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The one extra about the men thrown in jail during the Communist hunt in the US shows you how littel America has changed, always looking for scapegoats and always in direct confrontation with its own laws. Freedom of speech gets trumped by freedom of America which shall be obtained through any means necessary especially by infringement on civil rights.
Coogan's Bluff - Clint Eastwood as an Arizona deputy Sherif who comes to New York to pick up a prisoner. And then everything goes wrong of course and the character Coogan has to hunt his prey down in the hippie New York jungle. This movie was the basis for the tv series Mcloud, which I remember with a lot of fondness.
The first cooperation between Siegel and Eastwood. A great movie with some familiar faces. As any Eastwood movie very entertaining and morally doubtful sometimes but then again that is what I like about his movies there are no white knights.
However, I might give Coogan another try and see if I like it this time, without expecting a "Dirty Harry" out of it.
But, he never made a great western after the Dollars trilogy, in my opinion.
PART 1
THE VIRGIN SUICIDES (1999)
Can a teenage girl grow up too sheltered? Can sexual repression function as a ticking time bomb? Will teenage boys ever understand what goes on in the heart and mind of girls? THE VIRGIN SUICIDES portraits the short teenage life of five beautiful young sisters whose parents fail to understand their needs. Told from the perspective of a few very observant boys, the film conveys its true messages between the lines. What we actually see on screen is a collection of often humorous and sometimes sad and tragic anecdotes, many of those centred around Kirsten Dunst's Lux and Josh Hartnett's Trip Fontaine (that name!). James Woods, Kathleen Turner, A. J. Cook, Hanna R. Hall and Scott Glenn round off the cast along with interesting cameos from Danny De Vito and Hayden Christensen. The film is narrated by Giovanni Ribisi.
THE VIRGIN SUICIDES is one of those films you should at least give a try once, though not everyone will enjoy it. It alternates between modestly funny moments and coming-of-age drama, though the latter is often presented in an almost esoteric fashion, making it hard to crawl underneath the skin of the clinically detached titular virgins. Consequently, their fatal disturbances can only be assumed to come from a much more complicated place than the evident cases of parental conservatism and boyfriend-girlfriend trouble. I can imagine that to some viewers, the intangible inner conflicts of the girls present a bit of a conundrum, and one that may in fact cloud their appreciation of the film. The good news, however, is that Coppola manages to always keep the story firmly on track, accomplishing something that in lesser hands could easily have resulted in a complete failure.
Accusations of nepotism feel rather below the belt, as Sofie Coppola has, since 1999, earned herself quite an impressive career. There's no doubt of course that her famous father, Francis Ford Coppola, provided some welcome stepping stones, but I honestly believe that the sparks of Sofia's talents are very visible. So whether or not the "written and directed by" end title is entirely correct, THE VIRGIN SUICIDES is an impressive début film. It's different, moderately provocative and very well acted. Its replay value may not be incredibly high, but every once in a while I can feel the proper dose of melancholy to warrant another viewing of the film.
DD's Sofie Coppola score card
1) The Virgin Suicides - 7,5/10
He made several great westerns after Sergio Leone but gave it his own distinct flavor, I am a great fan of Unforgiven, the pale rider, two mules for sister Sara, Joe Kidd etc. He did rewrite the American western after the clean '50-'60's period of sanitized westerns.
Coming from an American, I do prefer the Spaghetti Westerns over American Westerns any time of the day. That is why I enjoy Lee Van Cleef's films more in the genre than Eastwood's.
PART 2
LOST IN TRANSLATION (2003)
Two Americans are staying in Tokyo for a while, each for a different reason. Their boredom unites them into an unusual friendship. Both are married, and their age difference is significant, but an unlikely situation can spawn a very unlikely togetherness between two strangers. Tokyo has a lot to offer, and the fruits of its nocturnal wildlife are best consumed in good company, even if both individuals will soon have to return to their own lives.
There's always room in my heart for LOST IN TRANSLATION. Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson deliver such honest en genuine performances as two people trapped in a Babylonian "culture" confusion, it's heart-warming just to see them interact. Like watching reality TV, we witness the glory of true friendship, with a romantic inclination that defies convention and cliché. In some sense, Murray and Johansson are the only "real" people in the film, since the Japanese are mostly portrayed through stereotype and other Americans, including Anna Faris as a shallow B-movie actress and Giovanni Ribisi as the ambitious workaholic, border on caricature almost as much. The title can be taken literally but also figuratively, as the only two real people in the film constantly have to fence off invitations to join the decadence, indifference and emotionless droning that propels almost everyone else through life.
