Ray Stevenson as the Irishman who just will not die! This mafia flick looks to be influenced more by seventies exploitation films than it is by the Godfather, Goodfellas, etc. Kill the Irishman gets bonus points in my books for the hilarious moustache that Stevenson is rocking in this film.
Rio
So after two films this year featured talking owls, Hollywood has moved on to macaws. Sadly pigeons continue to get the shaft. Keep the hope alive Goodfeathers, your day will come.
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.
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).
Movie Marketing Monday looks at the movie trailers and/or posters that caught my eye recently.
Knight & Day
Mr. & Mrs. Smith this film is not. Regardless Tom Cruise back in action mode, and Cameron Diaz back in comedy mode, is a good start.
Solitary Man
Michael Douglas seems to be making a huge comeback with Wall Street and Solitary Man coming out within months of each other. This film has a Wonder Boys vibe to it, which is not a bad thing at all. Love the casting for this one.
One of the hazards with being a movie lover is that you often end up watching more films than you really should. After a while you see the same themes being played out over and over that you start to judge certain films harsher than others. I remember getting into a debate with someone over my thoughts about the movie G.I. Joe. During the discussion the person remarked that I was "being too critical" to which I responded "we are all critical, how else do you know if you like something or not?" Needless to say this took the debate to a whole other philosophical level. I knew what the person was trying to get at though. Basically he was saying that I was unable to simply sit back and enjoy a movie as pure mindless entertainment. Which I completely disagree with; I think we all, film buff or not, have a personal gauge for what films we find pleasing or not. How else would we find ourselves in discussions on the merits of G.I. Joe?
The point is there are some movies that I liked for no other reason than I had a blast watching it. It just happens that what I often consider enjoyable fluff others are not too fond and vice versa. One example this in 2009 is the movie vengeance flick, Taken. There is no deep statement being made, no scorching acting performances, etc. Taken is simply two hours of watching Liam Neeson physically going to town on a bunch of really evil dudes. I know many panned the film but I cannot deny that I had a great time watching it and will probably add it to my DVD collection at some point. Another film that falls into that same "guilty pleasure" category for me is Ruben Fleischer's Zombieland.
After a tainted hamburger sets off a series of events that turns the bulk of the world population into zombies, society is reduced to nothing more than a survival of the fittest mentality. Luckily, Columbus (Jessie Eisenberg) has come up with a series of strict rules which believes are key to ensuring longevity during the zombie epidemic. Along his travels Columbus encounters Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), a man who cares more about killing zombies in creative ways than he does about following anything resembling structure. The two unlikely drifters decide to team up but soon find out that working together has its equal share of advantages and problems. One of the problems comes in the forms of siblings Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Brislen). Not only does the arrival of these sisters threaten to hinder Columbus and Tallahassee's budding friendship, but it also may cost the men their lives.
Zombieland may not be as strong a film as fellow zombie comedy Shaun of the Dead but it was funny nonetheless. This is one of the few films I have seen in recent years where I actually would not mind seeing a sequel made. Normally I am against unnecessary sequels, or prequels for that matter, but Zombieland’s brisk pacing really left me wanting more. Plus, Columbus' list of rules can easily be expanded if they were to make a future installment. The thing I really enjoyed about the various rules was how practical, and simple, they all were. Part of the fun of this movie is picturing how you would cope in that situation. At first the seat belt rule seems silly but, once you see it in practice, you quickly realize how brilliant it actually is.
Sure I found the whole amusement park finale extremely far fetch, but I was having so much fun up until that point that I was willing to let it slide. If you really think about it, Zombieland is nothing more than witty pop culture references and creative zombie deaths. Yet that was enough to keep me both engaged and laughing. I will not try and give a highbrow spin on the movie because it is not deep at all, although it tries to be at one point. The whole no man is his on island theme regarding family worked much better in the films such as About a Boy. Regardless, Zombieland was a true guilty pleasure for me and I look forward a trip back sometime soon.
