This week's premiere
photo: Continental Film
Ocean's Twelve (Dannyho dvanástka) - Action comedy by Steven Soderbergh. Though not exactly brilliant, the 2001 remake of Ocean's Eleven was more than worthy of the 1960 original, which starred the Rat Pack (Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr, and two guys you probably haven't heard of). But, with Steven Soderbergh at the helm, it was no surprise that it was such a fast-paced and stylish good time. He and practically the entire cast return for the sequel, which sees Danny Ocean (George Clooney) leading his group of criminals into Europe, where they plan three separate heists. Still angry about being outsmarted in the first movie, Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia) aims to stop them. French actor Vincent Cassell joins the cast, which includes Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, Bernie Mac, Don Cheadle, and a whole bunch of other famous people.
Other movies playing
photo: Zreview.co.uk
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (Život a smrť Petra Sellersa) - Drama by Stephen Hopkins. Geoffrey Rush plays the title character in this biopic of the man many consider the greatest comic actor of them all. Anyone who has seen his movies most certainly knows why. Just take Stanley Kubrick's Dr Strangelove: in that one movie, Sellers gave three of the funniest performances ever captured on film. The man was, without a doubt, a genius. But, like so many other geniuses, Sellers constantly struggled to find happiness. The movie also stars Charlize Theron, Emily Watson, and John Lithgow.
Man on Fire (Muž v ohni) - Action thriller by Tony Scott. In this remake of the 1987 French/Italian co-production starring Scott Glenn, Denzel Washington stars as Creasy, a jaded former intelligence agent hired to protect Lupita (Dakota Fanning), the young daughter of a wealthy family in Mexico City. Everything seems to be going well until gunmen abduct the girl and leave her bodyguard bleeding to death... or so they think. After recovering, Creasy goes on a bloody rampage, destroying anyone who stands in the way of his quest to retrieve Lupita. This revenge tale also stars B-movie stalwarts Christopher Walken and Mickey Rourke, as well as Australian actress Radha Mitchell and Italian actor Giancarlo Giannini.
photo: SPI International
Bad Santa (Santa je úchyl) - Comedy by Terry Zwigoff. The perfect antidote to all the schmaltzy feel-good holiday crap that will bombard us in the coming weeks. Billy Bob Thornton's incredibly vulgar and bitter Santa Claus may be shocking to some; the true revelation, though, is how good his performance actually is. He takes a completely unlikable character and makes you love him - even as you cringe at so much of what he says and does. This is ultimately why the movie works so well. But even without Thornton, it still would have been a hell of a good time: Tony Cox, John Ritter, Bernie Mac, Brett Kelly, and Lauren Graham are each a joy to watch.
Prepared by Jonathan Knapp
