Karma strikes back!

Bling Ring is yet another meditative film by Sophia Coppola on the American dream – and the reflection is not flattering. Based on the true story of the robberies of the rich and famous, Coppola holds up a mirror to America (and possibly Western society more generally) about the price of chasing fame and the degradation of youth.

The film is set in Los Angeles, California, and follows a group of teenagers, led by Marc (Israel Broussard) and Rebecca (Katie Chang), as they break into the houses of A-list celebrities while they are out partying. After initially restricting themselves to just Paris Hilton’s house, the group get more ambitious and their lack of care eventually sees them caught and jailed. However, the story is really about Marc’s attempt to be recognised and valued by Rebecca along with Nicki (Emma Watson) and Sam (Taissa Farmiga) searching for their big break in Hollywood.

As with Somewhere, Marie Antoinette and Lost in Translation, Coppola again focuses on the nature of celebrity and the boredom of the rich. Just as Somewhere devoted 10 or more minutes to pole dancing, Bling Ring is not afraid to spend long takes on seemingly repetitious ransacking of celebrity closets and night club drinking/dancing sessions. However, unlike Somewhere, these seem more purposeful with a stronger and more pertinent message about youth culture. In particular, this is like a sanitised version of Spring Breakers, where the ‘selfie’ infested culture of Facebook and binge drinking are glorified. As Marc says at the end of the film, he checked his Facebook page and had 800 new friend requests. Of course he accepted them without checking but he did wonder whether this was a good way to achieve fame.

This youth culture is typified by the soundtrack that contains a who’s who of modern club(?) music (at least to this non-clubbing reviewer). This helps connect the scenes of robbery with the group’s relaxation at their favourite night club while also keeping the film moving at a good pace. The performances are good but not spectacular – exactly how it should be. This is a film about rich kids gone crazy and their blasé approach to crime, drugs and alcohol match the script neatly. Moreover, Coppola is able to capture the contradiction inherent in this generation: selfish yet humanitarian as is shown when Nicki states in interviews during the film that she wants to be leader one day and this is just a huge learning experience. While the audience laughed at this line, this is the confounding truth of youth culture today – selfish yet optimistically selfless.

This film is another good performance by Sofia Coppola and complements her other works well in terms of theme, production and even font used in the opening titles. The performances by the cast and camera work are solid with an interesting soundtrack. That being said, those who found Somewhere boring may find the repeated scenes of robberies a little repetitive but I think this misses the point she is trying to make. So if you want to get a glimpse of youth culture go and see this film because if you don’t like what you see then there is still time to change it.

Summer, divorce and being a 3 out of 10

Sam Rockwell (middle) and Liam James (right) are superb 

The Way Way Back, directed by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, is a fun film about divorce, summer and being a 3 out of 10. Throw in a killer soundtrack and a great ensemble cast and you have a perfect coming of age film.

The film is about Duncan, a teenager forced to go on summer holidays with his mum’s new boyfriend and queen-bee daughter. Initially despondent at the prospect of long summer days with the narcissistic and critical Trent (Steve Carell), he soon starts up a friendship with Owen (Sam Rockwell), who is the laid back, juvenile, joking manager of the local water park. The story that unfolds is not surprising: Duncan comes out of his shell, develops a love interest, has a conflict with Trent and comes to value himself. Australian actor Toni Collete plays Duncan’s mum Pam with supporting rolls by Allison Janney as the alcoholic neighbour and Rob Corddry and Amanda Peet as the too close for comfort friends.

The best parts of this film were the soundtrack and supporting cast. Containing music from Edie Brickell, UFO and Ben Kweller, it provides the perfect back drop to the unfolding drama without dominating the scenes. It seems like the perfect CD mix tape for a summer vacation and leaves you feeling relaxed and happy. Similarly, the performances by the supporting cast are wonderful. Sam Rockwell once again shines with his portrayal of the man child Owen. The polar opposite of Duncan, his initial perplexity at how to connect with the confused teenager blossoms into a friendship that allows both to grow. Rockwell brings his trademark cool to the movie, I did find myself wishing to be him even if just for one summer, with his talent for being able to turn on his serious side when required. Allison Janney is also great as the brash, alcoholic neighbour who seems more interested in the next party and wonders why her children are so disconnected. The main cast are also solid with protagonist Duncan, played by Liam James, pulling off the awkward teenager with aplomb – his romantic scene is the highlight.

The one slight downside to this film was the performance of Steve Carell as Trent. Unlike his previous role in Little Miss Sunshine, by the same producers, his character seemed too much like a two dimensional douche bag. While he carried of the role well, it was probably a lack of screen time that really prevented his character from developing depth and thus his conflict with Duncan became obviously one sided. Similarly, Toni Collete as Pam seemed too weak and I found it hard to sympathise with her. It wasn’t until the end of the film that she really shone and once again this could be due to the lack of screen time.

