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I'm not going to lie to you. Reading this book, I felt like a real ballerina boy, head stuffed with cream puffs and dandylions in my hair. I said I wasn't going to lie. If you have this book on your bookshelf, you may pursue the "Greek love." No lie. You may want to have sex with another man (unless you are a woman, in which case it is fine, not that it's not fine the other way, but you know what I mean).

This bildungsroman follows young Pitt (Pitt the Younger) from his carefree days in the corn fields of Iowa to desinger satin sheets and Jennifer Aniston's tang. I don't want to give too much away, but here are some of my favorite bits:

*Brad turning to acting after a boring two-years as Asst. Deputy State Comptroller of Iowa.

*Hard drinking, sweet loving.

*In Brad's debut (Thelma and Louise) he actually suggested they ride off the cliff at the end.

*Harrowing dance with heroin culimnates with near-fatal OD outside of the Viper Room.

*Really bald.

This book is well illustrated and gives the available info on Brad's life in a readable format, and a decent size. Could benefit from an index. Some of the pictures I have not seen elsewhere. It is now a bit out of date, and some of the stuff mentioned as future projects has not in fact materialised (whatever happened to the idea of Brad playing General Custer for example? That would have been fun!) The best of the Brad Pitt books I have seen so far.

Director: Stephen Soderbergh
Starring: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, Andy Garcia, Don Cheedle, Elliot Gould, Eddie Jemison, Casey Affleck, Scott Cann, Bernie Mac, Shaobo Qin, Carl Reiner.
Release Date: 7/12/2001
Rated: PG-13 some language and sexual content
Running time: 1hr 58mins
Genre: Drama

While being incarcerated in a New Jersey jail, parolee Danny Ocean formulates a plan to win back his ex-wife and take down three of the largest casinos in Las Vegas, all within twenty- four hours of his release.
Ocean's Eleven, remake of the 1960 film, staring the Rat Pack, proved it needed no introduction as actor George Clooney and director Stephen Soderbergh worked together in creating this stylish action packed drama. This remake is definitely worth the wait.

Danny Ocean (George Clooney) devises plans amongst prison walls to bring together eleven men to perform a casino heist and win back his ex-wife Tess (Julia Roberts). The success of this movie comes from a thrill seeking adventurous storyline, and from casting some of the finest actors on set to create a movie that is only to be applauded. With the likes of a young pickpocket Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon); Ocean's main man, the smart and stylish Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt); casino owner Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia); with Ocean's ex-wife Tess, played by the stunning Julia Roberts; and Danny Ocean portrayed by none other than George Clooney himself, where could the acting go wrong? The cast took the film to another level, one of class and excitement.

Ocean's Eleven is a film with no dead spots. As Clooney and his carefully selected crew continue to make adjustments to their plans, so continues the action and suspense for the audience. The movie allows the audience to have fun and be part of the action, as well as being able to witness a well thought-out (yet non-realistic) plan. The stakes? Win more than $150 million dollars or loose eleven people's freedom.

The team of eleven all have their individual moment or two in the limelight throughout the film. The bigger names in the entertainment industry such as the Clooneys and Roberts didn't exactly have to be the center of focus to make this movie work. This allowed a different perspective on character input into the film to arise, and those less highly profiled actors such as explosives expert Bashar Tarr (Don Cheedle) and electronics expert Livingston Dell (Eddie Jemison) get to show off their talent and love for performance. These techniques made Ocean's Eleven different from other movies while maintaining at high level what I see as an insightful and interesting drama film.

With an experienced director such as Stephen Soderbergh, Best Film Academy Award last year for two of his previous films, Erin Brockovich and Traffic, I didn't expect anything less than an outstanding movie, and that's what I got. I felt that Soderbergh set out to do no more than create a quick and fun film, and Ocean's Eleven matched up to, if not improved upon, my expectations.

After walking away from this smart, clever, and stylish film, I would highly recommend Ocean's Eleven to all those who are prepared to play along with adventure and drama. Ocean's Eleven will show you a good time, as it doesn't pretend to be anything it's not.

"Ocean's 11," directed by Steven Soderbergh, is a remake of a 1960 film of the same name. That first film co-starred the notorious "Rat Pack," which included Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. Soderbergh's version stars George Clooney as Danny Ocean, an ex-convict who organizes a team of 11 criminals for an audacious plot: to rob the vault of Las Vegas casinos owned by super-rich Terry Benedict (played with a nice edge by Andy Garcia).

"O11" is a very entertaining film: an effective mix of humor, character drama, inventive plot twists, and high-tech thrills. The superb ensemble cast includes Julia Roberts (as Clooney's love interest), Matt Damon (as a pickpocket), and Brad Pitt (as a master card player). The ensemble members have great chemistry together. Clooney follows up terrific roles in "The Perfect Storm" and "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" with his role as Ocean. Clooney is charming and likeable, and his expressive eyes bring a nice wistful touch to his performance.

The film is also greatly enlivened by the versatile Don Cheadle as a British demolitions expert. Elliot Gould is hilarious as a rival to Garcia's character: watch out for his outrageous costumes. But my favorite performance in the film belongs to show biz legend Carl Reiner as an aging con man; he is outstanding, and quite endearing, in his double-layered role.

Some aspects of the plot are a bit far-fetched, and I must admit to a degree of unease with a film that essentially glorifies destructive criminal behavior. But the film's strong points are evident. I particularly like how the film evokes the excitement, glamour, and intrigue of the high-stakes Las Vegas scene. "Ocean's 11" is another strong effort from one of our most interesting directors.

Hollywood has managed in this film to once again show
how really great it is to be a thief.....And they managed to use, in my estimation, the top worst to do it.
Clooney, who always portrays himself in no matter what role he takes...Pitt who walks thru his role like a zombie throwing in one liners to make it interesting???? And let's not forget the token female, Roberts, who I am still trying to figure out how she can be the most beautiful woman in the world, or is it one of the top five in the world? I forget......
The only redeeming thing about this film was the presence of Garcia and maybe the Las Vegas location. I have no plans to see the sequel as I am sure it will be more of the same humdrum
as this turkey was. To me it was just as boring as the original one only an updated version.