Anyone who's seen Contagion (or, let's be honest, even just the trailer for Contagion) knows that Steven Soderbergh is not precious about keeping his biggest stars breathing for the duration of his films. And when you think about it, that is kind of an awesome against-the-tide trend that few directors -- okay, few studios -- have the wherewithal to attempt. Chatting with the UK's Independent about Contagion and Haywire, Soderbergh dropped some science on the art of manipulating the very essence of stardom in movies to great effect.
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Truth be told, I don't enjoy ranking films -- especially at the end of a year that disappointingly lacked a single title that moved me to tears, gut-busting laughter or some kind of profound existential realization. (However there were quite a few films that inspired hopelessness for the future of cinema. See Just Go With It and Bucky Larson: Born To Be a Star. Actually, don't see them.) But there were some titles I'd recommend and even some I wouldn't immediately regift if they found their way under my Christmas tree/menorah this season. Behold, my fave films of 2011. As always, let me know how much you disagree with this list in the space below.
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There are mere days left until Halloween, and you're still scrambling for a costume that reflects your savvy Movieline-reading film knowledge? The perfect outfit that screams, "Look at me, I watch more movies than you, plebian sexy fill-in-the-blank!" Movieline's staff have culled a litany of costume ideas for you, inspired by indie art films and big Hollywood hits alike, either from this year at the movies or from the future. Dive in to find the greatest relevant Halloween costume ideas of the year!
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Hark, a new film hath unseated The Help for the #1 crown! All it took was Steven Soderbergh's hypochondria-inducing Contagion, a picture that will surely also boost worldwide sales of Purell during flu season. And while there's no love lost in seeing last week's Shark Night 3D and Apollo 18 drop precipitously down in the ranks, the heartstrings pull for Warrior, a finely acted MMA film that only got a fraction of the theater count of its competitors, and performed accordingly. But! At least it fared better than Bucky Larson...
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Gwyneth Paltrow has a habit of saying things that inspire me to take notes, fill a bulletin board with theories, and question my own feelings. Today's incendiary soundbite: a seemingly off-the-cuff remark from the Cee Lo foil regarding the roles she takes: "I have little kids, and I'm a full-time mom. I really only do small parts." Considering her role in Contagion is a short one -- she's only in the first 15 minutes -- and her newly announced ensemble role in Stuart Blumberg's upcoming sex addiction comedy Thanks for Sharing, is it possible that we should be mourning her status as a leading lady? Will you attend the memorial?
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Contagion/Haywire/Magic Mike director (slash painter and future retiree) Steven Soderbergh was indeed tapped by old friend Gary Ross to shoot second unit on the YA adaptation The Hunger Games, the challenge of which he explains in an interview with Moviefone: "I thought, 'OK, I see what you guys are doing. I know what the tool kit is. I know what the rules are.' And it's fun in a way. I found it much more nerve-wracking than when you're shooting for yourself. Because I was constantly thinking, 'Oh, I hope that he likes this. I hope he likes that.' May the odds be ever in his favor? [Moviefone]
In Steven Soderbergh's panic-inducing epidemic thriller Contagion, the world is paralyzed by a fast-spreading virus that scientists, including Laurence Fishburne, can't get a bead on. "Someone doesn't have to weaponize the bird flu," he intones in the trailer. "The birds are doing that." As if Contagion wasn't already a hypochondriac's nightmare, a U.N. report this week reveals that the deadly bird flu, or H5N1, has mutated and is spreading overseas.
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Further evidence that Steven Soderbergh can't possibly retire early as previously reported: Even with Haywire and Contagion to promote and Channing Tatum's stripper movie to shoot this year, the Oscar-winner has found time to shoot second unit on Lionsgate's now-filming adaptation of The Hunger Games.
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"Don't talk to anyone, don't touch anyone. Stay away from other people!" If the first trailer for Steven Soderbergh's Contagion is a little paranoid-inducing, maybe that's for the best. Once the birds start weaponizing avian flu for use on us humans, it's only a matter of time before the streets empty themselves of humanity. Jude Law's bubble boy suit isn't looking so silly now!
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Jude Law was captured by photographers in San Francisco filming the Steven Soderbergh science thriller Contagion, in which he, Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Marion Cotillard battle a deadly disease. But you know what? None of those lucky co-stars got to don a sexy Hazmat uniform! Jude looks so happy in his plastic head cube, doesn't he?
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