Matt

   One of my earliest memories as a child in elementary school was seeing on TV Anna Nicole Smith being escorted from the dentist in a wheelchair, and her among many others are why I am so fascinated by pop culture. I always had this pre-conceived vision of Los Angeles formed by MTV and E! and dozens of tabloid magazines (which I still read regularly). I picture it as a city with such a grand mystique: headline-making overdoses, court cases, and reality television - and I'm fascinated by it all. It was really no wonder I became obsessed with the story of the Hollywood Hills burglaries a.k.a. the Bling Ring. The first time I read The Suspects Wore Louboutins, I was absolutely blown away by the cinematic potential and irony of each sentence. And I'm really glad Sofia Coppola chose to adapt it, since I really couldn't think of anyone who better understands fame, materialism, entitlement, and the myth of a person or place. 

     Opening up with the awesome Sleigh Bells tune Crown on the Ground, The Bling Ring is almost like an E! True Hollywood Story that made it to the big screen. The opening sequence is a mix between clips of a robbery, clothing, the recovered evidence, and paparazzi videos of celebrities. It seems thrown together a bit, but sets the tone of the film well. In the beginning of the film, we are greeted with Nicki Moore's speech to the press stating how she's a "firm believer in karma" and how she wants to lead a country one day. The speech is reminiscent of a Suzanne Stone sitting in front of a camera, lecturing us on the important of being on television. The film then cuts back to a year earlier, where we see the story from the start. Very quickly the characters of Marc and Rebecca are made familiar to us, Marc being a new kid at school who is befriended by the cool and stylish Rebecca (an impeccable performance by Katie Chang by the way, the best of this great ensemble cast). I was a little bugged by how quick the story moved to them starting to check for unlocked car doors. I feel like a lot of the early character development moved too fast, and I wish that the relationship between Marc and Rebecca was examined more deeply. Marc also meets a friend of Rebecca's, Chloe (who is easily one of the funniest characters of the film behind Leslie Mann's portrayal of Andrea Neiers). Also early on, there's a great scene where Israel Broussard re-enacts the Nick Prugo Drop it Low video, somehow making it less cringeworthy. Israel really does give a great performance, like pretty much everyone in the cast. 

    Now on the other side of town, we have the Moore family. People like to say Emma Watson's accent sucked, but watching this I concluded that people only hear what they want to hear. Emma rocked it as Nicki, and only once was there a flub with the accent, and it was only for a brief moment in Paris' home when the camera wasn't even on her character. The scenes with the Moore family are adapted straight from the modern masterpiece of reality television, Pretty Wild (only rivaled in greatness by The Anna Nicole Show). Emma steals most scenes with her performance as Nicki, but never once does her performance feel campy, she seems right on the mark and never makes a parody out of Alexis. She does justice to Alexis in my opinion, by showing that she isn't stupid but rather has a plan, a goal, and doesn't fail in reaching it. An idea perfectly demonstrated in the third act of the film. 

     If this film gets nominated for any awards, let Leslie Mann be the first to win, please - I beg of you. Her performance as Andrea Neiers is so spot on you really can't tell them apart in most scenes. She IS Andrea Neiers, and this was easily the best casting decision I've seen in a movie for a while. Also Georgia Rock plays Emma Watson's younger sister (yeah Emma screws up and calls her Gabby, tsk - all that Pretty Wild getting to your head). And as Nicki Moore's adopted sister, we have Sam, played by Taissa Farmiga, and this was another great performance. She effortlessly fit into the role (not that much of a Tess Taylor, but forget who she's based off of and you really wouldn't see a problem). 

     Now that I've went into my thoughts on the performances, I'll start commenting on the film itself. It felt really short, and I think by the time we reached the end, we never really got to know most of the characters as deeply as I would've liked. But most of these characters never really knew themselves either, by pretending to be these celebrities they robbed - they almost gave themselves the identities they desired, the lifestyle they dreamed of and studied in the magazines, gossip sites, and magazine collages on the wall. I think a lot of people found Sofia's condemnation of these characters to be weak, but in all reality - I liked her non-judgmental approach to the case. I thought it would be way too easy to just make a parody out of each member and call it a production, she really let you sympathize with some of these people (if you were open minded enough though. A good amount of people just called them all vapid and left it at that). 

