Saturday, December 11, 2010

yesterday


What I wore yesterday: simple black vest, suede trousers, beige cardigan, espadrilles.

This week has been pretty busy as the first semester winds down before Christmas. Not before a smattering of deadlines though; earlier in the week I submitted an essay about Holden Caulfield and Archetypal American Adolescents (think Ferris Bueller, Benjamin Braddock, Huck Finn..) and now I'm scurrying around to meet the deadline for my study abroad applicatiom, reading through all of the amazing sounding modules available across the pond. 

I went to see Somewhere yesterday and (I say this with a heavy heart because I'm a huge Coppola fan) found it quite disappointing. Visually it's brilliant and very true to the Sofia Coppola aesthetic; especially with the shots of Chataeu Marmont and it's white body peeking out from the Hollywood greenery and Elle Fanning gliding around an empty ice rink in a lilac costume. But the lacking dialogue couldn't be justified though in my eyes and the characters were nowhere near as developed or interesting as they could have been. There were lots of touching moments between the Father and Daughter characters but when it finished I felt like there was so much more that could have been explored and that the film only touched the surface of it's own potential.  Chris Pontius (yes, Jackass's Party Boy-you have to give Sofia credit for brilliantly bizarre casting) was hilarious as Johnny's best friend. To me he was the perfect incarnation of the type of cool friend of your Dad who would tell naughty stories and swear in front of you or maybe give you a brilliant album or really crappy food to eat and be the kind of adult company that seemed ultra cool and delightfully irresponsible compared to the array of sensible teachers and figures of authority otherwise surrounding you. Equally the repeated scenes with the embarrassingly bad twin strippers were very entertaining but all in all I want to shake Coppola by the shoulders because lacking in development and that's bearing in mind that convential 'Hollywood development' doesn't at all apply to her style of direction.
I'm curious to know what you all think of Somewhere, especially as the blogosphere is awash with Coppola and Lost In Translation lovers.

11 comments:

Chuck said...

I had a similar reaction to Coppola's Marie Antoinette which I watched recently. Just meh. Gorgeous obviously but very lacking. Where are you applying abroad? x

discotheque confusion said...

Yes, I just have a fear that Lost In Translation will remain the greatest of her work and I'd love to see her make something just as wonderful or better.

Still deciding choice wise but they're all American universities, and Amherst Massachussetts, University of Maryland, Chapel Hill North Carolina, Knoxville Tennessee, University of Missouri are amongst the options. Lots of brilliant sounding Literature courses at Maryland!

K. said...

Hello there!
I watched Somewhere in late October at the London Film Festival premiere - and once it finished some people started chattering, commenting how monotonous and slow it felt at times. But to me, Sofia Coppola had done it again, transcending the unspeakable solitude felt by the protagonist into something beautiful and unique. She did some quite ambitious shots (the long opening scene at the beginning, for instance) and not everyone likes them. Nevertheless, I admire her filming style, vision and boldness, and how she captured the fleeting moments of grace and revelation.

She really talks through her movies.
x

Stefanie said...

Wahhhh this makes me sad. I am the biggest Sofia fan and Somewhere looks so good. I will have to see it for myself but you seem to have thoroughly reviewed it so I fear I may feel the same way...

Anonymous said...

I liked the lack of dialogue...it's realistic. No one talks as indulgently in real life as they do in movies.
And the writing was wonderful so I enjoyed what little dialogue there was.

Anonymous said...

Lovely outfit, you do like your cord don't you?
Your disappointed reaction to Somewhere is a little disheartening. I somehow think I'll probably feel the same after watching it as I prefer films that have more substance rather than just featuring beautiful scenery. Ho hum. I personally don't think anything will ever match up to the Virgin Suicides.. but I guess I should re-watch Lost in Translation to properly evaluate it. x

Samantha said...

such a simple lovely outfit!

as for coppola, i think her films are always so beautiful to look at and the soundtracks are great, but lacking dialouge wise.

tastes_like_disco said...

Oh, im glad im not the only who couldnt really warm to Somewhere. However, the points i didnt like differ from yours. I found the slow scenes rather tiring as i found the movie lacking suspense. Even though i like long shots when they re really captivating as in LiT. And i also adored The Girl with a Pearl Earring (girl crush! =)), where there are similar scenes.
And i found the symbolism used in the movie rather cheap tbh. The emptiness of a Hollywood life. Fancy car. Girls to be had on every corner. I just thought: Yeah, i get it! I understand! I want sth more complex and more subtle. I guess it was a bit repetitive.
Well, that`d be my film criticism =)
Have a lovely sunday everyone!

young-shields said...

Ah, not sure whether to see it. Even from the trailer I felt hints of what you're saying, which sounds weird i know but i just wasn't sure if there was enough of a premise to merit more than a short film.

but, more importantly...WHERE HAS LAS VEGAS DOLLY GONE?? X

Dahlia said...

I always like reading movie reviews... I haven't seen Somewhere yet as it's not showing in theaters around where I live.

I still want to see it because I want to judge it for myself as well. Hehe.

* WOLF STYLE * said...

heyyy ...a turkish bloger...so nice to finaly meet one...i went to ankara in novembre...love turquie:)))
wooow u r bloging from 2006 i see...that´s a lot of time:)
i´ve enjoyed each and every foto u´ve uploaded...u have a great blog...i would like to folow u but i cant see the folow button enywere:(((
do stop by my blog and folow and leave a comment..
tnx
kissess
happy 2011:)