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SCHIZOPOLIS
Review by Gordon Justesen
Stars:
Steven Soderbergh, David Jensen, Mike Mallone
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Audio: Dolby Digital Mono
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Studio: Criterion
Features: See Review
Length: 96 Minutes
Release Date: October 28, 2003
“In
the event that you find certain sequences or ideas confusing, please bear in
mind that this is your fault, not ours. You will need to see the picture again
and again until you understand everything.”
I am one of many who find Steven Soderbergh to be one of the most
outstanding filmmakers in today's contemporary cinema. His films are shot and
edited in a unique form in order to convey the feeling of a story. For some,
it's a pure original filmmaking style, and for others, it's something of a turn
off, but when a director has a complete grip on the material, the result can be
a work of flawless beauty. This is precisely why it's difficult to say that Schizopolis,
one of the director's earlier films, rings as something of a disappointment.
The strength of this filmmaking style can be illustrated in two of
Soderbergh's strongest efforts to date. 1998's Out of Sight, the razor sharp action comedy which, despite not being
a box office smash, ended up being something a crossover piece for the director.
Not only was it one of the best films of its kind since Pulp
Fiction, but it showcased stars George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez with some
of the their best performances to date, in addition to their wonderful
chemistry. The specific strength in this film was the way Soderbergh, basing his
narrative along the lines of Pulp Fiction,
was able to cut together events in a frenzied, out-of-time fashion which was
both confusing and utterly exhilarating.
Then came Soderbergh's 2002 remake of the haunting sci-fi drama Solaris,
which perfected this technique most wonderfully. Although it, unfortunately, was
not a big hit, it was absolutely clear by now that Soderbergh was in complete
creative control of the material, since the film was filled with such a
mind-bending feel about itself that would normally not be found in a mainstream
release. Of course, being as cerebral as it was, many couldn't seem to embrace
the fact that the movie toyed with the mind, which I think, was the absolute
point.
At any rate, you're probably by now wondering why I've rambled on about
two other films rather than the movie at hand. The reason for this is I felt
like I needed to illustrate my admiration for Mr. Soderbergh's work with such
examples, and then cutting to the notion that even the most talented of
filmmakers have their ups and downs. And while it may not be at the level of
Soderbergh's least appealing film to date, the wildly overrated Erin
Brockovich, Schizopolis is certainly by no means anywhere near the level of Traffic
or Ocean's Eleven, both of which were actually about something.
The film is nothing more than a vanity project for Soderbergh, and
whatever point he was trying to make with this is beyond me. The notion of this
being a vanity project couldn't be any clearer when it turns out that Soderbergh
is the lead actor in the film, and is playing not one but two characters. The
characters are that of Fletcher Munson, a self help guru, and Dr. Jeffery
Korcheck, a dentist. These characters appear on again and off again at different
points in the film, but for no extraordinary purpose other than to say such
off-color phrases such as "I may not vote Republican, but I do believe in
gum control."
Watching Schizopolis, I felt the
same off-putting feeling I got watching the director's more recent film, Full
Frontal, which was essentially, and supposedly, a documentary posing as a
movie posing as a documentary, or something like that. That, too, felt more like
a vanity film more than anything else, and I guess what must be learned here is
that there's nothing wrong with a vanity film, just as long as there is
something important to be said.
Schizopolis
is a much acceptable piece of risk-taking ideas, but it's one that is not really
full of too much meaning, but then again, maybe it wasn't supposed to include
any.
Video ***
Criterion can no doubt make the most of any presentation, no matter what
stock of film was used. Schizopolis
happens to include a variety of looks to it, all of which turn up at a much
pleasant level. Even the scenes that Soderbergh shot in Super 8 form aren't as
dull as one would expect. I can't say it is the absolute best transfer of a
Soderbergh film, but the anamorphic transfer remains nothing short of
exceptional.
Audio **
You can do only so much with a Mono track, which is the lone channel
supplied here by Criterion. Needless to say that you're not going to experience
much pivotal speaker action. When you're limited to this type of audio format,
you for the most part won't go beyond the range of the TV set. But I'm not sure
that this would've been improved with a higher sound format, since the film is
essentially scene after scene of brief dialogue and nothing much else. Clear for
the most part in terms of dialogue, but by no means as sound stunner.
Features ***
Criterion definitely knows how to not leave a disc empty handed, as they
managed to provide some good enough extras for this release. There are two
commentary tracks; one with Soderbergh interviewing himself (there's a first),
and the second with producer John Hardy, actor and casting director David Jensen
and production sound mixer Paul Ledford. Also included is a series of outtakes
titled "Maximum Body Muscle", and a trailer.
Summary:
