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Jonathan R. Lack’s 20 Next-Best Films Of 2013

As I said in my Top 10 Films of 2013 article, 2013 was more than just a great year for films – it was a year filled with movies that were themselves filled with countless cinematic riches, a year made deep by both the number of quality titles, and the boundless depth of the titles themselves. Narrowing the best of the best down to just 10 was no easy task – though it resulted in a Top 10 comprised solely of masterpieces, I feel – and in making the list, I was left with a large number of leftovers I knew merited discussion.

[h2]The Bling Ring[/h2]

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One of the most unpleasant films of 2013 is also one of its best, as Sophia Coppola’s gloriously repugnant fever dream of reckless excess, rampant insensitivity, and spiritual isolation is a disturbing and provocative look at the worst of what middle and upper-class teenage life can become at this specific moment in time. A lot of viewers had a kneejerk reaction of hatred towards this film, and while I understand the impulse, I think that kind of reaction is a shame, because as awful as much of what Coppola depicts here is, the ideas explored are incredibly important to modern America.

The real events that inspired the film – a group of teenagers who, between 2008 and 2009, robbed multiple celebrity houses in LA for upwards of $3 million in clothing, accessories, and cash – are in no way universal experiences, but the emotions and cultural influences that inspired them absolutely are. Coppola is interested in what happens when the instability of adolescence intersects with a culture overwhelmingly obsessed with materialism, a culture that has commodified fame as a packaged good, disconnected it from any sense of morality or individual identity, and placed it on a pedestal as something to strive for. Of course what comes out of that is horrible and monstrous – how could it not be? Refusing to look these problems in the face, refusing to engage with cultural discussions like this that very much need to happen, is a mistake, and I think The Bling Ring is a great launching point for the conversation, if only more people were willing to engage.

The Bling Ring is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray. Read my full review of the film here.

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