The Films of Sofia Coppola

[sobriquet87]

I still haven't seen this movie. Hopefully it will be released on DVD soon.

 

[KoV]

It comes out on Blu-Ray and DVD in the US on September 17th.

 

[KoV]

I finally saw The Bling Ring (you can download it from iTunes or rent it from Vudu) and I liked it, for the most part. It's easily my least favorite Coppola film, though. It's interesting, is a cultural piece, but there's no emotional investment in the film whatsoever, so it's not something I think I'd ever be able to love.

 

[Not Plain Jane]

I finally saw The Bling Ring - it's definitely the darkest piece Sofia has done since The Virgin Suicides. I kept thinking of American Psycho when I was watching it; they both have that emphasis on the surface, and the emptiness that lies underneath.

It was interesting to contemplate what these kids even wanted, what they were even seeking through those robberies. I came to the conclusion that it was different for each of them, and I do think that's what Sofia was trying to show. Some wanted fame (Nicki - how she "cashes" in on the whole episode at the end is quite creepy! ); some were addicts seeking the next buzz (Rebecca); some were simply bored (Chloe - she seemed the richest of the group already); and some just wanted to be liked and to fit in (Marc).

I can see why Sofia gravitated most towards Marc's character in that sense; he seemed to be the most vulnerable and really the most "innocent" in spirit if not actual crime activity. When he leaves on the bus at the end, you can't help but feel sympathy for him.

All the celebrities in the film exist in the background or through the kids' computers; I guess that's how it is for all of us, but even more so for people who live in L.A. They are always present but also completely untouchable.

I would have liked to know a little more back-story on the characters and see a little less of the robberies. However, this might not be the intent here. On the one hand, if Sofia had focused on one of the characters and his/her life I think it would've made the film more easily to identify with for the average film viewer. But on the other hand, I don't think her objective is to have us identify with these characters.

I think she wants us to stand back and watch, kind of like the movie camera does when it captures that whole robbery at Orlando Bloom's from a distance, with sparkling LA in the background - the land of dreams. Or how the surveillance videos capture the kids. Or how their phones and Facebook pages record the highlights of their spoils.

Everything is mediated. Nothing is close.

It turns out even their friendships were fake, as we see in the courtroom. None of them connect.

Another film came to mind as well, for the same creepy, distant lack of emotion. That film is Safe by Todd Haynes. Both that film and this one have a "cult-like" element to them with a dire void at their centre.

Anyhow, this is a strong film in my opinion; it makes you think. It doesn't give any easy answers. It's not about story-telling or tying things neatly in a bow. It's not a character study either, like most of Sofia's films have been thus far. This film holds a mirror to our culture and lets us look into it. It's not an easy thing to do, which is probably why a lot of people don't like this film. It's discomfiting.

The Bling Ring is beautifully shot, as all Sofia's films are. It has a good soundtrack for the subject matter. It's thoughtful. Emma Watson is good; actually all the actors do a good job playing empty, lonely, and/or desperate kids.

It made me sad... and also nervous for the future!!!

 

[Label Basher]

^ Glad you finally saw it and enjoyed. I agree with you.

 

[KoV]

I like what you said about it, Not Plain Jane. It's a bit uncomfortable to watch because it feels like a sadly accurate reflection of a soulless culture. I still think the film should have a more substantial core in terms of character or emotion, but it's effective. I feel like I know several of the characters from school... the "types" were spot on, though the acting wasn't always. I felt that Marc and Rebecca were poorly acted, Nicki and Sam were very good, and Chloe was PERFECT.

 

[valeryblack]

I just saw the Bling Ring.

...This movie sucked so bad I was shocked. It's...I'm not even sure I can pinpoint what was wrong with it...It had less emotions than a documentary. It didn't have enough action/plot to keep me engaged with that,so I hoped the characters would "carry" the movie.

They didn't.

