"We Lived in Farms, Then We Lived in Cities, And Now We're Gonna Live on the Internet!"

The Social Network.

 Ok.  So i usually try to find things that you may not have heard about, so i go to bed feeling like i did my part to 'enlighten' someone.  Even though i'm pretty sure, no one reads this.  But regardless, this is obviously not something that has 'flown under the radar', i mean it is the 5th most popular movie in America right now.  But i'm writing about it anyways.  Because it's my blog and i can do what i want.  

You would think this movie would not be all that interesting, but then you look at the director.

David Fincher... known for... 

Seven

and

(What movie?  hint: it's not a trick question, the obvious answer is the right answer, don't be stupid.)

and then you look at the writer... Aaron Sorkin... who is known for:

(another no-brainer.)

Anyways, the point i was going for here was that with Fincher and Sorkin on a project it's hard to go in thinking it is gonna be bad... plus this movie has one of the coolest trailers i've seen this year or in recent memory...

First things first, after seeing this.  Jesse Eisenberg is really talented.  At first i just thought he was simply the better version of Michael Cera... but the more i see him, the more he impresses me.  i've believed in every single character he's ever put in front of an audience.  This is a fabulous performance on his part, everything about him, his movement patterns, his speaking cadence, the way he used the script to strengthen all of his decisions just blew me away.  Speaking of the script, Aaron Sorkin took a movie that was made quite some time ago about Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, and was very boring (See... Pirates of Silicon Valley) and instead made a very entertaining, colorful, and smart character study about all the problems that guys face when they are going through their 20's. (only with these guys add billions of dollars to the stakes.)

Another tricky part of this movie was that, after thinking about it for a few hours, i'm still not sure whose side i ended up on.  Fincher and co. did such a good job of storytelling, that i still haven't decided who is right.  For example: Upon exiting the movie theater all i wanted to do when i got home was delete my facebook account.  What did i actually do when i got home?  i updated my facebook status.  Which in turn made me feel kind of sick... this guy (Zuckerberg) is like 2 years older than me, and he's a billionaire and controls the cyber world... me?  i blog on my outdated macbook.  Damn theatre degree.

Anyways great movie and since the year is starting to wind down, i'm gonna go ahead and throw this out... Sorkin wins an oscar for his screenplay, and Eisenberg should at least be nominated for one for his role as Mark Zuckerberg.  Also really great performances by the rest of the cast.  Justin Timberlake was surprisingly good, there was just enough Rooney Mara to make me really excited about her upcoming work on the Millenium Trilogy, and Andrew Garfield was fabulous, he was recently a confusing casting choice for this:

Untitled Spider-Man Reboot

but after seeing him work, i'm really excited to see some more films from him.

(speaking of recent superhero change of hearts i have had, have you seen this:) 

Captain America

i was not happy about Chris Evans being cast as Cap'... but he does look pretty badass in the costume...

one last thing

Okay... i'm way off topic now.  But like i said, it's my blog.  Sue me... ha.  Do you get it?  No?  Go see The Social Network you will get it.

"Will You Share Your Life With Me For The Next Ten Minutes?"

The Last 5 Years

    Unfortunately, i have not seen it, fortunately i finally heard it.  Numerous times people have tried to get me to listen to this off-broadway musical, and numerous times various glitches have stopped it from happening (stolen cd players, scratched cds, etc.)  i did hear a sampling of it at one point though and it was enough to make me think of it 3 or 4 years later.   it was written by Jason Robert Brown, i love non-chronological storytelling and this story starts with a woman and a man on separate ends of their relationship and follows them as they meet in the middle and then complete the circle.  Beautiful voices and subtle instrumentation make this wonderful and stingingly painful to listen to at the same time...  

