Sofia CopPOLLa

I almost want to watch it again to figure out what the hell I meant.

watched Somewhere again, still think it is one of Sofia Coppola’s best films. The flat matter-of-fact photography, the references to other movies, and the staging of scenes are all memorable. I liked its story of a preteen girl living an as yet unexamined privileged life in LA, who is loved from a distance but who also feels abandoned, and of her celebrity father who realizes he is a failure

Always meant to watch it again, never have.

Yeah i'd have voted for Somewhere it's fantastic.

it was quiet and watchful

Someone reminded me about this yesterday:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxbZyvCJc6U

Looking forward to it with considerably more enthusiasm than Asteroid City. (Should I know that song? Quite like it.)

The song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSK2CB-rHBs

Thanks. I have a couple of shoe-gazey compilations from that era ('92)--it seems very familiar, maybe I know it from there.

Actually, check that: "'How You Satisfy Me' by Spectrum sampled Evie Sands's 'I Can't Let Go'"--that's why it's so familiar.

Priscilla = rules. A remarkably quiet (not silent) film, pointedly so. As remarkable a portrayal of a fishbowl existence as I've seen which of course suits Coppola to a T, the vibe is almost weirdly like Ibsen's A Doll's House crossed with...well Goodfellas may seem a VERY strange comparison but beyond the excellence of the music cues, both 'in time' and anachronistic (Spectrum thankfully is not limited to that trailer, and the opening choice of song alone is amazing), it's as if this is what the story is of a closed circuit of existence during the arc of fifteen years where the 'big' historical events aren't touched/aren't necessary, while she has to spend her time while all the boys do whatever.

Very interested in this.

There's a really good Times story on Coppola from last week. I really think she's got an amazing catalog; I mean, yeah, they're all movies about girls and women trapped in castles, but every Walter Hill movie is a Western, if you ask him. (In the linked piece she discusses a project that fell apart — an adaptation of Edith Wharton's The Custom Of The Country — that I actually don't think would have worked. I'd rather see Greta Gerwig adapt that book.)

Can't wait.

I'd watch a Coppola adaptation of The House of Mirth.

I remember someone saying "all her films are about how it's not easy being a rich white girl" - there's certainly something true there, but every film-maker has their favourite theme, and she has explored hers well.

(typed this, saw unperson said almost exactly the same but put it much better two posts up, clicked submit post anyway, sorry)

If anything Priscilla goes against that stereotype to some degree by being a story about a military brat whose parents are at most middle-class suddenly hitting the high life. (Speaking as a military brat myself, though any equation stops there, I think that's a clear enough subtext in the film too throughout -- ordered to go and stay somewhere throughout for a long while until that can't hold.)

I didn't realize she got so much pushback from Lisa Marie, but it does explain why Elvis's official estate has been so nasty towards this film - not just refusing to license Elvis's music but also disparaging it even before it came out. (I was initially shocked because the film was clearly authorized by Priscilla, but Lisa Marie's emails explains the disparity.) I cringed when the monstrosity Baz Luhrmann vomited up was cited as a example of what should be done with Elvis's legacy.

Regardless, I'm definitely seeing Priscilla - I haven't been the biggest fan of Sofia Coppola's work, but I'm impressed by how she's grown as a filmmaker. Each of her films have been a marked progression over the last one in some way - they're not necessarily better than the last, but they show a filmmaker who has grown as an artist.

And FWIW, she also makes regular public appearances at screenings in NYC - the first time I saw her introduce a film, it seemed like she wasn't used to doing any public speaking, but since then she's come off as not only very intelligent, thoughtful and articulate, she's also been very gracious and kind to her fans, and she clearly has a devoted following. (One moment I'll always remember - I attended a discussion with Jane Campion, not realizing that Coppola was later announced as the moderator. Great discussion, they were obviously longtime friends. Afterwards when Campion was kind enough to sign my copy of the Criterion Collection's Sweetie Blu-ray, Coppola leaned over as she continued to sign for other fans because she was curious to see what Criterion had included on their reissue.)

I do think the lack of Elvis music actually makes the film work even better -- basically it sets aside what tends to be his get-out-of-jail-free card, the performances themselves and all (the most we get is a recreated snippet of the Comeback Special and some 70s arena shots filmed from behind, as seen in the trailers) in favor of dealing with the guy himself, and Coppola clearly had already shown range and interest with her musical choices for the movies in the past so it's a logical follow-on.

Oh and one of the biggest pluses of the movie is the utter lack of Colonel Tom Parker -- he's only an unheard voice at the end of various phone conversations with Elvis; however much of a reflection of real life it could equally have been as well in terms of Priscilla's dealing with that side of things, it also acts as a very handy counterbalance to, you know, whatever Tom Hanks was doing for Luhrmann.

