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Post by countjohn on Oct 28, 2023 2:18:31 GMT
For the most part rolling on all cylinders, but I think the two leads let it down a bit. Spaeny is just kind of vacant and never lets us into her head at all. Which maybe was the point, she became a vessel for Elvis, but I don't need to watch someone like that for two hours. Elordi is just kind of doing a mediocre Elvis impersonation and doesn't capture the massive charisma he had in his prime. Which is important here since it would capture why no one could say no to him. After watching Butler last year that just doesn't cut it.
But as I said, the rest of it is good. A solid script and Coppola's visuals haven't been this on point since Marie Antoinette. An absolutely sumptuous film. A sequence of Elvis trying LCD immediately becomes one of the great acid scenes too. Great song choices too so I don't think they're missing anything with the lack of actual Elvis songs.
A few moments of really good comic relief as well. Elvis hosting a Bible study in his home which attended up being attended by a bunch of groupies, another scene of Priscilla walking in on him getting some huge 60's eastern new age psychobabble speech from some guy and then Elvis says, completely deadban "this is Fred, he did my hair" (a good moment from Elordi). I know we've had enough Elvis movies lately but a comedy about Elvis's spiritual seeker phase could be very funny.
So still pretty good. I think a 7/10 for me and a distant second for my favorite Coppola behind Lost in Translation. Also for cool trivia Sofia was at my screening.
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Post by TylerDeneuve on Nov 6, 2023 3:32:39 GMT
Elvis and Priscilla... One of the most iconic couples of the twentieth century. Is this a dreamy love story, though, or more of a Pygmalion nightmare? Sofia Coppola, through the eyes of the teenaged Priscilla Beaulieu, passes no judgment... Rather, she tells the story through lush mood, meticulous art direction (you'd never guess this was shot in Toronto), evocative music (not Elvis'), and the perfect faces of her two movie stars (in the making ![;)](//storage.proboards.com/6692321/images/VX9qBdLG_XyugpFkNIU4.gif) ). Cailee Spaeny is stunning in the title role, subtly articulating Priscilla's arc from mousy teenager to glamorous trophy wife to liberated woman - it's a sensitive and perfectly-calibrated performance. Jacob Elordi is very effective at hinting at the man behind the larger-than-life persona of Elvis: someone who was warm and tender-hearted, but also controlling and emotionally stunted. The co-dependent bond Elvis and Priscilla forge is easily understood. And, it has to be said... the sexual chemistry between the two actors is nothing short of electric. Given the gorgeously languid films in her oeuvre ( The Virgin Suicides, Marie Antoinette, The Beguiled), it probably comes as no surprise that the idea of Priscilla trapped in the gilded cage of Graceland would fascinate Coppola, and of course, you're left with a film populated by beautiful, wistful images... Like a dream, its meaning works its way into your consciousness. ![](https://imgix.bustle.com/uploads/image/2023/11/3/6b91629b-1432-4d54-bfd1-0a50906d7844-197edc1f-44a4-4887-b349-48e8880cf8e2-000084910008.jpeg?w=900&h=1357&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&auto=format%2Ccompress&q=50&dpr=2&fp-x=0.5808&fp-y=0.3859)
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Post by urbanpatrician on Nov 6, 2023 3:42:43 GMT
Priscilla waiting by the phone while 1959 becomes 1960 becoming 1961 becoming 1962 just reminds me of how guys must feel waiting for Taylor Swift's call after their 2 weeks are up.
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Post by Billy_Costigan on Nov 6, 2023 15:53:17 GMT
I've always been a fan of Coppola and I really liked it. Pleasantly surprised by Elordi.
Strong Spencer and Jackie vibes. Jackie > Priscilla > Spencer
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Post by countjohn on Nov 6, 2023 18:03:58 GMT
I've always been a fan of Coppola and I really liked it. Pleasantly surprised by Elordi.
Strong Spencer and Jackie vibes. Jackie > Priscilla > Spencer
I'd say it's a little better than Spencer too although Stewart is the better lead performance. Not anywhere close to Jackie though.
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Post by Billy_Costigan on Nov 6, 2023 18:07:35 GMT
I've always been a fan of Coppola and I really liked it. Pleasantly surprised by Elordi.
Strong Spencer and Jackie vibes. Jackie > Priscilla > Spencer
I'd say it's a little better than Spencer too although Stewart is the better lead performance. Not anywhere close to Jackie though. That's where I'm at too. Spaeny is good but the others are great.
Jackie > Priscilla > Spencer
Portman > Stewart > Spaeny
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Post by urbanpatrician on Nov 6, 2023 20:09:47 GMT
I think Spaeny is better than Stewart, but I'd put both Priscilla and Spaeney behind Portman and Jackie as well.
