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« "A Christmas Prince" We Never Knew We Needed | Main | SAG Voting Commences »
Tuesday
Dec192017

Yes, No, Maybe So: Ocean's Eight

by Jorge Molina

2017 has been a rough year for all of us. But with just about ten days remaining until we step into the terrifying unknown, it’s really trying its best to go out on a high note, or high as it can get at this point.

After a teaser was revealed yesterday, a full trailer was finally released this morning for the all-female reboot of the famed Ocean’s franchise, Ocean’s Eight, starring every actress you ever wanted to see together and directed by Hunger Games helmer Gary Ross.

Watch it once. Watch it twice. Watch it a dozen times. And then go after the jump to see the Yes, No, and Maybe So’s.

 YES

  • Most of the trailer focuses on Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett recruiting the rest of the girls for a con job after Sandy is released from prison, which means that they all get to interact with one another at some point. Any time two or more of them are together, it’s the movie magic you didn’t know you needed.
  • The intro of the trailer replicates the iconic split screen style of the Soderbergh trilogy, flashing quick introductions of the cast in the MET gowns. Clutch your pearls or they might get stolen.

 

  • The flawless use of “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” as the song playing over.
  • Sarah Paulson as a housewife that is retired from a life of crime.
  • Helena Bonham Carter as a seamstress (from what I could gather) down on her luck, breaking down in tears in a shop.
  • There’s barely any male presence in the film (see more of that below). Even the antagonist and target of the planned con is another woman, Daphne Kluger (best name ever; played by Anne Hathaway). It establishes right away that this is a girls’ world, and there’s no room for the boys to play in it. I wanna live in that world.

 

 

 

NO

There really aren’t a lot of Nos. The trailer is exciting, and the cast seems to have chemistry with one another, and it seems fun and upbeat and exactly the big studio entertainment we crave right now. However…

  • Speaking of male presences, James Corden, what are you even doing there? Nope, nope, nope.
  • The biggest NO in my book is that we have to wait six more months for its release date.

 

MAYBE SO

 

  • It is a large ensemble, so some members of the cast, in particular Rihanna and Awkwafina, didn’t get much time to shine in the trailer. I’m sure this is just promo material restraint, and not a reflection of the actual movie.

  • The trailer states that Anne Hathaway is the person being conned and not part of the group doing the con. However, past promotional materials (the iconic subway picture with all the cast) and the title itself imply that she is part of it all in some capacity. I’m hoping some sort of twist in who’s conning who, especially after Cate’s line “You can’t play a job on a job!”
  • Many celebrities have been rumored to be playing themselves during the MET sequence, and the trailer sort of confirms this with Mindy’s exclamation of “Taylor Swift?!”. I just hope this doesn’t become a parade of “Look who we could get!” and focuses on the main cast and telling a thrilling story.

So there you go. What did you think of the trailer? Did it meet your expectations? Do you think this dream cast will be able to deliver? Can we just give them the 2018 SAG Ensemble award right now? Let us know in the comments below!

 

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Reader Comments (34)

looks great, total YASSS

Cate Blanchett is everything you need in life. She's the soccer team I'm always rooting for.

December 19, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterYavor

Of course I’m in, it looks fun!

December 19, 2017 | Unregistered Commenterthefilmjunkie

Can't wait for this.

My only gripe about the casting is that they stuck with under-60s. Imagine the texture a Vanessa Redgrave character would give the ensemble! Diana Rigg! Jane Fonda! Stockard Channing! The choices and chemistry outcomes are limitless.

Eleven had Elliott Gould and Carl Reiner.

December 19, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterHayden

Why is everyone so down on (Tony winner) James Corden ?

December 19, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterRami

YESSSS to everything except James Corden (I'm British. America, you guys keep him!)

So down for Damien Lewis as the chief antagonist, and Awkwafina is going to slayyyy (so glad they didn't give Emma Stone her role; we all know how Stone likes to poach roles from Asian actresses)!

December 19, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterEmma

Emma I’m British too and the vitriol Corden gets shocks me. He’s a talented guy who had some luck in his career sure but he’s charming, funny and talented. I don’t get why he gets so much hate online

December 19, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterRami

Yes to Anne Hathaway sending up her public image. A thousand times yes to her redemption - this is exactly the role we need!

December 19, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterMorgan

When does this air on TV? It would have to get great reviews for me to pay to see it. Sandra Bullock with a lollipop schtick and James Corden do not work for me.

December 19, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterJono

There is nothing (including James Corden) that I do not want from this movie. Inject it in my veins!

December 19, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterBen

am totally up for a backstory that sees Bullock and Paulson as sapphic cat burglars, who, after one final job, Bullock ends up in prison and Paulson stuck in the suburbs. There’s something quite deliciously electric in the quick scene in the garage...

December 19, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterIanO

I might be into it. If it's good, I just hope the sequel features Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones reprising their roles from the franchise with George Clooney as Danny Ocean being forced to stay home because.... this is a woman's job.

December 19, 2017 | Unregistered Commenterthevoid99

YES. It looks awesome.

James Corden canceled himself after kissing Sean Spicer and making those disgusting, tone-deaf Harvey Weinstein jokes. And I used to be a fan from the time I saw him on stage in One Man Two Guvnors.