    I really did love the cinematography, but I wish the film had more styling a la Somewhere - her previous feature. But that doesn’t mean this film wasn’t filled with wonderful shots, it was - every moment. One of the best was the robbery of Audrina Patridge, the camera slowly closing in on Marc and Rebecca as they wander through this home, like a dollhouse. 

     The editing also bugged me a bit. The narrative definitely seemed to jump around a bit and I just wish a lot of the shots were longer. I felt most of the scenes were too short to fully appreciate them. Before you really got to enjoy a moment, it ended. I felt this way with their trademark strut down Melrose, Kanye West’s Power in the background, I really wish it went on for at least a minute or two - but within twenty seconds it was done. Also, before each of the robberies you were shown clips of the celebrities themselves on the red carpet, I liked the touch - but it felt like a hit and miss depending on the robbery. The use of the Audrina clip was definitely the best though (aside from Heidi Montag’s three second cameo). I think overall, the editing was my biggest complaint with the film, with the pacing being second. 

     On the other hand, a lot of the club scenes were great, I absolutely adored the sequence to Levels. It was hypnotic and you were really sucked into the flashing lights, bottle service with sparklers, and wads of cash and selfies. From the first club scene this idea of documenting your experiences without really experiencing them was brought to our attention - and it was a nice touch on Coppola's part. In nearly every other scene, these characters wanted to be photographed, all for Facebook. They acted as their own paparazzi, prior to their arrest, and showed the world how much fun they had lounging in Paris' bed (another detail I loved, in a lot of the robberies, these characters would just lay down in their victims' beds, couches, try on their clothes - trying to absorb their lifestyle and live this dream, even only for a moment). One of my favorite shots in the film was during the Lindsay Lohan robbery, Rebecca was spraying Lindsay's perfume on her body in this slow and hypnotic moment, and at that moment the desire to be: wealthy, famous, and the narcissism underlying it all was fully encapsulated. 

     The soundtrack worked really well, even if a good portion of the songs were just for sing-a-longs in the car. But the driving sequence to Ouroboros was wonderful, and I wouldn't change it a bit. During it Marc uttered to Rebecca something along the lines of, "If we weren't friends anymore, would you rob me?" - really great moment. Earlier on in the film there's great use of the song Sunshine by Rye Rye feat. M.I.A., I loved it. It perfectly blended in with their shopping spree and gazing at the palm trees.

     Now near the third act of the film, each of the characters face their consequences. A lot of people complained Sofia didn’t show enough of it, but I felt she showed a good amount. You see each character’s arrest, Nicki’s being the most entertaining of course, complaining about the cop hurting her (with a cameo from Alexis Neiers’ actual arresting officer Brett Goodkin, the scandal). Marc’s arrest though was really wonderfully shot. When the cops arrive, he steps out of his room without a struggle and in tears, I loved it and you couldn’t help but feel sympathy for him. But the best arrest moment goes to the ringleader. When cops enter her home, she plays cool until the moment when Paris Hilton’s naked photos are recovered, then she quickly changes to frightened. The ease of Katie Chang’s transition from nice to rude, manipulative to scared is wonderful and makes her stand out as the actress to watch out for - I am looking forward to a successful career for her. 

