I was thinking about what to write when I happened upon a post in the cine community announcing a contest for Favorite Movie Reboot. That question made me sit back and think a bit. In general I'm not a fan of reboots. I don't even like the idea of them. For every reboot or remake that was amazing (like Scarface) there are dozens that are trash. I would usually much prefer something original rather than a reboot/remake or sequel.

That said, I started to think about what reboots I've enjoyed. Scarface, as mentioned above, is an obvious choice. The remake with Al Pacino was so good it almost completely overshadows the original, which while good wasn't anything special. The Fly would be another one. The Jeff Goldblum remake was a huge improvement over the 1950s original. It was so emotional that I can't watch it anymore. As good as Bela was in the original, in many ways the 1992 Dracula remake was a big improvement. True Grit was arguably a better movie, with Jeff Bridges playing the part much better than John Wayne did (but this one might be close... the original had a lot of charm). And how about The Thing, eh? The remake was clearly better. There are maybe a handful more.

But best... I thought about it for awhile, jotting down good remakes on a piece of paper. But then, while I wrote, old Sammy's voice popped into my head.

Someday I'll have me a penthouse
Stacks and stacks of folding green
Eee-o-Eleven
Eee-o-Eleven

And there we go. How could I pick anything else? That's right, folks, for my pick of best reboot, I'm going with 2001's remake of Ocean's Eleven.

(Here's the Sammy Davis Jr song if you've never heard it)

The original Oceans was fun. We got to see all the Rat Pack together, chewing up the scenery. That 1960s cool is tough to beat—scratch that; impossible to beat—and just having all those cool cats together makes it a film to watch. That said, the story was only so-so, there were some weird scenes, and Sinatra's heart wasn't in it which shows in his acting in the film.

^{The Original}

The 2001 remake with George Clooney and Brad Pitt, on the other hand, was firing on all cylinders. This movie was non-stop, never giving us a moment to catch our breath, and it was fun all the way through from the first scene to the last.

^{The Remake}

I may be biased. I prefer fun films that aren't so serious. We have enough problems and sorrow in the world as is; I don't need to see any of that on the screen and would prefer a lighthearted escape. The rebooted Oceans never takes itself too seriously and gives us a one of the best refined capers ever made. Really. I like heist movies so I've seen many, and this ranks up there at the top or very near to it. While it doesn't match the sheer cool of the original, it tops it in every other category.

If you haven't seen it before, then go right out and watch it now! You won't be sorry. In addition to Clooney and Pitt, the movie features Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Julia Roberts, Carl Reiner, Don Cheadle, and more. This is an all-star cast and everyone is used well.

Ok, well, Cheadle for some odd reason is made to speak in a cockney accent and the results are not good. Not quite Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins bad, but not great. I'll give you that. Strike one on the film. But everything else is good, more than making up for that odd accent choice.

Anyway, a short spoiler-free synopses for anyone who hasn't seen it before:

Danny Ocean (Clooney) is released from prison. He immediately hooks up with his partner to plan their next heist. They go to Vegas with the idea of robbing three casinos simultaneously. They then recruit a team of eight other specialists to help with the job and that's where the fun begins. I won't spoil the rest, but I will say it's a very fun ride that leads to a very satisfying ending.

They made a few sequels, including a female-only one, but none of them were all that great and they shouldn't have been made. See above when I say most sequels stink.

But this first one, it is really something special and deserves a place on any movie-lover's shelf.

David LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku.