Its that time of year again so you all know the drill...
Here's a little list of what I've been listening to and what I deem as my favorite records of the year.
Overall it was a pretty solid year for music, with a bunch of artists finally having their breakout records, and some old favorites remind us again why we loved them in the first place. Also, there was a new Tom Waits record, which...you know, is always good.
The records are in no real order unless noted otherwise.
Top Ten
Bon Iver, Bon Iver (Favorite record of the year)
Wye Oak- Civilian
Yuck- Yuck
Tom Waits- Bad as Me
m83- Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
The War on Drugs- Slave Ambient
Childish Gambino- Camp
Future Islands- On the Water
Wild Beasts- Smother
Kurt Vile- Smoke Ring for My Halo
11-20
Wild Flag- Wild Flag
Iron & Wine- Kiss Each Other Clean
Beirut- The Riptide
James Blake- James Blake
The Antlers- Burst Apart
Kanye West & Jay-Z- Watch the Throne
Girls- Father, Son, Holy Ghost
TV on the Radio- Nine Types of Light
Feist- Metals
Fleet Foxes- Helplessness Blues
Favorite Song of the Year: Civilian by Wye Oak
Favorite Non-albums: Pearl Jam 20 Soundtrack, Drive Soundtrack
Lots of great music came out this year, if you have a moment and need some new tunes--any of the above should do the trick!
Friday, December 2, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
What We Feel When We Go To The Movies...
Last night I was involved in a conversation with family about how we all look at movies and then, in turn, how they affect us. The typical inaccurate stereotypes were thrown around "Men can't understand this...","Women aren't entertained by that..." and of course "You'll understand when you're older." All of which, of course, are wildly inaccurate blanket statements that simply are not true. Not about men, not about women, not about young people, and not about older people. But perhaps the more interesting part came when my mother-in-law said (and I'm paraphrasing a bit) "David looks at things from an artistic standpoint, direction, writing, angles...at least from what I have read on facebook."
At the moment the comment didnt really bother me. In the context of the conversation, she was saying that the way I percieve violence and language in film is from an artistic standpoint and not a parental one--which is certainly true. I am not a parent therefore I watch films for my own enjoyment and entertainment--not to screen them for children (although I do think I could do it if you asked me to). And while I may be more careful about what I bring into the house when a young David or a young Lia is in the house, I would like to think that my fundamental beliefs on movies and music will not be changed when that day (far off as it is) may come.
But it got me to thinking about how I, and in turn we as a people, look at movies. Do I look at films differently than other people? My first instinct was to say Yes, of course, I've taken film classes, I know more about the way a film is made than the average person on the street. But what exactly does that mean? Just because I know a little bit more about how a film is made than the average person doesn't mean that my film-going experience is different than other people (also, that was quite the conceited thought you just had there, self, cool your jets). Are cinephiles so caught up in the technical aspects of films that we can't look at films in any other way? Of course not. In fact, I think it is impossible for anyone to step foot in a theater and not watch a film from a personal, emotional, or cultural standpoint. It is impossible not to take a film and look at how aspects relate to us or affect us. Movies do this to us without us even knowing (at least good movies do this to us without even knowing).The basic question, and the reason why we as a people love going to movies is because in some way or another we have an emotional or cognitive response to what is happening on screen. We all feel movies.
For instance, last year Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan was released. It was a wonderfully made film, superbly acted, and impeccably written. However, and this is not necessarily a knock on the film as I think it was intentional by the filmmakers, it left me emotionally cold. I understood and could see why it was a well made movie based on what was happening on the screen, and I certainly went home and had long conversations about it with my wife and my friends--yet I cannot say that the film affected me emotionally. Black Swan was a much more cognitive film. It was a thinking film and really is meant to be a head-trip rather than an emotional journey--which it succeeds wildly in being.
Now, on the other end of the spectrum, Aronofky's film The Wrestler (an equally well made film) does not have the trippy psychological plot that Black Swan has. However, it is very similar. It is about a physical performer, who loves his craft so much he is willing to give anything to it. A rather basic premise, yet it is one that The Wrestler and Black Swan share, perhaps on purpose. What makes the films different is how we relate to what is on screen. The Wrestler is much more of an emotional journey than Black Swan is. Perhaps because while Black Swan was very much a journey into the head of it's main character, The Wrestler is very much a journey into the heart of it's protagonist.
