Jul 30 2009 'Informant' Poster: Whistle-Blowing Goes Retro
Empire has the new poster for The Informant, Steven Soderbergh's latest that stars Matty D as a bumbling whistle-blower. I feel like the image is imitating a specific movie poster from decades past, but I don't know what movie that would be, so I'm going to say it's imitating when a Looney Tunes character would be tip-toeing into a spooky situation carrying a candle, and their shadow would start moving independently from them. Great reference, Soderbergh.
Jul 1 2009 'The Informant' Trailer: See Matt Damon Bumble in a Mustache
Ever wanted to see Matt Damon's Ocean's Eleven character, incognito in one of his famous disguises, in a movie about a high-level executive-turned-whistle blower? Good, because you'll love Steven Soderbergh's new comedy The Informant, which appears to be pretty much that.
Judging by the trailer, large sections of the script must read "Matt Damon once again makes it blatantly obvious that he is recording conversations":
Continue Reading " 'The Informant' Trailer: See Matt Damon Bumble in a Mustache "
Apr 16 2009 Recreate 'The Girlfriend Experience' on Your Computer
Next time someone tells you that porn acting will never get you a legitimate acting job in an Academy Award-nominated director's film, you tell them, "Yes, that is the statistically relevant way to look at things, but look at these trailers for Steven Soderbergh's The Girlfriend Experience, starring adult star Sasha Grey in the lead role." These'll sort of show them:
Continue Reading " Recreate 'The Girlfriend Experience' on Your Computer "
Apr 2 2009 'The Girlfriend Experience' Summarized in Poster
The always prolific Steven Soderbergh has a new film coming out, and Vulture has premiered the poster. Unfortunately, that's all I can tell you about The Girlfriend Experience. Does anyone know what it's like--either the movie or the actual experience of having a girlfriend. I've been imagining they let you kiss them. How accurate is that?
Dec 4 2008 'Che' Poster, Trailer, Revolutionary
For a limited time, IFC will be releasing the two parts of Steven Soderbergh's Che Guevara biopic, The Argentine and Guerilla, as a single film appropriately entitled Che. To promote the event, they've released a poster that makes it seem like Che is a militant, 200-foot giant crushing remote villages beneath his feet. The trailer shows this is not the case:
Oct 24 2008 Steven Soderbergh is Making a 3D Cleopatra Rock Musical
I hope no one confuses this with the other three-dimensional live-action story of Cleopatra with music by a '90s indie rock band that's directed by an acclaimed Oscar-winner and stars Wolverine and T-Mobile:
For his next directing effort, Steven Soderbergh is plotting a 3-D live-action rock ’n’ roll musical about Cleopatra.He is courting Catherine Zeta-Jones to play the Egyptian queen and Hugh Jackman to play her lover, Marc Antony.
The music has been written by the indie rock band Guided by Voices, and the script is by James Greer, a former bass player for the band and an author.
I can't make anything out of that. Shake up your movie-element Boggle and try again, because this one is nonsense. Computer-animated kittens telling the story of American independence through hip hop, with voices by Jenna Elfman and Charlie Sheen (performing original songs by Warren G), in a film directed by Peter Jackson, is both more commercially viable and logical, and I just made up that scenario by combining the first things that came to mind. That's a testament to how little sense this makes.
Sep 11 2008 Michael Douglas Playing Liberace, Who Apparenly May Have Been Gay!?
Steven Soderbergh has announced plans to direct a Liberace biopiic with Michael Douglas in the starring, glittering-caped role. From Variety:
Steven Soderbergh is in the early stages of developing a biopic about Liberace for Warner Bros., which he will direct.The filmmaker said he has drafted his "Traffic" star Michael Douglas to play the flamboyant pianist.
Soderbergh is in discussions with Matt Damon to play Scott Thorson, who sued Liberace in 1982 for $113 million in palimony, claiming he was the entertainer’s companion for five years. Even though Liberace never wavered from career-long denials that he was gay, Thorson reportedly settled for $95,000 in 1986.
Oh man, how is this going to affect the Nicolas Cage-starring, Aaron Seltzer and Jason Friedberg-written Liberace picture we heard about in '96 '06? At the time I didn't really care about it, but now that I know Seltzer and Friedberg did Meet the Spartans/Disaster Movie/Other Terrible Pseudo-Parody Movies, I really want to see how amazingly offensive that could be. And how will it affect when Bugs Bunny plays him?
Apr 1 2008 The Bakster Joins Soderbergh's 'Informant'
Somehow, despite his turns at romancing Murphy Brown, piloting a starship, and inhabiting the bodies of strangers to right their past mistakes, Scott Bakula's star has never really risen above his hirsute brow. Maybe that will finally change with news the actor has been cast as a lead opposite Matt Damon in Steven Soderbergh's The Informant. Bak will play "Brian Shepherd, an FBI agent who exposes an international price-fixing scheme with the help of biochemist Mark Whitacre (Damon)." Ziggy shows a 95% chance he will continue being popular only among sci-fi nerds and lonely middle-aged women who haven't yet discovered Patrick Dempsey.
Bakula joins Soderbergh's 'Informant' [Variety]
Nov 12 2007 'The Argentine' Pictures Prove Che Doesn't Understand Guns
As these behind-the-scenes shots from Steven Soderbergh's The Argentine show, Benicio Del Toro seems to fully look the part of revolutionary Che Guevara. And while it's already acknowledged there will be a sequel, Guerilla, I think they also show promise for a third, Fred Claus-style movie that would focus on Che's bumbling brother, Chase.
