OCEAN'S 8 (Malaysia, 14 Jun 2018)

Genre: Thriller

Running Length: 1:47

Cast: Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham-Carter, Sarah Paulson, Rihanna, Mindy Kaling, Awkwafina, Richard Armitage, James Corden

Director: Gary Ross

Screenplay: Gary Ross & Olivia Milch

What's this movie about?
A spinoff from the Ocean's franchise, OCEAN'S 8 is about Debbie Ocean (Bullock) and her right hand partner Lou (Blanchett) together with their motley crew attempting to pull off a heist to steal a US$150 million necklace during the glamorous annual Met Ball.

Highlights!

• The performances and interaction. It's fun to see eight talented actresses interacting through the proceedings of the film. They have great chemistry and the cast seems to be having fun making this movie! A special shout out to Anne Hathaway, one of the most underrated badass actress of her generation. 
• Stylish. Just like the original series, everything from the leads' performances to camerawork to editing oozes style. The jazzy and breezy score definitely ramps up the cool factor.  
• The final reveal. 

Lowlights

• A safe movie. As much as I enjoyed Ocean's 8, I felt it didn't take enough risk. It felt like a cash grab by the studio's male-dominated head honchos - make some quick money by switching the genders to ride on the current gender inequality movement in Hollywood. I personally feel the best example of a truly feminine movie is Wonder Woman by Patty Jenkins. It has love, strength and sensitivity. As a result, it made A LOT of money. The least they could have done here was to hire a female director.       
• Lacks tension. A memorable heist movie is defined by its edge-of-the-seat sequences but there's nothing like it here (except for one sequence). The execution part is fun to watch but it was underwhelmingly safe. Missing were moments where what was planned goes wrong and what wasn't turned out right in unexpected ways.
• The unnecessary bit at the end.  As much as I enjoyed the final reveal, the last act where James Corden's character is introduced was unnecessary. Instead of ending high, that bit caused the film to end low. 

In summary

OCEAN'S 8 is definitely from the same universe as the other Ocean’s movies. It's very watchable. It's fun, stylish and the leads are cool and confident. But I wished the filmmakers took more risk and made this film its own movie because conceptually, making an all-female version of an Ocean’s film sounded appealing.

RATING: 7.5/10

INSIDE OUT (2015)

Genre: Animated
Running Length: 1:34
Cast: Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Bill Hader, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling, Richard Kind, Kaitlyn Dias, Diane Lane, Kyle MacLachlan
Director: Pete Docter & Ronaldo Del Carmen
Screenplay: Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve & Josh Cooley

INSIDE OUT is arguably one of the most original and complex animated movie ever produced by an American animated studio. And in terms of look and feel, this film actually resembles something out of a Studio Ghibli production (watch out for a scene which pays homage to My Neighbour Totoro). Looks like Pixar is back to form with their latest gamble as this film, just like any of their earlier productions, satisfies on multiple levels. It equally engages both adults and children - except for those under 6, judging by their restlessness in the cinema. Well, this is no Minions anyway.

Personally, I defined superior storytelling as the ability to easily connect with your audience with warm and sensitive language, speaking to them in human terms without sacrificing the reality and logic of the subject matter. And Inside Out fits right in there as it uses the personification of Emotions to explore themes of how an individual's personality is shaped and built on a foundation of memories.  Oh, it's not all serious and sad as it balances out perfectly with fun and joy.

If you've seen the movie trailer, you would have been introduced to the five Emotions character (Joy, Anger, Disgust, Fear and Sadness) in the setting of control room of sorts, living in the head of our protagonist. In actuality, the lion share of the narrative takes place outside of the control room where Joy and Sadness were accidentally ejected out far far away into another part of the brain and they need to quickly find their way back to restore balance. And thus, begins one of the most imaginative road trip ever where they meet different characters (eg. Bing Bong, our main character's one-time imaginary friend) and venture into different representations of our mind (dreams, subconsciousness etc).

From a visual perspective, it is beautifully rendered - it's colourful and vibrant. And the Emotions (and its perfect voice casting) have this shimmery and hand-drawn appearance to it which makes them very appealing. Perhaps it's because Joy reminds me of Tinker Bell.

Adult moviegoers will likely be moved by the bittersweet childhood memories the film will trigger. Indeed, in order to experience the completeness of life, we need a combination of emotions especially joy and sadness.

Rating: 8.5/10