LOST IN TRANSLATION gains its warmth from the brilliance of its lead actors, Lance Acord's intimate and personal camera choices and the wonderful soundtrack. It presents happiness in its most basic form, distilled from the unbreakable bond between soul-mates. Such a happiness is priceless, even if it lasts only a few days, and Murray and Johansson have no difficulty convincing us of that. Some people struggle to cope with LOST IN TRANSLATION as it lacks every conventional form of storytelling. Instead, we are simply invited to witness a few inspiring moments of joy and self-reflection by two people at crossroads in their individual lives. Even if one of them is a young girl and the other a middle-aged man, they face similar challenges and struggle with the same difficulties in life.
Truly one of my favourite films of all time, LOST IN TRANSLATION almost always brings joy to my heart. The final scene is a genuine tear jerker and I profoundly admire Sofia Coppola for telling us no more than what we get before end credits start rolling. It's a film I never get tired of for a multitude of reasons, but the nocturnal sensation that is Tokyo and the astonishing performances by Johansson and Murray stand out as my favourite elements of the film. There's literally nothing in this film I can complain about; hence, I give it the highest of recommends.
DD's Sofie Coppola score card
1) Lost In Translation - 10/10
2) The Virgin Suicides - 7,5/10
Also noticed for the first time that the titles were created by Maurice Binder. But a film starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn (one of the two most beautiful actresses ever - the other being Grace Kelly) cannot go wrong even without a Bond connection
PART 3
MARIE ANTOINETTE (2006)
Marrying into royalty isn't always great fun. Just ask Maria Antonia, a somewhat naive Austrian Archduchess who will eventually become French Queen Marie Antoinette. She has a fair share of obstacles to overcome, not in the least her husband's refusal to bow to her charms in bed and a little something called the French Revolution. Her story is partially told in MARIE ANTOINETTE, Sofia Coppola's third feature film. Starring Kirsten Dunst as the ill-fated queen, the film is told from the titular character's point-of-view. Her struggles, her debauchery and her insecurities take centre stage, making the film much less of a list-of-facts history lesson and much more of a soap drama set in a Barry Lyndon-esque world.
Historical biopics can be tedious and overstuffed with melodrama. But aided by a modern soundtrack, a ton of amazing costumes and a feature length that barely crosses the 2 hour mark, MARIE ANTOINETTE is almost never in danger of inducing boredom. The lead character is humanized by the narrative choices Coppola makes; we're mostly seeing a victim of her surroundings, rather than a despot doing the victimizing willingly.
MARIE ANTOINETTE is a solid film with some excellent style choices and a few surprising moments. I'm probably not sufficiently interested in pre-Revolution French royals or in the character of Marie Antoinette to be completely thrilled about the film, but I recognise the skill and talent that went into this production.
DD's Sofie Coppola score card
1) Lost In Translation - 10/10
2) The Virgin Suicides - 7,5/10
3) Marie Antoinette - 7/10
Charade is one of my favourite none Hitchcock thrillers, great movie with a great supporting cast.
Oh, I dearly love this movie. Such a non-Bond Bond-like film!
I really should buy it on Bluray my DVD copy is not the best of transfers, Stanley Donen almost out hitched Hitch. It's in the conversation with films like North by Northwest and The 39 steps
My DVD is is good, my Blu Ray is amazing.
I noticed a few people had bought the Charade Bluray on here, I will get it at some point though I need to curb my movie spending leading up to Christmas.
5th time viewing it...
This is an epic space adventure and is one of the greatest films ever made. There is truly nothing like it, it’s original in every way. It has now been raised to my second favorite film of all time. I don’t udnerstand why it has a 70 on RT, it should be 100, this film is literally a classic but in our time. Maybe people are just idiots.
INTERSTELLAR is a very good film indeed. I must have seen it in the double digits by now. It is a well shot, well acted film with a great score and incredible set design.
But is it that great a film? I'm not sure. Nolan's DARK KNIGHT trilogy, his INCEPTION and PRESTIGE, are stronger films in my opinion. As for staying within genre, I'm confident that 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, clearly the film Nolan had in mind when making INTERSTELLAR is still the better film.
A 70 rating on RT is indeed rather low; however, I don't care about RT any more than I care about, say, Facebook. So I wouldn't worry about that too much. Science fiction is always a hard sell, especially if the "science" part is very prevalent. Nolan wants to "wow" us on a visual as well as cerebral level, and the latter is always a problem for a large segment of the audience, sadly enough.
