Steven Soderbergh

Made films the shows talk about.

Wikidata Q103917: matched by corpus:resolve, told apart by the only person by that name on Wikidata.

Counted as craft. The films the hosts said they worked on, which the two lists below run through too: Soderbergh's silent Raiders remix; Yes concert film. Count them as director (19 films), writer (1 film), producer (1 film), cinematographer (0 films) instead.

Draws on

What the speakers say they, or a film of theirs, drew on. Each is a speaker's account: “the maker said so” when they report the maker's own words, “the host's read” when the read is theirs.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981): 1 line

lineage (lineage) · through Soderbergh's silent Raiders remix, which they worked on as editor/remixer: Raiders of the Lost Ark ⇒ Soderbergh's silent Raiders remix (the host's read). Soderbergh re-cut Raiders silent, black and white, over The Social Network score.
“It's basically his silent film remix of Raiders, black and white film with the social network score playing over it”
The Big Picture · Steven Spielberg's Top 5 Movies With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan | The Big Picture (Ep. 57) · 0:10:25 · Sean Fennessey (0.60 sure it was them)

Drawn on by

What the speakers say drew on them or a film of theirs, marked the same way.

Anthony and Joe Russo: 2 lines

career (career) · them, directly: Steven Soderbergh ⇒ Anthony and Joe Russo (the host's read). Soderbergh saw their Slamdance film and gave them a career, helping set up Welcome to Collinwood.
“So then he helps them set up welcome to Colinwood.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Captain America: The Winter Soldier · 0:25:37 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
people (people) · them, directly: Steven Soderbergh ⇒ Anthony and Joe Russo (the host's read). Soderbergh vouched for them to Marvel: big nerds with the tools.
“I think these guys got the tools.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Captain America: The Winter Soldier · 0:28:54 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Gone Girl (2014): 1 line

unmapped (nod to a friend) · them, directly: Steven Soderbergh ⇒ Gone Girl (the maker said so). Fincher put Soderbergh's Singani 63 in the film as a nod to his buddy and let him pick the scene.
“Fincher wanted to put it in the movie, as a nod to his buddy, Sudi, and said, uh, you can pick the scene where you want it applied.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Gone Girl with Esther Zuckerman (Ad-Free) · 2:25:53 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

What the speakers said they did

Photography (1) everyone in photography

shoots his own movies, holds the camera (The Rewatchables, ‘After Hours’ with Bill Simmons and Sean Fennessey)

What was said about them, by kind

career (5)

career (career): Steven Soderbergh → Traffic. Soderbergh was nominated for Best Director for Traffic and Erin Brockovich in the same year.
“Yeah, traffic and Aaron Brockovich, right?”
The Rewatchables · A CR Month Mailbag! · 1:09:56 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
career (career): Steven Soderbergh → Yes concert film. The Yes concert film was the first thing Soderbergh edited and shot.
“the yes concert film was the 1st thing that he edited and shot”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:36:14 · Brian Koppelman (0.80 sure it was them)
career (career): Steven Soderbergh → Sex, Lies, and Videotape. Brian says Soderbergh's later obsessions and technical command are on display in the debut.
“He's studying these obsessions that are going to define him for the next long period of time”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:26:16 · Brian Koppelman (0.85 sure it was them)
career (career): Steven Soderbergh → The Girlfriend Experience. Sean uses The Girlfriend Experience and the Ocean's movies to show Soderbergh's range.
“think of the girlfriend experience and think of the oceans movie”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:26:51 · Sean Fennessey (0.85 sure it was them)
career (career): Anthony and Joe Russo → Steven Soderbergh. Soderbergh saw their Slamdance film and gave them a career, helping set up Welcome to Collinwood.
“So then he helps them set up welcome to Colinwood.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Captain America: The Winter Soldier · 0:25:37 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

contrast (2)

contrast (contrast): Steven Soderbergh → Ryan Coogler. Soderbergh can bang out movies fast because he shoots and cuts them himself, unlike Coogler's big-crew, big-star productions.
“Like Soderberg shoots and edits his movies. He holds the camera when he makes the movie.”
The Rewatchables · ‘After Hours’ with Bill Simmons and Sean Fennessey · 0:26:37 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
contrast (contrast): Quentin Tarantino → Steven Soderbergh. His press presence lifted him beyond being just a cool indie filmmaker like Soderbergh.
“propelling him out of just being like Soderberg or like a cool interesting indie filmmaker”
The Rewatchables · ‘Reservoir Dogs’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:27:10 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)

