Sofia CopPOLLa

that sequence and the reveal of Trip's present-day existence hit me hardest this watch

despite the title it is, among other things, a great movie about masculinity

Rehab Trip is sad. Also incredible is Trip's introduction, walking down the hallway to "Magic Man" (which I think some commercial copied). And the prom, and the Air-scored reveries, and on and on.

James Woods is pretty great as the supremely pathetic dad, too.

I didn't read the novel until last summer.

is the film as faithful to the book as I've always been led to believe?

I remember it being so, but I also read it to the Air soundtrack, so that may have helped link the two.

(The soundtrack album came out a few months before wide release of the film and I think prompted me to buy the book)

Trip later in life is almost funny the way it fulfills every fantasy of every high school kid who wasn't Trip: "One day you'll be sad and broken and sitting in rehab reminiscing about the last time in your life you were happy." Cf. also young Albert Brooks in Broadcast News.

is the film as faithful to the book as I've always been led to believe?

― the quar on drugs (Simon H.), Monday, August 10, 2020 1

Uncannily so.

Saw On the Rocks this afternoon (which I wasn't even aware of until someone mentioned it to me yesterday). There's an interesting twist towards the end (employing a modern-day cliché I won't discuss*)--so is this directed at dad?--but I found the build-up exceedingly ordinary. Couldn't figure out where I knew Rashida Jones from: The Social Network (I probably made the same observation then--she looks like Laurie Metcalf. For me, she's very bland.

*gotta nail that door shut air-tight

Jones wears, at various times, a Beastie Boys T-shirt, a Run-DMC T-shirt, and a Paris Review T-shirt. Sometimes I like touches like that, sometimes not. Felt a little forced here.

Thought On the Rocks was slight but sweet; much better than The Beguiled and infinitely better than Somewhere (I really should get on The Bling Ring one of these days). I liked Jones' t-shirts and apartment.

For the life of me, I can't think of what the "twist" is that clemenza is referring to--and I just finished watching the film an hour ago!

Looking at my post, and if I'm remembering correctly, I must have been thinking of the revelation that the woman she thought her husband was cheating with is gay. Does that make sense?

Or maybe that's not what I meant--why did I say "Is this directed at dad?" I'd have to watch it again.

I figured, though I think it was your comment about "directed at dad" that threw me.

I kinda kept waiting for the point you mentioned to come up in conversation between Jones and Wayans, but I suppose it would have come off as too defensive on the part of Wayans.

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.

but it only takes 5 seconds to log. you don't have to leave a review!

― jaymc, Wednesday, December 3, 2025

I can't do that.

he knows what movies he watched

only reason I use Goodreads and letterboxd is because this is not true for me

Read an interview with Henry Rollins a few years ago that said he's been writing down everything he listened to in a day since the Black Flag days, just hoping my last.fm data syncs well enough to do this that my failure to invest in a lifetime supply of Moleskins.

Yeah I need to see Somewhere. That and On the Rocks are the only ones I haven't seen.

I can't remember if I voted in this poll. If I did, it was for Marie Antoinette. I don't really dislike any of her movies, there are always things about them that intrigue me even when they're not great.

i don't actually care if Alfred or anyone else uses Letterboxd, just wanted to make he understood that reviews weren't required.

I know he's on everyone's shit list right now, but I really dig QT's take on Lost in Translation. He even manages to justify, in a roundabout way, what I agree with him is the film's only bad scene.

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

I was watching him talk about Boogie Nights, and, as much as I love that film--and Tarantino says he's a big fan too--he had a criticism about Jack Horner's relationship to the Deep Throat director, Gerard Damiano, that made perfect sense.

finally watched SOMWHERE. I liked it a lot, almost daring in how it juxtaposes his relationship with his daughter with the other women in and out of his life. and while I'm mostly a child actor truther in that I don't think they can actually give performances with real artistic merit, young elle fanning was really great in the role

Saw her Marc Jacobs documentary last night. It's slight, slight enough that I'm surprised it went to theaters and not straight to streaming. A lot of the archive footage is videotape too so it doesn't look great on a big screen. It's fairly haphazard, and Jacobs is very reticent to speak about anything very personal. Worth watching when it hits streaming though.

there is a lot of sonic youth content