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Before 'Ocean's 8,' watch this great Cate Blanchett flick

Few actors have as varied and impressive a resume as Cate Blanchett, the co-star of this weekend's "Ocean's 8." An Australian film and stage actress, Blanchett announced herself to American audiences 20 years ago this winter with her Oscar-nominated performance in "Elizabeth," a thrilling, decidedly adult chronicle of Queen Elizabeth I's rise to power in 16th-century England. Since then, she's been nominated for six more Oscars, winning twice: First in 2004 for channeling Katharine Hepburn's spirit into Martin Scorsese's "The Aviator," and again in 2013 for her fierce, frazzled lead role in Woody Allen's "Blue Jasmine."

Her prestigious pedigree also has plenty of precedent for a studio sequel such as "Ocean's 8." Blanchett has played an elf queen ("The Lord of the Rings"), an Asgardian goddess ("Thor: Ragnarok") and an animated Viking ("How To Train Your Dragon 2"). She was Harrison Ford's campy foil in "Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull" and Lily James' vampy stepmom in "Cinderella." And later this year she'll give slithery voice to Kaa in Andy Serkis' "Mowgli."

My favorite Blanchett performance comes in a perfect prelude to this weekend's heist with Sandra Bullock, Sarah Paulson and pals. In "Bandits," Blanchett's Kate Wheeler ditches her crumbling marriage and finds herself hitting the road with a pair of escaped convicts known as The Sleepover Bandits (Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton) - first as a hostage, but later as a willing participant with affections for both men.

Blanchett and Thornton have an unexpected, unforced chemistry that keeps this meandering movie afloat; both were nominated for Golden Globes, and both give idiosyncratic, unpredictable performances that elevate the material. Directed by Barry Levinson ("Rain Man"), "Bandits" is not a great movie - but it has moments of greatness thanks to these two terrific actors. Blanchett and Willis' Joe share a tense will-they-won't-they bedroom scene separated by a clothesline, and Thornton's Terry wins empathetic laughs with his neuroses. (My former roommate and I still exclaim "Beavers and ducks!" when we see each other.) The movie's also packed with cool tunes, beginning with a live rendition of "Gallows Pole" by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant and Bonnie Tyler's '80s anthems.

"Bandits" is available for digital rental across all major platforms and is streaming for free (with ads) on Vudu.

Zemeckis Fest

WGN Radio's Nick Digilio continues his monthly film club Tuesday, June 12, at the AMC Rosemont 18 with a bona fide classic: "Back to the Future." You can have dinner and drinks with Digilio beginning at 6:30 in the theater's dining room, then see a digitally restored 4K presentation of director Robert Zemeckis' beloved film at 8 p.m. Tickets for the screening cost $9.99 plus tax and can be acquired at amctheatres.com.

"Back to the Future" is the second screening of what DiGilio is calling a summerlong Zemeckis Fest - in May, he screened the Chicago-born filmmaker's comedy "Used Cars," an underappreciated gem starring Kurt Russell and Jack Warden. What awaits us in July? "Forrest Gump," perhaps? Or "Death Becomes Her"? (Surely not the Jim Carrey animated version of "A Christmas Carol," right?)

• Sean Stangland is a Daily Herald multiplatform editor who wonders if you've ever spotted Cate Blanchett's cameo in Edgar Wright's "Hot Fuzz." Follow him on Twitter at @SeanStanglandDH.

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