craft (2)

craft (craft): David Fincher → Steven Soderbergh. Soderbergh warned Fincher that his operator-less camera plan would drive him insane, and he was right.
“Soderberg was like, this is going to drive you insane if you do it this way?”
The Rewatchables · ‘Panic Room’ (Plus a Mini Will Smith–Oscars Recap) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 1:20:21 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
craft (craft): Richard Linklater → Steven Soderbergh. Both Linklater and Soderbergh like to try stuff, yielding some one-off movies that would be thin episodes.
“But both of them have the thing where they're like, I want to try stuff.”
Blank Check — Patreon · 2025 March Madness Update 1 · 0:38:44 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

industry (2)

industry (industry): Steven Soderbergh → 2021 Oscars telecast. Soderbergh, Stacey Sher and Jesse Collins produce the Oscars show.
“the Oscars producers, who are Stephen Soderberg, Stacy Sher, and Jesse Collins”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:12:37 · Amanda Dobbins (0.65 sure it was them)
industry (deal comparison): The Killer → Steven Soderbergh. The Killer feels like Fincher doing what Soderbergh does with his HBO Max deal: simple, one name, small money.
“Killer kind of feels like Fincher trying to do the same thing.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Killer with Marie Bardi (Ad-Free) · 0:37:21 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)

people (8)

people (directed by): Black Bag → Steven Soderbergh. Black Bag is Soderbergh's second feature this year.
“This is Steven Soderberg's 2nd feature film this year.”
The Big Picture · ‘A Minecraft Movie’ Is the Most Important Movie of the Year So Far. And These Flicks Are the Best … · 0:54:42 · Sean Fennessey (0.60 sure it was them)
people (directed by / HBO): Behind the Candelabra → Steven Soderbergh. It aired as an HBO movie before Soderbergh made HBO movies full time.
“this was an HBO movie before that was his full-time job.”
The Big Picture · ‘Elvis,’ ‘Walk Hard’ and Top Five Music Biopics · 0:48:07 · Sean Fennessey (0.90 sure it was them)
people (people): The Brothers Bloom → Steven Soderbergh. Brian phoned Soderbergh after The Brothers Bloom to say you had to see how Rian puts shots together.
“I remember watching Ryan's 2nd movie and calling Soderberg”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:32:35 · Brian Koppelman (0.85 sure it was them)
people (people): Steven Soderbergh → Brian Koppelman. Brian has worked with Soderbergh three times.
“Yeah, 3 times.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:21:25 · Brian Koppelman (0.90 sure it was them)
people (frequent collaborator): Michael Douglas → Steven Soderbergh. Soderbergh likes to use Douglas a lot.
“Soderberg likes to use them a lot.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 0:29:26 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
people (director): Steven Soderbergh → Haywire. Soderbergh put Douglas in Haywire.
“Put them in haywire.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 0:29:28 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
people (director): Steven Soderbergh → Behind the Candelabra. Behind the Candelabra was Soderbergh's retirement film.
“That was his retirement film.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 0:30:30 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
people (people): Steven Soderbergh → Anthony and Joe Russo. Soderbergh vouched for them to Marvel: big nerds with the tools.
“I think these guys got the tools.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Captain America: The Winter Soldier · 0:28:54 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

programming (1)

programming (pairing): The Killer → Steven Soderbergh. A friend of the podcast says it is Fincher and Soderbergh land: a stripped-down genre exercise.
“it's Fincher and Sodaberg land.”
Blank Check — Patreon · The Killer with Marie Bardi (Ad-Free) · 0:16:54 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)

theme (1)

theme (anecdote parallel): Steven Soderbergh → David Fincher. Soderbergh's story of Fincher's hyper-precise color notes is used to explain a protagonist who cannot turn off noticing.
“I cannot imagine the curse of being able to notice that.”
Blank Check with Griffin & David · Decision to Leave with Tatiana Maslany · 0:43:03 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)

