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Spring Breakers

3/31/2013

6 Comments

 
Picture
Writer & Director: Harmony Korine
Starring: Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, Rachel Korine, Ashley Benson and James Franco

Review Written By: Michael Dalton (Prime Minister)

It may only be March, but with Spring Breakers we may have just been given 2013’s most divisive film. Written and directed by Harmony Korine, Spring Breakers follows four teenage girls (Selena Gomez, Rachel Korine, Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Benson) who commit a crime in order to fund their spring break vacation, a trip that will only take them further into the underworld when they are bailed out of jail by a drug dealer named Alien (James Franco)

What is undeniably brilliant about Spring Breakers is the visual construction of it. As a seventeen-year-old male, many would assume that I liked the visual presentation of this film as the four female leads spend most, if not all, of the film; in their bikinis…this is not the case. As a lover and appreciator of film and filmmaking, it is impossible not to appreciate this film’s cinematography, editing and sound design. An early example of this film’s visual prowess comes through the presentation of a robbery in one continuous long shot from the outside. Additionally Korine approaches and perhaps exceeds Tarantino levels of mad genius, when he elects to have the Britney Spears song, Everytime, accompany a slow motion montage of violence.  An early contender for scene of the year and destined to be included in all future ‘best uses of songs in film’ lists. I would go and watch the film again, just for that inspired and unforgettable scene. This film’s presentation and construction is unique to the point that it will most likely alienate mainstream audiences who merely wanted to see Disney girls go bad.

Spring Breakers is an over the top satire that many will miss the point of. This is a film that criticizes my generation and their warped view of freedom, success and a good time. It shows us four small town girls who are desperately searching for that ‘spring break experience’ the desperate and reckless pursuit for an ultimately unattainable goal, it is in many ways, The Great Gatsby for the instagram generation. However despite having great ideas underneath the surface, Korine seems to forego or lose such depth within his own stylistic flourishes, with the style ultimately taking precedent over the substance. The film is also rather unsubtle about the ways in which it presents its ideas, with it containing some of the most on the nose yet concurrently effective juxtapositions of recent cinematic times.

Korine constructs the film in such a way that it is inherently and intentionally repetitive, however such an approach does ultimately become grating and tiresome, especially when it feels as if every line of dialogue is repeated ten times. It is the case with this film that some of its greatest strengths are its greatest weaknesses. The film’s intoxicating style is both what sets it apart but ultimately due to the ill discipline of its director, what holds it back from achieving the substantial greatness it may have under less visually indulgent hands. There is also the unsettling feeling throughout that the film is concurrently condemning and celebrating the behaviour on screen. While I am sure and aware that Korine’s intention with the numerous party scenes was to ultimately mock them, it commonly felt, especially by the film’s conclusion, that the movie lacked the true dramatic and visceral punch to truly bring such ideas and criticisms home. While the dream-like and unrealistic quality of it is intentional in regards to portraying a desire and a mind-set, it simultaneously softens the blows and means this film lacks the edge it could have had and arguably required.

The film has some refreshingly realistic developments in regards to the actions of certain characters, yet once again this strength leads to a weakness as there are many threads that don’t go anywhere and much wasted potential as one character in particular reaches a very anti-climatic end. Therefore while Korine gives us some unforgettable images and sequences, his script required a bit more exploration of its ideas rather than its shots (In multiple meanings of the word) in order to become more than just a visual exercise.

In regards to the performances the four main females aren’t really given much to work with dramatically. It’s potentially commendable to see actresses with such a family-friendly and safe image play such detestable characters however, this is very much seems like ‘breaking out’ 101, with the suspicion ever present that the actresses are approaching this lazily, thinking that simply stripping off, saying a few curse words and doing some violent things constitutes a good performance and will lead to being taken seriously as an actress. Where the true acting strength in this film resides, is in the performance of James Franco.

As Alien, James Franco gives the first great performance of 2013. He is transformative and unrecognizable in this film, providing the film with both its funniest and darkest moments. His character is a fascinating one, a young boy pretending to be a man through violence and excess. The scene where he shows off his material gains is a genius piece of writing and directing, with Franco repeatedly and enthusiastically instructing the girls to, “Look at my sh*t” He then proceeds to display his multiple Calvin Klein body sprays, guns, designer clothing and notes how he has Scarface playing on repeat. His car license plate is later revealed to be, BALLR. It is a charismatic and creepy performance with the hilarity he ensues laced with the constant threat of danger and ultimately poignancy, as we learn that like the leads, he is nothing to be afraid of and simply a sad, pathetic individual, who has submerged himself into an artificial existence.

