Is the work of Steven Soderbergh the most overrated thing ever?

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what, no one liked his shot-for-shot remake of The Out of Towners?

― Shakey Mo Collier, Tuesday, 15 February 2005 19:11 (nineteen years ago) link

I wonder - if enough people make shot-for-shot remakes of a shot-for-shot remake of a shot-for-shot remake of etc etc etc, will the Nth person down the line end up with just 90+ minutes' worth of blank film?

― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 19:17 (nineteen years ago) link

if they go the van sant route, it will be 90+ minutes of flying cows.

― jones (actual), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 19:19 (nineteen years ago) link

Solaris is the Kid A of films. make of that what you will.

-- Nordicskillz (t1nym1n...), March 11th, 2003.

solaris is one of my favorite films of all time. yes this version. you may now excuse whatever paltry credibility i have earned over the last five months.

kafka is great too.

― firstworldman (firstworldman), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 19:28 (nineteen years ago) link

I've really never understood the love for *either* Solaris (in fact, I think I mailed hstencil my VHS copy several years ago...) As far as I'm concerned both versions are tedious and pointless. The BOOK, however, is typical Lem (ie, fantastic)

― Shakey Mo Collier, Tuesday, 15 February 2005 19:33 (nineteen years ago) link

Yup.

― n/a (Nick A.), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 19:34 (nineteen years ago) link

shakey what does the word "hack" mean to you?

― s1ocki (slutsky), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 19:46 (nineteen years ago) link

actually for some reason i kind of wish he would remake the talking heads movie 'true stories'... i must be retarded.

― firstworldman (firstworldman), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 19:52 (nineteen years ago) link

Soderbergh hasn't made a great film yet, but he might.

I like all 3 Solarises, tho in Lem-Tarkovsky-SS order.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 19:53 (nineteen years ago) link

"Soderbergh hasn't made a great film yet, but he might."

I would agree, but he has made some good films (King of the Hill is probably my early favorite, but I like Schizopolis and The Underneath and most of Hollywood fare too.)

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 19:55 (nineteen years ago) link

Oh wait and The Limey is really quite good, but I am a sucker for Point Blank-style revenge flicks.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 19:56 (nineteen years ago) link

Traffic with the exception of Del Toro's great performance is really weak though as is Erin Brockovich and Full Frontal is one of the worst movies I've ever seen.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 20:00 (nineteen years ago) link

hack = quantity over quality, with a penchant for remaining faithful to genre conventions and canonized sources

― Shakey Mo Collier, Tuesday, 15 February 2005 20:14 (nineteen years ago) link

re:Che biopic

SS steped in on this after Terence Malick (?!?) backed out.

― Doobie Keebler (Charles McCain), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 20:29 (nineteen years ago) link

screw the 'genre conventions' argument, Shakey, but I buy you on the 'quantity over quality' argument w/o any comment. Also -

Soderbergh:Malick::Spielberg:Huston

― Remy (x Jeremy), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 20:31 (nineteen years ago) link

canonized sources?

― s1ocki (slutsky), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 22:29 (nineteen years ago) link

dude wtf is james spader thinking these days.

― Aaron A., Tuesday, 15 February 2005 22:41 (nineteen years ago) link

i haven't seen that show he's on... but he was awesome in secretary!

― firstworldman (firstworldman), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 22:43 (nineteen years ago) link

he maintained a certain mystique throughout his career until this putrid Boston Legal (I think that's it).

― Aaron A., Tuesday, 15 February 2005 22:47 (nineteen years ago) link

eleven months pass...

Soderbergh talks 'video mash-ups' and more

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Monday, 30 January 2006 13:18 (eighteen years ago) link

I recently rescreened Erin Brockovich. Man, is it a better movie than Traffic.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Monday, 30 January 2006 14:06 (eighteen years ago) link

Not in the last couple reels, when it's mostly about Julia Roberts' teeth.

So Bob Pollard has scored most of Bubble. If only it was still the '90s.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Monday, 30 January 2006 14:11 (eighteen years ago) link

is 'bubble' any good? why is mark romanek the commentator on the dvd? i'm intrigued.

― The Man Without Shadow (Enrique), Monday, 30 January 2006 14:16 (eighteen years ago) link

Erin Brockovich was good!

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Monday, 30 January 2006 15:30 (eighteen years ago) link

Yeah, if any movie deserves the Howard Hawks comparisons lobbed in Soderbergh's court it's Erin Brockovich.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Monday, 30 January 2006 15:34 (eighteen years ago) link

Is the work of Steven Soderbergh the most overrated thing ever?

No, the work of Lars von Trier is

― Dadaismus (Dada), Monday, 30 January 2006 15:37 (eighteen years ago) link

I just saw EB again last night, and the scene where Aaron Eckhart and Julia Roberts break up is so great. Her speech is so realistic, her delivery. Everything with Finney is hilarious (and I only noticed his accent once). There are some scenes that are overplayed--the brittle female lawyer bitch is too much. But the townspeople are portrayed with so much care that I'm totally baffled by the reaction here. Should movies never deal with small-town victims of corporations? These people are shown to be skeptical and smart. The scene with no sound, with the dad throwing rocks at the company at night--scenes like that put this movie WAY out of the realm of TV movie.

This is so OTM. Best post on this thread.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Monday, 30 January 2006 15:52 (eighteen years ago) link

Yeah, if any movie deserves the Howard Hawks comparisons lobbed in Soderbergh's court it's Erin Brockovich.
-- Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (sotoal...), January 30th, 2006.

mind-boggling.

