Which is Better?

Quentin Tarantino

sample films:

Pulp Fiction
Inglourious Basterds
Kill Bill vol.1
Reservoir Dogs
Death Proof
Jackie Brown
Kill Bill vol.2
Four Rooms (“The Man From Hollywood” segment)

or

David Fincher

10 sample films:

Fight Club
The Social Network
Zodiac
The Game
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Panic Room
Se7en
Aliens 3

Which do you prefer? Let me know in the comments section

The Social Network Makes Stalking Acceptable

The Social Network

David Fincher’s latest film, The Social Network has been called both a “masterpiece” and “the film that defines a generation.”  Once you get pass the initial hype, and the tendency for critics and bloggers to go gaga over everything Fincher touches, it becomes clear that these associations are not quite true.  While The Social Network is one of the better films to hit theatres this year, it is the Facebook application itself and not the movie that will be remembered in the history books.

After being dumped by his girlfriend Erica Albright (Rooney Mara), Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) takes to his blog and trashes her character over cyberspace.  This leads to the idea of creating a website that allows students to rank all of the female students on campus.  An instant hit amongst the students, Mark’s program end ups crashing the Harvard computer system.  While this raises the ire of both the school faculty and the female students, it also brings Mark to the attention of twin brothers Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss (both played by Armie Hammer).  The Winklevoss twins approach Zuckerberg about creating a Havard version of MySpace.  Although Zuckerberg agrees to help them with their project, Zuckerberg ends up working on his own website, The Facebook, with the aid of his best friend Eduardo (Andrew Garfield).  Soon The Facebook becomes a global hit and Zuckerberg not only finds himself meeting the likes of Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake), the brains behind Napster, but also finds himself in the middle of multiple lawsuits.

While the film looks at the creation of Facebook, The Social Network is a legal drama first and foremost.  The film looks at the question of ownership in today’s society.  In one scene Zuckerberg makes a great point where he questions if someone who makes a nice chair, must they pay everyone who has ever made a chair before them.  Fincher never picks a side on the issue of who actually created Facebook, he merely lets the evidence play out and forces the audience to decide for themselves.

The interesting thing about this movie is that the hero is actually the villain.  Although Zuckerberg is clearly a genius in regards to the way his brain functions, he is far from a likeable person.  He is socially awkward and wants desperately to be a part of everything he despises mainly because it is what the cool people do.  In fact, all the major developments in the film stem from Zuckerberg’s childish habits.  Erica even remarks to Mark, although it could really apply to bloggers as well, that writing crude comments online is what angry people do in the dark.  Although the lawsuits involve millions of dollars, Fincher makes a point to remind us that, at the end of the day, the participants are still immature boys looking to impress the opposite sex.  

The Social Network has more to say about the nature of mixing friendship and business than it actually does about the impact of Facebook on today’s society.  Some of the best moments in the film are found in the tension between Sean and Eduardo.  Sean is the cool kid that Mark wants to be.  Sean not only talks the talk but has the vision and the experience to back it up.  Eduardo on the other hand is the loyal friend whose school taught approach to business limits his imagination in regards to how big Facebook can actually be.

The performances in the film are outstanding.  The Social Network features one of the best works from an ensemble cast you will find all year.  The performances coupled with Aaron Sorkin’s brilliantly written script and David Fincher’s stellar visual eye packs a big punch.   My only knock on the film is that, since it is primarily a legal drama, The Social Network never looks at the effects Zuckerberg’s creation has on society.  The program was designed to bring people together online, yet it is actually alienating people from each other in the real world.  What I mean by this is that people connect less now face to face, as everything from making plans to sharing stories is done online.  It is this reason why I have problems with the whole “the movie defines a generation” chant some are spewing.  It is a great film but not one that really impacts society the way you hope it would.  Still, as far as legal dramas go, The Social Network is one of the best.

Movie Marketing Monday

The Social Network

A simple, and effective, trailer for a movie that focuses on the rise of social networking sites like Facebook. David Fincher is directing this one so it will be much more than a mere "tv movie of the week" type of film.




The Green Hornet

Okay, I rolled my eyes a bit when I saw that this movie was going to be in 3D. Regardless, I really like the casting here. Tom Wilkinson and Christoph Waltz are strong actors; and Jay Chou seems like a good choice for Kato. Plus it looks like the film captures the fun spirit of the old show. The only thing that worries me is that The Green Hornet comes out in January (i.e. studio dumping month).

Top Five Fri…err…Saturday: Robert Downey Jr.

I got home rather late from Iron Man 2 last night so I am posting this a day later than I original anticipated. Anyways since this month’s LAMB Acting School 101 is on Robert Downey Jr., I thought I would look at the top five best and worst films that he was featured in. Look for my thoughts on Iron Man 2 to be up within the week.


The Best:

Chaplin

How he lost the best actor race to Al Pacino at the 1993 Academy Awards is still a mystery to me? Yes Pacino was good in Scent of a Woman, but Downey Jr. not only captured the essence of Charlie Chaplin. He also brought his only original take to the role and provided picture with a greater emotional resonance.






Zodiac

Including Iron Man on to this list would have been too easy. I was tempted to throw either Short Cuts or Wonder Boys in this slot but Downey Jr.’s roles were rather small in the grand scheme of those pictures. Instead I opted to highlight his subtle work in this brilliant, and often underrated, film.  My love for this Fincher flick grows more and more with each viewing.






Two Girls and a Guy

It was a toss-up between this film by James Toback and the flick Heart and Souls for this spot. Both are films that did not find a large audience upon their release, yet they each have a special place in my heart.









Tropic Thunder

Robert Downey Jr. stole this movie! Simple as that.  He took on an extremely risky role and made it memorable in a good way.







Natural Born Killers

Love it or hate it chances are you could not turn away from it. Oliver Stone’s ultraviolent look at the impact of media on our society would not have worked if it was not for Downey Jr.’s brazen performance.







The Worst:


Gothika

Even Robert Downey Jr. could not save this leaky ship from sinking. The film had the cast, the director, and a decent premise. Yet all those pieces somehow found a way to produce the least suspenseful thrillers in recent years.







U.S. Marshals

The less said about this movie the better. Another example of Hollywood trying to wring every last dollar out of film, in this case The Fugitive, that was actually good.









Air America

I know Robert Downey Jr. and Mel Gibson are good friends in real life. So I can only assume they had a great time making this particular picture. Too bad I did not have the same level of enjoyment sitting through this awful film.





The Gingerbread Man

Some may question why Soapdish is not on this list? Truth is there is a campy charm to Soapdish that I enjoy. The film is not great, but I still consider it watchable. The Gingerbread Man, on the other hand, is an embarrassment for all involved. It does not even qualify in the "so bad it is good" category.





The Singing Detective

Putting this film in the worst section may be a bit harsh as I actually enjoyed The Singing Detective when I first saw it at TIFF. Unfortunately, the second time I watched this film it dawned on me that TIFF-induced sleep deprivation had played a huge part in my original assessment of this film. I have seen The Singing Detective a few times now and it gets worse with every viewing.