Think about it: while Che (Del Toro) leads teams of guerrillas in a massive revolution, Chase (also Del Toro) fumbles around with his gun and tries desperately to stick to his orders to "stay put! And don't get into any trouble!" (Yeah, right! Not if I know Chase!) But when Che is captured by military forces, it's up to his half-wit brother to save the day (and Christmas?) by filling in for the revolutionary... and throwing Che t-shirts into the crowd?! Oh, Chase!
More evidence that this movie should be made is under the cut.
Continue Reading " 'The Argentine' Pictures Prove Che Doesn't Understand Guns "
Oct 12 2007 Del Toro Channels Hobbits for 'Guerilla'
Che Guevara: Marxist revolutionary, political leader, guerilla... whittler. For the second of Steven Soderbergh's Che biopics, Guerilla, Benicio del Toro seems to be focusing on the Hobbit-style smoking/whittling aspects of the figure. I particularly like the guys in the background.
"So... do you think we could get back to our socialist revolution, Che?"
"Hold on. I'm making a boat."
Del Toro in Guerilla [Hollywood Elsewhere]
Jun 1 2007 Ocean's 13 Interview: Ellen Barkin Still Bonerworthy
"Ms. Barkin, we have reason to believe a handsome movie blogger wants you to be his sugar mommy."
Time.com just posted a great interview with some of the cast from Ocean's 13. Most of it plays out like a snappy back and forth from His Girl Friday, or an Aaron Sorkin show. Here's an exerpt:
What was it like being the only woman in the cast?BARKIN: Exhausting.
CLOONEY: You're a woman?
BARKIN: I tried to pack 14 of you into just a few weeks. It's a lot of ground to cover.
CLOONEY: If there's anybody who could do it ...
BARKIN: I started with Carl [Reiner] and worked back from there.
CLOONEY: Only fair. He could go at any minute.
At which point the interviewer bit down on his cigar and said, "Hah chi cha cha cha."
PS - I still think Ellen Barkin is totally do-able.
May 31 2007 Myeah, See? Clooney and Soderbergh Make Football Movie
Shooting has just wrapped on Leathernecks, a 1920s football movie directed by George Clooney and written by Clooney and Steven Soderbergh. The plot, according to co-star Jonathan Pryce:
George plays for a ragtag, over-the-hill football team. They attract John Krasinski, star college football player to come and play. I’m [his] sleazy agent and manager,” Pryce divulged. “[There’s a] bit of a scandal involved. Renee Zellweger, ace reporter, is dispatched to expose [it].”
My only hope on this one is that everyone talks like they're in a 20s gangster movie, or the Hudsucker Proxy.
"Lookey heah, see? I though I toldja to button hook. Now hand me the pigskin, and make it snappy, see?"
May 18 2007 Ocean's 13 Featurette: Maybe This One Won't Suck
Waiting room at the Sunglass Hut
There's an exclusive Ocean's 13 featurette over on Apple.com. It's smart enough to open with George Clooney basically admitting that the last movie sucked. Which is good, because otherwise I was going to have to break it to him at the next Hollywood playboy gangbang party, and shit like that always kills the mood.
Anyway, there's only one way to make this one better than the last two and I think we all know what I'm talking about: more Casey Affleck. The man is box office gold.
Other notes: George Clooney's chin looks like it's making the transition from matinee idol chiseled to freakish caricature. Also, anyone else think Ellen Barkin looks super hot in this? There really aren't that many times when I look at a 53-year-old woman and think, "You know what? I'd hit that." No offense, Inez.
Apr 19 2007 Cannes Film Festival Roundup
"We are/the Coen Bro-thers/Don't get a-long with others..."
The Cannes film festival is set to open in...Cannes...with a lineup of heavy hitting auteurs (does anyone actually know what this word means?)
The festival will open with Wong Kar Wai's first English movie, Blueberry Nights, and will include new movies from the Coen brothers, Gus Van Sant, Steven Soderbergh, Michael Winterbottom and Michael Moore.
Quentin Tarantino is also said to be bringing a special version of Death Proof that he created specifically for the festival.
One only hopes that this will be the version without 50 minutes of pointless jabbering. Jesus Christ, I finally watched Grindhouse the other night and I feel like I should've gotten laid at least four times over after having to listen to that much inane girl palaver.
Kurt Russel was awesome though. That dude's f***in' harsh.
Oct 19 2006 "The Good German" Trailer More German Than Good
My grandpa always said that the only good German is a dead German, but he hadn't seen the trailer for The Good German, the new film by Steven Soderbergh starring George Clooney, Cate Blanchett and Tobey Maguire. It's too bad, too, because it may have stopped him from unnecessarily killing a lot of good Germans long after the war was over. Medication may have helped, as well.
Good Germa-fact: The film is intentionally black & white. We've had color film for some time now.
Jan 13 2006 Bubble Trailer Has More Dolls Than QVC
Steven Soderbergh's new movie Bubble now has a trailer. Apple describes the plot as:
An unlikely love triangle is born at a doll factory in a small Midwestern town. Long time employees Martha and Kyle have become friends by default in spite of their drastic age difference, but their dynamic is upset by the arrival of a new worker: young, attractive Rose. One morning, Rose is found dead, strangled in her own home. An investigation begins, one that will call into question our established assumptions about these characters and life in their small town.
How does Soderbergh communicate this complicated plot in just a minute and a half? With shots of baby doll parts, leading me to confuse it with other fetish videos I'd downloaded earlier.
Bubble, dubbed a "Steven Soderbergh Experience," will be the first film willing to compete with Electric Ladyland, a Jimi Hendrix Experience.
EXPERIENCE Steven Soderbergh [Apple]