"Maybe people are just idiots." I wouldn't go there. It still made money and it was still applauded. It didn't do AVATAR business, but it wasn't a bomb either, neither critically nor financially.
Visually it's a masterpiece and Hans Zimmer surpasses himself with the score too.
The only thing that keeps it from a 10 for me is the melodrama.
PART 4
SOMEWHERE (2010)
Johnny Marco is doing well as a Hollywood actor, but his daily life leaves little for him to enjoy. Not even a couple of Playboy twins privately pole-dancing in his apartment can snap him out of his doldrums. People generally see him as a jerk but it's the total boredom that deprives him from every effort to sustain valuable relationships. However, when his 11-year old daughter comes to visit him and the two of them travel to Italy where Johnny will receive a prestigious film award, a powerful father-daughter bond is forged.
Given its subject matter, SOMEWHERE could have been about as dull as its lead character's life. Coppola's treatment of it, however, is anything but dull. Rather, it's a very fascinating exploration into Hollywood ennui, a common problem it seems. More than that, it's a beautiful account of a father responding to his daughter's call and discovering an unlikely source of happiness which now threatens to become his only raison-d'etre. Stephen Dorff plays the character of Johnny Marco with such a cold absence, every glimmer of joy in his eyes is earned in a hard but rewarding way. Elle Fanning, Dakota's sister, makes her daughterly affections for Johnny very convincing. The two of them ultimately remain as the only souls in the film who aren't entirely detached from love, while everyone else seems to merely judge, seek cheap pleasures or live by cemented rules.
In many instances, SOMEWHERE appears to shamelessly borrow elements from LOST IN TRANSLATION. A potential generational conflict is easily overcome in a successful attempt to avoid the pre-fabricated, artificial life of a mindless drone, much like how Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson achieve the same in Tokyo. Murray's Bob Harris is a bored actor just like Dorff's Johnny Marco is. And once again a foreign setting, Italy in this case, allows for sardonic scenes constantly flirting with becoming diplomatic nightmares. But despite the obvious similarities, SOMEWHERE is a lot darker and cynical than LOST IN TRANSLATION. The film doesn't mince words about how despicable some people, including Johnny, are or at least can be. For a filmmaker whose father is one of the legends to so heavily criticise the shadowy side of Hollywood life, is perhaps a little hypocritical. On the other hand, it makes the story all the more honest, a personal reflection on the life Sofia was born in.
All things considered, SOMEWHERE is a warm and intriguing film, well acted and well shot, a welcome alternative to big blockbuster noise. It's worth 90 minutes of your time.
DD's Sofie Coppola score card
1) Lost In Translation - 10/10
2) Somewhere - 8/10
3) The Virgin Suicides - 7,5/10
4) Marie Antoinette - 7/10
PART 5
THE BLING RING (2013)
The Bling Ring was a group of teenagers and young adults who not even ten years ago burgled several celebrity houses in LA County, and they did so with considerable ease. Among the victims were Paris Hilton, Megan Fox, Lindsey Lohan and Orlando Bloom. A Vanity Fair article on the gang inspired Sofia Coppola to write and direct a satirical film about the gang, starring Emma Watson, Taissa Farmiga, Katie Chang and Israel Broussard.
Youngsters steal from rich people so that they can live a life of excesses too. Like voyeurs, we walk into Casa Di Hilton with open eyes and hungry wallets along with them. Coppola allows us to unjudgementally enjoy the charismatic Bling Ring while on their expeditions towards financial gain. Worse targets can be picked than the rich and famous, or so the film keeps telling us. It's easy in fact to see paparazzi fodder as smiling bank accounts, a dehumanisation Coppola plays into with obvious amusement. Rarely do we see any actual "breaking in"; the Bling Ring merely seems to walk through unlocked doors. This almost serves as a metaphor for how "innocent" it all is, and how much we're allowed to feel good about the burglaries. To have sweet Hermione Granger among the youthful gangsters, only softens the situation even more.
And yet, never one to shy away from a sobering climax, Sofia Coppola doesn't glorify the gang's activities. A good life must be earned, or comeuppances are inevitable. In that sense, THE BLING RING isn't unlike SPRING BREAKERS but then without the nudity or James Franco. It's a much more interesting film too; where SPRING BREAKERS went for luscious visuals of naked coeds, THE BLING RING chooses a much more down-to-earth style with an additional air of innocence over the juvenile delinquents when they are in the safe confines of their bedroom.
