Ocean’s Thirteen (2007)
Release Date: 8 June 2007 (USA) 
DVD Release Date: 5 October 2007
Genres: Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller
Actors: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Al Pacino, Ellen Barkin, Bernie Mac, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Elliott Gould, Shaobo Qin, Don Cheadle, Eddie Jemison, Andy Garcia, Scott L. Schwartz, Carl Reiner
Directors: Steven Soderbergh
Country: USA
Plot: Danny Ocean’s team of criminals are back and are composing a plan more personal than ever. When ruthless casino owner Willy Bank double-crosses Reuben Tishkoff, causing a heart attack, Danny Ocean vows that him and his team will do anything to bring Willy Bank and everything he’s got down. Even if it includes hiring help from one of their own enemies, Terry Benedict.
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Hollywood.com Says:
"Third time’s a charm. Ocean’s Thirteen outshines the second installment, offering that certain breezy fun the original provided. Those cutie pies just work better in Vegas."
This is more like it. Leaving the smug self-congratulation of Twelve far behind, Ocean’s Thirteen is a stylish, breezy confection that, from first to (almost) last, is all about the con instead of the Hollywood royalty doing the conning, its eventual lapses into self-awareness forgivable for being more playful than egotistical.
The specifics of the plotting are both too dense and quite frankly, ludicrous, to go into in detail, but it goes something like this: big time Vegas hotel owner Willy Bank (Pacino) reneges on a deal with Reuben (Gould, who all but steals the film with an absolutely delightful Godfather joke) to partner him in a new casino, leaving Reuben broke and nearly dead. Ocean (Clooney) and the boys (Pitt, Damon, et al) vow revenge on Bank by coming up with several hi-tech schemes to win so big on opening night that Bank will be ruined. An added complication arises when the one person able to finance their plan, old foe Terry Benedict (Garcia), will only do it if the boys steal some diamonds from Bank’s impregnable penthouse while they’re at it. And why is Vincent Cassel’s Toulour, the bad guy from Twelve, hanging around the hotel?
Actually, it’s quite a straightforward setup really, but the joy of the film lies in the way the intricacies of the scams are revealed, in the smooth byplay between the supremely talented players, and in Soderbergh’s now finely polished direction. Though the zip and flair is back, the style quotient hasn’t been sacrificed to accommodate it, with some glorious camera work and beautiful aesthetics on top of the fun all coming together to make Ocean’s Thirteen probably the strongest of the trilogy.
Almost everyone returns from the first two outings, the only dropouts being Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta Jones, neither of them particularly missed. As ever, such a large crew means casualties (Bernie Mac, Carl Reiner and Shaobo Qin barely merit showing up), especially with the inclusion of three new characters (Pacino, plus Barkin as his assistant and David Paymer as an unfortunate hotel inspector). Damon gets some decent screen time and laughs, while Casey Affleck and Scott Caan probably score the biggest yucks as the dopey, scrapping Malloy brothers. Truth be told, even Clooney and Pitt have very little to do other than stand around in sharp jackets or wear silly disguises, but that they do it with such exquisite, effortless cool is just the reason why we joined the game in the first place.
By Paul Greenwood for Future Movies
Tags: al pacino, brad pitt, george clooney, Matt Damon, steven soderbergh
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Wild Hogs (2007)
Release Date: 2 March 2007 (USA)
Genres: Action | Adventure | Comedy
Actors: Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence, William H. Macy, Ray Liotta, Marisa Tomei, Kevin Durand, M.C. Gainey, Jill Hennessy, Dominic Janes, Tichina Arnold, Stephen Tobolowsky, Jason Sklar, Randy Sklar, Drew Sidora
Directors: Walt Becker
Country: USA
Plot: Four middle-aged men decide to take a road trip from Cincinnati to the Pacific in order to get away from their lives which are leading them nowhere. Taking their motorcycles, these “Wild Hogs” tear up the road and eventually stop in New Mexico for a drink not knowing that the bar belongs to the “Del Fuegos”, a mean biker gang. When the Del Fuegos steal a bike that belongs to the Wild Hogs, the four men form a plan to steal their bike back.
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The Movie is about four culturally different middle aged men looking for an exciting adventure in their mundane lives. The only thing they have in common is their adoration for Harley Davidson bikes.