December 19, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterKiki

I would've rather they gave Julia Roberts the role of Bullock, since after all these years she doesn't work for me as an actress (maybe this time she will change my opinion on her?). Also, once again, throwing a "minority of each type", yet they do not outnumber white people. A majority of actresses of color in a big budget movie like this or more than "one of each type" wouldn't hurt anybody and it'd be nice if they pick someone who's an actress first, and not a secondary/ocassional job: they are still trying to make Rihanna's career happen. She's an OK actress (however, once again, Bullock also is).
The trailer is unexciting, even more so than the one of the original remake.

December 19, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterMe34

Not all of us.

December 19, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterT. Fewenberg

Cate looks fierce.

December 19, 2017 | Unregistered Commentergoodbar

Why did they even have to associate this white with the OVeans franchise? It would work even on its own

December 19, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterDavid

I was quite confused too. Is Anne a part of them or not?!
Either way YAS TO THIS FLICK!

December 19, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterCraver

This is almost too much for my gay heart to take...............almost.

December 19, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterOlivia.

Yass, Mindy. Queen of comedy.

December 19, 2017 | Unregistered Commenterbeyaccount

I'm not a big fan of revealing basically the whole set-up in the trailer but this does look pretty good. That cast is wonderful.

December 19, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterW.J. McKelvey

@me34 -- I agree with your critique of the "minority of each type," and with the idea that of all the African American actresses out there, they cast a non-actress (yes, I went there).

December 19, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterHustler

Ehhh. I dont know why they needed to associate this with the Oceans franchise and kill off George Clooney's character it seems.

None of the main characters in this film were involved in the originals Ocean's films so it just feels like a cheap ploy to piggyback off the originals success.

Also the heist is stealing a necklace from someone's neck? Meh.

I just wish this would have included either Catherine Zeta or Julia Roberts or Ellen Barkin....at least one of the women associated with the original series. It seems rather nonsensical that it doesnt. Just make a brand new heist movie then.

Only really excited about this because of Rihanna but she doesn't seem to do mucb

December 19, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterVanessa

Gary Ross' filmography doesn't exactly scream "Stylish Glamourous Con Game", but the trailer gets that down. (And no female director could do that?)

But this looks fun and summery and pretty and glamourous and, yes, stylish. It should be fun. I seriously doubt they've shown us the entire tale in this trailer. #ShiftyEyes

December 19, 2017 | Unregistered Commenterforever1267

Looks like fun summer fun.

Blanchett and Bullock are always reliable leads; Paulson, Kaling, and Bonham Carter are reliable support; and I'm excited enough about Awkwafina and Rihanna to see this for their big-screen debuts.

I will be there if the reviews aren't dire.

December 19, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterRebecca

It's a big yes from me.

December 19, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterEz

You think Sandra Bullock saw Carol? Is that why she greets Sarah Paulson with a lollipop and whispers sweet nothings in her ear?
Are they gonna have a gay character?
Which cast-member would you rather spend Christmas with?
What do you think Rihanna and Helena Bonham Carter talked about during shoots?

December 20, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterLollipop

Yes, yes and maybe for sure YAAAAAAS! Can they get an Oscar for the hair already?

December 20, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterV.

Fun? Yes. FunNY? I dunno. "Less"? "Eight ball"? These were set up to be punch lines in the trailer but fall kinda flat. I'll still see it but I'm hoping there's better lines than these.

And yeah, really don't need to see Rihanna try to act here (what I wouldn't give to see Lupita in her part instead). Between her, Ross and the tie-in to the earlier Ocean's franchise, this reeks of too much involvement by a studio that doesn't trust the concept.

December 20, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterDJDeeJay

It's pretty clear.that Anne Hathaway's character is the mark but also in on the take. I'm guessing there's a plot-twisting device used to establish a connection point between her and Mlle. Ocean. Wait for it.

Re: minority representation, it's too bad the filmmakers didn't see fit to cast a genuine, journeywoman actress of color in Rihanna's part, someone like, oh, say Gugu Mbatha-Raw or Nicole Beharie who actually could do more than have marquee value to the extent she even has it.

December 20, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterMareko

I'm in -- BUT I hope it isn't a re-hash of Ocean's 11 with MET thrown in where VEGAS used to be... I get it. The formula works, but I'd like to see something fresh from the story.

December 20, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterElias

@ Mareko, Gugu would have slayed in OCEAN'S 8. She's beautiful and insanely talented (forever furious she wasn't cast as Belle in BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and we had to suffer a stiff performance from my insufferable namesake as a result).

But, whilst Rihanna's not the *best* actress ever or anything, she does have charisma. She was the best thing in VALERIAN (OK, damning someone with faint praise, I know..)

December 20, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterEmma

Instead of arguing which actress of color should have gotten Rihanna’s part, why don’t we recenter the conversation on which actress if color could’ve gotten a white actresses part?

Rihanna is a superstar and a huge draw for the movies.

December 20, 2017 | Unregistered Commenterbeyaccount

This trailer gave me my complete and utter life, hunty! YASSSS! And fully agree about Lupita > Rihanna, like duh. Ironically, they're about to do a heist movie together where Lupita is the tech wizard type that it looks like Rihanna plays here. Small world, huh? Sandy's and Sarah's characters r former lovers, just wait.

December 21, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterDorian

love THIS YASSSS BITCCHHH YASS!! BUT very bummed they couldn't add a latina there? really guys?

December 21, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterBITCH
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