OCEAN'S 11 BLU!

In celebration of the epic Mondo Lounge fest this weekend in Las Vegas, which will feature rare film screenings, fashions shows, cocktail parties, music, and exhibiting artists Shag and Bosko, Spy Vibe wants to give fans the heads-up about the 50th anniversary Blu-ray edition of the original Ocean's 11 (1960). This Frank Sinatra/Rat Pack classic is an excellent time capsule that centers around a group of post-war buddies who knew which way the cultural winds were blowing in 1960. The characters embody a rejection of the suburban values of the era to live life as swingers. Sinatra and his gang occupy a Hugh Hefner-inspired lifestyle based on individual freedom, pleasure, adventure, and fraternal loyalty. They are the jet-setting first wave of the sexual revolution, middle-aged heroes at a turning point before the culture shifted toward the space race and the youth market.


The film, similar to the modern version with George Clooney and Brad Pitt (2001), centers around cool characters, cool outfits, cool apartments, and impossibly cool schemes to rob casinos in Las Vegas. Check out the bachelor pad decor above where Sinatra and Martin shoot some pool. It's a stylish ride! It's interesting to think about other iconic works from this era. Along with Ocean's 11, the world also saw the release of Kind of Blue by Miles Davis (1959), Time Out by Dave Brubeck (1959), Danger Man with Patrick McGoohan (1960), and by 1961, a couple of movie producers were working with Ian Fleming to launch 007 to the big screen. Seven days after the premiere of Ocean's 11 on August 10th, 1960, The Beatles began their first residency in Hamburg, West Germany, at the Indra Club on Grosse Freiheit on Wednesday August 17th. A cultural tidal wave was forming, but the Rat Pack would hold their place for a little longer. Although I had seen news of a delay in production for the Ocean's 11 disc, it appears that the Blu-ray is available on Amazon for a November 9th release. Blu-ray.com review here.


From Amazon: New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas. Roulette wheels spin, cards snap, slots chime, champagne fizzes, shows go on…and the lights go out. It’s the perfect time to steal a kiss or a $25 chip. But for Danny Ocean (Frank Sinatra) and 10 partners in crime, it’s the ideal moment to steal millions. Sinatra and off-screen pals Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop and more play army buddies who scheme to knock out power to the Vegas strip, electronically rig five big casino vaults and raid them all at the same instant. Packed with location-lensed glamour, sweaty suspense, swinging comedy and a stunning twist ending now in gorgeous hi-def, Ocean's 11 is your entertainment best bet.