Woody (John Travolta) wants to leave his troubles behind in the city, Bobby (Martin Lawrence) wants to do everything else besides his disgusting plumbing job, while Doug (Tim Allen) wants to find his old self to impress his son, & Dudley (William H.Macy) was happy to do anything as long as he could connect to internet Wifi “hotspots” during the trip.
Their journey across America began when the four of them wantonly agreed to discard their mobile phones & GPS gadgets altogether. It was Woody’s idea to be fully disconnected from anything that could come between them & their perceived freedom of the open road, traveling by motorcycles towards the west coast. In short, Woody proposed to make the “Wild Hogs” into a real biker gang from their road trip experience.
They camped, rode, rested, ate, stopped, drank etc however & whenever they wanted to without being constrained by any kind of schedule. Everything seemed jolly & hilarious when the Wild Hogs gang was mistaken for a group of “spooning” homosexuals by a “gay” cop.
Things then took a fast turn when they stumbled upon the notorious Del Fuegos “real deal” biker gang. Dudley gets his bike swindled from him by Jack (Ray Liotta), the leader of the Del Fuegos biker gang. Woody, dissatisfied with the situation, stealthily attempted to regain possession of Dudley’s bike. In the process, he cuts the gas lines of some of the Del Fuegos gang member’s motorcycles. Unfortunately for the Wild Hogs members, the Del Fuegos’s bar exploded into a great ball of fire as an end result of his naughty revenge.
In a hurry, Woody rushed his friends forward. In the hustle, they missed the last fuel stop. Soon after, the Wild Hogs members had to push their bikes towards what seemed like an unsure destiny for them. Just when they thought they were probably going to die on the open road in the middle of the dessert, they then found a small town named Madrid.
The Del Fuegos gang, bent on revenge, threatened to burn down Dudley’s girlfriend’s (Marisa Tomei) diner as retribution for their own diner getting destroyed by the Wild Hogs. They demanded that the Wild Hogs pay them $50,000 to settle the problem.
All ends well as the true leader of the Del Fuegos gang, showed up in the nick of time & prevented Jack from further hurting the Wild Hogs team members. The true leader of the Del Fuegos biker gang insured the burnt down bar for twice what it was worth. In fact, the Wild Hogs gang actually did the Del Fuegos’s true leader a favor.
It seemed that the movie revolved around the promotion of Harley Davidson Motorcycles. The quality of the star studded cast actually helped make the marketing campaign subtle & well blended into the storyline without making the movie seem like a very long Harley Davidson Motorcycles advertisement. Fans of high quality comedy movies should not miss watching the Wild Hogs.
Tags: John Travolta, Martin Lawrence, motorcycles, Tim Allen, William Macy
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Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Release Date: 25 May 2007 (USA)
Genres: Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller
Actors: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace, Bryce Dallas Howard, J.K. Simmons, Rosemary Harris, James Cromwell, Theresa Russell, Dylan Baker, Bill Nunn, Bruce Campbell, Cliff Robertson, Elizabeth Banks
Directors: Sam Raimi
Country: USA
Plot Summary: Spider-Man returns in Sam Raimi’s blockbuster finale to the Spider-Man trilogy. Having finally achieved balance between his regular life with Mary Jane and his superhero alter-ego, Peter Parker/Spider-Man thinks he finally has it made. But dark changes are on the horizon. His former friend Harry has become the New Goblin to hunt Peter down. The case regarding his Uncle Ben has been reopened and new evidence points to Flint Marko, who has recently become the Sandman, as the true killer.
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Peter Parker has finally found the balance he’s longed for between his love for Mary Jane Watson and his responsibilities as Spider-Man.
The city of New York and it’s citizens are at last coming around and appreciating everything he has done as his crime-fighting alter ego, and Peter is in the running for a staff job at the Daily Bugle.
However, everything Peter has worked for is about to unravel. Flint Marko, while fleeing prison, is caught in an accident that displaces molecules and is transformed into the Sandman, a new super villain who is able to change his body into any shape of sand he sees fit.
When Peter learns of a connection between The Sandman and the murder of his Uncle Ben, he will stop at nothing as Spider-Man to capture him. But before Peter can do so he discovers a mysterious black substance has turned his suit black, and has brought forth a darker side of Parker and Spidey nobody has seen before.