We all bring our own baggage with us into the movie theater. However our baggage does not necessarily mean that we are able to comprehend a film more-so or less-so than others. Say a person does not come from a broken home and watches the film Kramer vs. Kramer. Is he or she still able to understand the emotional complications of the film? Of course they are. Of course they can see the hardships and feel the heartache. Why? Because it is a well-made effective movie. The only difference between a person watching the film who has come from a broken home and a person who hasn't is one will be able to say: yes, that is an accurate portrayal and that is how it feels. They both feel what is on the screen, one just might be able to say whether or not it was they way it was for them.
Movies are a part of our culture for good reason.They connect us. They bridge the gaps that are created by life and help us to understand each other better. This is not only true about film, but any kind of craft.So, I guess in a way, we all look at film from a technical and artistic standpoint--we just don't necessarily realize it.
At the moment the comment didnt really bother me. In the context of the conversation, she was saying that the way I percieve violence and language in film is from an artistic standpoint and not a parental one--which is certainly true. I am not a parent therefore I watch films for my own enjoyment and entertainment--not to screen them for children (although I do think I could do it if you asked me to). And while I may be more careful about what I bring into the house when a young David or a young Lia is in the house, I would like to think that my fundamental beliefs on movies and music will not be changed when that day (far off as it is) may come.
But it got me to thinking about how I, and in turn we as a people, look at movies. Do I look at films differently than other people? My first instinct was to say Yes, of course, I've taken film classes, I know more about the way a film is made than the average person on the street. But what exactly does that mean? Just because I know a little bit more about how a film is made than the average person doesn't mean that my film-going experience is different than other people (also, that was quite the conceited thought you just had there, self, cool your jets). Are cinephiles so caught up in the technical aspects of films that we can't look at films in any other way? Of course not. In fact, I think it is impossible for anyone to step foot in a theater and not watch a film from a personal, emotional, or cultural standpoint. It is impossible not to take a film and look at how aspects relate to us or affect us. Movies do this to us without us even knowing (at least good movies do this to us without even knowing).The basic question, and the reason why we as a people love going to movies is because in some way or another we have an emotional or cognitive response to what is happening on screen. We all feel movies.
For instance, last year Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan was released. It was a wonderfully made film, superbly acted, and impeccably written. However, and this is not necessarily a knock on the film as I think it was intentional by the filmmakers, it left me emotionally cold. I understood and could see why it was a well made movie based on what was happening on the screen, and I certainly went home and had long conversations about it with my wife and my friends--yet I cannot say that the film affected me emotionally. Black Swan was a much more cognitive film. It was a thinking film and really is meant to be a head-trip rather than an emotional journey--which it succeeds wildly in being.
Now, on the other end of the spectrum, Aronofky's film The Wrestler (an equally well made film) does not have the trippy psychological plot that Black Swan has. However, it is very similar. It is about a physical performer, who loves his craft so much he is willing to give anything to it. A rather basic premise, yet it is one that The Wrestler and Black Swan share, perhaps on purpose. What makes the films different is how we relate to what is on screen. The Wrestler is much more of an emotional journey than Black Swan is. Perhaps because while Black Swan was very much a journey into the head of it's main character, The Wrestler is very much a journey into the heart of it's protagonist.
We all bring our own baggage with us into the movie theater. However our baggage does not necessarily mean that we are able to comprehend a film more-so or less-so than others. Say a person does not come from a broken home and watches the film Kramer vs. Kramer. Is he or she still able to understand the emotional complications of the film? Of course they are. Of course they can see the hardships and feel the heartache. Why? Because it is a well-made effective movie. The only difference between a person watching the film who has come from a broken home and a person who hasn't is one will be able to say: yes, that is an accurate portrayal and that is how it feels. They both feel what is on the screen, one just might be able to say whether or not it was they way it was for them.
Movies are a part of our culture for good reason.They connect us. They bridge the gaps that are created by life and help us to understand each other better. This is not only true about film, but any kind of craft.So, I guess in a way, we all look at film from a technical and artistic standpoint--we just don't necessarily realize it.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Paris, Texas: A Love Affair Between A Boy And A Movie...And A Boy And A Girl
I stumbled upon Paris, Texas in a bit of a peculiar way. I was bored one night and I was watching interviews with my favorite musicians, in this case The Hold Steady. The bassist listed his favorite films, two of which I loved (A History of Violence (2005) and Videodrome (1983)). Then he mentioned that his favorite film was Paris, Texas, so I casually put it at the top of my netflix queue. When it came in the mail, I invited this girl, Lia (you all know the one) over to my apartment to watch it. We had planned to watch the movie in my living room, but alas, my roommate Quinn was watching Alien 3 (1992), so Lia and I had to change to my bedroom. If this sounds like a sly trick, you would be wrong.
