August 31, 2004
I caught up with some Soderbergh films I hadn't seen over the weekend. First up was Schizopolis, which in 1997 was his first big jump into the avant garde (not counting his early shorts). It's very Full Frontal-ish, but far more experimental -- and I really liked it. It took me about twenty minutes to figure out what he was doing with it, but right around the first 'Generic Greeting!' conversation, it clicked. I think it was sort of a cleansing experience for him; it's very personal, full of self-hate, and it's really damn funny (Full Frontal, on the other hand, only seemed to have marginal amounts of the second and third of those elements, but I'm sure there are those who would tell me I just need to see it again). The running time is 97 mintues, but if you get the Criterion disc you should just go ahead and allot a good three and a half hours to it, so you can watch it again immediately with the commentary track, which is an essential extension of the film itself. Soderbergh interviews himself, and it's a riot -- especially if you're a filmmaker: you'll know exactly what he's talking about when he explains his "theories" on "artistic liberty," even if you don't want to admit it.
I then backtracked to The Underneath, which was good but not quite outstanding enough to qualify as underrated. It's worth taking a look at it if you want to see how his personal style was developing -- his evolution from film to film is really quite remarkable -- but it's nothing too exciting in and of itself (unless you also want to take a look at the charming performance from one our leading Deadroom actors).
Here are a few more links to some good Brown Bunny interviews: one from AICN, another from AICN, and of course Ebert's long awaited piece: The Whole Truth From Vincent Gallo. They're all worth reading, if you're into that sort of thing. I promise, this will be the last time I mention the film until I review it myself. Which I'm about to do, having just returned from seeing it...
Posted by David Lowery at August 31, 2004 1:15 PM
Comments
And as far as Full Frontal goes, I think you've just got to see it again...!
Posted by: Matt at August 31, 2004 5:27 PM