Director Spotlight: Steven Soderbergh
We take you through some of the director's greatest hits, like Ocean's Eleven and Logan Lucky
He may not be as famous a name as his peers (Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Nolan, David Fincher), but everyone knows his work. Steven Soderbergh, the director behind films as diverse in tone and subject as Ocean’s Eleven, Erin Brockovich, and Magic Mike, has a new movie out today, so we thought it would be a good time to do a Director Spotlight. The Laundromat, starring Meryl Streep, Gary Oldman, and Antonio Banderas is out in limited release now and it goes up on Netflix on October 18th.
Soderbergh doesn’t have the distinct signature style of many filmmakers, but he makes up for that by tackling a wide array of genres and ideas. He’s done star-filled heist pictures (Ocean’s trilogy, Logan Lucky) serious biopics (Che), action (Haywire), sports (High Flying Bird), thrillers (Unsane, Contagion). In 2000, he became one of only three directors in history to be nominated for Best Director twice in the same year (Traffic and Erin Brockovich).
Even his not-so-good movies are at least interesting exercises. However, today we are giving you four of his best movies streaming now. Try one of these on for size if you haven’t seen it.
Billy recommends…
Unsane (streaming on Amazon Prime)
Steven Soderbergh seems to go in and out of big budget productions and small indie type movies seamlessly. In this episode I will be giving you one of both. The first being the small indie type. Unsane stars Claire Foy (Sawyer Valentini) and she commands the screen so powerfully. Thankfully for the audience, she is in almost every scene. The tense atmosphere is magnified because of the amount of screen time she gets. From the very beginning, the first moment of dialogue, we get a sense that she is in danger. We are not quite sure if it is in her own mind or in reality.
I would not be doing my job correctly if I did not mention that this entire movie is shot on an iPhone. What I thought would be a gimmick actually is used to present a beautiful palette to the movie, allowing Foy to appear graceful in the midst of a chaotic scenario. In the beginning it is that way. The iPhone allows the familiar camera angles to seamlessly shift from peaceful into madness quickly.
The madness is what I love about this one, but the hour and a half run time makes the intensity bearable. Otherwise this film would have been a little too much, but that is the beauty of one of our greatest directors Steven Soderbergh. He seems to “descend” back into smaller movies after a couple big ones. Unsane feels like a palette cleanser for him and because of that we get a gripping experience that does not hold back. Weirdly, all while being accessible to most audience members. Soderbergh sprinkles in comedians into some scenes to allow the audience a little bit of a break while the madness takes over. Because of that I think this recommendation will work for you. The indie/low budget film world needs your support and I think Unsane is a great movie to start with.
Logan Lucky (streaming on Amazon Prime)
Here comes Soderbergh back into a bigger production and this might be his best. His tentpole movie franchise is the Ocean’s movies and Logan Lucky is definitely cut from the same cloth. Two brothers with a troubled upbringing get themselves into a financial bind. One brother needing to provide for his daughter and the other kind of along for the ride. Their brilliant idea? Rob the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
This may not be as legendary of a cast as the Ocean’s movies, but this is a wonderful ensemble cast. Each actor plays a loud character that is incredibly memorable. Channing Tatum plays the dim-witted, tough, and sweet guy, also somehow the smartest one of the group. Adam Driver is a one-armed and mysterious war veteran. Daniel Craig is a professional convict with an illustrious past of robbing banks. Nicknamed “Joe Bang” because of his eccentric methods. Plus a wonderful John Denver soundtrack. Soderbergh consistently writes great/fun characters into his movies. Logan Lucky is no different.
All of these dynamics are thrown into a melting pot and somehow comes out with something delicious. Just like the United States of America… I’m sorry. The NASCAR setting, John Denver soundtrack, and Southern twang to this one got me off track. We need more movies like this. A fun and funny tale with sweet characters that give you enough emotional stakes to be hooked all the way through. Unsane is more of the riskier choice to stream, but Logan Lucky is a surefire win.
Drew recommends…
Ocean’s Eleven (streaming on Hulu)
Trust me when I say that I don’t say this very often, but this might actually be a perfect movie. What would you change about it? We get the pleasure of watching a group of witty professional criminals pull off a massive heist against a heartless casino owner. We are treated to one of the glossiest casts ever, featuring *deep breath* George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, Andy Garcia, Casey Affleck, Don Cheadle, Elliott Gould, Bernie Mac, and even more famous people. And it’s all elegantly orchestrated by Soderbergh with stylish command.