Let me take the time to explain what consisted of my apartment bedroom. There was a mattress on the floor in the corner, a dog house with a two year-old Dalmatian-Lab mix inside, a desk with a crappy laptop, and a crappy TV sitting on a barely standing crappy table, oh and a beach chair. Not exactly ideal conditions for wooing. We started the film, regardless the conditions, as well as my dog's insistence that she lay on the bed and watch as well.
We were transfixed, something in the film clicked in both me and Lia's brains. We both got it and talked all night (after she went home of course) about what we loved about it.
Today, Lia and I are married, and we have two copies of Paris, Texas, one on DVD and one on Blu-Ray. It truly has become a part of our lives. I've always felt that art can change you. And I mean this in the most literal sense. What if we had watched the film in the living room, perhaps a better, but certainly less intimate location? What if I had never caught the interview with the bassist from The Hold Steady? Would our lives be the same? Maybe, but who knows. I always thought the connections we make through movies are important, I just never thought (though maybe I should have) that they would lead me to the most beautiful and important person in my life.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Favorite Flicks of 2010
I'm a little late on posting this one--mainly because of the late surge of really great movies. It really turned out to be a great year for cinema. Things were looking rather dismal mid-year, but then awards season kicked in and we got a flurry of really great stuff. Here are my favorites (in no real order as usual):
The Social Network
127 Hours
The Fighter
Toy Story 3
Black Swan
The King's Speech
Inception
The Town
Never Let Me Go
Shutter Island
Best Direction: David Fincher for The Social Network
Best Writing: Aaron Sorkin for The Social Network
Most Underrated Movie: Tie, Never Let Me Go and Shutter Island
Most Overrated Movie: The Kids Are All Right (I thought it was a good movie, just didnt understand the hype)
Worst Movie: Sex and the City 2 (only because I was too scared to see The Last Airbender)
Best Cinematography: True Grit
Best Original Score: The Social Network
Best Documentary: Restrepo
If you havent seen these films, all of them are worth checking out (except, of course, the worst movie of the year). Here's to another great year of cinema!!
The Social Network
127 Hours
The Fighter
Toy Story 3
Black Swan
The King's Speech
Inception
The Town
Never Let Me Go
Shutter Island
Best Direction: David Fincher for The Social Network
Best Writing: Aaron Sorkin for The Social Network
Most Underrated Movie: Tie, Never Let Me Go and Shutter Island
Most Overrated Movie: The Kids Are All Right (I thought it was a good movie, just didnt understand the hype)
Worst Movie: Sex and the City 2 (only because I was too scared to see The Last Airbender)
Best Cinematography: True Grit
Best Original Score: The Social Network
Best Documentary: Restrepo
If you havent seen these films, all of them are worth checking out (except, of course, the worst movie of the year). Here's to another great year of cinema!!
Thursday, December 9, 2010
My Favorite Records of 2010
If you haven't gotten a chance to listen to any one of the albums off this list I suggest you get to the nearest record store pronto. 2010 has been one of the best years in music in a looooong time.
1) Kanye West- My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
2) Arcade Fire- The Suburbs
3) Janelle Monae- The ArchAndroid
4) The National- High Violet
5) The Tallest Man on Earth- The Wild Hunt
6) Beach House- Teen Dream
7) Local Natives- Gorilla Manor
8) Max Richter- Infra
9) The Walkmen- Lisbon
10) Best Coast- Crazy For You
11) Sleigh Bells- Treats
12) Big Boi- Sir Luscious Leftfoot: The Son of Chico Dusty
13) Deerhunter- Halcyon Digest
14) Wild Nothing- Gemini
15) Joanna Newsome- Have One On Me
16) Cee Lo Green- The Lady Killer
17) LCD Soundsystem- This Is Happening
18) The Roots- How I Got Over
19) Sufjan Stevens- The Age of Adz
20) Spoon- Transference
21) No Age- Everything In Between
22) Broken Social Scene- Forgiveness Rock Record
23) Sun Kil Moon- Admiral Fell Promises
24) Four Tet- There Is Love In You
25) Band of Horses- Infinite Arms
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
5-10-15-20
One of my favorite articles on the ever-pretentious Pitchforkmedia.com is th "5-10-15-20" features where they have artists write a little blurb about music that they were into when they were ages 5, 10, 15, and 20. I always think it's interesting and I try to find out whether the person is lying or not. If there are no embarrassing album choices--then the person is obviously lying. Anyways, I thought it would be fun to do it for myself so here we go...
