nomadreader

The backstory: The Bling Ring  is the latest film written (adapted from a Vanity Fair  article) and direct by Sofia Coppola. I'm a huge Sofia Coppola fan (my review of Somewhere . ) The basics: Based on true events, The Bling Ring  is the story of the rise and fall of five teenagers who visit and rob celebrity homes when the owners are out of town. My thoughts: There's a starkness to Sofia Coppola's films I enjoy. Even in this film, whose subjects are almost comically extravagant, there is a starkness, in both sound and visuals, that firmly establishes this film as critical rather than sensationalist. Yet Coppola doesn't strong arm the preposterousness of these teenagers; she allows them to present themselves as they did, both privately and publicly. Admittedly, my enjoyment of this film was somewhat hampered because I was so familiar with the story. I found myself enjoying the first half more, as I often do with films based on true events. The genesis was more fasc...

The basics: In the latest film written and directed by Sofia Coppola, Stephen Dorff plays Johnny Marco, a famous Hollywood actor living at the Chateau Marmont. His pre-teen daughter, Cleo (Elle Fanning, who was fantastic) comes to stay with him. My thoughts: I'm a huge fan of Sofia Coppola, and I found the premise of this film exciting. It's a nuanced look at celebrity culture through the eyes of someone is somewhat an insider and somewhat an outsider. Coppola grabs the viewer from the opening scene, which features a car being driven in circles. The steady frame is almost unsettling in its length. There were nervous rumblings in the theater, but the scene does exactly what I imagine Ms. Coppola intended: it disarms the viewer, makes her pay attention and realize her own uneasiness. It's a quiet film but an incredibly profound one. The dialogue is sparse and in some scenes it's non-existent. Coppola managed to make me analyze the construction of the film while enjoyi...