Look, you’ve almost certainly seen Ocean’s Eleven before, so I’m not going to spend any time convincing you to watch it, but just think about how many fantastic scenes exist in this one 117-minute film. The poker scene near the beginning, the scenes showing Danny (Clooney) and Rusty (Pitt) building the team, the “best part of my day” scene, the restaurant scene between Danny and Tess (“Does he make you laugh?” “He doesn’t make me cry.”), and the sublime ending at the Bellagio Fountains. I’ve seen these so many times they come back to me in an instant.
Of course, Ocean’s Eleven is also a wildly quotable movie, due to the clever and captivating script filled with sharp dialogue that sounds even better coming from the mouths of movie stars. I’ve always been partial to “You’re a thief and a liar” “I only lied about being a thief” as the best quote, but there are a dozen or so other contenders, like “You think we need one more?” “You broke into my vault. Congratulations, you’re a dead man.” “It will be nice working with proper villains again.” I’m missing some, but you get the picture.
Not many filmmakers have so effectively and unexpectedly utilized A-list actors like Soderbergh has throughout his career, and it’s especially impressive in the Ocean’s movies. Ocean’s Twelve and Ocean’s Thirteen (both directed by Soderbergh) have their moments, but they could never touch this one. Every single piece of Ocean’s Eleven is carefully put into its proper place, and yet, amazingly, the whole thing looks impossibly effortless and cool.
Out of Sight (streaming on HBO Now)
Two characters are locked in the trunk of a car. One’s a bank robber that just escaped prison and the other is a federal marshal. They are on opposite sides of the law, but mutual attraction is present as they get to know each other in this confined space. This early scene in Soderbergh’s Out of Sight encapsulates what makes this movie so damn good. You have George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez at the perfect time in their careers. You have a cast full of colorful supporting characters. And you have Soderbergh entering his prime as a director.
When Out of Sight came out in 1998, Clooney was still TV’s heartthrob on E.R., but he was coming off an ill-fated turn as Batman. His role as smooth-talking ex-con Jack Foley in this film helped propel him to major stardom on the big screen, as he left E.R. the next year and went on to star in Three Kings, O, Brother Where Art Thou?, and The Perfect Storm, leading up to Ocean’s Eleven in 2001. Lopez had found success in Selena and Anaconda and she would become a worldwide sensation in music within just a couple years. So, essentially, this film had two budding stars that were just about to blow up big time. The chemistry between the two is so immediately apparent that it’s amazing they didn’t co-star in 10 more movies after this. In his review, Roger Ebert compared them to classic film couple Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.
Adapted from a crime novel by Elmore Leonard, Out of Sight has a loose energy and an easygoing sense of humor. Foley robs a bank and lands in prison before making his escape, which leads to his encounter in the trunk with Lopez’s marshal Karen Sisco. When Foley gets away, the dramatic tension of the movie centers around what will happen when these two find each other again: an arrest or a romance?
Along the way we are introduced to memorable characters, such as Don Cheadle’s psychopath ex-con “Snoopy,” Steve Zahn’s hilariously stoned Glenn, and several more. Part of what makes Out of Sight so fun and rewatchable is that every character we meet has their own compelling story that we want to know more about.
For my money, it’s either this or Ocean’s Eleven as Soderbergh’s best movie in a long 30-year career. He was just starting to come into his own as a director in 1998, hitting that sweet spot between critical acclaim, Academy Award approval, and box office success. In the next three years he rattled off Erin Brockovich, Traffic, and Ocean’s Eleven. Around the time of Out of Sight, he was just hitting his stride.
Streaming TV Corner
What we’re watching this week
Billy: Crashing (streaming on Netflix)
The Emmys were this week and the wonderful Amazon Prime show, Fleabag, won a ton of awards. While you should definitely give that one a shot, I want to shift your gaze to her wonderful show Crashing. Phoebe Waller-Bridge created this show as well and man did I love this one. Much more silly than Fleabag and an easier watch. Just 6 episodes that are about 30 minutes each. Knock this one out in one day like I did (kind of embarrassing). You will not regret it.
Links to get you hyped
Breaking Bad’s Jesse Pinkman is back in our lives on October 11, when the Netflix film El Camino hits the service.
Believe it or not, Oscar buzz has already been growing for Adam Sandler. If you’d been waiting for him to star in a dark crime film that also features Kevin Garnett and The Weeknd, boy, do I have the movie for you.
For the first time since the original, the Jurassic Park cast is getting back together. Laura Dern, Sam O’Neill, and Jeff Goldblum will star in Jurassic World 3. Expect it in late 2020 or 2021. The theme song is already in my head.
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