HAVE YOU SEEN ALL THE OCEAN'S FILMS?

Clearly, the star of the Paris Summer Olympics is the Eiffel Tower, for it stands out all the time.  It is exactly 300 meters (984 feet) high, and was finished in 1889 for the Paris World's Fair.  It is the most visited monument with an entrance fee in the world, and attracts nearly 7 million/year.

After day 2, Japan and Australia have won the most gold medals, 4, but the USA has the most medals with 12.  France second most, 8.

• Australia is doing well in swimming, but the star could well be Leon Marchand from France.
• The USA is surging.
• Torri Huske (right) and Gretchen Walsh won gold and silver in the 100M butterfly.
• Foil Fencer Lee Kiefer, won a gold, topping Lauren Scruggs, also of the U.S.  Kiefer also got the gold in Tokyo.
• The US Women's soccer team beat Zambia 3-0 and Germany 4-1.
• Lebron James (39) and Kevin Durant (35) led the way to crush Serbia 110-84 in men's basketball.

• 
  Russia and Belarus teams were banned, but certain individuals were allowed to participate as AIN athletes, the French translation for individual neutral athletes.  The main reason for this suspension has to do with the Ukraine war, but the World Anti-Doping Agency also found there a culture of cheating. In the 2021 Tokyo Games, Russian athletes were also forbidden from competing under their country's flag, mainly because of doping, but the country still sent 335, taking home 70 medals.  There should be only 15 competing from Russia this year.  Ukraine sent 140 for 26 events.

There is a plethora of ocean-related productions ever made.  Here are 15 ocean documentaries worthy of your interest, led by Sir David Attenborough's two The Blue Planet series.  Rotten Tomatoes gave #2 scores of 97/84.  No rating for #1.  Yesterday, the BBC channel showed all eight episodes of the first set.

Just from 2000 to 2017, here are the 50 best ocean movies.  

• Listed at #1 was The Admiral:  Roaring Currents (this is the whole 2024 film), about Admiral Yi-Sun-sin, defending China for 300 Japanese ships in the Battle of Myeongryang.  RT:  88/79.
• #2, 300:  Rise of an Empire, also 2014, RT:  45/51.  This not the 300 with  Gerard Butler, with RT scores of 61/89.
• #3, Master and Commander, 2003, Russell Crowe, RT: 85/80.
• #4 Life of Pi, #4 Kon-Tiki, #6 Moby Dick, #11 The Perfect Storm, #45 Moana.

I'm not sure if this ranking is at all meaningful, and further, the sea was the key determining factor, so none of the Ocean's franchise films made that list.

I've been waiting to binge-watch all five Ocean's movies, as I recorded three of them many, many months ago, but lacked the original 1960 Rat Pack Ocean's 11 and latest female 2018 Ocean's Eight.  That is, until earlier this week when I discovered O Eight on Roku.  There were commercials, but they were very short and not particularly troublesome.  Then I found  the 1960 Ocean's 11 on Tubi, which was for free.  With the Olympics getting ready to supersaturate the airwaves, I saw Ocean's Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen on Tuesday night.

So about the Ocean's Franchise:

• If you never saw any of them before, this is a series of heist films, beginning in 1960 with Frank Sinatra as Danny Ocean.  What a cast for Ocean's Eleven:  Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, Angie Dickinson, Richard Conte, Cesar Romero, Joe Bishop, Red Skelton, Shirley MacLaine, George Raft and more.  
• Rotten Tomatoes reviewers only gave it a 45 rating, but audiences went up to 81.  
• Just go to Tubi and the film is free.  Ranked #4 of the five films.

• 
  A 2001 remake, Ocean's Eleven, ranked #1 of the lot.  
• George Clooney played Danny Ocean, his pack included Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Elliot Gould, Bernie Mac and Carl Reiner.  Cameos by Siegfried & Roy, Wayne Newton, boxer Wladimir Klitschko, boxing commentor Larry Merchant and Henry Silva, Angie Dickinson, Eydie Gormé and Steve Lawrence playing themselves.  Don Cheadle told them not to use his name, but could play his scenes. 
• Typical to others, Danny just gets out of jail and recruits his partners.
• Ex-wife of Oceans Tess (Roberts) was then linked with a casino owner (Garcia) who was heisted for $160 million from the Bellagio, Mirage and MGM Grand.
• Outstanding soundtrack.
• Rotten Tomatoes:  83/80.
• Grossed $451 billion worldwide.

• 
  Ocean's Twelve came in 2004, directed by Steven Soderbergh, who directed all three modern ones, but not the film with the ladies.
• Pretty much same cast, plus Catherine Zeta-Jones, Bruce Willis, Albert Finney, Eddie Izzard and others.
• This time the steal is for the Imperial Coronation Fabergé Egg.
• Rotten Tomatoes:  55/60.
• Grossed $363 million worldwide.
• #3 in Ocean's list.

• 
  Ocean's Thirteen was released in 2007.
• Same basic cast, but also Don Cheadle, Ellen Barkin and Al Pacino.
• Back to Vegas.
• RT:  70/75.
• Earned $311 million worldwide.
• #2 on the Ocean's list.

• 
  Ocean's Eight, also sometimes stylized as Ocean's 8, was released in 2018 and directed by Gary Ross.
• Starred Sandra Bullock as Debbie Ocean.  She reminds me of Donald Trump and too, like brother Danny, is just out of jail.  Why Trump?  She lies through her teeth.

• Also, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Awkwafina, Rihanna and Helena Bonham Carter.  Matt Damon and Carl Reiner reprise their roles...except it was cut from the film.  Plus Griffin Dunne, Dakota Fanning, James Corden, Elliot Gould and Marlo Thomas.  Whole range of cameos, including Katie Holmes, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, Kim Kardashian West, Kylie Jenner, Heidi Klum and others.

• The heist occurs at the Met Gala of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
• 
  The target is the Toussaint, a $150 million Cartier necklace, but there are two more reasons.  One, payback for why Debbie went to jail, and a surprise...they also stole other items, to the surprise of the stealing crew.  The Amazing Yen returns to help.
• RT:  68/47.  But I enjoyed the film.
• Has grossed around $300 million worldwide.

Finally, the Paris Games has Phrygian mascots representing Phrygian caps:  The Olympic Phryge and Paralympic Phryge.  The Phrygian cap originated in ancient Greece and Rome as the headgear of a formerly enslaved person.  The cap served as a symbol of liberty during the French Revolution.

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