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HTF REVIEW: "Ocean's 11" (2001) (with screenshots) (1 Viewer)

Robert Crawford

Crawdaddy
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Theo,

There is no film on earth that's been able to please everyone! However, I believe this film was successful in pleasing most that seen "Ocean's 11" based on opinions expressed in this thread, the thread in Movies a while back, as well as talking with friends and family that seen it. This film was never made to be taken as some cinematic accomplishment, therefore, gapping holes are indeed present in it, but it was made to be a distraction from the "real world", if only just for a couple of hours. In short, the film worked for many but missed it's mark with some. I guess nobody's perfect!

Crawdaddy
 

Elbert Lee

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I really enjoyed this movie although "love" is probably too strong a word. I don't think it was trying to get too serious with the "caper" portion (a la Usual Suspects), and I believe Ron was looking for the final heist get serious about the crime of the century. I don't feel as though the film was attempting to get that serious and I never felt like it was setting the audience up to expect the level of intensity of a "goodfellas-type" heist.

I liked the fact that this movie was "mission impossible-light". I was never distracted by Clooney's "coolness", nor did I think it dominated the storyline. I do agree that Garcia's performance was truly threatening and definitely the best played character in the story. I find it refereshing that a caper like this can be pulled off by a bunch of guys who, given their diversity and stations in life, don't come off like a bunch of hardened criminals, distrusting one another and get into ego wars all of the time. I like the "fraternal" atmosphere that is created and, in a way, I find it more realistic that this group of personalities work better together than the typical caper movie where there's always one or two "outside" guys who are either demented, crazy, or schemes to screw everyone over.

The ending was a huge payoff and that's what left me with a good experience. It suffer from a couple of slow paced moments, but in general, it was an enjoyable experience.

Elbert
 

Colin Jacobson

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For me a movie needs suspension of disbelief. If this is continually broken by something like Cheadle's accent then it trips the movie up.
I remain on Theo's side for this one. Cheadle's accent was so poor that it actively distracted me. It didn't sound like an attempt to spoof bad accents - it sounded like a bad accent. When Cheadle spoke, it took me out of the film. Still really liked it, though...
 

DarrenA

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FWIW, Don Cheadle's character spoke Cockney English. He had a linguist teach him this accent and for those few who know what Cockney English sounds like, he was pretty convincing.

As for the movie, this was one of my favorite films from last year and I'm thrilled to see it get treated well for the DVD release.
 

mark_d

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Dude, Cheadle's accent was pretty f*ckin far from convincing. Space is big. Really big. I mean, you might think it's a long way down the road to the chemist but that's just peanuts compared to how far from convincing Cheadle's accent was.

Like the others said, it actively detracted from the quality of the performance and absolutely threw me out of my involvement with the film whenever he opened his mouth. It pissed me off, too, because I'm a fan of his. I'm sure I read somewhere that he didn't want to be considered the Sammy Davis one so asked if he could go with the accent. Bad, bad decision.

Mark

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Larry Seno Jr.

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FWIW, Don Cheadle's character spoke Cockney English. He had a linguist teach him this accent and for those few who know what Cockney English sounds like, he was pretty convincing.
Uh, you're from GEORGIA. Im not sure I would trust someone from Georgia to give me an opinion on what an American Accent sounded like, let alone an English accent, let alone a COCKNEY English accent ;)
I LOVED this film. It fucking BLED style, which is what I wanted, not Citizen Kane. I'd like to find ONE Englishman that thinks Cheadle did a believeable English accent.
*I* can't decide what was WORSE. Cheadles cockney accent, or Ewan Macgregors American accent as the rapist in BHD.
 

Iain Lambert

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There was a pretty funny comment from Sodeburgh and co. I read recently, actually, where they explained that really, honestly, they did get a dialogue coach in for Don Cheadle and everything, but it was an American coach. D'oh!
 

DarrenA

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Uh, you're from GEORGIA. Im not sure I would trust someone from Georgia to give me an opinion on what an American Accent sounded like, let alone an English accent, let alone a COCKNEY English accent
Apparently you think because I currently live in Georgia, that I must be FROM Georgia, huh?! Well, that just goes to show you how ignorant some people are. And I guess I couldn't possibly have clients of mine who have English accents that I here every single day either? I guess you just know everything about me?:rolleyes
 

Dan Brecher

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I always figured Don got it from the Guy Ritchie school of cockney accents....ugh :) It'll be funny to see if they make mention of it on either commentary. There have been worse, his was questionable but not enough to take me out of the movie.
Dan
 

Colin Jacobson

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It'll be funny to see if they make mention of it on either commentary.
There's a little about it. Apparently they originally wanted to make the character British but changed their minds. However, Cheadle urged them to go back to the original plan. Bad move!
 

Bjoern Roy

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Ron,

could you please clarify whether you took the screenshots in a different way from your last few reviews? Or prepared/modified them in any way? I sure hope this is NOT what the DVD looks like. They are WAY too contrasty and dark.

Thanks

Bjoern
 

Randy Tennison

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One of my friends said that he heard that the accent was put in as a useless addition to the character, as an o'mage to Sammy's useless singing number in the original. It didn't add to the movie, didn't mean anything, it was just there.

I don't know if it's true, but it's a pretty fun explanation.
 

Larry Seno Jr.

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Thanks for the spoiler, Larry! Haven't seen the film, didn't know that about Ewan's character. I do now.
This happens later in Kansas. It's such a gruesome story that I won't even share it. I just couldn't get into his character for that reason, and the HORRIBLE American Accent.
 

Brian_J

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Uh, you're from GEORGIA. Im not sure I would trust someone from Georgia to give me an opinion on what an American Accent sounded like, let alone an English accent
Most people do not realize that most people born in Atlanta over the past three decades have very little southern accent. If you are not from Atlanta and have not lived in Atlanta then I guess you don't realize that Atlanta is now no more southern than Boston. It is a true melting pot. It often surprises people that I meet when I tell them I was born and raised in Atlanta, since its still associate with the south and Dixie.

Anyway, regarding Cheedle's accent, I did not give it a moment's notice until it was mentioned in this thread. I am rarely offended by poor southern accents either. I have heard plenty of real southern people whom I would swear had fake southern accents because they sounded so over the top. They didn't. I've heard plenty of other bad accents that were real as well.

Brian
 

TheoGB

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Wow! The England Posse stick it to the Craw!;)
Sorry Robert. :emoji_thumbsup: Nice to have some support, though. :D
 

Elbert Lee

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I finally had a chance to play the disc yesterday. I waited to have a small audience to watch it on my HT so as to gauge everyone's reation throughout the film - loved it. I think a film like "Ocean's Eleven" can best be viewed in an HT with several people.

Video - just OK, but very little, if any EE - Like I stated in my earlier post, I don't particularly like Soderberg's preference of yellow, grainy textures in his film - worked for "Traffic", but I can't see how it would work for ALL types of movies.

AUDIO - I really enjoyed the soundtrack. It didn't have a whole lot of surrounds (seems like most reviewers these days rate a discs audio based on how much of the surrounds are utilized) - I thought the low level effects (reverberations of the "pinch" bomb) and especially the jazzy music score really stood out across the expansive front soundstage. With my Clark Transducers set at the right level, the music score is integrated nicely into the viewing experiences.. I would give sound a 4 out of 5 - subtle and effective.

Elbert
 

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