The Films of Sofia Coppola

[ad041715]

Just saw the teaser and oh god does this look like crap. From Lost in Translation to this?

Hopefully I'll eat my words come June. . .

 

[LoveMyBoots]

I'm guessing maybe dunst is making a cameo appearance, since the story is supposed to be star-studded so maybe she's just walking a red carpet with paris hilton while paris is getting robbed?

 

[LoveMyBoots]

After watching the trailer though, I'm thinking coppola might disappoint me again. I honestly love the tone and visuals of her films but they are usually characteristically depthless. There's only so much you can milk 'pretty sad people........'

Anyways, in particular regard to "The Bling Ring", I remember when the series of robberies were being investigated and had no idea about the backstory behind them at the time. After reading the VF article, the 'bling ring' as a bunch of fame-obssessed teenagers is quite fascinating and glamorous and wicked all at the same time. All the goldmines of plot, climax, and character development are already laid out clear for her and I really hope coppola does justice to the different potential facets of the story there's to tell.

It seems that the screenplay is following along with the VF article in using Neiers as the main character, so my biggest fear is that it's going to conclude with some kind of moral lesson or "karma" when, in reality, these teenagers probably learned next to nothing since they come from well-off, well-connected families who are able to pay bail and avoid jail time. These teenagers worshipped these celebrities (that they stole millions of $$$ of jewelry, designer clothing, purses, etc.) yet at the same time still managed to strike a big F-YOU to Hollywood and young celebrity culture. B)

Coppola tends to be pretty lenient if not indulgent of 'celebrity' (la di da she's a coppola, afterall) so I'm sure she paint the obsession and candor but hopefully reaches for more critical, complicated storytelling to portray the crassness of the young, rich, and talentless "victims" aka the Hiltons and Lohans that aspired the criminals. That would be a film worth watching. B)

 

[Not Plain Jane]

Dunst is in the film, as well as Gavin Rossdale, Leslie Mann, and so on - good cast. Hope it's a good film, too.

 

[LagerfeldBoy]

After watching the trailer though, I'm thinking coppola might disappoint me again. I honestly love the tone and visuals of her films but they are usually characteristically depthless. There's only so much you can milk 'pretty sad people........'

Anyways, in particular regard to "The Bling Ring", I remember when the series of robberies were being investigated and had no idea about the backstory behind them at the time. After reading the VF article, the 'bling ring' as a bunch of fame-obssessed teenagers is quite fascinating and glamorous and wicked all at the same time. All the goldmines of plot, climax, and character development are already laid out clear for her and I really hope coppola does justice to the different potential facets of the story there's to tell.

It seems that the screenplay is following along with the VF article in using Neiers as the main character, so my biggest fear is that it's going to conclude with some kind of moral lesson or "karma" when, in reality, these teenagers probably learned next to nothing since they come from well-off, well-connected families who are able to pay bail and avoid jail time. These teenagers worshipped these celebrities (that they stole millions of $$$ of jewelry, designer clothing, purses, etc.) yet at the same time still managed to strike a big F-YOU to Hollywood and young celebrity culture. B)

Coppola tends to be pretty lenient if not indulgent of 'celebrity' (la di da she's a coppola, afterall) so I'm sure she paint the obsession and candor but hopefully reaches for more critical, complicated storytelling to portray the crassness of the young, rich, and talentless "victims" aka the Hiltons and Lohans that aspired the criminals. That would be a film worth watching. B)

Idk, from what I read of the script, the film seems to focus primarily on the Marc and Rebecca characters. If anything, Marc's the focus of the film and how everyone dragged him down and caused him to spiral out of control. Emma's character does have a vital role throughout though. What I seem to understand is that the film and advertising are relying on Emma, since she is obviously the one that'll bring a strong viewership to the film. C'mon, it's Emma Watson. With her, you can't go wrong in getting views and thus it appears the film revolves solely on her.

 

[Not Plain Jane]

I thought the kids DID do jail time? (or are doing...)

 

[sobriquet87]

Here's how they were sentenced:

Rachel Lee (the ringleader...portrayed by Katie Chang in the film)-- 4 years in prison
Nick Prugo (Israel Broussard)-- 2 years in prison
Alexis Neiers (Emma Watson)-- sentenced to 180 days in prison, but only served 30 days due to her felony plea, but she got 3 years probation.
Johnny Ajar-- sentenced to 3 years in prison

I couldn't find information about what the others' sentences.