     After their arrests, Nicki Moore really does shine with various references to Alexis Neiers’ Vanity Fair meltdown. The first with the interview itself, which I spent the entirety waiting for Emma to compare herself to Angelina Jolie - a line which never made it in the film I guess. Leslie Mann spends most of it constantly trying to squeeze in her side of the story, but the reference all Pretty Wild fans will pick up on is when Emma is trying on clothes. After asking if her outfit is conservative, she says she’s looking for her kitten heels, but ends up grabbing a pair of Louboutins (I audibly gasped). Then once at court, she asks for a 5 mg adderall before the family engages in a prayer circle. Then Nicki struts her stuff into court, making a short statement, and she joins the other members of the Bling Ring for a very quick transition to their judgement, then they all strut out - paparazzi crowding them in another shot I adore.  Their courtroom exit reminds me of Norma Desmond’s descent down the stairs at the end of Sunset Boulevard. It really shows how the courtroom has become a red-carpet event almost, the judgement not stinging as much when you have TMZ recording your exit. I really loved the incorporation of these news clips and this faux-TMZ recording. It added a surreal quality to their 15 minutes of fame. 

     Now I’ve pretty much reached the last scene, Nicki Moore’s interview. I loved it, and the very last line quickly became one of my favorites in the entire film...

“You can follow my journey at nickimooreforever.com”

And to complete this Coppola film was the obvious choice of a Phoenix song, Bankrupt! - although I felt Trying To Be Cool was a better choice. But I really did like the use of Bankrupt! Its placement made me feel like I watched a long episode of The O.C., which I absolutely love so no complaints.

     In the end, I really loved this movie. I was extremely nervous going in that it wouldn’t live up to the hype or how I predicted it’d be - but I left the theater satisfied for the most part, only feeling a bit upset about how short it was. I would’ve loved it to be longer, a deeper look into it all, but essentially - this was The Suspect Wore Louboutins. It was what you pictured when reading the article. But also when I was leaving this film, I was left more haunted than I was leaving Spring Breakers. That seems odd, considering the extremely grisly ending to Spring Breakers - but The Bling Ring touched upon a mentality that I last thought about when reading Helter Skelter. The case itself echoes a modern-day Manson family going on creepy-crawling missions, teenagers searching for love and an identity and ending up being a part of something darker, and people like Nicki Moore speaking every word with such dedication and calculation that she echoes this Manson-aura best. I hope that whole comparison didn’t sound absolutely ridiculous though. 

     Overall, this is my favorite film of 2013 so far. Is it better crafted than Spring Breakers? No. I wouldn’t say that. Korine definitely created a masterpiece with that film in my opinion, and I love it. But with The Bling Ring, I really did connect with what I was watching. Without making a parody of anyone, Sofia examined the American dream of fame and fortune, and how empty it all is and this fetishism of designer brands and goods (with many characters name dropping designers like it’s simple knowledge) - while echoing themes from all of her previous films. I really did love it and the journey it took me on and I do hope I can see it again soon. And so it is... 

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Repulsion (1965)

Rosemary's Baby (1968)

Seven (1995)

Edward Scissorhands (1990)

Halloween (1978)

Carrie (1976)

Public Enemies (2009)

Shaft (1971)

Jackie Brown (1997)

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Reservoir Dogs (1992)

Alfred Hitchcock : The Legend Begins DVD set (20 films)

Psycho (1960)

Rear Window (1954)

North by Northwest (1959)

Blow Out (1981)

Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Sunset Boulevard (1950)

Good Will Hunting (1997)

Dazed and Confused (1993)

Badlands (1973)

M (1931)

Less Than Zero (1987)

Lost in Translation (2003)

Somewhere (2010)

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Laura (1944)

Casino (1995)

Goodfellas (1990)

Peeping Tom (1960)

Back to the Future

To Die For (1995)

The Big Sleep (1946)

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Death Proof (2007)

Lolita (1962)

Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

Chinatown (1974)

Vertigo (1958)

American Beauty (1999)

Donnie Darko (2001)

Mulholland Dr. (2001)

American Psycho (2000)

Taxi Driver (1976)

The Virgin Suicides (1999)

Black Christmas (1974)

Suspiria (1977)

Horror DVD set (Includes 15 films, such as Night of the Living Dead & Carnival of Souls)

Inglorious Basterds (2009)

Alfred Hitchcock : A Legacy Of Suspense DVD set (20 films)

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Marie Antoinette (2006)

The Shining (1980)

Body Double (1984)

Eyes of Laura Mars (1978)

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)