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

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Not all messages are displayed: show all messages (842 of them)

View Previous Page...

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

I don't like him or anything, but I bet he's pretty appropriatedly -rated.

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Saturday, 18 March 2006 05:16 (eighteen years ago) link

one month passes...

Ocean's 12 - should one make anything of Clooney's "slam dunk" in rallying his troops and Damon's "trifecta" in the cleanup phase?

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Saturday, 13 May 2006 02:34 (seventeen years ago) link

The race for most "overrated thing ever" is a very crowded field, with hundreds, nay thousands, of worthy contestants for that supremacy. In this exceptionally undistinguished mob Steven Soderburgh barely makes the top 10,000 list, even if he were to have been deemed "the Messiah of contemporary filmmakers" or "the brightest diety in the filmic pantheon" or "a rollicking, side-splitting director of legendary stature", or whatever other hyperbolic praise he may have received. I tell you, he don't even rate a second look.

For a bit of needed perspective, see Kim Il Jong.

― Aimless (Aimless), Saturday, 13 May 2006 03:03 (seventeen years ago) link

I mean is Lamarck supposed to be Samuel P. Huntington or something?

I'm no Star Wars dude or anything, but I noted that after Soderbergh ripped the Right Stuff Sally Rand fan dance with the fountain scene in 11, this time around we get Isabel, I am your father and the cantina scene (the music, even) at the end.

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Saturday, 13 May 2006 03:08 (seventeen years ago) link

he may not have Tarantino-level adrenaline, but he sure has better taste in bad taste - the music in this thing is so great

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Saturday, 13 May 2006 03:10 (seventeen years ago) link

one year passes...

BEST. MOVIE. EVER.

― gabbneb, Saturday, 9 June 2007 03:20 (sixteen years ago) link

ru crazy, i still want my money back for ocean's 12

― A B C, Saturday, 9 June 2007 03:55 (sixteen years ago) link

i walked out of it hating liberal hollyweird

― A B C, Saturday, 9 June 2007 03:56 (sixteen years ago) link

Ocean's 12 was the best of the three.

― milo z, Saturday, 9 June 2007 03:56 (sixteen years ago) link

maybe, i didn't see it in the theater tho, or tonite. did this one have a lot more subtle (or semi-subtle) stuff than the last two?

― gabbneb, Saturday, 9 June 2007 03:59 (sixteen years ago) link

What I liked best about the second is that they didn't even pretend that the caper(s) made sense. It was just Hollywood Glamour by way of Godard in pretty locales. This one's shot in the same way, but there's less room for the characters riffing together and having fun.

This one was actually a pretty effective pop heist movie (where the first one pulled a lame switcheroo and the second one just didn't bother), but very little made an impression (Pacino was ill-used, too much time examining the mechanics, far too little Eddie Izzard).

― milo z, Saturday, 9 June 2007 04:06 (sixteen years ago) link

but the scenes in Mexico were pretty awesome.

― milo z, Saturday, 9 June 2007 04:06 (sixteen years ago) link

Skipping 742 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.