Once again, Coppola targets Hollywood by assuming our sympathy for the ones who don't really belong in its upper class. Knowing that the film is based on true events, only makes it more interesting. With its juicy acting and stubborn camera work, THE BLING RING is very reminiscent of Coppola's other films, but that doesn't take away any of the fun of it all. She's in such command of satirical storytelling, it's hard not to be entertained.
DD's Sofie Coppola score card
1) Lost In Translation - 10/10
2) The Bling Ring - 8,5/10
3) Somewhere - 8/10
4) The Virgin Suicides - 7,5/10
5) Marie Antoinette - 7/10
PART 6 - FINAL PART
THE BEGUILED (2017)
It's the American Civil War. A wounded Union Army soldier played by Colin Farrell is found bleeding in the forest by a young and well-mannered girl who promptly guides the soldier to her house. There she lives with a few other girls of various ages, played by Kirsten Dunst, Elle Fanning, Angourie Rice, Oona Laurence, Addison Riecke and Emma Howard. The small group of women is lead by Miss Farnsworth, played by Nicole Kidman. Though corporal John McBurney is hardly welcome in this house, the women consider it their Christian duty to care for him until his recovery. But as several of the girls start warming up to the unexpected male presence, clumsy decisions are made and sudden drama ensues.
THE BEGUILED is a quiet melodrama which draws most of its strength from its very talented cast and its beautiful images. The film is shot with so little light, everything looks grey and obscured by shadows. As such, an ominous mood is set, even if everyone is exceptionally polite to one another. Tension is slowly built by what is hinted at, not by what is shown or explicitly said.
As a period piece, THE BEGUILED uses its historical framework as a setting only; unlike MARIE ANTOINETTE, the film doesn't focus at all on real events or characters. Thomas P. Cullinan's book, on which this film is based, may very well have taken its inspiration from a famous scene in GONE WITH THE WIND, in which a lost soldier enters a household run mostly by women. The biggest difference is that we are never told to think of the corporal as evil. He's an unfortunate man, ending up in a place not accustomed to his kind. Coppola once again doesn't want to tell a story of good versus evil, or safety versus danger in any typical sense. She just lets things happen, but her restrained approach gives the film an air of dignity very few filmmakers could obtain with this material.
DD's Sofie Coppola score card
1) Lost In Translation - 10/10
2) The Bling Ring - 8,5/10
3) Somewhere - 8/10
4) The Beguiled - 8/10
5) The Virgin Suicides - 7,5/10
6) Marie Antoinette - 7/10
It doesn't look like Sofia Coppola has anything planned for the immediate future. But whatever she does next, I'll be there to check it out. I admire her as a filmmaker and I find her work, besides entertaining, also interesting, relaxing and indeed fascinating.
@bondjames That's one of my niggles as well. Although, interestingly, I have to wonder (a) how much of that stuff was leftover from when Spielberg was attached to direct and (b) how much better that stuff would've read if Spielberg had gone through to direct (getting the sentimental touch just right being one of his talents).
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@DarthDimi Thanks for those write-ups on Coppola! LOST IN TRANSLATION is superb stuff. One of the best of the 2000s. The only other one of her films I've seen is THE BLING RING, which I also enjoyed, though like you not as much.
I'll go off your ratings and make sure to prioritize SOMEWHERE and THE BEGUILED in my viewing of her work.
This is why I don't listen to reviews anymore - an interesting spin on wastelands and criminals makes the scene for the new film by Ana Lily Amirpour, and it wowed me and kept my attention the whole time, much like she did with A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night.
A solid, varied cast says more with their faces and actions than they do with words, which is nearly as silent as her previous film was. Waterhouse, Mamoa, and Carrey are great, as is Keanu Reeves in a small role.
Across the board it seems people had issues with the running time, and while it likely could've been cut down by 10 to 15 minutes, it didn't remotely seem dull or dragging at any point to me. Had a very enjoyable time with this one.
Looking forward to reading your reviews, friend! :)
As for myself, my wife and I decided to watch ARABESQUE tonight after being delighted by CHARADE last night...and were rather disappointed in comparison. It's not nearly as funny, it's convoluted, and in short, a disappointment. Sorry to say that, but Gregory Peck is just no(t) Cary Grant, and the range of supporting actors is also inferior to those on CHARADE.