Ocean's Thirteen

Cast
Ellen Barkin
Matt Damon
George Clooney
Brad Pitt
Andy Garcia
Al Pacino
Carl Reiner
Elliott Gould
Director
Steven Soderbergh
Screenwriters
Brian Koppelman
David Levien
Running Time
122 minutes

After their old chum Reuben Tischkoff (Gould) is double-crossed in a business deal and hospitalized, Danny Ocean (Clooney) reconvenes his charming gang of thieves and heads to Las Vegas to gain revenge on the man who put Ruben at death’s door: shark-like hotelier, Willy Bank (Pacino). Their plan is simple: break the Bank by destroying his new multi-billion dollar hotel. However, it won’t be that easy…

I completely forgot this film moments after it ended. It's good, I enjoyed it, there's fun to be had but if the heist had gone the other way I wouldn't have really cared.

Half Nelson

Cast
Ryan Gosling
Shareeka Epps
Anthony Mackie
Director
Ryan Fleck
Screenwriter
Ryan Fleck
Running Time
107 minutes

Dan Dunne (Ryan Gosling) teaches in a poor school where his unusual approach engages the pupils. But out of school, frustration fuels his drug habit. One night troubled student Drey (Shareeka Epps) chances upon him while he’s high, and a bond is forged.

First off, this movie is depressing. It's a mood piece with little plot to speak of and the mood is that of depression, but does that make it a bad movie? My answer would be no, although most people would probably disagree. It is what the makers intended it to be, a sort of antidote to those inspirational teacher dramas like Dangerous Minds presenting a more realistic portrayal of the situation. I suppose that film and others [like the recent Hilary Swank film, which I haven't seen] are based on true stories but then the "and finally..." items on news shows are true they're just not representational of what normally happens in life. The acting is very fine by the leads but the problem is that it's just an incredibly depressing film. I might watch it again on TV years from now but I wouldn't want to now or want to buy it on DVD, although that actually might be the best way to see it for the first time in a more low key, relaxed setting on a rainy afternoon.
Really I need to have two scores for this film, one for artistic quality *** and one for enjoyableness * but I'll stick with my system.

Las Vegas Season One DVD Box Set

Cast
James Caan
Josh Duhamel
Nikki Cox
Vanessa Marcil
Molly Sims
Marsha Thomason
James Lesure
Creator
Gary Scott Thompson
Running Time
15 Hours 53 Minutes PAL
Aspect Ratio
1.77:1 Anamorphic

Take a spin on the wheel of TV's most electrifying series ever, Las Vegas. The slots are hot and the girls are even hotter in this brand-new DVD collection of the entire first season, starring some of today's biggest guest stars. Follow the fast-paced exploits and action packed escapades at the Montecito Hotel and Casino with an elite Las Vegas surveillance team, led by commanding Big Ed Deline (James Caan) and his slick, good looking righthand man, Danny McCoy (Josh Duhamel). Along with the sexiest support team to hit the Strip, they're out to catch card-counting cheaters, costly streaks of random luck and the schemes of rival casinos. It's Sin City like you've never seen it before in the series Variety declares is "Bottom line: Jackpot."

I started my blog this month but I've added the films I saw last month and the Tru Calling review which I'd posted on eBay but later removed to place here. Anything that I've seen or read before, it's my intention to look at again before I post reviews but this one is an exception simply because I cannot face watching it again.
The pity of it is that it could have been great. Vegas at it's heart is a terrible place, preying on the weak minded, destroying their lives and the Casinos make sure this whole process runs smoothly. It could have been a kind of corporate Sopranos with James Caan as a great heavy. Instead the show plays out like Baywatch. In I think the first of the four commentaries, on the first episode's Nikki Cox mentions her character had started out as a hooker but changed to a casino hostess. So perhaps in the beginning the intention was that this was going to be a great drama but somewhere along the line it was turned into rubbish. Vaguely I think there were a couple of good fun episodes and lots of mediocre ones.