unmapped (6)

unmapped (texting in film): Steven Soderbergh → Decision to Leave. Soderbergh is called one of the few major auteurs who head straight into the smartphone present, as Park does with texting.
“And Soderberg is one of the few guys who like head straight into it.”
Blank Check with Griffin & David · Decision to Leave with Tatiana Maslany · 1:50:12 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
unmapped (missed star-maker): Brigitte Nielsen → Steven Soderbergh. Gina Carano got a Soderbergh movie; Nielsen never found her Soderbergh who would build something for her.
“She never found like her Soderberg, who just kind of stared at her up and down.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Beverly Hills Cop II’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:37:51 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
unmapped (unmade version): Steven Soderbergh → Moneyball. The finished film still keeps archival and math, with talk radio replacing direct-to-camera testimony.
“it certainly still has a lot of math instead of people talking directly camera, it uses a lot of talk radio.”
The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 14 - ‘Moneyball’ · 0:23:53 · Amanda Dobbins (0.60 sure it was them)
unmapped (POV conceit): Presence → Steven Soderbergh. Soderbergh shoots his own ghost film with himself as the ghost-camera.
“Stephen Soderberg as the ghost of this family with the camera is an amazing, amazing concept”
The Big Picture · ‘A Minecraft Movie’ Is the Most Important Movie of the Year So Far. And These Flicks Are the Best … · 1:16:45 · Sean Fennessey (0.60 sure it was them)
unmapped (nod to a friend): Steven Soderbergh → Gone Girl. Fincher put Soderbergh's Singani 63 in the film as a nod to his buddy and let him pick the scene.
“Fincher wanted to put it in the movie, as a nod to his buddy, Sudi, and said, uh, you can pick the scene where you want it applied.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Gone Girl with Esther Zuckerman (Ad-Free) · 2:25:53 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
unmapped (praise): Steven Soderbergh → Zodiac. Soderbergh gave a scene-by-scene lecture on Zodiac and called its visual storytelling next level visual math.
“And the term I heard he used all the time was just next level visual math.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Zodiac with Leslye Headland (Ad-Free) · 0:34:53 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

verdict (1)

verdict (verdict): Ridley Scott → Steven Soderbergh. Scott beat Soderbergh, a mild surprise to the hosts.
“I was a little surprised that Scott took that.”
Blank Check — Patreon · 2025 March Madness Update 1 · 0:26:00 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

what-if (1)

what-if (what-if): Moneyball → Steven Soderbergh. Moneyball was first developed for Soderbergh; one host wishes for a darker, pulp-fiction version.
“I still would have liked to have seen the cut glass, you know, dark core version of this story from Soderberg”
The Big Picture · Aaron Sorkin Top 5s and ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ · 0:51:19 · Sean Fennessey (0.60 sure it was them)

Fun items about them

fun, about Steven Soderbergh: His planned version: Reds-style baseball with real players like Hatteberg and Bradford acting; added more statistics days before production and Amy Pascal asked what the fuck it was and put it in turnaround.
“Amy Pascal, who was running Sony at the time, said, what the fuck is this?”
The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 14 - ‘Moneyball’ · 0:22:58 · Sean Fennessey (0.55 sure it was them)
fun, about Steven Soderbergh: Brian recommends Soderbergh's book, which pairs the screenplay with his journal.
“the book has the screenplay in his journal”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:23:52 · Brian Koppelman (0.90 sure it was them)
fun, about Steven Soderbergh: Soderbergh's Singani 63 liquor is the bottle in the film, a nod from Fincher; Soderbergh picked the scene, and per the speakers Pike said she would use wine rather than the champagne bottle Fincher first planned.
“Fincher wanted to put it in the movie, as a nod to his buddy, Sudi, and said, uh, you can pick the scene where you want it applied.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Gone Girl with Esther Zuckerman (Ad-Free) · 2:25:53 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
fun, about Steven Soderbergh: Soderbergh once lectured on Zodiac at NYU, scene by scene, and called it next-level visual math; the speaker regrets missing it.
“One of the greatest regrets of my life is I was invited by someone to attend Soderberg at NYU giving a lecture on Zodiac.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Zodiac with Leslye Headland (Ad-Free) · 0:34:07 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)