The last I had heard of Steven Soderbergh, the director of “Sex, Lies & Videotape,” “Traffic,” the ‘Ocean’ films, and more recently, 2011’s “Contagion,” was that he had retired. I guess success (of a box office nature) changes a person because Soderberg’s last film, “Magic Mike,” was huge (made on a budget of $7 million, it earned over $150 million, which is remarkably profitable).
I don’t know the advertising budget of that film, but when you have a bunch of guys full of muscle stripping, you don’t tend to have to spend all that much, I’d imagine. It also helps that the film in question starred Channing Tatum, who looks well on his way to becoming an A-list star.
Speaking of “Contagion,” it didn’t do too shabby, earning over $135 million on a $60 million budget (not as spectacular as “Magic Mike” but nothing to sneeze at, either).
“This “Contagion” may be hard on the system, but it’s well worth catching.”
“Contagion” is a scary film, though it didn’t get that way by accident. Part of why it is so effective is because the scenario it presents is a very realistic one, as anyone who has even remotely paid attention to the scourge of HIV, as it seemingly ran rampant throughtout the world’s population. Another reason that the film plays so well is because of Steven Soderburgh’s masterful direction. Oftentimes directors feel the need to employ dazzling camera angles and special effects; and while they have their place, they can distract from what the film maker, in the larger sense, is trying to do. The camera work in “Contagion” treats the camera as if it were a participant in the film itself. As a result, it’s more than just there and becomes a passive contributor in the events that unfold.
“Contagion,” A new thriller from Steven Soderbergh, the director of “Ocean’s Eleven,” “Ocean’s Twelve,” “The Girlfriend Experience,” “Bubble,” etc, revolves around a viral outbreak, that threatens not only on our central characters, but seemingly the world.
Admittedly you can’t always tell how entertaining a film will be from the trailer, though it surprises me somewhat that such a strong cast (Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law and Lawrence Fishburne in particular) has gravitated to this project because the subject matter isn’t exactly unique (“The Andromeda Strain,” “Outbreak”) but perhaps there’s more to the project than we can tell from the trailer.