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Post by TylerDeneuve on Nov 17, 2023 1:08:46 GMT
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Post by Pittsnogle_Goggins on Nov 20, 2023 19:57:39 GMT
Nice little movie. I enjoyed it but I don’t think it will stick with me. Thought Spaeny (and the film itself) was much stronger in the first half than the second. She really captured being a naive/foolish teenager head over heels in love. But I had a harder time buying her growth beyond that. Elordi was a lot better than I had thought he’d be. I originally thought he was woefully miscast but I found his performance worked most of the time.
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Post by pacinoyes on Dec 15, 2023 23:10:58 GMT
Underrated....... I think ..... This movie will age well and fits into her work like a puzzle piece - and somebody (ahem, TylerDeneuve) should do a thing about Sofia Coppola's opening scenes: Here - to the sounds of The Ramones no less - begins with bare feet sinking into a carpet - the exact feeling of being an adolescent in a way - then you see juxtapositions of that first image - make-up - eyeliner, nail polish - fan letters, furniture toy like animal accessories / sculptures, drapes and chandeliers that look like hangman's nooses and guillotines.......a gaudy prison playground Her openings are always special.......good movie.......
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Post by JangoB on Dec 16, 2023 2:25:39 GMT
Sofia can do vibes like few others... but they can only take you so far. After a while the experience simply became a bit stagnant for me, following the same formula over and over: Priscilla sits at home --> Priscilla gets a call from Elvis and gets jealous --> Elvis comes back and hangs out with his stupid entourage --> Elvis gets mad at Priscilla for not behaving the way he wants her to (couldn't help but think of the recent Jonathan Majors "I'm a great man!" revelations during those bits) --> Elvis leaves. Live, die, repeat. I suppose that's the whole point - to invert the fairy tale (Sofia didn't get to make The Little Mermaid but I suppose it would've been similar) and show us how monotonous her life became after she allowed him to define it - and the monotony was definitely felt... but I don't know if cinematically it's the best point to make. I can see that the idea was fully realized but I just wasn't entirely on board with it. Or didn't find its execution especially engaging. That said, there's enough to admire about the film. I was particularly taken with the demystification aspect of it which was quite wonderfully accentuated by the absence of Elvis's actual song catalogue. The estate refusing Coppola to use his music turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Loved the tactile costume work too - you can practically feel the clothes on your fingertips which feels rather important to the type of movie Sofia's making here. The actors were fine but I wasn't overly impressed. Spaeny's portrayal of the younger Priscilla was pretty great but I didn't think she quite nailed it in the latter parts of the movie. Also, is it me or is half of her dialogue basically saying "Mmhm"?
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Post by Pavan on Dec 16, 2023 18:14:55 GMT
I really did not get this. Biggest culprit was Le Sourd's cinematography. It was so underlit that i couldn't appreciate what little decent production design and costumes it had but the biggest shortcoming was it kept Spaeny's face and the window to look into her character at a distance. Barring a couple of moments i did not get what was she or Coppola were aiming for. Not to mention vignette put together of scenes that felt repetitive. Shame though as i loved Le Sourd's cinematography in The Beguiled.
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Post by rhodoraonline on Dec 16, 2023 18:44:26 GMT
Sofia can do vibes like few others... but they can only take you so far. After a while the experience simply became a bit stagnant for me, following the same formula over and over: Priscilla sits at home --> Priscilla gets a call from Elvis and gets jealous --> Elvis comes back and hangs out with his stupid entourage --> Elvis gets mad at Priscilla for not behaving the way he wants her to (couldn't help but think of the recent Jonathan Majors "I'm a great man!" revelations during those bits) --> Elvis leaves. Live, die, repeat. I suppose that's the whole point - to invert the fairy tale (Sofia didn't get to make The Little Mermaid but I suppose it would've been similar) and show us how monotonous her life became after she allowed him to define it - and the monotony was definitely felt... but I don't know if cinematically it's the best point to make. I can see that the idea was fully realized but I just wasn't entirely on board with it. Or didn't find its execution especially engaging. That said, there's enough to admire about the film. I was particularly taken with the demystification aspect of it which was quite wonderfully accentuated by the absence of Elvis's actual song catalogue. The estate refusing Coppola to use his music turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Loved the tactile costume work too - you can practically feel the clothes on your fingertips which feels rather important to the type of movie Sofia's making here. The actors were fine but I wasn't overly impressed. Spaeny's portrayal of the younger Priscilla was pretty great but I didn't think she quite nailed it in the latter parts of the movie. Also, is it me or is half of her dialogue basically saying "Mmhm"? thoughts on Elordi? He didn't impress me in the trailer at all.