     I do think that because of the transition of content for the two characters, The Woman (Cathy) has a stronger presence (vocally and in context of plot) than The Man (Jamie) in the beginning of the show, he comes off nasally and a bit whiny.  As the show goes on the two blend seamlessly together in a song entitled, "The Next Ten Minutes".  After that it's almost as if the torch is passed and Cathy's character fades  somewhat (although she does still have some bright spots in the second half) and Jamie becomes a very strong and moving storyteller to finish the show.  it's a testament to the actors that strictly vocally you can hear a clear understanding of the necessary juxtaposition.  As far as the instrumental goes, i don't know much about music, but i enjoyed the strings section accenting the piano without cluttering it with much else, it sounded very subtle, allowed me to focus on the words and compliments the story very well. 

    Strong writing, it's not easy to document the lives of dating artists.  There is a level of competition and guilt present in those relationships that can be detrimental to even the most compatible couple, the playwright captures this brilliantly.

The Playwright's website  

Opening song, in the hopes i can convince you to seek out the rest.

***

I was gonna post a sweet link to go with this from the Daily Californian about the top ten "break-up" albums of all time.   But i guess the Daily Californian doesn't allow that.  Lame.  Google it.

The main reason i wanted to link to it is because Dylan's: Blood on the Tracks was #1, and that's pretty much the greatest album ever. period. But The Last 5 Years is #2 on the list although i don't know that it's the best idea to listen to that one while going through a break-up.  it depressed the hell out of me when i was done, and i'm not in the middle of a break-up.  But i suppose because it starts and ends from both sides of the relationship, you can take what you need from it.

One final thought from The Last 5 Years is that it reminded me a lot of this album: 

The Swell Season

Strict Joy

That is Marketa Irglova and Glen Hansard, the  Oscar winning musicians/actors that you may remember from: 

Once

Their most recent CD (Strict Joy) is a complete documentation of the couple's own real life break-up.  The album has some songs that are similarly haunting and heartbreaking, and has some other resemblances to The Last 5 Years.  i'd like to see the two of them acting again, could they pop up in a revival of the featured musical?  Doubtful, but until then i can watch this and wonder...

The Swell Season: Low Rising

Seek out, enjoy.

Parting shot from the Swell Season and Jason Segel: Because i couldn't have everything on here be depressing tonight.

"Every Second Counts."

it's not out yet, so i haven't seen it, but i'm pretty excited about This Movie

Starring...

This guy.

it's a pretty incredible true story about...

This guy.

it's directed by...

This guy.

Who won an oscar for directing...

This movie.

and somewhere... 6 degrees away from all of them is...

This guy.

(but seriously... if any one out there actually reads this.  Click the link, watch the trailer. 127 Hours looks really good)

"it's time we decide"

Pretty interesting movie that netflix suggested for me i gave it a try and was pretty satisfied with what i saw.  The story starts with a young couple standing on the Brooklyn Bridge figuring out their Fourth of July plans.  They flip a coin to make the decision in then you watch the consequences of the coin flip.  it is a unique film in the fact that you are watching both sides of the coin play out for the next two hours.  Here is the trailer .  This is a smart concept because often times, especially with indie films we end up with adventure movies lacking in depth of character.  This film gives us a chance to see a tense adventure (admittedly a little far-fetched, but let it go) as well as some real character development in a slightly more mundane, but heartfelt in a second path of the couple.  Some of the paradise/purgatory symbolism is really nice as well.
i am a pretty big fan of Joseph Gordon Levitt, not only do i think he does really good work, but i think he is really smart about the projects that he gets involved with.  The chemistry between him and Lynn Collins is pretty great in my opinion.

i also enjoyed this movie because i adore New York City, and it really makes you feel close to the city, not only through it's cinematography, but also through nuances that come from journeying through the city.  i.e. sitting on the steps of union square, or getting really annoyed when your metro-card fails to swipe at a particularly bad time.  This movie takes care of the details pretty well.  so yeah.
this one is a Netflix instant.

also.  Just because i can, the brooklyn bridge and the george washington bridge play central roles in this. i just so happened to walk the brooklyn bridge for the first time a few weeks ago while looking for an apartment... so i'm shouting out to myself.  But, i figure no one reads this anyway so who am i gonna offend?

Brooklyn Bridge

"What a mystery of this world, one day you love them and the next day you want to kill them a thousand times over."

