My lucky streak at the movies continues

The day off is going really well so far. Got up, had a nice breakfast, walked down to the unearthing of the Belvedere, walked around downtown for a bit, and caught a matinee of Ocean's 13.

I really dug Ocean's 11. When I first saw the trailer for it, I figured it could be, at worst, a fun little vanity project, much like the Rat Pack original. After seeing the movie, I thought it was one of the best heist movies ever made.

Ocean's 12 was alright. Not nearly as fun as the first one, and it got a little too maudlin for my tastes. Taking these characters that were so confident in their actions in the first one and make them desperate to cover their own asses should've been funnier than it actually was. Now having seen 13, I view 12 as one long elaborate setup for one of 13's best subplots.

Ocean's 13 is essentially a revenge story without a single character losing his cool for a second. This, in my opinion is the best kind of revenge, served cold with pinpoint precision. Every actor's strong points come out in spades in this flick. Clooney and Pitt play off each other like they did in the first one: Pure cool with a little self deprication thrown in. The supporting characters do exactly what they need to do, and that is fill in the rest of the puzzle in their own unique ways, giving the audience enough doubt that they'll pull it off until just the right moment. And, lets face it, Al Pacino does what he does best: a total douchebag you can't help but love every moment he gets in the hero's way and love they way he gets his comeuppance.

Steven Soderburgh and his screenwriters were careful this time to quickly explain away any HUH? moments the audience might have. Why weren't Julia Roberts or Catherine Zeta-Jones around this time? Four simple words, three minutes in: "It's not their fight." Shouldn't they think this whole thing out before caving into the need for revenge? They try diplomacy with Pacino first, but the offer gets thrown back in their faces right away. Another Vegas heist? Isn't this getting a little repetitive? The whole gang is adamant about doing something different this time.

I left the theater wanting to make my own revenge comedy. I've sorta been working on one, but I've lapsed on it as of late because it didn't feel like it'd be funny to anyone but me. However, I have some fresh ideas inspired my Ocean's 13 that I'm gonna try out. Who knows? I could pull this off!