The Bling Ring (2013)

'The Bling Ring' is a boring, repetitive and ultimately pointless movie based on a true story that, in itself, isn't particularly interesting. A group of teenagers break into the homes of celebrities, exploiting social media to track their whereabouts. It's a story that is barely newsworthy, so I can't believe it was made into a film.But it was, and the end result is exactly what you would expect - a bland, boring and uneventful film. There are countless scenes of the teenagers partying, robbing houses, trying on clothes etc. The story is just too shallow to be interesting and ends up being repetitive and boring. 'The Bling Ring' is a waste of time and one of the least rewarding true story films I've ever seen.

Director Sofia Coppola also co-produced and wrote this expansion of Nancy Jo Sales' 2010 Vanity Fair article "The Suspect Wore Louboutins", based on real events, about a circle of trendy, well-to-do southern California teenagers, reckless and celebrity-obsessed, who see themselves as rock stars by virtue of their youth and position. A new addition to the group, an insecure kid eager to be with the in-crowd, is quickly swallowed up by the nighttime excitement, doing drugs and robbing celebrity houses in the Hollywood Hills without regard to the consequences. Though Coppola obviously did her homework, and her film looks and sounds authentic, one wonders what we're supposed to take away from the endless scenes of teenage hedonism and material worship, the camera caressing the contents of celebrity closets. It also isn't clear why this new student (Israel Broussard) is picked out from the high school pack to be a part of the Bling Ring, or why he's so readily accepted by female peers who, on the basis of looks and stature, would appear to operate in a different league. Coppola's uncanny ear for dialogue and rock and rap selections continues to impress, but it may be time for her to graduate from 'edgy' pop culture and return to more thought-provoking material. A 2011 cable-TV movie (using the same title!) covers the same territory, and is equally disheartening though on a much lower budget. *1/2 from ****

Sofia Coppola's movies used to deal with main characters fighting off boredom. However, "The Bling ring" as another main theme, for a totally different ambiance.Some could argue that her new movie was made to reach a larger audience. But I definitely don't think that she did it with such a goal. Anyway it would be perfect if that movie could make more people gaining interest in S.C.'s cinema.Although that film isn't, according to me, as well-made as "Lost in Translation" ( which is by the way a unique masterpiece ), it is absolutely not a waste of time!The image and the global producing are once again really great, the actors are also playing very good. It is surprising to see Emma Watson in a role which is so different compared to her previous ones. She has always been great, especially in " The Perks of being a wallflower" but she was always playing the good girl.I hope that you all will give a chance to The Bling ring if you haven't watched it yet.

The Bling Ring -- I kind of loved it for what it was. But, first, here's what it wasn't. A fun-filled romp about clever bad guys you can't help but root for. Intrigue, romance, snappy dialogue, edge- of-your- seat narrow escapes from police. It was none of those things. Here's what it was. An exploration of the heart-sinking shallowness of fame-seeking pop culture. For these four purely materialistic teenagers, there is ONLY TMZ, shopping, clubbing, drugs, outlandishly expensive cars, clothes, and jewels. No love, redemption, spirituality, or camaraderie. Does that make for compelling storytelling in the stereotypical sense? Probably not. Did we get backstory on these kids that helped us feel sorry for them, despite their bad behavior? Nope. Sure, it's obvious these kids don't have very good parental supervision –20 burglaries? loot lying around the house? and they're parents don't know? Maybe the parents know, maybe they don't – that's not the point of this film. What is the point? The elusive answer to that question is probably why The Bling Ring has such a low IMDb rating. Take it or leave it, a cinematic mirror is being shined in our faces. By portraying pointlessness, might the movie feel pointless, too? Apparently. Still, the movie is shot and edited very well, and there's a good soundtrack. The young cast all turns in very believable performances. Though Emma Watson's might have been just a touch over the top, Katie Chang was stunning as the unstoppable, sociopathic ringleader Rebecca Anh. Israel Broussard as Marc was also very good. Marc seemed to be the sort of central viewpoint character, though I have no idea why. In her small role, Leslie Mann turns in another excellent performance as a wacky mother. As Nicki's mother, Mann holds up a vision board featuring "a good person her daughters should aspire to be like." When Mann asks her daughter Nicki what Nicki admires most about this beacon of humanity, Angelina Jolie, all her daughter can answer is "her husband," and "her tight body." It's relevant that, interspersed with these hoodlums running around breaking into celebrity homes, are news clips about Lindsay Lohan's brushes with the law. Also note that scenes of the Bling Ring robbing Paris Hilton's home were actually filmed in Paris Hilton's mansion – with her permission, of course.