Bling fling
In theaters Friday: The Call, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
New on Blu-ray: Hitchcock, Life of Pi
Without even counting the continued de-Potterization of this year’s indie star-on-the-rise Emma Watson, there are three good reasons to see Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring. First, Paris Hilton—yes, the genuine article not her playing a character, thank the Lord—gets robbed in this movie. In a justifiably degrading way, too.
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Second, after the blithely wretched snoozer Somewhere, Coppola, who showed so much promise with her first features The Virgin Suicides and Lost in Translation, is actually writing about something again. And third, this is the last film shot by Gus Van Sant and David Fincher cinematographer Harry Savides who always brought an avant garde edge to each of his projects; from American Gangster to Zodiac, and Margot at the Wedding to Milk. From the looks of this first look released yesterday, Savides, who died last year, never lost a step.
What is often more interesting than celebrity is the cult of it, the culture of insatiable want that trails after the famous like dogs sniffing for table scraps. In this light of tart cultural commentary, The Bling Ring looks like the most modern of tales, following the descent of a group of otherwise upwardly mobile and privileged teens—Watson’s character is based on the real-life ringleader who drove an Audi to school and was named “best dressed”—who became so obsessed with fame they burglarized the likes of Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and The Hills star Audrina Patridge in order to earn a notoriety to call their very own. Well, with targets like that they’re practically anti-heroes.
The Bling Ring is slated for a limited release starting June 14. Watch the first trailer below:
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