Peter begins to give into this new dark personality, starts to abandon the ones he loves the most and in turn his best friend Harry Osborn takes up his late father’s mantle as The New Goblin. Quickly Parker begins a new romance with his lab partner, the beautiful Gwen Stacy but in doing so Peter sets off a rival Bugle photographer, a troubled young man by the name of Eddie Brock who is obsessed with Stacy. Little does Peter know the black substance has its sights set on Eddie else as well. Turning Brock into Venom, a foe that mirrors everything Spider-Man can do. Forcing Peter to become the strong-willed hero he has forgotten about if he hopes to defeat his greatest threat yet.
Peter Parker has finally managed to piece together the once-broken parts of his life, maintaining a balance between his relationship with Mary-Jane and his responsibility as Spider-Man. But more challenges arise for our young hero.
Peter’s old friend Harry Osborn has set out for revenge against Peter; taking up the mantle of his late father’s persona as The New Goblin, and Peter must also capture Uncle Ben’s real killer, Flint Marko, who has been transformed into his toughest foe yet, the Sandman. All hope seems lost when suddenly Peter’s suit turns jet-black and greatly amplifies his powers. But it also begins to greatly amplify the much darker qualities of Peter’s personality that he begins to lose himself to. Peter has to reach deep inside himself to free the compassionate hero he used to be if he is to ever conquer the darkness within and face not only his greatest enemies, but also…himself.
Tags: Kirsten Dunst, Spider-Man, Tobey Maguire
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Pirates of the Caribbean At World’s End (2007)
Release Date: 25 May 2007 (USA)
Genres: Action | Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy
Actors:Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Geoffrey Rush, Jonathan Pryce, Bill Nighy, Yun-Fat Chow, Tom Hollander, Stellan Skarsgård, Kevin McNally, Mackenzie Crook, Lee Arenberg, Martin Klebba, Greg Ellis, Jack Davenport
Directors: Gore Verbinski
Country: USA
Plot Summary: After Elizabeth (Keira Knightly), Will (Orlando Bloom), and Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) rescue Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from the clutches of the Kraken, they must face their foes, Davey Jones (Bill Nighy) and Lord Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander). Beckett, now with control of Jones’ heart, forms a dark alliance with him in order to rule the seas and wipe out the last of the Pirates. Now, Jack, Barbossa, Will, Elizabeth, Tia Delma, and crew must call the Pirate Lords from the four corners of the globe, including the infamous Sao Feng (Chow-Yun Fat), to a gathering that will make their final stand against Beckett, Jones, Norrington, the Flying Dutchman, and the entire East India Trading Company.
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During the battle, Will proposes to Elizabeth who insists that Barbossa marry them immediately. When Davy Jones mortally wounds Will aboard the Dutchman, Jack places the sabre in Will’s hand and helps him stab Davy Jones’ heart in the Dead Man’s Chest, thus killing Jones and making Will the Flying Dutchman’s captain.
The crew cuts out Will’s heart and places it in the Dead Man’s Chest. Jack and Elizabeth escape before the ship is pulled into the whirlpool, but it quickly resurfaces with Will at the helm. Will captains the Flying Dutchman and Jack Sparrow captains the Black Pearl as they destroy Lord Cutler Beckett’s ship, killing Beckett and causing his armada to retreat.
Although Will has been saved and the Dutchman crew has regained its humanity, Will must spend the next 10 years at sea ferrying souls to the next world. Will and Elizabeth spend one day together on an island to consummate their marriage, and Will entrusts Elizabeth with the Dead Man’s Chest containing his heart.
The rest is simply too good to give away here. Do not make the mistake of leaving when the credits begin to roll as there is a bonus scene at the end of the credits that is critical to understanding where the movie is headed next.
The storyline of POTC is involved and can be a little hard to follow, but it comes to a nice conclusion at the end of the movie. But the best thing about this movie is that the audience is always kept guessing, there is absolutely no way to anticipate the end of the movie or the subplots of the movie.
The visuals and graphics make for some very realistic on screen special-effects but that is the beauty of the movie. When the movie wants to be funny it is funny, the same is true for when the movie needs to deliver its scary aspects, believe me POTC can bring scary to the screen with a bang ! The special-effects visuals and computer graphics let POTC At World’s End deliver a perfect mix of horror, action, humor and even romance at times.
