Sophia Coppola's Revenge

[NashVegas]

When Godfather III came out, many blasted FFC for casting his daughter, who was decent enough in the role, if not brilliant.

Tonight, she scored BIG at the Independent Spirit Awards:

Best Feature
Best Director
Best Screenplay

[tridim]

1. Well deserved

It was a great movie and she's a great director/writer. She's the next big thing IMO.

[gmoney]

2. She was perfect for Godfather III

The whole point of that role was that she was the boss' daughter -- which was why Andy Garcia's character pursued her when he could have any woman he wanted (i.e. Bridget Fonda). She played it as kind of obnoxious, wasn't a conventional beauty, but her daddy makes it all right. Anybody would have fallen in love with Winona Ryder (originally cast in that role) -- but when Andy falls for Sophia, you have to question what he's really up to.

So, who better to play Corleone's daughter but the REAL boss' daughter?

[HiramAbiff]

3. I like Coppola

She was totally competant in Godfather III, the Virgin Suicides was good and I really liked Lost in Translation.

But I do think Lost in Translation is being overrated. Nothing happens in the whole film. It can be reduced to this formula:

1) Wacky Japanese Culture (i.e. they are on Mars).
2) Underwear shots of Scarlett Johansson.
3) Brilliant Bill Murray acting.
4) Impossible relationship.

There is no plot - no "male" componant to the movie. Those elements are replaced with shots of the wacky Japanese culture. The film is fundamentally unbalanced and falls into the trap that most female directors do. It is all about unspoken emotion. That is a big problem.

[chicaloca]

13. ummm.....

News flash: Directors _direct_ movies. Screenwriters _write_ the script. Scripts are where plots or lack thereof come from. Therefore, although you may desperately want to blame a woman every time a movie directed by a woman suffers from a lack of plot, it just ain't so. Yes, in the case of LIT, it _is_ written by Coppola as well, but trust me, every single female director out there doesn't write her own scripts. And furthermore, the number of scripts written by women for movies that are directed by men is actually quite surprising. (LOTR being one example.) So, unless you've inspected the screenwriting credits in every movie ever made, regardless of the director's gender, your blanket statement is simply a stereotype and an obnoxious generalization.

:eyes:

On edit:

Here are some movies with screenplays written by women...I knew some of them were written by women, but I didn't know others were, like Edward Scissorhands and the Nightmare Before Christmas.

Calli Khouri (Thelma and Louise), Nora Ephron (When Harry Met Sally), Carrie Fisher (Postcards From the Edge), Fannie Flagg (Fried Green Tomatoes), Caroline Thompson (Edward Scissorhands, Nightmare Before Christmas), Frances Marion (The Big House, The Champ, The Wind, many more), Jane Campion (The Piano), Elaine May (Heaven Can Wait, The Birdcage)

[mitchum]

4. She has overcome so much adversity...

and her's is truly an inspirational story.

Yes, I know that I'm being pissy. Actually, I found "Lost In Translation" to be pleasant, and I found her halting manner to work quite well in "Godawful III", but still...

[HiramAbiff]

6. Why was Godfather III so bad?

I saw it for the first time about 6 months ago (well removed from the critical drubbing it took when it first came out) and found it very good. Of couse compared to the other two movies (which are in the top ten of all movies ever made) it might pale in comparison, but in the final analysis it still probably should have walked away with an oscar that year.

[Dookus]

7. heheh...

yes, she clawed and fought her way out of Hollywood royalty.

I have nothing against her personally, but I just didn't think Lost in Translation was particularly good. It's sad to think she's the first American woman to receive a Best Director Oscar nomination.

[HiramAbiff]

9. I agree

Lost in Translation wasn't bad, but it is incredibly overrated.

It probably would've been a really mediocre movie without Bill Murray.

[youngred]

12. well the part was written for himspecifically

so yeah

[bigwillq]

5. And she might have a very good night

tomorrow as well. I think she has Best Original Screenplay in the bag, imo!

[jpgray]

8. Lost in Translation is mediocre at best

But it will probably win Oscars anyway.

