We Don't Want Other Worlds. We Want Mirrors.
Steven Soderbergh’s lush, strange, moody remake of Solaris is a regular feature in my home-movie watching; I saw it in a theater opening night, came home ecstatic about it, and have returned to it again and again ever since. But I was just about the only one who felt that way: It bombed at the box office, and the critical reaction was mixed. That, however, makes it a perfect candidate for The House Next Door’s ongoing series of conversations about overlooked films. If you’ve got a few minutes to spare, today’s back and forth between Ed Howard and Jason Bellamy on what works in the film and what doesn’t is well worth your time.
Fascinating interview. Good catch. I’ve seen the original Solaris many times, never the Soderbergh one. The interview makes me want to read the book. (But I’m a shallow sort of person who prefers Tarkovsky’s Solaris to Mirror and maybe even Stalker.)
— Kino Reticulator · Mar 27, 12:55 PM · #
You’ve probably already read them — I remember you linking to the House way back, when it was MZS.blogspot — but the previous conversations, on Fincher and Lynch, are also really good reads.
— JA · Mar 27, 01:25 PM · #
You aren’t the only one.
— Daniel · Mar 27, 02:07 PM · #
Somehow that still managed to happen
— Daniel · Mar 27, 02:08 PM · #
I found Soderbergh’s film superior to the book.
— Kyle Cupp · Mar 30, 12:53 PM · #
Well, the book is “hard” sci-fi, the movie is a great deal “softer”, (actually both are in different ways, but Soderbergh’s moreso) so I’m not surprised some people liked it more.
excellent downfall?
— Joseph · Mar 31, 06:17 PM · #