Geek of Oz

What’s that, a wacky high-concept single-camera almost one-take feeling movie? Well that must be our boy Steven Soderbergh doing what he does. His latest Presence didn’t entirely work for me, but it’s not without its charms.  Presence skillfully positions the audience into the perspective of an ethereal being, which is attached to a particular house by way of traumatic events. We witness a young family move into the home and go about their daily lives. Soon after, it’s apparent that the family is dealing with a series of ongoing issues. Although novel, these relationships aren’t that compelling to watch unfold.  So why didn’t this work for? Simply put, I found the perspective more of a distraction than an aid to the storytelling. I kept catching myself being too aware that there’s a camera person in the scene, effectively breaking that magical bond we’re all seeking with movies. It was a constant reminder of the artifice of it all. Notwithstanding that, I appreciate the swings...

Episode 53! Stu and Billy are back at the flicks this week to watch Logan Lucky, as well as discuss Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets ! Logan Lucky is a heist comedy directed by Steven Soderbergh ( Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Out of Sight, Oceans Trilogy, and Erin Brockovich)  and features an ensemble cast of Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, Riley Keough, Daniel Craig, Seth MacFarlane, Katie Holmes, Hilary Swank, Katherine Waterston, and Sebastian Stan. The film follows the three Logan siblings as they plan to rob the Charlotte Motor Speedway during the Coca-Cola 600. Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets  is a sci-fi action adventure film directed by Luc Besson ( Nikita, Leon: The Pofessional, The Fifth Element, and Lucy ). The film is based on the French sci-fi comic series Valerian and Laureline , written by Pierre Christin and illustrated by Claude Mezieres. It stars Dane DeHaan as Valerian and Cara Delevingne as Laureline, two special operatives i...

Director Steven Soderbergh is partially responsible for my love of cinema. His 1998 film Out of Sight was the first film I had seen that I actually bothered to find out who had made it, I was mesmerised by the film and wanted more. I went on to watch many of his films and to date I’m still happily going through his filmography. His style lit a fire inside me that still burns brightly. I was quite saddened when Mr Soderbergh recently announced that he would be retiring from film making to pursue other artistic endeavours. His last offering is Behind the Candelabra is a peek into the extravagant lifestyle of the legendary Liberace. 

Now we all know Matthew McConaughey likes to take his shirt off on screen (and frequently off it too – if the trash mag pics are anything to go by), so it wasn’t a huge suspension of disbelief to watch him in Magic Mike – a film about male strippers. The tone of this film is set from the very first scene where Sheriff McConaughey is standing on a stage appropriately dressed in a leather vest and matching pants, dictating the provocative ‘house rules’ to a room full of ecstatic women. It’s fun, cheeky, shallow and entertaining, but leaves you with a vague sense of discomfort.