Age 5: The Beach Boys- Greatest Hits
Probably the first CD I was ever given as a kid. I'm not really sure why my parents gave the record to me as I realized when I got older that neither of them were that into the beach boys. I guess they just figured that because I lived at the beach it would be a good thing to bring me up on the Beach Boys. Who knows? Regardless it was a pretty good choice. Also, I may be lying about my age on this one, it's simply the first CD I remember actually having. But it's my blog, So I make up the rules so I say it counts. Also, when I have a five-year-old I'm gonna make sure he or she's able to sing both Beach Boys and The Clash--or I'm not letting him or her go to kindergarten.
Age 10: David Bowie- Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
This is on here for one specific reason. We used to take yearly trips to visit my Dad's family in Pittsburgh, PA. From Wilmington, NC that's about a 8 hour trip. My Dad used to have this zip-locked box of CDs that he would bring to listen to on the trip. We would listen to this CD at LEAST three or four times each way. Also, an honorable mention goes to Welcome to My Nightmare by Alice Cooper for the same reason. My Dad never really sheltered me from music--I owe him a lot for that.
Age 15: Dashboard Confessional- The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most
What, you thought I was going to lie about an actual album on here? Everyone has that guilty pleasure album, the one that "got you through those painful blah blah blah." I'm not gonna lie, I jammed to this CD. My parents and siblings cringed, I just turned up the dial. Now I look back and laugh (and shake my head). Good (hilarious) times. But I will admit, these tunes were MILES ahead of what is spewing out of speakers these days. I mean Owl City? Please. At least Dashboard was honest. Even if it was embarrassingly so.
Age 20: The Hold Steady- Boys and Girls In America
Lots of great stuff came out in 2006, TV on the Radio, Band of Horses, Yo La Tengo etc. But this cd was the one that was on constant rotation in my car. What can I say? I was in the throws of college, having a blast, finding out who I was going to be, and of course, meeting the woman I would spend the rest of my life with. Boys and Girls in America always reminds me of my wife and those early days when we were getting to know each other. We would go to rock concerts 3 hours away on weeknights, make eachother mix CDs, and stay up way to late watching movies. Little did we know four years later we would be here.
*Also, I'd like to note that this was the CD I listened to on the way to my wedding. I told my best-friend Kyle to pick whatever he wanted and this was what he chose. Coincidence?
Next year I'll be turning 25 (!!!) which is crazy for me to even think, let alone type. Music has and will always have a pretty big impact on my life. I can't wait to see what kind of impact it has on me in the future. I can only imagine it will be comparable to my past.
I can only hope.
Age 5: The Beach Boys- Greatest Hits
Probably the first CD I was ever given as a kid. I'm not really sure why my parents gave the record to me as I realized when I got older that neither of them were that into the beach boys. I guess they just figured that because I lived at the beach it would be a good thing to bring me up on the Beach Boys. Who knows? Regardless it was a pretty good choice. Also, I may be lying about my age on this one, it's simply the first CD I remember actually having. But it's my blog, So I make up the rules so I say it counts. Also, when I have a five-year-old I'm gonna make sure he or she's able to sing both Beach Boys and The Clash--or I'm not letting him or her go to kindergarten.
Age 10: David Bowie- Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
This is on here for one specific reason. We used to take yearly trips to visit my Dad's family in Pittsburgh, PA. From Wilmington, NC that's about a 8 hour trip. My Dad used to have this zip-locked box of CDs that he would bring to listen to on the trip. We would listen to this CD at LEAST three or four times each way. Also, an honorable mention goes to Welcome to My Nightmare by Alice Cooper for the same reason. My Dad never really sheltered me from music--I owe him a lot for that.
Age 15: Dashboard Confessional- The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most
What, you thought I was going to lie about an actual album on here? Everyone has that guilty pleasure album, the one that "got you through those painful blah blah blah." I'm not gonna lie, I jammed to this CD. My parents and siblings cringed, I just turned up the dial. Now I look back and laugh (and shake my head). Good (hilarious) times. But I will admit, these tunes were MILES ahead of what is spewing out of speakers these days. I mean Owl City? Please. At least Dashboard was honest. Even if it was embarrassingly so.