It seems like a mark in the movie’s favor that Elvis Inc. wants nothing to do with it. It’s her story, not his. Hope to see it soon.

yeah this was great, looks great, excellent performances all around.

kind of forms a trilogy with Lost in Translation and Somewhere of girls/women stuck and isolated in unfamiliar rooms.

My friend and I were the only two people in the theatre for an afternoon screening. "Flat" she thought, to which I'd add that the whole film seemed to take place in a vacuum, with virtually nothing of the outside world (if you didn't have some familiarity with Elvis's story, you'd be lost as to a timeline). Which is probably an accurate description of her life, even if that doesn't necessarily translate to the best viewing experience.

I'm not sure why Sofia Coppola wanted to make this film based on what's on the screen. No special insight that I could glean. Elvis had a temper but wasn't abusive. He wasn't faithful but didn't appear to be a philandering monster. She felt trapped at times, but all in all, she ended the film still loving him. (There seemed to be a bit of a Ronnie Spector subtext if you factor in the soundtrack.)

Thought the two leads were okay. But this is the third film in row of Coppola's I haven't cared for.

kind of forms a trilogy with Lost in Translation and Somewhere of girls/women stuck and isolated in unfamiliar rooms.

A trilogy she probably completed with her first three films--#2 and #3 definitely, and I think The Virgin Suicides fits that description, too, in the sense that the Libson sisters were stuck and isolated in general.

Yeah I need to rewatch that, I somehow only saw it on release.

Recently finally saw the Beguiled (which is great btw) and it’s the same thing.

This is a good little essay https://www.welcometohellworld.com/when-i-call-i-need-to-know-youll-be-home/

I'm with clem. I've seen this film before, heard these beats before. Other than closeups of possessions like makeup and of manicured toes, the last hour played like every TV film of the week of my childhood other than Coppola's shrewd denial of a climactic sex season b/w Elvis 'n' Priscilla. Cailee Spaeny deserves the kudos.

Somewhere is really underrated.

Something I don't understand:

It seems like a mark in the movie’s favor that Elvis Inc. wants nothing to do with it. It’s her story, not his.

Just before the film started, I told my friend there almost certainly wouldn't be any Elvis music because Priscilla was shunning the film, based on my idea that Elvis Inc. was Priscilla at this point, that it was her who more or less controlled the Elvis estate. Then the movie started, with a credit that Priscilla was the film's executive producer.

So the estate is one thing, and she has nothing to do with that?

So the estate is one thing, and she has nothing to do with that?

Elvis Presley Enterprises is a corporation owned by American Brands Group; Priscilla's not part of it. Lisa Marie was, and now her estate owns a 15% share which is likely to be divided among her three daughters.

Thanks. I don't know if she got frozen out of the estate or what happened, but in view of that, and her role executive producing the film (and it's based on a book by her, I think), I'd say this is a fairly even-handed, even sympathetic portrayal of Elvis. Not a saint, by any means, but not even in the same universe as Phil Spector or Ike Turner (two somewhat comparable dynamics that come to mind...I'm not comparing Elvis to a murderer/psycho or abuser--that's my point).

That's all been settled as of May: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2023-11-03/lisa-marie-presley-estate-settlement-priscilla-presley-riley-keough

Sorry, I meant to say the initial part was hammered out in May, the final agreement last week

Thematically this seems like an excruciating watch, but aesthetically… I’m probably gonna see it.

it's not excruciating. it is certainly very slow. it is gorgeous to look at, and the performances are all mostly great even if I didn't buy Elordi as Elvis most of the time.

I'm amazed to find it playing near me, but I guess there are so few movies actually making it to theaters now that when you're running a 14-plex you've gotta take everything you can get.

I didn't find it excruciating or slow -- it's edited with crispness and intelligence -- just predictable.

Honestly, I'm not sure it has any themes, Raymond. Not that I'm calling for turgid "message" films, but something in that department might have helped--again, I wonder why she felt she had to make this. Priscilla wants Elvis to spend more time at home; I think I probably knew that. She wishes he weren't all over gossip columns with Ann-Margret and Nancy Sinatra; ditto. She'd like to have sex more often. Okay, that's interesting. Even Priscilla's age is treated rather stoically at the beginning, filtered more through attitudes at the time than those of today. Her own parents don't seem all that agitated by Elvis wanting her to come over, or at least not as an age issue; they seem more preoccupied with the decorum of courtship. All it takes are a few respectful words from Elvis's army buddy and they're on board--never mind that this is the guy who a few years earlier turn the country upside down because of his unchecked lasciviousness.

I liked this, my wife loved it; I think especially for Priscilla's attempts to figure out and express her femininity versus the version of it her husband and society foist upon her. It's a predictable story but I think the elements are handled with a bit more deftness than indicated above. Most everyone in this movie is in thrall to someone or something they feel is beyond their control. Besides Priscilla, her parents recognize that through Elvis's persistence over a period of years and their daughter's feelings, her course is largely set, and they can only mitigate the damage to their relationship with her. All of Elvis's friends and hangers-on are literally at his beck and call, and Elvis himself feels totally in thrall to the unseen Colonel and helpless in his career. It's an almost Edith Wharton-like situation for all involved, but Priscilla is the one to finally break free in the end.

