T HE GE TAWAY
Released via Soderbergh’s new indie distribution company, Fingerprint
Releasing, Logan Lucky is the spearhead of his new effort to wrest some
creative control back from the current studio system and return it to
filmmakers (for example, in May a two-year deal was struck with Amazon
that will see the e-commerce giant support the theatrical marketing of
Fingerprint projects in return for streaming rights).
Budgets have remained in check, too. The film was made quickly,
relatively cheaply and with a cast working for a share of its takings. “By
any definition, Logan Lucky is a studio movie with movie stars and a very
commercial subject,” he stresses of this self-made antidote to his previous
travails. “It was the right thing at the right time. We’ll soon see if it works.”
His stars may have worked for scale this time, but in truth they might have
done it for free. “I usually equate [making] films with torture, self-doubt and
anxiety,” confesses Driver, “but we had such a good time.”
Tatum, meanwhile, found himself in a T-shirt and Carhartt overalls
daily, hanging out with new friends and having a “glorious” time. “I ate
pizza and drank beer and was pretty much as comfortable as I could
possibly be,” he laughs. “I’ve always said I needed to become a better actor
so I don’t have to work out so much.”
As he gears up to unleash his maverick heist movie on the world, only
a few questions remain. Will Jimmy and Clyde get away with the loot? Will
Soderbergh score big? Is this his one last job or the prelude to a fully-
fledged comeback? Time will tell. One thing we can predict: the Logan
boys are going to leave you smiling.LOGAN LUCKY IS IN CINEMAS FROM 17 AUGUSTSTEVEN SODERBERGH PUBLISHES A YEARLY LIST OF THE MEDIA
HE’S CONSUMED. HERE HE TALKS THROUGH 2016’S PICKSSODERBERGH’S SIX
STAR WARS:
THE FORCE AWAKENS
WATCHED ON 27 FEBRUARY
“I was very interested to see what
Adam [Driver] was doing, and it
turns out he was being very, very
good. It’s not a kind of film I could
make — Solaris is about as far as
I could ever go in leaving Earth. I’m
just having a good time and
thinking, ‘Wow, this looks like
a really tough movie to make.’”
★
GRIMSBY
WATCHED ON 12 MARCH
“Did I struggle with the elephant
scene? No, because I didn’t have to
perform in it. I saw Grimsby in Utah
when we were shooting Mosaic and
it was a much-needed two hours of
laughter. I liked it a lot.”
★
THE MILL AND THE CROSS
WATCHED ON 3 APRIL
“This was research for a late-19th-
century period piece I’m working on.
I want it to be a very stylised piece.
[The Limey’s] Lem Dobbs is writing
it and he told me to watch it as
a reference. They shot on location,
but add this layer of abstraction
through visual effects. It was
fascinating, and so helpful.”LAST YEAR IN MARIENBAD
WATCHED ON 16 APRIL
“This is one of the most stunning
things I’ve ever looked at. Alain
Resnais has been a huge influence
on me. Right up to the end of his life
he was exploring what you can do
with editing. I love watching this film
because it’s doing the thing only
movies can do.”
★
ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN
WATCHED ON 24 APRIL,
17 JULY AND 20 DECEMBER
“It’s like spending time with a really,
really close friend. I’ve already
watched it again twice this year.
It makes me happy, obviously, but
there’s probably a little sadness,
too. They don’t make movies like
this anymore.”
★
BATTLES WITHOUT HONOR
AND HUMANITY
WATCHED ON 29 DECEMBER
“I was given this as a gift. I wasn’t
aware of [the series], but I was
fascinated by its style and energy.
I loved the way it was built. I’ve filed
that away somewhere for later use.”TO SEE SODERBERGH’S COMPLETE
LISTS, GO TO EXTENSION765.COM
ALAMY, ALLSTAR, REX FEATURES