Wondering if Sofia Coppola's new film Somewhere, starring Stephen Dorff and Elle Fanning, lives up the hype? Watch the video review now to find out if the drama is worth a trip to the movies.
There's real beauty in a film that can make you feel so much by saying so little. It's refreshing, even, when a filmmaker resists force-feeding you a story. Sofia Coppola uses this approach with Somewhere, and she succeeds in producing a subdued film — but the problem is that it's so subdued, you never actually connect to the characters or the story.
Stephen Dorff plays Johnny Marco, a movie star whose priorities are partying and appearing in cheap but profitable films. Shacked up in the famous LA landmark Chateau Marmont, Marco is still a good-looking Lothario, but his fast-paced lifestyle hardly seems fulfilling. His 11-year-old daughter Cleo (Elle Fanning) helps to fill the void, and though he rarely sees her, he adores her nonetheless. When Cleo's mother unexpectedly takes off, leaving Johnny to take care of her, they spend a few weeks of quality time together. I would love to say that the father/daughter bond deepens with each passing moment, but Coppola provides so little that you're not actually sure how the characters feel. It's disappointing; while Somewhere is a dreamy, visually pleasing effort, Coppola delivers more style than substance.
To find out more about why I thought Somewhere goes nowhere, just read more
Sofia Coppola's film Somewhere debuts this week, with Stephen Dorff in the starring role as hard-partying actor Johnny Marco. As a resident of Hollywood hotel Chateau Marmont, Johnny's life is changed by the quality time he spends with his young daughter (Elle Fanning). The director and star recently talked about the experience of making the quiet, introspective film and what it meant to them. For more on Somewhere, check out my video interview with Dorff.
Did you base Johnny on anyone?
Sofia Coppola: Oh, a lot of people. I have definitely met a lot of actors who have lived at the Chateau Marmont; he's lived there [indicating Stephen]. It's a combination of people I've met and stories I've heard, kind of all put together.
The themes are similar to Lost in Translation; is this a continuation of sorts?
SC: I feel like all my movies are a continuation of similar themes but I think this movie is the most closely linked with that one because they're both original screenplays. They're the most personal to me even though I try to connect personally with everything I work on.
How did you go about choosing the music?
SC: Because the story is contemporary, I wanted to pick music of the time, and also I wanted to pick music that's believable that the characters would pick. So when the little girl is ice skating, I thought it's believable that she would be listening to a Gwen Stefani song. They also have to fit the right mood to the scene. Phoenix did the score, which is kind of the minimal, more abstract stuff in between.
To read the rest of the interview, just read more
Stephen Dorff stars in this week's release Somewhere, Sofia Coppola's dreamily subdued drama about an actor reconnecting with his 11-year-old daughter. I sat down with Dorff for a chat about his character, Johnny Marco; what it was like to work with director Coppola; and what similarities he shares with his onscreen alter ego.
Elle Fanning posed with her onscreen dad Stephen Dorff and director Sofia Coppola at the LA premiere of Somewhere last night. The trio reunited at the Louis Vuitton-hosted event after Sofia and Stephen attended the film's Parisian debut last month. Elle is following in her older sister Dakota's actor footsteps by taking on more mature projects. The younger Fanning recently signed on to work with another big-name director, Cameron Crowe, in the upcoming adaptation of We Bought a Zoo. Somewhere is out in limited release around Christmas and most of you are excited to have hot, sometimes shirtless, Stephen back in the spotlight.
To see more pictures from the premiere, just read more
Stephen Dorff joined his Somewhere director, Sofia Coppola, on Thursday for their Paris premiere. He's the star of the dreamy-looking new film, which arrives in theaters this December. It's been a while since Stephen got attention as a leading man, and in recent years he's basically stayed out of the spotlight. He's still quite a good-looking guy and has that bad boy appeal. Plus, Somewhere is one of the most anticipated movies left this year, so we're wondering — would you be excited to see Stephen Dorff back in the limelight?
I just saw the trailer for Sofia Coppola's new film, Somewhere, out Dec. 22, in theaters and was so anxious to see the film that I ran home to watch the trailer again. The premise of the story is that a sort of hard-living, bad boy actor (Stephen Dorff) is living in the Chateau Marmont Hotel in Los Angeles and reconnects with his young daughter (Elle Fanning), which makes him reconsider his life of excess. Thus, the moody, atmospheric film treats us to some stellar hotel interiors. When I was watching the trailer, I couldn't help but notice this awesome poster that reads "Cold Beer Beautiful Girls" leaning against a hotel room wall — could there be a better motto to describe every man's dreams?
I did a little digging and discovered the artist. Wondering who made it? Then continue reading!
Photo courtesy of NBC
Now that I've taken you through the first batch of movies that come in Fall's harvest, here are the films that round out my must-see list. These are the movies that will take us right into the holidays, which means plenty of potential Oscar bait. From Depp to Portman and beyond, take a look at the films that will be all over box office news in just a few weeks.
After a bit of lamenting the end of the regular TV season, I have no more complaining to do, because one of my favorite shows is back! It's obviously also one of your favorite shows too, since it was once of the most-chatted about stories this week. See which comments I liked from that post, as well as the other topics that had you buzzing.
The True Blood premiere had you howling for more:
To see some more hot topics, just read more