 

[KoV]

Well, I'm no one's judge and I don't know many of the facts, but based on my understanding of what happened, those sentences seem about right.


Apparently, Alexis has turned her life around, is sober, and is studying to be an abuse counselor of some sort.

 

[LoveMyBoots]

Idk, from what I read of the script, the film seems to focus primarily on the Marc and Rebecca characters. If anything, Marc's the focus of the film and how everyone dragged him down and caused him to spiral out of control. Emma's character does have a vital role throughout though. What I seem to understand is that the film and advertising are relying on Emma, since she is obviously the one that'll bring a strong viewership to the film. C'mon, it's Emma Watson. With her, you can't go wrong in getting views and thus it appears the film revolves solely on her.

In that case, it sounds similar to the Lifetime version haha I've stayed away from watching it but I'm sure I'm probably gonna succumb to it sooner or later: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1935749/

Though I'm usually in high favor of Coppola's casting choices, this time 'round I'm pretty apathetic. I know there's a lot of love for Emma Watson on this forum but I'm indifferent to her acting abilities. I'm not surprised by her casting though, Watson is usually characterized by pretty genteel performances as far as I know from "Perks of Being a Wallflower" and the "Harry Potter" series (wasn't a fan of either hence the indifference) and that would fit along nicely with Coppola's films.

 

[TREVOFASHIONISTO]

Well, I'm no one's judge and I don't know many of the facts, but based on my understanding of what happened, those sentences seem about right.


Apparently, Alexis has turned her life around, is sober, and is studying to be an abuse counselor of some sort.

she's engaged and pregnant

 

[jmrmartinho]

^^I think Emmas performance in "Perks of Being a Wallflower" was pretty good, just the fact that she competely took out that strong english accent was a serious job already.

 

[chickadee]

Though I'm usually in high favor of Coppola's casting choices, this time 'round I'm pretty apathetic. I know there's a lot of love for Emma Watson on this forum but I'm indifferent to her acting abilities. I'm not surprised by her casting though, Watson is usually characterized by pretty genteel performances as far as I know from "Perks of Being a Wallflower" and the "Harry Potter" series (wasn't a fan of either hence the indifference) and that would fit along nicely with Coppola's films.

I'm with you. I'm a fan of hers generally, and I comment on her board regularly, but when it comes to her acting abilities, I've yet to be convinced. I did like Perks of Being a Wallflower quite a bit (but then I was a huge fan of the book), and Emma didn't stand out to me. Her performance was fine, but she paled in comparison to Lerman and Ezra. And to me, she didn't have to. Not only did both give her room to shine in her scenes with them, but her character is the soul of the novel. She had ample time room, and just didn't use it, IMO. Her accent was also pretty inconsistent, but that's just me.

I do look forward to her performance in Bling Ring. From the trailer, she seems more confident so I have a little hope.

 

[blueorchid]

Honestly, I'm not a fan of Emma Watson on the slightest, but I think she could give a pretty good portrayal of someone like Alexis Neiers. I can't really think of another actress who would be suitable for the role.

 

[sobriquet87]

I think other actresses definitely could have played Nikki (aka Alexis). The character seems like the generic wannabe famewhore. In fact, there are quite a few young actresses who are quite similar to the character and therefore wouldn't have to act too hard.

I think Sophia chose Emma to emphasis the stark contrast of Emma (and people like her) to the Bling Ring gang-- aka people who are obsessed with money, fame, and have no real ambitions in life.

Based on interviews from Sophia and other cast members, the film is more a social commentary on our society's obsession with glamour, celebrity, and stupidity. It's not just about the Bling Ring. They function more as a useful plot device than the actual focal point. At least that's my understanding.

 

[wild roses]

So basically Emma is just playing a dirtier version of a character she's already done? (Pauline in 'Ballet Shoes' was a spoiled brat famewhore no matter how self-sacrificing and noble the movie tried to make her out to be.) UGH!

How is Rupert Grint stuck getting CBS comedies while she's working with A directors? He's got range and it reflects in his movies, while she's getting praised for essentially acting pretty. (It also disappoints me because Emma is supposed to be super-smart, but she might as well be Kate Hudson for what types of roles she keeps choosing to play.)