The long and short of Pirates of the Caribbean At Worlds End is that you should go see it, make no mistake this is a definite summer blockbuster!
Tags: Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom, Pirates of the Caribbean
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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
Release Date: 11 July 2007 (USA)
Genres: Adventure | Drama | Family | Fantasy
Actors:Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Brendan Gleeson, Richard Griffiths, Jason Isaacs, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw, Maggie Smith, Imelda Staunton
Directors: David Yates
Country: UK | USA
Plot Summary: Harry is about to start his fifth year at Hogwarts. He’s desperate to get back to school and find out why his friends Ron and Hermoine have been so secretive all summer. However, what Harry is about to discover in his new year at Hogwarts will turn his world upside down….
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After a lonesome summer on Privet Drive, Harry returns to Hogwarts to begin his fifth year there for one of his most difficult years yet. He’s desperate to find out why his friends Ron and Hermione have been so secretive all summer, and not only he must study for his OWL exams, but Harry Potter discovers that much of the wizarding world, including the Ministry of Magic, didn’t believe in him or Dumbledore’s warnings of Lord Voldemort’s return. In retaliation, the ministry had decided to step in by appointing a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher in order to keep en eye on Hogwarts.
The Order of the Phoenix, a group sworn against Voldemort, is using its vast array of wizards and witches magical abilities to combat Voldemort. Meanwhile, a new witch assumes control at Hogwarts, throwing the entire school into chaos. To top it off are dreams that Harry can’t explain, and a mystery behind something Voldemort is searching for.
Harry is forced to confide his trust within a different force and discover that his new year at Hogwarts will turn his world upside down.
The film itself is a joy to watch whether you have read the book or not. Not only has "Order" marked Harry Potter as not just a very good read but a very good film as well. Entertaining, dark and mysterious the film is more than just an appetizer but more like a second helping of the main course.
Tags: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Harry Potter, hogwarts, kids movie, Rupert Grint
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Shrek the Third (2007)
Release Date: 17 May 2007 (Ukraine)
Genres: Animation | Comedy | Family | Fantasy
Actors: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Julie Andrews, John Cleese, Rupert Everett, Eric Idle, Justin Timberlake, Susan Blakeslee, Cody Cameron, Larry King, Christopher Knights, John Krasinski
Directors: Chris Miller | Raman Hui
Country: USA
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When Fiona’s father and King of Far Far Away passes away, the clumsy Shrek becomes the immediate successor of the throne. However, Shrek decides to find the legitimate heir Artie in a distant kingdom with his friends Donkey and Puss in Boots to be able return to his beloved house in the swamp with the pregnant Fiona. Meanwhile, the envious and ambitious Prince Charming joins the villains of the fairytales plotting a coup d’état to become the new king.
Being king isn’t for everyone - especially if you’re a prickly ogre who smells like the shallow end of a swamp. When Shrek married Fiona, the last thing he wanted was to rule Far Far Away.
Shrek the Third seems at once more energetic and more relaxed, less desperate to prove its cleverness and therefore to some extent smarter.
It helps that the animation looks better than ever. Practice, along with advances in technology, has made the faces of the characters more expressive and their movements more graceful.
"Shrek the Third" was an excellent follow-up to the other movies. This entire trilogy has really been great. There are a lot of new jokes in this movie for kids and adults alike, so the whole family can have a great time.
Tags: Antonio Banderas, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, kids movie, Mike Myers, shrek
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Transformers (2007)
Genres: Action | Adventure
Actors: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Rachael Taylor, Tyrese Gibson, Jon Voight, Anthony Anderson, John Turturro, Michael O’Neill, Peter Cullen, Charlie Bodin, Andrew Caldwell, Bryan Cox, Keith David, Frederic Doss
Director: Michael Bay
Country: USA
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Transformers is a 2007 live action film adaptation of the Transformers franchise. Directed by Michael Bay and executive produced by Steven Spielberg, the film stars Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky, a teenager involved in the war between the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons for the All Spark. It also stars Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Jon Voight and John Turturro, and it features the voices of Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime and Hugo Weaving as Megatron. Cullen voiced Prime in the 1980s cartoon.
If you grew up watching Transformers in the morning before school and then again in the afternoon you will absolutely enjoy this film.
