Ocean’s 13 – Teaser

I always enjoyed the ‘Ocean’s’ movies whether it was with the coolest of the cool, Frank Sinatra, and his Rat Pack friends in the 1960s version of Ocean’s 11 or with the George Clooney and his friends in the 2001 remake of Ocean’s 11 and Ocean’s 12. I thought the remake of Ocean’s 11 was terrific. It was very stylish, the dialogue was witty, the soundtrack was superb and the characters of the movie were memorable. To round it all up, the plot was pretty good as well. Although I did not enjoy Ocean’s 12 as much as the others and thought it wasn’t particularly necessary to come up with a sequel, I still thought it looked great on screen (visually) and overall, it was fairly entertaining.

Well, it looks like Daniel Ocean and the rest of the Ocean’s crew are back in Ocean’s 13 (what other name did you expect?), the final installment of the ‘Ocean’s’ trilogy. Although Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones will not be returning in this film, I can’t wait to see this. With its great cast, the directorial style of Steven Soderbergh, the casting additions of Ellen Barkin and the legendary Al Pacino, you can’t help but to look forward to this. What I love most about the ‘Ocean’s’ films is that its about the entertainment and its style. They’re not about trying to make cinematic history or looking to sweep the Oscars, its just a crew of great actors having fun and putting on a show for its audience. You can definitely say it stays true to the philosophy of what the Rat Pack did back in the 1960s version.

[Ocean's 13]

- Jon

Roberts Radio – Revival

I’m loving this retro looking radio created by UK manufacturers Roberts Radio. The radio called “Revival” is the proper throwback to the significant style of the 1950s. “Revival”’s wooden cases are made by British craftsmen and covered with a choice of leatherette, real leather or suedette. It comes in various colours and available through their website.

- Jon

Horem pádem (Up and Down)

As Christmas holidays kicked off into full swing, I had the opportunity to pick up a couple of movies to watch. One of these was a 2004 Czech film Horem pádem, which was translated simply as Up and Down in English. Director Jan Hrebejk masterfully portrays the everyday lives of Czechs from different social backgrounds. The overall movie I’d say would fall into the Drama category, with an abundance of comic relief. The beauty of this film is how it seamlessly integrates the storylines of three groups of individual. The movie kicks off when smugglers of immigrants discover a baby in the back of their truck. Rather than heartlessly leaving the baby to die, they bring him to a pawn shop where he is to be put for sale. In another scene, a soccer hooligan’s wife desperate wants a baby but is unable to have one. They are also unable to adopt due to the husband’s criminal record stemming from soccer. And then there’s the story of a dying professor whose dying wish is to divorce his separated wife so that he can marry his girlfriend. These three stories inevitably coincide with one another throughout the movie. If ever you get the chance, this is one movie you should check out.

-phil