Age 20: The Hold Steady- Boys and Girls In America
Lots of great stuff came out in 2006, TV on the Radio, Band of Horses, Yo La Tengo etc. But this cd was the one that was on constant rotation in my car. What can I say? I was in the throws of college, having a blast, finding out who I was going to be, and of course, meeting the woman I would spend the rest of my life with. Boys and Girls in America always reminds me of my wife and those early days when we were getting to know each other. We would go to rock concerts 3 hours away on weeknights, make eachother mix CDs, and stay up way to late watching movies. Little did we know four years later we would be here.
*Also, I'd like to note that this was the CD I listened to on the way to my wedding. I told my best-friend Kyle to pick whatever he wanted and this was what he chose. Coincidence?
Next year I'll be turning 25 (!!!) which is crazy for me to even think, let alone type. Music has and will always have a pretty big impact on my life. I can't wait to see what kind of impact it has on me in the future. I can only imagine it will be comparable to my past.
I can only hope.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
America's Better Angels.
Today in this country I see newsreels about people throwing rocks at teenage girls who walk into abortion clinics, bullies videotaping closeted teens having sex to humiliate them, and bigots advocating Iranian planes to fly into muslim community centers. I get called un-American because I support more federal funding for the education system and because I don't think it should be ok for someone to have to wait only 5 minutes to buy an assault rifle. It angers me that in a country where we've made so much progress that there are people who are literally trying to make "progressive" a dirty word. All in the name of protecting the constitution of course. Which leads me to todays news about Byron Williams who, inspired by Glenn Beck, took to the streets armed with a 9mm handgun, a shotgun and a .380 caliber rifle, to start a revolution by shooting up the ACLU (yes the American Civil Liberties Union, the "evil" organization designed to make sure that people's constitutional rights are protected). Apparently there are people in this country who love our constitution so much, that they would hunt down and kill the people who actually make a profession out of protecting it. So glad you can contribute to our political landscape Beck, really, I am.
The thing that baffles me about right-wing politics today is how backwards their views are. "We want small government, but we'll allow you to wiretap our phones in the name of security. We want government out of our financial lives, but we want it throughout our personal ones." Sometime you just can't help but shake your head.
But I can look into their faces with clear eyes and a full heart and say "I've beaten you."
I disagree whole-heartedly with everything that the Tea-Party and the extreme-right stand for, but I've beaten them and they don't even know it. I believe in the freedom of speech. I have the right to disagree with everything they say, but I will fight to the death for their right to say what they think. That is what people on the right can never understand. It's what America is all about, what it's always been about. To quote Aaron Sorkin: "America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say 'You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours. You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country can't just be a flag; the symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then, you can stand up and sing about the 'land of the free'."
There are millions of people around the world who disagree with everything that I think and that I say, but as long as we have the ability to say them, as long as we have the ability to think them, we can call ourselves Americans. America was founded on stories of greatness, of people who faced overwhelming odds and overcame them, not just for the good of the country but for the good of the people. America was shaped by people like Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, Martin Luther King Jr., and John F Kennedy. These people gave us hope for tomorrow, they believed in our better angels during times when it looked as though we would break.
I believe in America's better angels.
To quote Sorkin again: "Every time we think we have measured our capacity to meet a challenge, we look up and we're reminded that that capacity may well be limitless. This is a time for American heroes. We will do what is hard. We will achieve what is great. This is a time for American heroes and we reach for the stars."
The thing that baffles me about right-wing politics today is how backwards their views are. "We want small government, but we'll allow you to wiretap our phones in the name of security. We want government out of our financial lives, but we want it throughout our personal ones." Sometime you just can't help but shake your head.
But I can look into their faces with clear eyes and a full heart and say "I've beaten you."
I disagree whole-heartedly with everything that the Tea-Party and the extreme-right stand for, but I've beaten them and they don't even know it. I believe in the freedom of speech. I have the right to disagree with everything they say, but I will fight to the death for their right to say what they think. That is what people on the right can never understand. It's what America is all about, what it's always been about. To quote Aaron Sorkin: "America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say 'You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours. You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country can't just be a flag; the symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then, you can stand up and sing about the 'land of the free'."
