Listened to an interview with Jonathan Levine (50/50, Warm Bodies), and until that I thought Long Shot was from Jonathan Lynn (Wild Target, My Cousin Vinny).
Airplane Viewings:
Ocean’s 8
★ ★ ★ - Okay
Soderbergh’s sequels are more about cast chemistry than the heist. This one’s got a pretty good heist, the 2nd best of the series. Unfortunately, what it lacks is sparkling chemistry between the female superstars, opting instead for the warmth of female solidarity. There are a couple of extra twists on top of the extra twists, but my negativity towards it is knee-jerk because the extra miles round things out nicely, as does James Corden as a cheerfully determined investigator. There’s too much connection to the original trilogy, completely unnecessary, but the scene transitions and score are so on point, I was surprised to learn it was done by people new to the franchise.
Tag
★ ★ ★ - Okay
This was funnier than I expected, though unfortunately kept reminding me of the superior, similar Game Night. The premise may seem one-joke, but it’s fleshed out in all the right ways, and the cast really shines. Ed Helms hasn't had this successful a star turn since Hangover 1 and Isla Fisher… I don’t get why she doesn’t work more. The one drawback is the occasionally mean edge the story takes. A problem of tone though filming the ambush scenes like Zack Snyder fights is a great comic choice. It wasn't until the closing credits that I discovered Oscar Isaac was actually Jake Johnson.