The Coppola film-making family is prolific and quite significant. Our current 2nd Floor DVD and Blu-ray selections feature films that were either produced, directed, written, or acted by a member of the family. Below are staff recommendations from the display.
Joel recommends:
Rumble Fish "A few years ago I caught a double feature at the Castro Theatre. I have no idea what the first movie was that drew me there that night, but the second feature (and the one I have not forgotten) was Francis Ford Coppola’s Rumble Fish. A box office bomb when first released in 1983, it now has something of a cult following and for good reason. Coppola described it as “an art film for teenagers”, and that sums it up pretty well: a black-and-white film about gangs of aimless youth getting into fights and trying to impress each other and themselves. It’s not the Godfather or the Conversation, but it’s a beautiful dreamlike movie that added another dimension to my appreciation of Francis Ford Coppola."
Adaptation "Nicolas Cage was actually born Nicolas Kim Coppola, the nephew of Francis Ford and cousin of Sophia. He dropped the Coppola name early in his career to make it on his own, and despite appearing in a few family made movies early on (including Rumble Fish) his career has taken its own distinct trajectory. And, for me, the high point of that trajectory was his 2002 film Adaptation, directed by Spike Jonze (Sofia Coppola's husband at the time) and written by Charlie Kaufman. In it, Cage plays the film’s screenwriter, Charlie Kaufman, a neurotic and depressed screenwriter desperately trying to adapt Susan Orlean’s non-fiction book The Orchid Thief into a Hollywood screenplay. It’s a hard movie to sum up, but Orlean’s story about an orchid enthusiast gets intertwined with Kaufman’s invented story of adapting it, his neurosis, his made-up twin brother (also played by Cage), Hollywood culture, and bit of violence to make a film adaptation like no other."
Kristin recommends Acocalypse Now - "I love this movie! It may be long but it is captivating, good music and great actors make it worth watching. And Many memorable lines come from this movie such as: Robert Duvall's, "Charlie Don't Surf" and "I love the smell of napalm in the morning!"; Marlon Brando's, "the Horror, the Horror"; and Martin Sheen's, "Never get out of the boat."
Ellen recommends:
National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets "Get two Coppolas for the price of one. Nicolas Cage and Alicia Coppola. It's a sequel. . ."
Moonrise Kingdom "Co-written by Roman Coppola, this is a Wes Anderson film all the way. Quirky and surreal, well-known actors pop up as the story progresses."
Chris recommends "Lost in Translation may have taken home a bevy of awards, but Sofia Coppola’s first film, The Virgin Suicides, is every bit as powerful. It’s the story of the disastrously isolated lives of the 5 Lisbon sisters, and the lives of the neighborhood boys who were forever haunted by their inability to free them, and their inability, in retrospect, to even understand what was happening. The Virgin Suicides stars Kirsten Dunst, Josh Hartnett, James Woods, Kathleen Turner, and a number of cameos including Robert Schwartzman, Sofia Coppola’s cousin. More personal and moody than Lost in Translation, this haunting movie displays Sofia Coppola’s breathtaking cinematography and emotional resonance at their best."
Myles recommends:
Marie Antoinette "Sofia Coppola has an ear for music, and I adore the eclectic soundtracks of her films. Sofia's Marie Antoinette is a rock and roll, stylized, feminist historical drama that depicts the lavish lifestyle that few lived in 18th Century France."
Bram Stoker's Dracula "I seem to enjoy every Dracula film, but I love Bram Stoker's Dracula by Francis Ford Coppola. Optical effects replaced CGI with help from son Roman Coppola. What results is a Dracula film that feels as eerie as the originals, but the costume and feel of the film are distinctly reimagined. You won't find a Bela Lugosi look-alike in Bram Stoker's Dracula."