 

[KoV]

Siblings Sofia Coppola and Roman Coppola will produce a movie version of Alysia Abbott’s “Fairyland: A Memoir of My Father” through the American Zoetrope banner.

Sofia Coppola and Andrew Durham will co-write the screenplay for the coming of-age story, published in June by W. W. Norton & Co. Durham is a photographer who collaborates regularly with Coppola.

“Fairyland” is set against the backdrop of San Francisco’s cultural scene in the 1970s and ’80s, before and after the AIDS epidemic — which would later claim the life of Abbott’s father.

“I love the book ‘Fairyland; it’s a sweet and unique love story of a girl and her dad, both growing up together in 1970′s San Francisco,” Coppola said. “I think it will make an engaging and touching movie on a subject I’ve never seen before.”

Source: http://variety.com/2013/film/news/sofia-coppola-heading-to-fairlyland-1200965124/


This is so exciting. Since Coppola herself was a child growing up in SF in this same time period, probably being exposed to the same sort of culture, I think she'll get the tone just right. I really hope she signs on to direct as well.

 

[YoninahAliza]

^Yay! This is fantastic news. I'm hoping that Sofia choses to direct the film as well, it sounds like it could be a great project for her, it's definitely a interesting story. Just the other day I was wondering what if Sofia had any new projects in the works, so glad to hear that she's working on something new. Plus this sounds like an interesting follow up to The Bling Ring. Which by the way, I finally got around to seeing a few weeks ago, I was really impressed with it. I liked the way Sofia captured the culture, it was at times uncomfortable to watch because she was just presenting the scene and holding up the mirror, and no one really wants to see what parts of our culture can be like. But of course these images do need to be shared and I think the way she told the whole story was interesting, that she just laid out all the info and you made up your own thoughts about these teens. It's a clever way of going about things.

 

[jexxica]

I'm such a big Sofia Coppola fan. I really love all her movies, I watch them many times. I think she is very talented. My favorite movie of her is Marie Antoinette.

 

[Not Plain Jane]

Great news KingOfVersailles! Thanks for sharing.

 

[KoV]

Sofia Coppola's The Little Mermaid

Filmmaker Sofia Coppola will reportedly be directing a dark, live action version of the Hans Christian Andersen novel The Little Mermaid. And according to some sources, this won’t be a Disney movie—the script is being described as “exquisite and painful”, and The Independent says the film may focus on the story’s utter bleakness. Either way, it should be interesting to see how Coppola’s indie aesthetic—she’s known for visually dramatic films like Marie Antoinette and Lost in Translation—jives with a movie that is in large part an underwater romance.

Joe Wright (Pride & Prejudice, Anna Karenina, Atonement, Hanna) was originally going to direct but the studio didn't want to wait for him to finish his new movie to do this, so they went to Sofia. It's written by one of the guys who wrote Shame and the woman who wrote Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Corpse Bride.

Source: relevantmagazine.com

 

[TREVOFASHIONISTO]

sounds interesting, though lets hope it has substance. Usually her longer films don't have that

 

[LagerfeldBoy]

I love her style of films, so imaging her directing using breathtaking under water visuals perhaps seems quite intriguing.
Joe Wright would've been an interesting choice, considering how I much I loved 'Hanna'.

 

[Melancholybaby]

The Little Mermaid was my favorite Disney film as a child so I'm very for excited for this to say the least. Do we know who will play Ariel?

 

[HeatherAnne]

Just like I was with The Bling Ring news (which ended up being the right reaction because I watched it and had all the substance of a Lifetime movie), I'm not excited to hear this. Everyone is doing these fairytale reboot movies now.

What happened to Fairyland? Now that sounded amazing.

 

[KoV]

Maybe she's doing this for the paycheck, so that she can then do Fairyland? I also wasn't a big fan of The Bling Ring, though I'm a little more optimistic about The Little Mermaid. Fairyland is what I'm dying to see, though.