4 Film Favorites: George Clooney Collection (Ocean's Eleven / Michael Clayton / Three Kings / The Perfect Storm)

Great movies, great value, sounds super. I especially enjoyed Michael Clayton, a movie that should have gotten a few more awards

George Clooney is one of my favorite actors - I think I have all of his movies. I purchased this one for my daughter as a Christmas gift. I do not know if she loves these movies as much as I did, but I sure hope so. Michael Clayton is one of Clooney's best.

George Clooney (1961) is slowly emerging as the major film star of the 21st Century. He made his debut in TV in the late 70s, made a few forgettable films ("Return to Horror High", "Grizzly 2") and then landed a continuing role on "ER" (1994-99) where he earned 2 Emmy nominations and 3 Golden Globe nominations. From that platform he re-started his film career with a few modest productions ("From Dusk to Dawn", "One Fine Day", "The Peacemaker") and then got the lead role in "Batman & Robin" (1997) which announced his arrival on the A list with box office grosses over $100 Million.

The first of the four films featured comes while Clooney was still doing ER. "Three Kings" (1999) is a satirical action adventure yarn set in Iraq during the 1st war with Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, and Ice Cube as 3 US soldiers who get a chance to lift millions of dollars of gold. "Three Kings" was #39 at the box office and earned $100 Million worldwide. It was received well by critics and earned 94% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 129 reviews.

"The Perfect Storm" (2000) cast Clooney again with Mark Wahlberg as members of a New England fishing crew. "The Perfect Storm" was #8 at the box office with worldwide gross of more than $300 Million. It had a mixed reception by critics and earned 47% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 132 reviews.

In case you were on a desert island, "Ocean's Eleven" (2001) was the remake of the 1960 Rat Pack film of the same name. If you liked that one, you'll like this one. "Ocean's Eleven" came in at #5 at the box office with worldwide gross of more than $400 Million. As of 2012 this was his most successful film in terms of gross. It had a mixed reception by critics and earned 82% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 168 reviews.

"Michael Clayton" (2007) is a drama that centers on the misbehavior of lawyers. The year before this film was released, Clooney won the Oscar for his work in "Syriana." For this film, Clooney received best actor nominations in the US and England and also at the Golden Globes. Perhaps more tellingly, he was nominated by the Screen Actors Guild.
"Michael Clayton" was #55 at the box office and earned $92 Million worldwide. It was received well by critics and earned 90% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 196 reviews.

Apart from all 4 films being from Warner Brothers, it's hard to identify a rationale for their inclusion. They certainly don't show his best work (Personally, my favorite Clooney performances are "O Brother Where Art Thou", "Up in the Air", and "Michael Clayton"), nor are they necessarily his highest grossing films ("Ocean's Eleven", "The Perfect Storm", "Oceans Twelve", "Ocean's Thirteen", "Batman & Robin"), nor do they reflect his most honored films ("Syriana", "Michael Clayton", "Up in the Air", "Good Night And Good Luck"). The only thread I can see is that relationships are at the core of each film, which is probably one of the central themes in films that Clooney chooses, especially when his role is as a writer or producer.

Bottom line - a sampler of George Clooney's work.