Spring Breakers is an incredibly flawed film. It has a slow start, it is repetitive, it is anti-climatic, it is arguably hypocritical in its approach and lacks the visceral and dramatic punch required to really drive home its ideas, ones that are not explored as well as they could have been due to the ultimate focus on style rather than substance. However within that style is some of the most unforgettable filmmaking of this young year and due to that, the uniqueness of its execution and tone and the performance of James Franco, that this film will stick in your head and concurrently go up and down in value, the more you think about it. Love it or hate it, the originality, visuals and performance of Franco must be appreciated as well as the discussion, reviews and reactions that this film has generated. As a follower of film and film discussion, Spring Breakers is that rare film that is instigating passionate reactions all across the spectrum, and that is something to be celebrated. It is my suspicion that due to the cult following this film is already beginning to create, this is one we will be watching, discussing and arguing about for a long time to come.

Picture
Summary: While it is incredibly flawed the bravery and originality of its vision as well as James Franco’s performance, ensure that Spring Breakers is a film that will linger in your memory, for better or for worse.

Rating: 6+/10

By Movie Parliament Prime Minister,

Michael Dalton

Disagree with this review? Give us your thoughts in the comments below. 


6 Comments
Not a Hipster unlike this Reviewer/Douchebag
3/31/2013 05:20:51 am

This film is essentially what authors do to try and get scholarly attention when they cram their works with literary devices and then figure out how the plot will fit within those devices. Do not go and watch this film otherwise you might as well just light your hard earned money on fire. This particular individual has no idea what he is talking about and wants to seem above you that you did not understand the uniqueness of the film. There were people walking out of the cinema because of how bad this film was.

Reply
A Hipster
5/12/2013 06:40:55 pm

What is wrong with you? This is the greatest movie since Freddy Got Fingered. Douche

Reply
Minister
3/31/2013 06:09:05 am

As a seventeen-year-old male, I was like DEM BOOBS!

Reply
john c
3/31/2013 10:15:49 am

My thoughts on Spring Breakers likes and dislikes
Likes:
• James Franco was awesome. He wasn’t just playing the character, he was the character. It was so natural. It was like another aspect of his personality took over. He stole the show.
• The visuals were stunning; it was both bright and gritty at the same time which gave the film a nice contrast. It was very dream like. The camera angles, dialogue loops, and transitions made you feel like you were watching a dark documentary. The director’s skill with the camera and visuals really came to the forefront here. It also didn’t hurt that the female leads were in bikinis all the time.
• The soundtrack complimented the film really well.

Dislikes:
• The marketing:
There wasn’t any; my girlfriend and I decided to see it on a whim. We knew nothing about it. While I understand that this film is being promoted by an Indie studio that can’t afford to promote like the giants of the industry but it needed to do more than just words of mouth alone because it’s a niche film to begin with and when your target audience doesn’t know about it, you’re in trouble. Now it’s getting a wider release and the trailers are playing more frequently but it might be a case of too little too late but now you have keep your audience informed so they’ll be interested about it until they see it. Being Indie for the sake of being indie just won’t cut it. People are unlikely to go see a movie cold anymore. Especially, in these tough economic times where everyone has to justify every dollar, you have to make them feel like it is going be worth it before they get there.

• The Story:


Visual films like this normally don’t put do much weight behind the story but Spring Breakers barely has one. It’s basically bored, hot college chicks who want to have the best spring ever and knock over the chicken shack to fund their trip and soon get caught up in a life of crime and debauchery. This in and of itself works but the problem is that we never really find out why they go to such extremes so quickly. They say that they were miserable as college but we never learned why. It was like that part wasn’t important enough to spend time on but it was their whole driving force. They go from party girls, to coke addicted coke whores, to criminal assassin with better aim than a U.S Army sniper over the span of a few days. As someone who’s had people close to him get caught up in the hard partying/and criminal life style, I understand how fast it can happen and how desperation can my you do desperate things; one of my best friends was gunned down right across from my home, right in front of his own mother because he got into a confrontation with a drug deal at a party but for me, not only was it unrealistically fast but alarming so. On the face of it they seemed like simple psychopaths but to me it seemed like the female characters were being haunted by much deeper demons, like there was another level that we sadly didn’t get to explore. It was a missed opportunity.



