Steven Soderbergh knows how to do the sprawling ensemble film- Traffic his first (and best) foray in 2000 and the Ocean’s films that followed
Also a disaster film (which were also ensemble films) like the 1970’s Airport, Poseidon Adventure, Towering Inferno, Earthquake (some were good, some were meh)– there have been films like the popular Day After Tomorrow since of course
Soderbergh peppers the film with his trademark yellow-tint lighting (he’s his own DP under a pseudonym) – it isn’t jaw-droppingly gorgeous like some of his other films but certainly distinct and praiseworthy
Soderbergh peppers the film with his trademark yellow-tint lighting (he’s his own DP under a pseudonym) – it isn’t jaw-droppingly gorgeous like some of his other films but certainly distinct and praiseworthy
he pairs it with the mise-en-scene– he could have picked any color here– he went with yellow
Cliff Martinez’s score is very strong—adds to the sense of dread—he worked with Soderbergh on Traffic and others and then after this would do Drive, Spring Breakers
The talent assembled here for the cast is staggering- Damon/Jude Law/Paltrow from 1999’s The Talented Mr. Ripley– but Marion Cotillard- one of the best actresses of the decade (her section is actually pretty weak in this film though through no fault of her own), Laurence Fishburne who is ever reliable, Kate Winslet (another one of the generation’s best actors)
Short vignettes, watchable- I’ve seen it three times and could watch it again a month from now and enjoy it—titles and cities, a few time he flips them quickly for a montage but very rarely does one go on for very long
Jude Law is particularly good here- in his 12 Monkeys dystopia suit—the bad teeth and name (Alan Krumwiede)
Soderbergh works swiftly and has a massive filmography (16 archiveable films at the time I’m writing this and counting) – of his two releases in 2011 Haywire is the stronger of the two but they’re both very good
@Matt Harris– it occurred to me. Like bonus points for the “plastics” line in The Graduate? haha. This movie actually cheered me up a little believe it or not because what they have going on here in this movie is not what we have with COVID– lets hope it stays that way.
But no- haha- I don’t think more highly of the movie now than I did a year ago. It is certainly how this movie will remembered though and probably rightfully so. I can’t wait until we’re looking back on it all and it is in our rear view mirror.
I thought the movie was ok, I liked a few points more than others. It felt interesting to see paltrow enter the picture just to die within a span of less than ten minutes haha. I also liked that about Winslet. But to be perfectly honest, it didn’t leave much of an impression on me, aside from the fact that it was an interesting study of mass reactions to crises, and it was generally very realistic and candid. The ending is definitely what stuck with me the most (day 1 and all).
So no bonus points for being the dark prophet of our impending doom? :p
@Matt Harris– it occurred to me. Like bonus points for the “plastics” line in The Graduate? haha. This movie actually cheered me up a little believe it or not because what they have going on here in this movie is not what we have with COVID– lets hope it stays that way.
But no- haha- I don’t think more highly of the movie now than I did a year ago. It is certainly how this movie will remembered though and probably rightfully so. I can’t wait until we’re looking back on it all and it is in our rear view mirror.
I thought the movie was ok, I liked a few points more than others. It felt interesting to see paltrow enter the picture just to die within a span of less than ten minutes haha. I also liked that about Winslet. But to be perfectly honest, it didn’t leave much of an impression on me, aside from the fact that it was an interesting study of mass reactions to crises, and it was generally very realistic and candid. The ending is definitely what stuck with me the most (day 1 and all).
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