me who's too old... :-(
Anyway, the original version was rubbish and Soderbergh is versatile as hell, this cast is dream-like and the Calendarlive(unheard of by me; duly bookmarked)article makes me expect the best.
Made my Sunday. Thanks, eyeballkid. Once more, you did right. :-)
posted by MiguelCardoso at 1:32 PM on November 11, 2001

It comes out 12/7. The trailer is great. And David Holmes did the soundtrack. (Holmes also did the music for "Out of Sight," another Soderbergh/Clooney vehicle that was very enjoyable; even had a surprisingly good Jennifer Lopez in it. But movies based on Elmore Leonard novels always have great dialogue, e.g., "Get Shorty," and are fun entertainment.)
posted by mapalm at 3:01 PM on November 11, 2001

What a great interview. That sounds like it must have been a fun movie to make. The comment from the reporter at the end is perfect.

-Mars
posted by Mars Saxman at 3:08 PM on November 11, 2001

O.K., let's ignore the very first words, "One venerable method of escaping the worries of war and terrorism is to luxuriate in movie stars, lots of them". Let's just ignore it, O.K., maybe she's a nice person and it's just a bad start and she actually has a working knowledge of the English language.
But then ms. Abramowitz gives us gems like "Clooney... looks as if he's either stayed up all night being bad or is about to stay up all night being bad" and "Brad Pitt, 37. He is the reluctant movie star, but sweet".
And my favorite, "They emit the hyper-charged neurons of actors improvising some larger-than-life performance".
This stuff, this kind of ass-kissing prose, journalism this bad, is exactly the reason why celebrity journalism and Hollywood profiles are so very irrelevant and annoying.
I like Soderbergh (The Underneath and Kafka are my favorites), but I can't stand this kind of journalism, sorry.
MiguelCardoso
I love Leone as much as you do, maybe more, but he would have made a movie like this sooooooooo slow. If Soderbergh's in a good Howard Hawks mode, then it'll be a fun movie. This story needs a snappy, 1930's attitude. Not Leone's long, lingering shots, if you ask me.
posted by matteo at 3:49 PM on November 11, 2001

I'm looking forward to the movie, but they stole the design for the poster from The Smithereens' album 11.
posted by kirkaracha at 4:47 PM on November 11, 2001

This movie sounds like fun but don't try to compare it to the original.

Sinatra, Martin and Davis Jr. were together constantly.

They worked together, partied together and anything else together.

They worked the Sands in Vegas at night and shot the original Oceans 11 in the daytime

I don't know when they slept, if ever.

Those were thew days, baby! Ring-a-ding-ding!

These actors in the new version showed up long enough to do their scenes, pick up the cash and that's it.

I don't know if the new Ocean's 11 will be any good or not but it will never compare to the original.

How could it?
posted by BarneyFifesBullet at 4:52 PM on November 11, 2001

This month's Esquire has, as its cover story, and intervew between Julia and George. That is to say: They interview each other. Which is a nifty little device. I thought it was a pretty entertaining read. Clooney sounds like he's living about as large as a guy can live, and keeping his head about him while doing it. Julia sounds like...well....Julia. Not that there's anything at all wrong with that.

Here's the interview.
posted by Optamystic at 5:48 PM on November 11, 2001

Frank, Sammy, Dino...the coolest cats ever to grace a screen. I can understand the modern-day "stars" wanting to make a movie based on a Rat Pack flick, but maybe out of respect they sould have re-titled it...?

Geoff is right -- it's probably illegal to even TRY to be as swingin' as the originals. I'm not saying I hope the movie flops, but these young whippersnappers need to be taught a lesson.
posted by davidmsc at 7:29 PM on November 11, 2001

Great stuff, eyeballkid and Optamystic, thanks.
posted by Jack Torrance at 1:37 AM on November 12, 2001

Don Cheadle is a far better actor than just about everyone else in the film (IMHO), yet he's not in any of the commercials I've seen for the film. Not only that, in what could only be described as some freakish twist of fate, this is the second time he's stepped into Sammy Davis Jr.'s shoes.

Oh, and Don? If you're reading this, I'm available, you know, if you ever needed anyone to grovel at your feet or worship at your altar. I'm just sayin'....
posted by likorish at 7:46 AM on November 12, 2001

Don Cheadle is a great actor. man, the original was all ....frankyish. but this looks good... "mahhn"
posted by clavdivs at 8:47 AM on November 12, 2001