• Character development:
I understand that a film like this character development isn’t really important. The film is mainly a vehicle for former Disney child stars Vanessa Hudgens, Ashlee Benson, and Selena Gomez to prove that they can serious adult actresses with range and I will give them credit for doing things that they did in the film because it was required. I spoil anything but there are some really adult scenes. It takes a lot of personal courage to do what they did. With that being said, for my girlfriend and I this came off as a case of just because you can it doesn’t mean that you should. Honestly, it doesn’t take a lot of “range” to play drugged out, hyper sexed whores. Before anyone accuses me of being a sexist pig, here me out. I understand that the four girls are supposed to super sexualized sex objects that move in one large mass with little personalities of their own. For a movie like Spring Breakers this works really well. The problem for me and others in the audience was when it came to connecting with the characters, I just couldn’t do it. The female leads were just way too under developed and shallow. You could literally switch the girls’ lines around and it wouldn’t have made a difference; the only reason why I remember Selena Gomez is because she left half through the film and that the only way to tell any of the female characters apart was by the color of their bikinis. As consequence, when Rachael got shot I didn’t care which leads to the film’s biggest failure…

• Complete Indifference
During the film I found myself not caring about the characters or even the or even the film. I didn’t hate it or like it; I wasn’t even somewhere in the middle. I was just totally indifferent and I wasn’t the only o

Reply
John C
3/31/2013 10:12:27 am


My thoughts on Spring Breakers likes and dislikes


Likes:
• James Franco was awesome. He wasn’t just playing the character, he was the character. It was so natural. It was like another aspect of his personality took over. He stole the show.
• The visuals were stunning; it was both bright and gritty at the same time which gave the film a nice contrast. It was very dream like. The camera angles, dialogue loops, and transitions made you feel like you were watching a dark documentary. The director’s skill with the camera and visuals really came to the forefront here. It also didn’t hurt that the female leads were in bikinis all the time.
• The soundtrack complimented the film really well.

Dislikes:
• The marketing:
There wasn’t any; my girlfriend and I decided to see it on a whim. We knew nothing about it. While I understand that this film is being promoted by an Indie studio that can’t afford to promote like the giants of the industry but it needed to do more than just words of mouth alone because it’s a niche film to begin with and when your target audience doesn’t know about it, you’re in trouble. Now it’s getting a wider release and the trailers are playing more frequently but it might be a case of too little too late but now you have keep your audience informed so they’ll be interested about it until they see it. Being Indie for the sake of being indie just won’t cut it. People are unlikely to go see a movie cold anymore. Especially, in these tough economic times where everyone has to justify every dollar, you have to make them feel like it is going be worth it before they get there.

• The Story:


Visual films like this normally don’t put do much weight behind the story but Spring Breakers barely has one. It’s basically bored, hot college chicks who want to have the best spring ever and knock over the chicken shack to fund their trip and soon get caught up in a life of crime and debauchery. This in and of itself works but the problem is that we never really find out why they go to such extremes so quickly. They say that they were miserable as college but we never learned why. It was like that part wasn’t important enough to spend time on but it was their whole driving force. They go from party girls, to coke addicted coke whores, to criminal assassin with better aim than a U.S Army sniper over the span of a few days. As someone who’s had people close to him get caught up in the hard partying/and criminal life style, I understand how fast it can happen and how desperation can my you do desperate things; one of my best friends was gunned down right across from my home, right in front of his own mother because he got into a confrontation with a drug deal at a party but for me, not only was it unrealistically fast but alarming so. On the face of it they seemed like simple psychopaths but to me it seemed like the female characters were being haunted by much deeper demons, like there was another level that we sadly didn’t get to explore. It was a missed opportunity.



• Character development:
I understand that a film like this character development isn’t really important. The film is mainly a vehicle for former Disney child stars Vanessa Hudgens, Ashlee Benson, and Selena Gomez to prove that they can serious adult actresses with range and I will give them credit for doing things that they did in the film because it was required. I spoil anything but there are some really adult scenes. It takes a lot of personal courage to do what they did. With that being said, for my girlfriend and I this came off as a case of just because you can it doesn’t mean that you should. Honestly, it doesn’t take a lot of “range” to play drugged out, hyper sexed whores. Before anyone accuses me of being a sexist pig, here me out. I understand that the four girls are supposed to super sexualized sex objects that move in one large mass with little personalities of their own. For a movie like Spring Breakers this works really well. The problem for me and others in the audience was when it came to connecting with the characters, I just couldn’t do it. The female leads were just way too under developed and shallow. You could literally switch the girls’ lines around and it wouldn’t have made a difference; the only reason why I remember Selena Gomez is because she left half through the film and that the only way to tell any of the female characters apart was by the color of their bikinis. As consequence, when Rachael got shot I didn’t care which leads to the film’s biggest failure…

• Complete Indifference
During the film I found myself not caring about the characters or even the or even the film. I didn’t hate it or like it; I wasn’t even somewhere in the middle. I was just totally indifferent and I wasn’t the only

Reply
john c
3/31/2013 10:24:22 am

Sorry if my thoughts got cut off. This my 1st time posting anything.So it's trail and error for me. Hopefully,most of my thoughts came through clearly and if my re-postings have done any thing wrong. Please understand that it was unintentional and I am sorry i just wanted to share my thoughts on the movie. That's all...

Reply



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