All up this was a sentimental, fun, coming of age, summer vacation film. Faxon and Rash manage to balance the sentimental, conflicting and fun aspects of the film expertly and thus leave the viewer with a relaxed sense of joy. The soundtrack is one of the best in films I have seen this year with stellar performances by Sam Rockwell and Liam James. This is a must see for those who enjoyed Little Miss Sunshine and is well worth the price of admission.

Death and Dignity

The power of art is in its ability to express the most fundamental of emotions in poignant and powerful ways. Moreover, great art is able to remind us of the power of these emotions or give us a new perspective on them. Two of the contenders for this year’s Academy Awards show the power of cinema in this way, a third shows how emotions can lead even the best of us astray.

He may not win a nomination but DiCaprio is brilliant in Django Unchained

Django Unchained by Quentin Tarantino has been notably snubbed by the Academy this year. Despite being nominated for best film, supporting actor (Christoph Waltz), cinematography (Robert Richardson), sound editing (Wylie Stateman) and original screenplay (Quentin Tarantino), once again Tarantino will not win best director and Leonardo DiCaprio will be overlooked for his performance. This glaring omission aside, this is perhaps one of the best films in recent times. Tarantino showcases his ability to imitate his favourite genres and films while giving us his own unique take on Hollywood. The extreme violence that the film contains, leading to the delay in its release, is trademark Tarantino and he remains one of the best at mixing violence, comedy and seriously gripping dialogue. The furore over DiCaprio not being nominated misses the point that once again Christoph Waltz is a strong contender for best supporting actor. After his win for Inglorious Basterds, it is not surprising that Tarantino used him in such a prominent way in this latest film. Instead, I think that there should be uproar that Waltz is not nominated for best actor and the fact that Jamie Foxx is seen as the main actor. On screen time alone Waltz is as prominent as Foxx, not to mention the subtlety and nuance he brings to his character. This is not to disparage Foxx’s performance, he is typically unassuming in his performance, but to highlight how it is not the big name stars that make this film a success. Similarly in films such as Pulp Fiction, it is the lesser lights such as Samuel L. Jackson that really make Tarantino’s films stand out. Moreover, Waltz is the moral compass of this film and it is his actions that lead to the redemption of Django. Thus Tarantino is able to take a simple tale of revenge and make it into a gripping, moral tale about friendship and loyalty.

The lead role of Maya proves that anyone can enjoy torture and swearing profusely 

Zero Dark Thirty by Kathryn Bigelow is another Oscar contender this year and has been seen as a box office success. Following her success with The Hurt Locker, this documentary-esque film about the hunt and eventual killing of Osama Bin Laden has greeted positively in America. Not having read any reviews of the film, I expected the Bigelow trademark suspense and tension that made The Hurt Locker such a gripping story. However, instead I was treated to over 2 hours of boring dialogue, annoying characters and the least interesting final scene in recent movie history. Not only is the main character of Maya frustrating and annoying, her stupid and unnecessary use of expletives makes her toughness seem superficial and demeans her apparent intelligence, but the movie feels slow to the point of painful. I am surprised that Bigelow did not edit this film more closely because by the time we got to the pay off, where Osama is shot in his home in front of his children, I truly did not care (in fact I felt more sorry for his wife than any of the Americans in the film). Moreover, it seems Bigelow was more intent on proving how stupid the CIA and various American intelligence services were rather than provide a watchable film. It reminded me a lot of David Fincher’s film Zodiac in its narrow appeal to an obsessive American fan base. Unfortunately, I think this film will go on to nab more awards for Bigelow and maybe even win best picture/director. If so, it will prove that the Academy values patriotic garbage over quality, thoughtful cinema. This is a horrible piece of film making and its success can only be attributed to the American people’s desire for revenge for 9/11 but as the film unintentionally proves: that revenge came at the cost of many lives, was largely self inflicted and arrived much too late.

The demise of this couple is simultaneously heartbreaking, uplifting and painful to watch

The final Oscar contender to be examined is Michael Haneke’s Amour. This is a gripping, powerful tale of love (as the title implies) that takes us intimately into the lives of an old couple in their final months. Haneke’s trademark use of long, slow takes and interesting uses of sound make this film have a depth that cannot be conveyed by a plot synopsis. The amazing thing about this film is the simplicity. Set mostly in a single French apartment and starring only a handful of actors, Haneke once again makes his audience feel like voyeurs into the private lives of his characters. One of the opening shots of an audience at a piano recital is uncomfortably long but superbly sets the scene for what is to follow. He is able to mix moments of tenderness with the harsh reality of a slow, painful death without ever becoming clichéd or predictable. Moreover, he never lets the viewer off the hook (as evidenced by at least 2 people leaving the screening I was in) by shying away at the most painful or confronting moments. It is precisely his intention to confront his audience with the horrible reality of death that makes this one of his best works to date. I do hope he wins the best director or film for this marvellous work as he proves that even the simplest emotion, fear of death, in the simplest settings make for gripping cinema.