BY: LOUIE LA COMPTE

In the original vs. remake showdown, "Ocean's 11" proves to be an exception to the rule that older = classic.

With the impending release of “Ocean's Thirteen,” the first two films have been airing on television repeatedly. I was able to watch “Ocean's Eleven” and “Ocean's Twelve” simultaneously at one point this weekend. But with all this buzz around the third film starring such a large cast of A-listers, I was curious about the original, the first “Ocean's Eleven,” starring that pack of something or other. Sure enough, the original film from 1960, starring Ol’ Blue Eyes and his "Rat Pack" cohorts was also airing this weekend on good old Turner Classic Movies, but at the ungodly hour of 5 a.m., so I fired up the old VCR (the poor man's Tivo) for later viewing.

Going in, I had high hopes that it was going to be an enjoyable two hours but, boy, was I mistaken. I don’t know if it’s because I enjoy the style of Soderbergh's remake(s), or if the pace of the original is so slow in comparison, but I just could not watch Dino and Sinatra and the rest of them plot out their robbery attempt on Vegas casinos. Although there was a certain amount of anxiety about whether they could pull it off or not, the conclusion is just way too disappointing to be worth all the trouble. It was all very unsatisfying. The quick pace of Soderbergh's film and its overall style gave me the wrong impression of what the original would be, namely: faster.

Why introduce an unhappy marriage between Danny Ocean and his wife in the beginning and not address it again? At least in the newer version we are (fairly) sure that the motivation of George Clooney’s Ocean is regaining the love of Julia Robert’s Tess - along with great sums of money of course.

I did enjoy the musical numbers, short as they were. Sammy Davis Jr. singing “EE-O-LEVEN” is very enjoyable. You can’t have a movie starring Sinatra, Dino and Sammy without a song or two. And I did get a kick out of seeing familiar faces of late 1950s and early 1960s Hollywood films. Did you recognize the drunken woman that drops her key, whom Dino valiantly assists (and kisses)? Hint: That same year she attempts suicide in Jack Lemmon’s “Apartment.” Also, who knew that Mr. Roeper of "Three's Company" fame was part of Ocean's 11? And the names on various casino signs were also entertaining to see. Was Donald O'Conner really appearing at that casino that week? Red Skelton's name appeared on one of the signs, and his name was in the main credits, but I don’t remember seeing him.

I wonder if Topher Grace will make a third cameo in “Ocean's Thirteen”?. Always poking fun at himself and Hollywood. ("I totally phoned in that Dennis Quaid movie.") Well, whether he does or not, I bet it will be an enjoyable two hour experience. I just happen to know that vengeance is the reason that Ocean and his crew reunite again, and I love a good vengeance film.

Louie La Compte has been a Tucson resident for the past 12 years now. As a self-proclaimed cinephile, he screens an average of 6-8 films a week. Since his first viewing of Francois Truffaut's "The 400 Blows," he has been increasingly interested in film and filmmaking. He is currently working on various short film projects. As a bibliophile, he is a frequent patron of Bookmans; just look for the guy in the fedora. You can read more of his random babblings and rants on his LiveJournal.