Once upon a time, in a land far away, there was a magical director named Steven Soderbergh. He waved his wand and *poof!*, enchanted films like sex, lies, and videotape, Schizopolis, The Limey, and Kafka sprang into being on a shoestring budget.
Then an evil presence darkened the land. Soderbergh the Magician aligned himself with this sinister force and from his wand now sprang... Erin Brokovich. Ocean's Eleven. Ocean's Twelve. Piles of gold poured into his kingdom, but the movies sucked.
Would the good magic ever return? Or would Soderbergh drown us all in a steaming slew of Rat Pack Redux and cleavage-toting paralegals? Sure, he spoke weakly of making Schizopolis II, but in the background his black cauldron boiled.
Then came Bubble. A low-budget film about a murder in a small-town doll factory, starring people no one in the kingdom had ever seen. Bubble gleamed with the stardust of ages past like the horn of the last unicorn, and it even had a delightfully sly marketing gimmick: The DVD was released just days after the movie opened in theatres. Is this a new trend that will sweep the land, awakening the faeryfolk from their evil-induced slumber? Will movie screens have to compete with home theatres and creatively marketed indie films, forcing the Dark Magicians to see the light at last, and emerge from the forest of Commercialism?
Well, probably not. But we're glad the Good Magician has returned from his long exile.
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8 comments:
It's a unique marketing concept. We'll see what happens.
It WOULD be a cool idea, if I could actually find it anywhere!! Even Alternative Video doesn't have it. :(
You'd think everybody would have it, considering all the press it's received.
Smarta##!
Sex Lies and Videotape and The Limey were wonderful little gems, but then studios get involved and bottom line kicks in.I was just watching Out Of Sight for the fifth tim- I love it- but I'm an Elmore Leonard fan.I agree with the Erin Brockovich and Ocean's slag, but I'm really curious about Bubble...we have some neat video stores in Toronto so I'll dig it up. What about Traffic?
I have to admit Traffic was good. And I should be fair enough to point out that Soderbergh has produced some good films recently, including Good Night and Good Luck. I don't know if Bubble is actually decent or not - I haven't been able to find it yet - but I'm just glad he's getting back to his roots. I'll wager, however, that Bubble will be way better than Ocean's Thirteen. :)
oh, and by the way, I'm new- found you via wandering Coyote and really enjoy your posts- I'm now checking in regularly!
Well thanks! Good to meet you.
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