MovieChat Forums > The Good German (2007) Discussion > Soderbergh the auteur vs. Soderbergh the...

Soderbergh the auteur vs. Soderbergh the crowd-pleaser

posted 18 years ago by AlanSquier
14 replies | jump to latest

Critics and the public are rejecting Soderbergh's riskier undertakings and rushing to see Ocean's sequels, but listen, pals, I tolerate his popular films only because he thus far is using them to finance his far more creative ones.

The Good German certainly has its flaws, but I will welcome more like it over his commercial pap any day of the week.

I was born when she kissed me. I died when she left me. I lived a few weeks while she loved me.

[–] ned38 18 years ago

the problem i saw with this movie is it wanted to have it both ways. it wanted to be an experiment and it also wanted to be like a modern movie, with nuditry and cursing and all that. the use of the f word took me right out of the movie, because i know that that would never happen in a real movie from the forties. soderbergh should've gone all out, instead of trying to add incongruent "edginess" in order to capture a younger audience. also, tobey maguire as a tough guy who beats up george "8 inches taller and 40 pounds heavier" clooney was laughable.

[–] AlanSquier 18 years ago

I guess the deal with maquire didn't bother me. Like I saw him in Seabiscuit where he showed that little guys like jockeys are can still be tough and guys you don't want to tangle with.

I was born when she kissed me. I died when she left me. I lived a few weeks while she loved me.

[–] JoeMoxie 18 years ago

You must keep in mind that his strength is proportional to that of a spider.

[–] carboncopy2 18 years ago

I haven't been enthusiastic over any of Soderbergh's films since "Sex, Lies and Videotape." "Oceans" is too commercial for me. I wonder if he will ever be able to equal that first film he made..."Sex, Lies...."

[–] cooperonline 18 years ago

I was prepared to hate this due to the reviews on line, and the first time I saw it, I was underwhelmed by Clooney's performance, in particular, and found parts of the story confusing. I liked it much better the second time, and even more the third. I don't believe this will ever have a cult in the sense that 'Wicker Man' has a cult, but I hope this eventually finds an audience that appreciates it. For all the negative comparisons to The Third Man - and the overt negative image reference to Casablanca - the film this reminds me of the most is 'The Last Picture Show."

[–] AzProfessor 18 years ago

I thought Kafka was exceptional. King of the Hill, brilliant. The Limey, above average. And am I the only one who actually liked Solaris and Full Frontal? In fact, I didn't just like Solaris, I loved it.

However, being a SS fan, I don't know HOW this film sliped in and out of theaters without me knowing it. Ugh. I guess having my first child in 2006 took me out of the cinema loop. LOL

[–] freudified_n_funkified 18 years ago

No, you're not alone. SOLARIS and FULL FRONTAL are exceptional entries. People who dismiss everything Soderbergh has done since "SEX, LIES ..." are depriving themselves of his best stuff. With a few exceptions (BROKOVICH, the so-so UNDERNEATH) I think he's been pretty uphill since his start with a wide variety of approaches to his material.

I, however, still think his forays into the more commercial with the OCEAN'S movies are quite good and are really representative of everything that can go right in major motion pictures when someone competent sets out to make a crowd pleaser.

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[–] AlanSquier 18 years ago

Well, pal, I got to say that while I'm no fan of the Ocean's movies, I do admire how he took a forgettable movie with Frank Sinatra and the "rat pack" and made it into a successful franchise.

Captain Warren 'Rip' Murdock: I'm the brass-knuckles-in-the-teeth-to-dance-time type.

[–] Picasner 17 years ago

I read a lot of the posts for movies I'm interested in, and I have to say yours seem the most interesting & helpful of all. Intellegently written, words spelled properly (Thanks!) and friendly. You don't go psychotic when someone disagrees with you and you appear to view movies as entertainment, not documentaries, the same as I do. Keep it up.

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