Solaris?
paulnice
924 Posts
Anyone seen this Solaris remake w/Clooney?It's just about the only Soderbergh flick I haven't seen.I held off only because of the constant bad word-of-mouth, but it's been playing on IFC lately.Is it worth the time?
Comments
I tried watching the remake, but ten minutes or so into the movie I heard The Insane Clown Posse playing in the background.
Paul: in short, no.
As far as Soderbergh films, it's better than, say, "Oceans 12" but to me, the film never really came together in a compelling way - not narratively, not visually. I haven't seen the original however.
The original put me to sleep. It was too long and Russian for me.
...and I like Soderbergh and Clooney in a non-ayo way.
Ocean's 12 > Solaris > Anything on God's Earth > "Cube".
As a direct opposite to most, I truly fell asleep trying to watch the original (and i was even dedicated to giving it a try). Clooney version is incredibly on point for me. I thought that the idea that was presented in the original film was properly laid out in the later version. Aside from that, the Soundtrack is one of my favorite pieces of music in a long time. A must have!!!!!!!!!!
I think it depends on how you feel about the Tarkovsky original. The Soderbergh/Clooney one is like a condensed version of the o.g. - essentially, it follows the same plot/dramatic arc and deals with the same themes, but it takes about an hour less to do so. I think they're both good, but in different ways - I kind of like the glacial pace of the Tarkovsky, but Soderbergh's take is probably a little easier to engage with. I think a lot of the criticism it got was based on the perception that Clooney was getting a little above himself by trying to make an "art" movie.
Can't say I'm that interested in the Clooney/Soderbergh version.
This sounds good. My reading list is getting really long though.
I just got my Tivo back from the shop last night so it won't hurt to grab it off IFC at some point.
I've been in a thoughtful sci-fi mood as of late. Mostly 70s stuff though.
Soylent Green, Omega Man, Westworld, Futureworld.
Never did see Silent Running, which is something I've been trying to catch since I had a subscription to Omni, Starlog and Famous Monsters.
and while you're at it, i highly suggest the following:
andrei rublev
the stalker
tarkovsky is one of my favorite directors of all time.
the cinematography in his films is brilliant.
granted it is not light movie-watching and it's a heavy time commitment
but unlike much russian film of the time- rooted in montage or socialist realism- tarkovsky was doing something revolutionary (or counter-revolutionary depending on your vantage point, i.e. his films were banned for a long time).
in any case, i didn't hate soderburgh's version but can't say i liked it.
The book is great, I've read it a few times and I still feel like I've barely scratched the surface. Lem is an excellent authour in genreal. I also recommend The Investigation.
And Aleit's Tarkovsky recommendations are on point. Stalker is one of my all-time favorites. It can be hard to take in much of the plot (or ideas contained therin) the first time you see it, as it's so visually stunning.
semi-related, i think the original solaris poster is beautiful and i stoleded it recently for a mixtape cover
succinct.
if you can spare two hours for mediocre, you can definitely utilize 2 and a half for brilliant.
tarkovsky never made a wrong move. 'the sacrifice' and 'the mirror' being my personal choices. the chris marker biopic of tarkovsky also essential if you're into him.
My sci-fi buddy perfers the Clooney version. I havent seen it yet.
the mirror is cool.
i also like his earlier stuff which is pretty different- my name is ivan, etc.
his book "sculpting in time" is dope.
will have to check out the chris marker flick.
co-signature...The Sacrifice is