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Post by JangoB on Dec 16, 2023 19:25:34 GMT
Sofia can do vibes like few others... but they can only take you so far. After a while the experience simply became a bit stagnant for me, following the same formula over and over: Priscilla sits at home --> Priscilla gets a call from Elvis and gets jealous --> Elvis comes back and hangs out with his stupid entourage --> Elvis gets mad at Priscilla for not behaving the way he wants her to (couldn't help but think of the recent Jonathan Majors "I'm a great man!" revelations during those bits) --> Elvis leaves. Live, die, repeat. I suppose that's the whole point - to invert the fairy tale (Sofia didn't get to make The Little Mermaid but I suppose it would've been similar) and show us how monotonous her life became after she allowed him to define it - and the monotony was definitely felt... but I don't know if cinematically it's the best point to make. I can see that the idea was fully realized but I just wasn't entirely on board with it. Or didn't find its execution especially engaging. That said, there's enough to admire about the film. I was particularly taken with the demystification aspect of it which was quite wonderfully accentuated by the absence of Elvis's actual song catalogue. The estate refusing Coppola to use his music turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Loved the tactile costume work too - you can practically feel the clothes on your fingertips which feels rather important to the type of movie Sofia's making here. The actors were fine but I wasn't overly impressed. Spaeny's portrayal of the younger Priscilla was pretty great but I didn't think she quite nailed it in the latter parts of the movie. Also, is it me or is half of her dialogue basically saying "Mmhm"? thoughts on Elordi? He didn't impress me in the trailer at all. I thought he was fine. Nothing too exciting or remarkable but I liked how he presented the "petulant child" aspect of the character.
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Post by stephen on Dec 16, 2023 20:13:24 GMT
It was fine, I guess? The problem I have with Sofia Coppola's last several movies is that they look lovely (when you can actually see what's on screen; she needs a DP who can actually fucking light a scene) but they're ultimately too ephemeral to be anything of substance, and this film kind of exemplifies that more than anything else. This film just glosses over the meat of the story and it feels almost like Coppola is afraid to really dig her teeth into it. Spaeny looks the part but she's so sedate throughout most of it that she almost feels inconsequential in her own coming-of-age story, and while I feel Elordi did a fairly decent job of capturing Elvis's charisma in a more naturalistic way than Butler did, it still felt too at-arm's-length for me. It's a cotton-candy affair, frankly.
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Post by stephen on Dec 16, 2023 20:44:09 GMT
Honestly, I think watching a film where Sofia Coppola has to make this movie knowing her cousin is the biggest Elvis fan on the planet who was once married to Lisa Marie would be more interesting.
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Post by ibbi on Dec 18, 2023 20:15:25 GMT
Honestly, I think watching a film where Sofia Coppola has to make this movie knowing her cousin is the biggest Elvis fan on the planet who was once married to Lisa Marie would be more interesting. The REALLY interesting version would have Sofia as Elvis and her poor grounded daughter as Priscilla.
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Post by TylerDeneuve on Dec 19, 2023 2:26:36 GMT
she needs a DP who can actually fucking light a scene Absolutely agreed on this score - the frustration I feel is what prompted me to create this thread. To think that this Le Sourd is the same person who was the cinematographer for The Grandmaster is truly mind-boggling.
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Post by JangoB on Dec 19, 2023 15:33:09 GMT
she needs a DP who can actually fucking light a scene Absolutely agreed on this score - the frustration I feel is what prompted me to create this thread. To think that this Le Sourd is the same person who was the cinematographer for The Grandmaster is truly mind-boggling. But why do you think he's to blame? Yes, we never know who's behind which decision, but it seems to me that Le Sourd is just realizing Sofia's vision. If she wants it dark and underlit, he'll give it to her. I doubt she's a director who just leaves the DP to his own devices. Same with Wong and The Grandmaster - he wanted the film gorgeous and Le Sourd did exactly that.
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Post by TylerDeneuve on Dec 19, 2023 15:45:49 GMT
Absolutely agreed on this score - the frustration I feel is what prompted me to create this thread. To think that this Le Sourd is the same person who was the cinematographer for The Grandmaster is truly mind-boggling. But why do you think he's to blame? Yes, we never know who's behind which decision, but it seems to me that Le Sourd is just realizing Sofia's vision. If she wants it dark and underlit, he'll give it to her. I doubt she's a director who just leaves the DP to his own devices. Same with Wong and The Grandmaster - he wanted the film gorgeous and Le Sourd did exactly that. You may well be right, jango! And honestly I'm only just now learning about the nature of the relationship between the director and the cinematographer, so I appreciate your input. ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/6692321/images/KAUR26Rad8w62aSMorQH.gif) I just yearn for the lush, visual splendor of Lost in Translation and Marie Antoinette, and to my mind, the dark, smoky look of The Beguiled really doesn't fit Priscilla, artistically. And frankly, if I had worked so hard to gorgeously build Graceland in Toronto, I'd be pissed that you can barely see it.
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Post by TylerDeneuve on May 10, 2024 22:33:59 GMT
So... this guy Terry West just prowled the military base in Germany looking for pretty girls for Elvis to potentially groom, I assume...
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