Movies
I'm not a big Sofia Coppola fan, so this film was a pretty pleasant surprise. The Bling Ring is based on a true story about a group of Californian youngsters who invade celebrity houses when they're away from home. When they're there, they steal just the right amount of bling, so their victims won't even notice anyone's been in their home. Call it the nihilistic version of Robin Hood. The film makes an interesting point on how the media idolizes both celebrity lifestyles and the people who rob from them for their own gain. As long as is it glitters, the media and the public will love it. It's also a coming of age story focused on the rich and the famous, the kids who are so pampered they grow up feeling they can get away with everything. Coppola's direction is on point. The social media lifestyle, a soundtrack filled with appropriate party music and performances that perfectly capture the greed, nihilism, but also the rebellion and freedom of the characters. It's a tight, compact, fun and poignant little film, which sadly is a bit too contemporary to appeal to a large audience. I wouldn't be surprised if this film is going to be looked at with different eyes a few decades from now though.Read all
Rather lifeless and boring Christmas special. Murray is his grumpy old self, the song are pretty bad and the setup doesn't allow for much comedy. The guests don't add much life to the party either and I could really do without Miley Cyrus singing. Could be nice if you're a big Murray fun, but this didn't really do it for me.
The notion that Americans have little respect for other cultures is nothing new, and truth be told it's probably in all of us. The critiques that this film is overtly racist are a bit farfetched in my opinion, then again it's a sign of the times, and I wasn't really surprised to bump into them. I did wonder why this was made into a film though, as I felt the story would've worked a lot better as a book. The presentation is dry and boring. Character progression in spades, but film is an audiovisual experience first and foremost and in that respect Coppola fails horribly. If you shoot a film in Tokyo, you simply need to do better. There's also an overdose of silly Japanese stereotypes, then again it probably could've been worse for a Hollywood film. On the other hand, this is not so much a comedy as it is a drama, so the bar should've been a little higher. Johansson and Murray couldn't save it for me either, this was quite a big disappointment.Read all