Ocean’s 8 (2018)
Genre: Action comedy
Director: Gary Ross
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Griffin Dunne, Sarah Paulson, Rihanna, Helena Bonham Carter, Mindy Kaling, Awkwafina
Duration: 110 minutes
Class: 12A
KRS Releasing Ltd

The American heist comedy, directed by Gary Ross, is a spin-off from Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s trilogy, featuring an all-female ensemble cast.

Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock) has been devising the biggest heist of her life for over five years. Together with her partner-in-crime and girlfriend Lou Miller (Cate Blanchett), they recruit a crew of specialists, including jeweller Amita (Mindy Kaling), street con Constance (Awkwafina), suburban mother Tammy (Sarah Paulson), hacker Nine Ball (Rihanna) and fashion designer Rose (Helena Bonham Carter). Their target is a Cartier necklace worth more than $150 million, owned by air-headed celebrity Daphne Kluger (Anne Hathaway).

The film received a lukewarm response, with most critics loving the female performances.

Owen Gleiberman of Variety wrote: “In Ocean’s 8, Debbie and her team come together and devise their jigsaw puzzle of a heist with an aplomb that feels as natural as it is crowd-pleasing.” Sandy Angulo Chen of Common Sense Media was equally impressed. She said: “Bullock, Blanchett and their co-stars do not reinvent George Clooney’s formula here but the ensemble’s camaraderie and notable talents make for a fun heist flick that combines fashion and humour.”

Manohla Dargis of the New York Times commented: “Ocean's 8 changes things up with an all-female gang but there’s a boyfriend angle, so even when women are running a multimillion-dollar con they have to make room for guy troubles, which is a drag.”

And the critics’ consensus on Rotten Tomatoes reads: “Ocean’s 8 isn’t quite as smooth as its predecessors but still has enough cast chemistry and flair to lift the price of a ticket from filmgoers up for an undemanding caper.”

The $70 million production has so far grossed $115 million in box office sales worldwide since its release in the US on June 17.

Ratings
IMDB: 6.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 66%
Empire: N/A

Rupert Everett reminisces about better days in The Happy Prince.

The Happy Prince (2018)
Genre: Biopic
Director: Rupert Everett
Starring: Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Emily Watson, Colin Morgan, Tom Wilkinson
Duration: 105 minutes
Class: 15
KRS Releasing Ltd

Rupert Everett wrote and directed this biopic about Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde’s final years in self-imposed exile in Naples and Paris on being released from prison after the conviction for “gross indecency”. This was the result of his indiscreet affair with a lord.

The film sees how the impoverished author tries to build associations with former lovers, while haunted by the wife and glittering career he left behind. In the process he suffers abuse and humiliation before dying in a Paris hotel.

The film earned positive reviews.

Tim Robey of The Telegraph wrote that Everett “brings power and empathy to Oscar Wilde’s gutter years” while Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian said Everett is “magnificent in dream role” and that the film is “a powerful parable of passion and redemption”.

Ratings
IMDB: 6.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 76%
Empire: 4 stars