A couple of days ago World or Reel‘s Jordan Ruimy asked for my three favorite Steven Soderbergh films, as part of a generaL critics poll he was preparing.
My top trio, I replied, amounted to four: (1) The Limey, (2) Traffic, and (3) a tie between Contagion and Erin Brockovich.
Out of Sight won the Ruimy poll.
Here are HE’s top 15, more or less in this order:
1. The Limey
2. Traffic
3. Erin Brockovich and Contagion (tie)
4. Che (parts 1 and 2…excellent duo)
5. Out of Sight
6. Sex, Lies and Videotape
7. Ocean’s Eleven
8. Magic Mike
9. The Informant
10. Haywire
11. Magic Mike’s Last Dance
12. Behind the Candelabra
13. Ocean’s Twelve
Didn’t particularly care for these Soderbergh trifles: King of the Hill, Solaris, Logan Lucky, Black Bag, Kafka, Let Them All Talk, The Girlfriend Experience, Bubble, Presence, No Sudden Move, Full Frontal, Bubble, The Good German, Side Effects, Unsane, The Laundromat, Let Them All Talk, Kimi. (17)
The absolute worst show, movie or presentation that Soderbergh has ever directed (or ever will direct for the rest of his life) was the 2021 Woke Oscars from Union Station.