[HiramAbiff]

10. I liked the feeling it gave me,

but I don't think anyone can say it is an objectively great movie. It probably will win oscars though.

In my opinion, Finding Nemo should win (by a longshot) - but it isn't even nominated.

[chicaloca]

15. it's not nominated for best film....

But it is nominated for best animated feature, best score, best sound editing, and best original screenplay. It could get a few Oscars (although I'm not betting on it, except maybe for best animated feature).

[HiramAbiff]

16. Wow...best score?

Kevin Shields is great and I love Loveless, but man, that score was a piece of shit.

[darkstar]

11. LIT is, in the very least, a breathtaking excercise in restraint

But not so undertated you can't get it. I was moved in several spots, but never forced there hamfisted direction.

Yeah watching people react to each other is so boring. It's called acting. You don't get banged w/ dialogue like "I'm atracted to you" or "What are we gonna do?" Instead, you watch human emotions far more complex than mere words flicker across faces.

Coppala's screenplay/the editing rhythm is outstanding, IMO. She rarely lingers on scenes too long.

The soundtrack and soundscapes are magnificent.

The camera work is top notch.

Bill Murray getting to do his shtick and truly act in the same movie.

Compared to the vaccuous digiscapes and histrionic "dramas" of other movies out that dominate H-wood culture, I only hope that LIT does get some recognition, if only to show H-wood that there alternative routes. Enough w/ the CGI, actors playing "special people" getting awards, guns pointed gasta stle, dying kids and parents as plot points, and the like.

Not to argue LIT is somehow, bettter by a mile, than anything out there. Simply, I'm happy it's out there and may, just may, gather some recognition.

[jpgray]

14. Eh, satire of Japanese culture and Hollywood bimbos is hamfisted to me

Both areas have been thoroughly mined for satire before. The whole indie stream that focuses on the postmodern ennui and the 'I hate phonies' Salinger kick really seems to be paint-by-numbers these days. But indie drug films are becoming just as formulaic. Sweet Sixteen was pertty good, however. Some parts in LIT were funny. :)

[Gringo]

18. "Lost" was about neither of those things

It was about being LOST - lost in a totally foreign culture, and the unique loneliness that comes with that, and lost as to where one's life will go, and what happens when two people really make a connection in the middle of all that. It was a brilliant movie, all the Japanese/movie industry stuff was just amusing window dressing around the wonderful interaction between Scarlett Johansen & Bill Murray.

I loved it with a passion.

[jpgray]

19. Well, you'll love 'Ghost World' then, won't you? :-)

I don't deny it can be an enjoyable formula, but it's still a formula. In Lost in Translation's case, it wasn't even a well-written formula.

[Gringo]

26. Ghost World was cute

But "Lost" was better.

[IronLionZion]

17. She's better at directing than acting

must be the Coppola thing, but she did not do well in GF3.

LIT was fantastic. It seemed more intelligent than most of the shit we see nowadays.

[allalone]

20. LIT was the worst

movie I've ever seen. I was suicidal by the time it was a third over. I was watching with 2 other people and we were all too polite to say anything till the end. Bill Murrey looked like his whole face was botoxed. Neither actor moved their lips when they talked and he's old enough to be her grandpa. It stunk!

[Lindsey]

21. I liked Lost in Translation

but imho it was overrated. I adored In America and don't feel it got near the recognition it deserved.

[MoonGod]

22. Between those two, I preferred LiT...

... I liked both movies, but I felt like In America was just bludgeoning me over the head with some kind of message about faith, and that kinda turned me off.

Lost in Translation left more room to think and ask questions.

Either way, neither is a fave of mine... both are prolly 'bout 6/10 on my scorecard, and the fact that either might win major Oscars for writing/directing seems to say more about the quality of movies released last year than about either of those 2.

[allalone]

23. see? that's what's great

we can all watch a film and see something different in it. How boring if we were all the same.

[MoonGod]

24. Yup... diversity is a great thing...

... just ask Darwin.

:)

[regnaD kciN]

25. All right! Another fellow CalArts alum!

:party: :toast: :party:

(Still pulling for ROTK at the Oscars tomorrow night...hopefully, Sofia will get the screenplay award.)