Ocean's 8 [4K Ultra HD Blu-ray/Blu-ray] [2018]

Never bought a steelbook before....great price and case...came quickly...good quality...could use better packaging.

This Movie looks 4K Razor Sharp and the Musical Soundtrack sounds Amazing and the Colors Pop Out

I thought this film lived up to the expectations for fans of "The Oceans..." franchise, that dates back to when Frank Sinatra was Danny Ocean, coolest jewel thief in the business. I think it was time there was an addition to the series using an all woman cast of thieves. Headed by Sandra Bullock, who plays, uh, Debbie Ocean, (that could have been written a bit better), the sister of the deceased, Danny Ocean, she is just released from prison and is hatching a plan for a major heist. The film has beautiful costumes, a fun, interesting, high and low tech heist, and must be a new record for the number of great actresses, from Rhianna, and a darling neophyte, Awkwafina, who plays a street hustler and expert pickpocket who travels on her skateboard, to women we haven't seen in ages, like Marlo Thomas, and Elizabeth Ashley. Their parts were basically cameos, but I just love the idea of them being included in the cast Cate Blanchette, Anne Hathaway, and Sarah Paulson held the major roles, and all did a good job. This movie is a fun romp. It's not Shakespeare, and it's not supposed to be. It's a glitzy trip, following the characters, all gifted in their criminal specialty, or what becomes criminal, executing the elaborate plan to steal a 150 million dollar diamond necklace loaned out for the party of the year in NYC. Good direction, editing, and beautiful cinematography, no sad parts or deaths. Just a good time at the movies on a summer night.

Gary Ross’s “Ocean’s 8” follows Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock), the sister of Danny Ocean (George Clooney), who’s revealed to have died sometime since the events of “Ocean’s Thirteen.” The cast further includes Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Awkwafina, Rihanna, Helena Bonham Carter, Richard Armitage, and James Corden. In a connection to the previous trilogy of films, Elliott Gould and Qin Shaobo reprise their roles as Reuben Tishkoff and The Amazing Yen. At one point, Bonham Carter claims the Eskimo put their elders out on an ice floe in a callback to “Ocean’s Twelve.” The film moves from the glitz and glam of Las Vegas to the equally glamorous world of art, history, and fashion in New York City, where the 8 plan to steal the diamonds from a famous necklace from Cartier at the Met Gala. The new cast are all fantastic additions to the franchise, with Blanchett, Rihanna, and Carter standing out as the most interesting in this narrative. The others are certainly fun and Ross shows the audience their motivation, but they don’t have quite the same consistent development through the film, which is okay as this is an ensemble heist film. In their respective roles as the mark and the insurance investigator, Hathaway and Corden are equally interesting and offer a nice change from the usual casino bosses in the earlier films. “Ocean’s 8” is a worthy addition to the franchise and, perhaps most important for a spin-off, it successfully stands alone as its own heist film. Think of the standalone Marvel films that may include some references to others in the franchise, but can be enjoyed on their own merits. The story is smart, original, and updates the heist to reflect the technology of today. Hopefully the studio supports more so that the franchise can continue.

If you like heist movies then you have heard of the Ocean's trilogy. This was a spin-off of that trilogy. I don't think it was given as much credit as it deserved. Excellent movie.

This latest addition to the Ocean's films is a clever homage to Danny Ocean's capers, planned by his sister.

Very early in this spin-off of director Steven Soderbergh's trilogy of movies about George Clooney's ultra-smooth, ultra-smart thief we are introduced to what is and arguably always has been the most fascinating thing about these movies not to mention heist and/or crime dramas in general. This being the fact that the type of people who find themselves in such scenarios have enough self-confidence and charisma to be able to pull-off whatever facade they wish to carry. It's not about what you may or may not be hiding on the inside or what you know about yourself that you believe everyone who sees you immediately assumes as well, but more it is utilizing your appearance, age, and swagger (or lack thereof) to allow those who see you to make those first, quick assumptions only for you to then deliver upon them so as they don't think about you again. It is an awareness of sorts that Clooney's character never fully utilized, he was always the cool guy in the nice suit, but it is almost immediately that his sister, Debbie Ocean, as played by Sandra Bullock utilizes this tool. And then she uses it again. And again. If her character's tastes weren't so expensive she could make a fine enough living as a salesperson given the way she is able to adapt to and go with whatever environment she finds herself in and whatever people she finds herself in front of, but this is a movie that is meant to both continue the Ocean's legacy while expanding on the diversification of those gender and ethnic gaps that are being actively addressed in Hollywood as of late. Whether you are in support of this or moronically opposed for one reason or another this agenda doesn't really factor into the execution of the film save for one very pointed line of dialogue that is delivered in such a fashion so as to provide reasoning if not necessarily a justification for this movie's existence. Whether this was an Ocean's movie or not though, what gives the film its pulse is this throughline idea of knowing how to interact with people by scanning them upon meeting them and figuring out what type of person they want in their life and immediately becoming that person. Bullock and a few of her co-stars are able to explore this in a few different ways, but it is mostly Bullock who presents a surprisingly layered approach to this train of thought as we see her Debbie battle with how long such a lifestyle can remain exciting as masked by intentions of justice and vengeance. It's a shame the movie itself doesn't follow through on these instincts as the movie Bullock presents us with and allows us to assume Ocean's 8 might become is far more fascinating than the fun, but ultimately derivative one it ends up being.

Different actors, different dynamic, different characters - but the same formula. And you know what? It works. Every actress has a defined character, especially Bullock and Blanchett. The story is formulaic, but frankly, so were Clooney's films. A good caper film is always fun, and this is no different. It isn't a classic like Oceans 11, but it's better than 12, and brisker than 13. I'm not sure we'll see this cast again, but I'm hoping we do.