I normally don't blog WHILE watching a film, but this is the only quiet time I've had in weeks, and I wanted to catch up.
I am currently watching "Solitary Man" with Michael Douglas. Only a couple of minutes in, so I don't even have an initial thought yet.
My adapted screenplay sub-challenge (Refer to post "So Much Time on My Hands") is going pretty well. I've read "Never Let Me Go," "Between a Rock and a Hard Place," and am currently in the middle of "Winter's Bone." Beyond all being fascinating stories (one more gripping than others) they all seem to be ripe for translating cinematographically. I am really looking forward to seeing them on the screen, since sometimes my imagination gets a little tired and goes all black and white on my backside.
I'm so glad I challenged myself in this way, though. It's given me the chance to read some great works this year.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Friday, October 22, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Socially Acceptable
Evaluating "The Social Network" is probably one of the most difficult tasks I've ever set out to do. Having zero minutes since seeing it to blog didn't make it any easier. But I've had plenty of time to think, and I have begun to feel that rather than a long-winded explanation, my simple and initial gut-reaction would sum up the film (as I saw it) best.
Everybody wants to belong to something. The harder we try to be a part, the less we fit in. Life and social circles, in my opinion, demand our authentic selves. When we lose ourselves in our quests to fit our square edges into round holes, we find that we arrive right where we began: alone.
I daresay this filter of mine isn't shared by everyone who saw the film. To me, the brilliance of "TSN" is that it elicits thoughtful conversations from folks with as many points of view as there are friends on Facebook. I would love to hear your thoughts on it.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Everybody wants to belong to something. The harder we try to be a part, the less we fit in. Life and social circles, in my opinion, demand our authentic selves. When we lose ourselves in our quests to fit our square edges into round holes, we find that we arrive right where we began: alone.
I daresay this filter of mine isn't shared by everyone who saw the film. To me, the brilliance of "TSN" is that it elicits thoughtful conversations from folks with as many points of view as there are friends on Facebook. I would love to hear your thoughts on it.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Think I'm Goin' Back to Massachusetts
The Bee Gees song keeps running through my head after viewing a couple of Oscar-tracking movies these last few days. Before we get into a discussion about what a dork I am for liking the Bee Gees, let's move on to the film discussion.
First up was "The Town." I didn't want to like this movie, for many reasons I won't go into. The one reason I will state is that I have a rough time viewing a film with an open mind when there is a bit of "over-hype" surrounding it. And in my area, especially, there was some over-hype. Alas, I really liked it. My knee-jerk nutshell description of the work was that it was a cross between "Heat" and "Good Will Hunting," which isn't necessarily a positive description, despite those two movies being high on my list of favorites. Yet the more I discussed the storyline and other aspects with my viewing partner, the more reasons I found to love it. I didn't want to like Ben Affleck, and I really liked him (especially his temporary tattoos). I didn't want to believe Jeremy Renner, but I believed him so much it was startling. Yet thinking of this film in a "Heat" and "Good Will Hunting" framework brings out some of the films negatives: I wasn't rooting for either side (remember being confused in "Heat" about whether to root for DeNiro to get away with it, or Pacino to bring him down?) and I didn't feel satisfied by the leading man's shot at redemption.
Continuing on with the themes "Massachusetts" and "over-hype," I went to see "The Social Network." I found myself in the exact opposite scenario from above as I walked into the theatre for this movie. I really wanted to like it. I really liked the book Accidental Billionaires, the theme is timely (making all of us a part of the film in some distant way), and the story is a classic tale of greed, deception, and the exploration of what makes a relationship valid and how the digital age is transforming the details of that definition. Yet I think I'll have to save a discussion of the film for another post, because as I sit here trying to process it 17 hours later, I am finding there are so many layers and levels to the film that I'm almost not sure HOW I felt about it.
First up was "The Town." I didn't want to like this movie, for many reasons I won't go into. The one reason I will state is that I have a rough time viewing a film with an open mind when there is a bit of "over-hype" surrounding it. And in my area, especially, there was some over-hype. Alas, I really liked it. My knee-jerk nutshell description of the work was that it was a cross between "Heat" and "Good Will Hunting," which isn't necessarily a positive description, despite those two movies being high on my list of favorites. Yet the more I discussed the storyline and other aspects with my viewing partner, the more reasons I found to love it. I didn't want to like Ben Affleck, and I really liked him (especially his temporary tattoos). I didn't want to believe Jeremy Renner, but I believed him so much it was startling. Yet thinking of this film in a "Heat" and "Good Will Hunting" framework brings out some of the films negatives: I wasn't rooting for either side (remember being confused in "Heat" about whether to root for DeNiro to get away with it, or Pacino to bring him down?) and I didn't feel satisfied by the leading man's shot at redemption.
Continuing on with the themes "Massachusetts" and "over-hype," I went to see "The Social Network." I found myself in the exact opposite scenario from above as I walked into the theatre for this movie. I really wanted to like it. I really liked the book Accidental Billionaires, the theme is timely (making all of us a part of the film in some distant way), and the story is a classic tale of greed, deception, and the exploration of what makes a relationship valid and how the digital age is transforming the details of that definition. Yet I think I'll have to save a discussion of the film for another post, because as I sit here trying to process it 17 hours later, I am finding there are so many layers and levels to the film that I'm almost not sure HOW I felt about it.
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