Plot Summary: A long time ago, far away on the planet of Cybertron, a war was being waged between the noble Autobots (led by the wise Optimus Prime) and the devious Decepticons (commanded by the dreaded Megatron) for control over the Allspark, a mystical talisman that would grant unlimited power to whoever possessed it. The Autobots managed to smuggle the Allspark off the planet, but Megatron blasted off in search of it. He eventually tracked it to the planet of Earth (circa 1850), but his reckless desire for power sent him right into the Arctic Ocean, and the sheer cold forced him into a paralyzed state. His body was later found by Captain Archibald Witwicky, and before going into a comatose state Megatron used the last of his energy to engrave a map, showing the location of the Allspark, into the Captain’s glasses, and send a transmission to Cybertron. He is then carted away by the Captain’s ship. A century later, Sam Witwicky, nicknamed Spike by his friends, buys his first car. To his shock, he discovers it to be Bumblebee, an Autobot in disguise who is to protect Spike, as he bears the Captain’s glasses and the map carved on them. But Bumblebee is not the only Transformer to have arrived on Earth - in the desert of Qatar, the Decepticons Blackout and Scorponok attack a U.S. military base, causing the Pentagon to send their special Sector Seven agents to capture all "specimens of this alien race," and Spike and his girlfriend Mikaela find themselves in the middle of a grand battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons, stretching from Hoover Dam all the way to Los Angeles. Meanwhile, within the depths of Hoover Dam, the cryogenically stored form of Megatron awakens…
A few modifications have been made to some of the characters. There are no surprises with Optimus Prime, he is still a very powerful figure as a robot and as a Freightliner semi truck.
There are plenty of other changes as well. For example Bumblebee used to be a Volkswagen Beetle. In this live action Transformers movie Bumblebee takes on the form of the 2008 Chevy Camaro that isn’t on the market yet. Optimus Prime is still an amazing semi truck, and Ratchet is a Ambulance. The voices of the Transformers are very powerful and they are a good replica of the original programming from the early 80’s.
Forget about story or character or plot development for a second, and simply focus on big giant robots beating each other up. And then, in an instant, those big giant robots will transform into a truck or a plane and rip through the city at an incredible pace. In the early days of film, the concept would probably be impossible to place on the screen and do it justice. In the golden age of film, it would look interesting, but laughable. In the special effects era of movies, it would look passable, but not believable. But now, in 2007, with all the possibilities and abilities which special effects wizards have at their disposal, the Transformers, at the very least, look realistic.
A common source of debate for the upcoming Transformers movie is how the characters should look. The classic cartoon appearance, while iconic and nostalgic, supposedly does not translate that well onto a live action, big screen experience. Therefore, a whole new redesign of all the characters was necessary in order to make this movie appear realistic. And that is one of the main objectives behind this movie: it has to look absolutely real. In today’s age of special effects magic, there shouldn’t be too many movies that have cheap looking production values. But, in terms of scope and size, the visual challenges of the Transformers represent some of the biggest in moviemaking history.
Of course, because this is a big-budget adaptation of a classic 80’s cartoon and comic, the whole idea is to make this a trilogy. But, nobody is going to be interested in Transformers 2 & 3 if the first one looks amateurish. This is one of those movies that could never have been made at any other time before this one, and it’s just as imperative that all the effects are done to perfection. There are some cracks at movies that you only get one shot at, with no remake really possible. This is one of those movies!
Tags: michael bay, robots, shia laBeouf, steven spielberg, transformers
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The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
Genres: Action | Adventure | Drama | Mystery | Thriller
Actors: Matt Damon, Paddy Considine, Edgar Ramirez, Scott Adkins, Joey Ansah, Daniel Bruhl, Chris Cooper, Brian Cox, Dan Fredenburgh
Directors: Paul Greengrass
Download: DivX ($2.99)
This is the cinematic equivalent of lighting a high-power repeater firework and having the director strap you to it before you can retreat to a safe distance. It’s insane and it’s the Bourne Ultimatum. The third and final installment of a trilogy that has raised its genre’s bar to new heights, completing what has been an adrenaline-fueled rollercoaster ride of emotion through the murky world of government splinter cells, high-tech surveillance and assassins aplenty.
Tags: Bourne 2007, Matt Damon, Paddy Considine, Paul Greengrass
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