And further RE: the movie's femininity, I think the highly aesthetic and minute observations and of Priscilla's daily life and routines in this surreal atmosphere are something only Coppola would have brought to this story.

Just saw this Friday, really enjoyed it. Reminded me most of Virgin Suicides and at least the early sections of Marie Antoinette, the sense of powerlessness and being trapped by virtue only of being young women in particular circumstances. (As a trilogy, they're a group portrait of oppressed femininity through the ages.)

Also to Chris L's point just above, I had that thought during a lingering close-up of her makeup and perfume bottles. Coppola has always insisted on the meaning and significance of female presentation, I think with a complexity that it's easy to overlook. She sees those things as tools of oppression and control but also avenues to self-expression and self-assertion. Cailee Spaeny is really good, and I liked Elordi too even if he was distractingly tall.

i didn't expect this film to have any psychological depth or anything as its sofia coppola and i deeply respect her for that but i was very disappointed by how boring looking it was. it felt designed for a small screen, very little detail in the design. Lots of the scenes were so visually underwhelming, in particular the shot of elvis on stage in Vegas, the bit where they played bumper cars (?) and the LSD scene. Also the bible study scene. (when i read that list of scenes the film feels more garish and fun than it was). the guy they got to play elvis was some 00s abercrombie model and was essentially the wrong shape. The look was very smoothed over with no sense of period strangeness to set your teeth on edge. All the beehives were a bit subdued - 'relaxed' rather than lopsided. I could have used some grotesqueness. the music was bland (i didn't know the elvis estate refused to license his music but this was not my issue, i thought it was good that the music was often incorrect for the period and that it skipped being an elvis greatest hits package but the choices were so pat and/or dull). i sort of enjoyed how it shuffled through all the classic 'My life with X' clichés without pandering to prestige concepts like 'developed character' etc though ive felt that SC is going to make the film she's been promising any minute since the virgin suicides and she seems to be drifting further and further away with each film. I enjoyed the sense that the behind the scenes of fame was less professionalised and slick, genuinely domestic, but the people seemed too modern. The bits where they were hanging around the pool - the whole attitude and vibe felt very 'people who work in tech'. I appreciate that SC is big on anachronisms but I felt like it kept failing by its own standards (in particular the swim shorts Elvis wears). it essentially felt uninterested in most of the things it promised - domesticity, drugs, clothes, sunshine, interiors.

How did I not know she had planned (and had to shelve) an adaptation of The Custom of the Country?

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/01/29/sofia-coppola-profile

Whether set in a luxury hotel in Tokyo, like “Lost in Translation,” or in suburban Michigan, like “The Virgin Suicides,” Coppola’s films are sumptuous but also slightly clinical. One of her œuvre’s visual hallmarks is a protagonist gazing out a window, sealed off from the world beyond. “You know I can’t resist a trapped woman,” she said. Yet, even when her female characters are confined, they achieve a degree of self-definition through adventures in style. No filmmaker has so astutely depicted the cloistered atmosphere of teen-age girlhood or the expressive power of its trappings. She is a master of the messy-bedroom mise en scène: piles of clothing and impractical shoes, poster-plastered walls, vanities cluttered with perfume bottles and porcelain figurines. The director Chloé Zhao, who won Best Director at the 2021 Oscars for her film “Nomadland,” told me that she admires Coppola for “world-building that isn’t just based on facts but on emotions.” She added, “There’s a receptivity to her work. To have a commitment to that kind of femininity is hard.” The director Jane Campion, who counts “The Virgin Suicides” among her favorite films, told me that Coppola’s light touch with actors and her attention to surfaces can be deceptive. “Her work is very powerful to me, because it’s got deep roots,” she said. But Coppola’s films have sometimes struck critics as longer on style than on substance, and too close to the privileges they depict to effectively critique them. A few months ago, Coppola sent me an e-mail, unprompted, in which she took issue with a notion that has resurfaced throughout her twenty-five-year career: “I don’t understand why looking at superficiality makes you superficial?!”

Finally got to watch PRISCILLA and it was...OK, but it mostly reminded me that there's never been a truly successful film portrayal of Elvis and there never will be. No mere actor can be what he was. But the lighting and set decoration were pretty incredible. The opening shot of Priscilla's bare feet against the red carpet was amazing, and I loved the scene where they were all shooting off fireworks at night, and the shot where she had a different gun for each outfit. Lana Del Rey fucking wishes.

so interesting that ppl loved Marie Antoinette as much as i did! what a beautiful piece of film. and Judy Davis!