There are millions of people around the world who disagree with everything that I think and that I say, but as long as we have the ability to say them, as long as we have the ability to think them, we can call ourselves Americans. America was founded on stories of greatness, of people who faced overwhelming odds and overcame them, not just for the good of the country but for the good of the people. America was shaped by people like Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, Martin Luther King Jr., and John F Kennedy. These people gave us hope for tomorrow, they believed in our better angels during times when it looked as though we would break.
I believe in America's better angels.
To quote Sorkin again: "Every time we think we have measured our capacity to meet a challenge, we look up and we're reminded that that capacity may well be limitless. This is a time for American heroes. We will do what is hard. We will achieve what is great. This is a time for American heroes and we reach for the stars."
Monday, October 4, 2010
Film Review: The Social Network
The Social Network is the type of movie that needs to be seen twice to fully comprehend the beauty in it's intricacy. The movie moves at such a break-neck pace that it grabs you by the neck from the excellent opening sequence and doesn't let go until the credits role. People are calling it the movie that defines our generation. I have a hard time arguing with that statement, because it is half a good thing and half a bad thing.
Let's face it. We are pretty clever. In a world where information is spewed into our brains at a seemingly infinite rate, people "our age" have kept up with it pretty well. Those at the forefront of innovation are getting younger every day. One of Obama's head speechwriters during the campaign was in his early twenties. Matt Mullenweig created the website known as Wordpress which has capitalized on the blogging craze (which if you ask me has only enhanced the potency of the "written" word). And of course there is the central character in "The Social Network," Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of facebook.
The film doesn't paint Zuckerberg in a positive light. It doesn't paint him in a negative light either. He's simply smug and narcissistic (we get this from the fantastic opening scene), which I feel are attributes one could attribute to most young people. The Social Network shows what it takes these days, warts and all, to become the youngest billionaire in the world. Sure the movie is a fictionalization of the real events, but the meat is still there. The law suits, the backstabbing, the excitement, the disappointment. It's just written in a more allegorical way that makes the story about more than just the creation of facebook.
Which brings me to what is one of the strongest aspects of the film, its script. The film is written so tightly, so intelligently, that the next thing Aaron Sorkin will be writing is his Oscar speech. It has Sorkin's signature style, blazing fast and impossibly witty, framed in a story that only Shakespeare could have made up. The writing never talks down to the viewer, expecting the audience to keep up as Zuckerberg spits all kinds of computer lingo in the opening 20 minutes. It all goes over our heads--and it's supposed to. Sorkin wants us to understand how smart Zuckerberg is. To take the time to explain in arduous detail what Zuckerberg was doing would only have taken us out of the moment, not to mention bored our eyes out (though i suspect that if there is one writer who could have pulled it off it may indeed be Aaron Sorkin).
The acting is flawless, with both Jesse Eisenberg (who plays Zuckerberg) and Andrew Garfield (who plays his best friend Eduardo Saverin) turning in Oscar-worthy performances. The chemistry between these two is fantastic, you see their friendship in their eyes and their body language, which only makes the film's events that much more powerful. Justin Timberlake is perfectly cast as the devilish Sean Parker, who gives a similar performance to that of Peter Saarsgard in An Education. He plays someone so slick, so charming, that it is tough not realize his real motives.
And lastly we have the masterful direction of David Fincher. What I loved most about Fincher's direction is that the director seemed to play it cool. Known for his innovative special effects and flashy sequences, the stylish director only uses the special effects when necessary, and usually they are so seamless that the audience has no idea that it's even happening (which of course is the best kind). For instance the Winklevoss twins are played by one person, Armie Hammer (another stand-out performance), and through the use of camera tricks and special effects goes completely unnoticed. Fincher pulls fantastic performances out of the young actors, let's the writing do the talking, and paces the film perfectly. That is what a director is supposed to do. Bring everything together and make sure it is all working toward his overall vision. With a resume that includes films like Se7en, The Curious Case of Benjiman Button, Zodiac, and Fight Club, to say his latest film is his best may come with some speculation. But nonetheless, The Social Network is Fincher's most focused, most concise, and overall best movie yet.
The Social Network defines a generation. It show how we are different from any other generation before us. But perhaps the real crux of the movie is the revelation that as much as the world changes, and as much as we change with it, human ambition is and will always be an amazing, beautiful, dangerous, and at times dirty thing.
Don't hesitate to stand in line for this one.
5 out of 5 stars.
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