This is what i watched tonight.  Excellent movie suggested by one of my favorite people.  i have always been a huge fan of Pan's Labrynth, this movie falls very much in the same genre.  it is directed by Tarsem Singh who also did This.  Tarsem proves himself to be a master of visual storytelling and uses a design style that is reminiscent of a Salvador Dali painting.  i am a big fan of arts being sampled across mediums and it's done very well in this film.

"Face of Mae West Which May Be Used As An Apartment" 

 Salvador Dali

While Tarsem has mastered the fantasy aspect of this story, the realist side is almost on the same level.  Strong performances and storytelling (no pun intended) by Lee Pace and the most adorable little girl in the world, Catinca Untaru (she's romanian).  These two actors pick up a story that starts slower than it's fantastical counterpart, but once it gets rolling it does nothing but gain momentum.  

A wonderful story that's worth checking out at least once if not multiple times.

Here is a better seller than i am.

it's a Netflix Instant play as well.

Brownie points if you can find all the references to artists... 

(like this one)

The Man With the Bowler Hat

Rene Magritte

Enjoy!

"The Uncertainty Principle. It proves we can't ever really know... what's going on. So it shouldn't bother you. Not being able to figure anything out."

This is what i watched tonight.  The title is a quote by the films main character, Larry Gopnik, and it pretty much sums up the way i feel about the movie.  i Couldn't really figure anything out.  This was nominated for a best picture Oscar?  i don't understand that either.  it Was directed by these guys: 

That's right it's the Coen Brothers.  Remember The Big Lebowski?  Remember Fargo?  Remember O Brother Where Art Thou?  Do you think they do?  i feel like they are moving further and further away from those almost mythological story lines that they once created.  in Fact this one, to me, borders on mundane, and at some points i felt like i was missing the comedy because i wasn't jewish.  Exclusion leads to investigation, investigation leads to enlightenment... right?

While i wasn't a huge fan of this movie, i find that everything the Coen brothers have done recently can be described in a 6 step process.  Step 1: i watch it.  Step 2: i am not impressed. Step 3: i forget about it completely.  Step 4: one day somewhere down the road i realize what the movie was really about.  Step 5: i watch the movie again.  Step 6: i am thoroughly impressed.  i guess time will tell if this process is going to continue.

i have always thought the Coen brothers were kind of smug.  But when you really think about it.  if i set out to be thought provoking to the masses... and i succeeded, i suppose i would be smug as well.  Somewhere the Coen brothers are laughing at all of us for reading so much into every move they make.

*on a side note i have now seen all ten oscar nominated movies from 2009 (finally).  i agree with the result.

Oh, and one last parting nod to Ethan and Joel Coen.  i am pretty excited about this.

... maybe i should go as Ethan Coen for Halloween this year.

"That's What This Nation Has Been Built on, Proud Men."

That's what i watched tonight.  INCREDIBLE movie.  i Was originally introduced to this movie a year ago by a friend of mine.  The first time i watched it i was sucked into the film by the gritty feel and shock of the storyline.  The second time around it was a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack that caught my attention punctuated by tracks from Gravenhurst (called: Nicole) and a cover of Please Let Me Get What i Want by Grayhill.  The acting in the film was also particularly brilliant considering it was a very young cast.  For me the three standouts were: Thomas Turgoose (Shaun), Joseph Gilgun (Woody) and the actor who put his fingers on the pulse of this film, Stephen Graham (Combo).

Stephen Graham

Recognize him?  He was Babyface Nelson in Public Enemies, He was one of the original Easy Company officers in Band of Brothers, and most recently he's on HBO's Boardwalk Empire, as a young Al Capone.  The dude is on point in this film.  So check it out.  I'd probably go 7.5/10 for it.

If i can't sell you on it check this out:

This is England: Trailer

Or this

This is England: Clip

This is also a Netflix InstantPlay if you are a member so... Get on it.

(Written and Directed by: Shane Meadows.)

Company Credits

Also Watched: 12 and Holding.  Independent Film, interesting but pretty flawed.  Worth checking out though for Jeremy Renner's supporting role before he blew up.  Also the two sub-plots are for more captivating than the main plot.

Enjoy.