 

[sobriquet87]

This thread isn't about Rupert or even Emma for that matter. It's about the work of Sophia Coppola. Emma isn't even the main character in The Bling Ring. She's tweeted this herself. Katie and Israel's characters are the main ones. Emma's just a supporting role. But I think Rupert's new TV show sounds awesome. Even Stephen Fry is involved. And I think most would agree that TV is where it's at these days. There are so many amazing TV shows on right now or coming up; whereas, film is very much hit and miss. If its not some predictable action flick with explosions and the objectification of women, its a book adaptation, or a remake. Originality in film is very rare these days.

That said, Im still excited about this movie for reasons stated in my previous post. Plus, it's Sophia Coppola. I think this movie will surprise people. It's not gonna be what people expect...at least I hope not.

 

[KoV]

It's Sofia, not Sophia. Not trying to be rude or anything. I used to misspell it as well.

 

[wild roses]

So I watched Jim Jarmusch's Mystery Train recently, and couldn't have been more impressed with him. He found humanity where Sofia found weirdness. He found common bonds while Sofia only saw exoticism. Jim Jarmusch is from the Midwest (Ohio, to be exact) but he was able to capture Japanese people in a way that Sofia, a daughter of the Hollywood elite, couldn't.

(The first segment of MT deals with a Japanese couple visiting Memphis to explore the famous sites.)

And the fact that he was so respectful makes me even more weary of accepting any excuses for Sofia's xenophobia. (Which isn't to say that Jim Jarmusch isn't capable of producing crap. 'Dead Man' is basically a just a Hipster's Romanticized and New Agey version of the West. And very problematic on many levels.)

 

[SussyBela]

This thread isn't about Rupert or even Emma for that matter. It's about the work of Sophia Coppola. Emma isn't even the main character in The Bling Ring. She's tweeted this herself. Katie and Israel's characters are the main ones. Emma's just a supporting role. But I think Rupert's new TV show sounds awesome. Even Stephen Fry is involved. And I think most would agree that TV is where it's at these days. There are so many amazing TV shows on right now or coming up; whereas, film is very much hit and miss. If its not some predictable action flick with explosions and the objectification of women, its a book adaptation, or a remake. Originality in film is very rare these days.

That said, Im still excited about this movie for reasons stated in my previous post. Plus, it's Sophia Coppola. I think this movie will surprise people. It's not gonna be what people expect...at least I hope not.

Well said.

 

[KoV]

So I watched Jim Jarmusch's Mystery Train recently, and couldn't have been more impressed with him. He found humanity where Sofia found weirdness. He found common bonds while Sofia only saw exoticism. Jim Jarmusch is from the Midwest (Ohio, to be exact) but he was able to capture Japanese people in a way that Sofia, a daughter of the Hollywood elite, couldn't.

(The first segment of MT deals with a Japanese couple visiting Memphis to explore the famous sites.)

And the fact that he was so respectful makes me even more weary of accepting any excuses for Sofia's xenophobia. (Which isn't to say that Jim Jarmusch isn't capable of producing crap. 'Dead Man' is basically a just a Hipster's Romanticized and New Agey version of the West. And very problematic on many levels.)

Well I think Jim has an affinity for Japanese culture, so it's not surprising he's present Japanese people (and by extension Japanese culture) in a fond way.


Though to reiterate what I've said before, I don't fully understand the viewpoint that Sofia is xenophobic. Several of her films have portrayed an outsider encountering a culture/lifestyle different from their own. Marie coming to Versailles in Marie Antoinette, Cleo staying with her dad in Somewhere, and Bob and Charlotte in Tokyo. I'd say in all three there's a sense of initial judgement on the part of the characters and it gives way to understanding. And ultimately in all three films they characters have to leave that environment in the end are are sad about it. My own takeaway of Japanese culture based purely on LiT (when I first saw it, at 12 years old, I had little to no knowledge of Japan or Japanese culture, I'm sad to say) was very positive. Different doesn't mean bad. Cultures are different. Highlighting that isn't bad. And many of the scenes/characters in LiT that highlight that are not at all fabricated. What specific portrayal in LiT was xenophobic/racist/bigoted?