The Hype of Soderbergh?

Started by Gold Trumpet, February 24, 2003, 06:52:57 AM

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Gold Trumpet

My own ratings for the movies of his I've seen:

Sex, Lies and Videotape: *** 1/2
Out of Sight: *** 1/2
The Limey: ***
Erin Brockovich: **
Traffic: ****
Ocean's Eleven: ***
Full Frontal: **
Solaris: ***

For me, like some people have said,  he seems to be scratching surfaces more than bringing anything really great from them and is holding himself up as making more good films than great ones though someone like Paul Thomas Anderson has made only 1 really good movie (Hard Eight) along with 3 great films and he has done just four. For Anderson, there seems like an evolution to higher material as he progresses and bigger chances taken then Soderbergh, who thinks it is a risky idea to remake material without being able to bring anything really new from the previous one (Solaris). Honestly, I hear he has certain projects in the future but I am already bored and not looking forward to any of them. It's a dependence on previous material and the belief things can pass without any great touch of mastery to it to bring it to new life. Paul Thomas Anderson took the idea of the pudding guy, a true story, and brought it to life in a completely different way. If Soderbergh was at the helm, I think he would have focused very intently of getting the feeling of this guy's life to the screen and what his reasoning on doing the pudding thing meant to him. I couldn't see room for really anything else there and nothing to put the material over the top.

~rougerum

Ghostboy

I pretty much agree with you, and I have trouble looking forward to 'The Informant' or even 'Ocean's 12.' I do think there is a progression in his work...however, I also think he needs to do something completely different now. Maybe another period piece. I imagine The Informant and Ocean's 12 will both be good, but familiar.

My own ratings for his films:

Sex, Lies and Videotape: *** 1/2
Kafka: ***
King Of The Hill: **1/2
Out of Sight: *** 1/2
The Limey: ****
Erin Brockovich: ** 1/2
Traffic: ***1/2
Ocean's Eleven: ***
Full Frontal: *1/2
Solaris: ****

©brad

I thought Erin Brockovich was a great movie, very touching, funny, smart, well written and acted. Why only 2 stars?

Gold Trumpet

The story is an old one, though not necessarily doomed, but Soderbergh does little in refreshing that oldness to keep pace with previous films on similiar subjects made in the same structure. And in light of how common the movie is, Soderbergh's failure at competing only makes it that more dismal.

~rougerum

life_boy

I understand what you're saying.  Part of his "not bringing anything new to the table" might have to do with him usually not writing the scripts he directs.  I know he has written scripts before (Sex, Lies, Solaris) but not as a general rule.  It is hard to argue with PTA's track record so far (sometimes I wonder if he'll ever make a piece of shit) and I think a lot of his greatness comes through because of his writing.  He cares about his characters which translates to he cares about his actors portrayal of his characters (granted, that's not all directing is, but it helps).  Maybe this is Soderberg's problem, maybe it isn't, I don't know.  Maybe he wants to be the 'indie expirementer' or churn out as many films as he can before he dies, again, I don't know.  What I do know is that, for me, Soderberg is not a director where I can place all confidence in the greatness of his next work, he's more of a 'wait and see' director (even though I like all of his films that I've seen, I still enter the next Soderberg film with a little trepidation).


Sex, Lies, & Videotape *** 1/2
Out of Sight: ****
The Limey: ***
Erin Brockovich: *** 1/2
Traffic: ****
Ocean's Eleven: ***
Solaris: *** 1/2

©brad

Quote from: The Gold TrumpetThe story is an old one, though not necessarily doomed, but Soderbergh does little in refreshing that oldness to keep pace with previous films on similiar subjects made in the same structure. And in light of how common the movie is, Soderbergh's failure at competing only makes it that more dismal.

~rougerum

In an interview of Total Film, when asked why he did Erin Brockovich;

SS: ... it was a conscious choice to do, say, Erin Brockovich because I wanted to make a movie dominated by a female protagonist.

TF: Is that the only reason you took it?
SS: Well, the other reason was the aggressive linear structure, which coming off The Limey appealed to me. That and the fact that there was absolutely nothing cool about it whatsoever. I mean, it was the least hip thing a filmmaker in my position could do. There was no film-school shit in it.

- Total respect for the man in that choice. Why are you criticizing Soderbergh for not reinventing every genre he tries? Who says you have to? I remember reading a Coen Bros. interview in Playboy and they said that being 'original' isn't necessarily good, that they had no interest in it. Hitchcock did the same thing over and over, did he do little in refreshing the genre?

Pwaybloe

Quote from: The Gold TrumpetMy own ratings for the movies of his I've seen:

Sex, Lies and Videotape: *** 1/2
Out of Sight: *** 1/2
The Limey: ***
Erin Brockovich: **
Traffic: ****
Ocean's Eleven: ***
Full Frontal: **
Solaris: ***

Ugh.  Looking at that list reminded me of that stupid message board on Rottentomatoes.com

That place is a sewer for film fans.  I'll even say it's worse than AintItCoolNews.

©brad

I get headaches when I read stuff over at aintitcoolnews. They need to redesign their shit bad. All the !'s and LARGE CAPS fonts and what not, who the fuck cares.

Cecil

sex lies: 4/5
out of sight: 4/5
erin: 3/5
limey: 4/5
traffic: 2.5/5
oceans 11: 3/5
full frontal: 2/5
solaris: 4/5

Pwaybloe

Quote from: cbrad4dI get headaches when I read stuff over at aintitcoolnews. They need to redesign their shit bad. All the !'s and LARGE CAPS fonts and what not, who the fuck cares.

Uh oh, cbrad4d.  You've awoken the beast!



Arrgh!  Who speaks against my website?  Harry smash!

©brad


phil marlowe

Out of Sight 5/5
The Limey 3½/5
Traffic 4½/5
Ocean's 11 3½/5
Solaris 4/5

Mee tink his mighty good...

Xixax

Did Harry Knowles eat anyone's balls?
Quote from: Pas RapportI don't need a dick in my anus to know I absolutely don't want a dick in my anus.
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Gold Trumpet

Funny cbr, in that responce he says nothing about the quality of the story. He mentions how it is different it was but nothing about the quality. Also, I was amused when he said he wanted a female protaganist because it reminded me of Jennifer Garner's reasoning for taking the role of whatever super hero girl in daredevil. Also, it doesn't matter if a project is hip or not, it just needs to be good, and John Sayles has made a career of following a path not neccessarily hip and he has made some good films with it and some bad films too. I don't care about revolutionary, but it should be good when compared to movies similiar to it. That just seemed like a no brainer to me when wanting to make a more know story kind of movie.

sadly Pawbloe, you are right. I'll never do it again.

~rougerum

bonanzataz

Quote from: XixaxDid Harry Knowles eat anyone's balls?

No! Diesel eats balls! Knowles eats Diesel's turds!

BTW:

Out of Sight: 5/5
Erin Brockovich: 4/5
Traffic: 5/5
Ocean's 11: 4.5/5
Solaris: 4/5

Fucking love Soderbergh.
The corpses all hang headless and limp bodies with no surprises and the blood drains down like devil's rain we'll bathe tonight I want your skulls I need your skulls I want your skulls I need your skulls Demon I am and face I peel to see your skin turned inside out, 'cause gotta have you on my wall gotta have you on my wall, 'cause I want your skulls I need your skulls I want your skulls I need your skulls collect the heads of little girls and put 'em on my wall hack the heads off little girls and put 'em on my wall I want your skulls I need your skulls I want your skulls I need your skulls