― The Man Without Shadow (Enrique), Monday, 30 January 2006 15:56 (eighteen years ago) link

I never even remotely thought of EB as TV movie caliber. And I thought the directing was fantastic without even knowing at the time it was by some hotshit director.

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Monday, 30 January 2006 16:06 (eighteen years ago) link

(Thanks, Alfred!)

I'll admit EB shrinks in comparison to something like North Country, which actually takes an interest in its children, has no stock townies, and makes its trial almost an afterthought to activism. But I guess I will always be on board for The Julia Roberts Show in some form--unless that means sitting through Ocean's 12 again.

Read Jon Lee Anderson's Che biography before you decide it wouldn't make a great movie. Hope it's Reds/Godfather II-long, too.

― Pete Scholtes (Pete Scholtes), Monday, 30 January 2006 22:44 (eighteen years ago) link

have you guys ever actually seen a hawks film?

― The Man Without Shadow (Enrique), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 09:59 (eighteen years ago) link

if hawks were doing the story it'd be about the embattled ceos trying to get one over on the grasping, lily-livered sheep who have the audacity to call themselves citizens.

― The Man Without Shadow (Enrique), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 09:59 (eighteen years ago) link

Most likely it would show the embattled citizens -- drinking, shit-talkig, and flirting with a sassy fellow citizen -- trying to get one over on the grasping, lily-livered sheep who have the audacity to call themselves CEO's.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 12:07 (eighteen years ago) link

possibly. y'know ford voted dem right up to the '60s. i'd bet on hawks having been gop the whole time.

― The Man Without Shadow (Enrique), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 12:12 (eighteen years ago) link

K Street is awesome

-- Andy K (xndkx...), September 16th, 2003 9:42 AM. (Andy K) (link)

Must've been posted after the first or second episode.

― Andy_K (Andy_K), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 12:58 (eighteen years ago) link

one month passes...

I have to say that while the first one was mildly amusing, I really love Ocean's Twelve, even if it might be sort of a mess. But was I the only one who didn't get the joke?

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Friday, 17 March 2006 14:23 (eighteen years ago) link

Ocean's Twelve is way better than Ocean's Eleven. I like that he completely dispensed with anything resembling a traditional heist movie (since 11 sucked as one) and just made it a complete joke on the audience.

― Erick Dampier is better than Shaq (miloaukerman), Friday, 17 March 2006 19:34 (eighteen years ago) link

I prefer Soderbergh as a crafter of no-frills mainstream entertainment meself, which is why I find Ocean's Eleven more fun. Plus, he's earned my eternal gratitude for discovering a use for Brad Pitt that Angelina hasn't shared with the rest of the world.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Friday, 17 March 2006 19:39 (eighteen years ago) link

Eros (2004)

Directed by:
Michelangelo Antonioni
Steven Soderbergh
Kar Wai Wong

Anyone seen this? Apparently a collection of 3 'erotic' short subjects. According to my friend, Soderbergh's contribution is comparable in style to Schizopolis.

― elmo, holy helper (allocryptic), Friday, 17 March 2006 19:43 (eighteen years ago) link

from what i've heard, wkw's segment is fantastic, soderbergh's is passable, and antonioni's is dire.

― gear (gear), Friday, 17 March 2006 19:45 (eighteen years ago) link

jesus christ, ocean's 12 was total shit

― s1ocki (slutsky), Friday, 17 March 2006 20:00 (eighteen years ago) link

I saw Eros and Gear has it completely right. None of the stories are erotic though.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Friday, 17 March 2006 20:47 (eighteen years ago) link

I hate Soderbergh. He uses his powers for evil. Whether its avant-horseshit or hollywood horseshit its horseshit. I haven't seen either Ocean's movie, in part because I don't want to know for sure if he's made some breezy, fun horseshit. I don't want to dignify him.

― ant@work.com, Friday, 17 March 2006 22:06 (eighteen years ago) link

also, you hate fun

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Friday, 17 March 2006 22:14 (eighteen years ago) link

erin brokovich was not fun. i don't know if any julia roberts movie has struck me as fun.

― ant@work, Friday, 17 March 2006 22:22 (eighteen years ago) link

Soderbergh's work on _Gray's Anatomy_ was fucking great.

― elmo, holy helper (allocryptic), Friday, 17 March 2006 22:29 (eighteen years ago) link

(I mean the Spalding Gray monologue, not the fucking TV show, nor the medical reference)

― elmo, holy helper (allocryptic), Friday, 17 March 2006 22:31 (eighteen years ago) link

oh wait, I've seen Out Of Sight! I liked that when I saw it back in the day. I guess he can do breezy, fun horseshit. I just don't ever want to see another of his movies that is oscar or indie-oriented.

oh, and I want to see the Limey. Gah, I just hate how so many of his movies just use enough of the tricks of good filmmaking to push over the horseshit. All the character exposition at the beginning of Brokovich was just to morph into A Civil Action For Women by act two.

― ant@work, Friday, 17 March 2006 22:35 (eighteen years ago) link

Ocean's 12 is bloody awful! His segment in Eros is fun, though. I like to see Alan Arkin working more.

― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Friday, 17 March 2006 22:36 (eighteen years ago) link

the answer to the question is no, since we have david fincher, bryan singer, sam mendes and many more mediocrities working in Hollywood.

― timmy tannin (pompous), Saturday, 18 March 2006 02:57 (eighteen years ago) link

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