I can’t believe Alice in Wonderland wore more Oscars than Black Swan…that alone shows you how ridiculous this annual spectacle is. Last night were the 83rd annual Oscars and even though it featured some amazing films, it was one of the most boring award shows in years…nothing really happened so if you didn’t get to watch, you didn’t miss much…here’s your recap.
The big winner of the night was The King’s Speech taking home 4 Oscars. It was tied with Inception, but King’s Speech took home the big boys including Actor in a Leading Role, Directing, Best Original Screenplay, and the coveted Best Picture. I can not believe it won all of those…I thought it was nab some, but not all. The biggest upset has got to be Directing…I feel that Darren Aronofsky should have got it for Black Swan and even thought the academy would give it to David Fincher for The Social Network. It’s absurd that Christopher Nolan wasn’t even nominated for Inception. He was nominated for his Original Screenplay which I thought you was a shoe in for, but no…King’s Speech took that one too. I thought The Kids Are All Right also had a chance there but they went home without anything last night…a great overlooked film.
Back to Black Swan. It only won ONE award and that was the most deserved Oscar to Natalie Portman for Actress in a Leading Role…she’s winning Oscars for two now you know 
. You know who won more Oscars than the great Black Swan?? Alice in Wonderland!? What the hell Academy! I understand the argument that they were for Art Direction and Costume Design and when you’re in Tim Burton’s mind…those things are superb but Alice in Wonderland was NOT an academy level film which is the excuse most people give when talking about how TRON: Legacy wasn’t nominated for more. You’re telling me Alice in Wonderland, Hereafter, and Iron Man 2 can be nominated for Visual Effects but not TRON? You’re telling me TRON’s soundtrack by Daft Punk wasn’t award worthy for Original Score? Blasphemy.
Anyway, back to the actual winners. Inception did win a nice amount which it deserve. It took away statues for the twin categories of Sound Editing and Sound Mixing (yes, they’re different but…most people don’t care), Visual Effects, and Cinematography. All three, I mean four, were well deserved. Remember that “dun” sound and flying around in the hotel room? There you go, Oscars. The Fighter picked up 2 statues both in the supporting roles categories. Christian Bale and co-supporting star Melissa Leo both deserved their wins and I’m proud The Fighter got recognized…still a little mad that Mark Whalberg didn’t get recognized for his lead role in the film however but that was a heavily contested category this year as we actress. Know who else won an Oscar? The Wolfman. lol.
Colin Firth won best Actor in a Leading Role and gave a poignant speech but I have to say the best speech of the night was Luke Matheny for his Short Live Action Film, God of Love. You might remember him as the guy with all that hair. The Social Network brought home 3 new friends last night including best Adapted Screenplay, Film Editing, and Original Score. Can’t really complain about those…it was amazing film, I’m just still amazed it didn’t win Best Film or Directing…again King’s Speech took it all away.
Toy Story 3 did well winning 2 Oscars in the continued Pixar animation domination. Not only did it win in award season, but it was the big winner in the box office making more money than any other nominated film. Randy Newman of course won yet again and his speech was great. Did you ever realize how cool of a guy he was while making that shitty music? All I could think of was Family Guy lol. My biggest upset of the night was for Best Documentary. I really wanted Banksy to win for Exit Through The Gift Shop. Not only was it my favorite documentary of the year, it was one of my top 10 of 2010. If you haven’t seen it yet, you really need to check it out. To be honest though, I haven’t got to see Inside Job yet…or Winter’s Bone which are now on my must see list. What are on yours?
So what did you think of this year’s Oscars? I loved Anne Hathaway and her “personal moment” but thought James Franco forgot to show up or was just fed up with the whole Oscar process. Being nominated for an award and a host must have been an excruciating week. He did offer a few good zingers though, like, “Look it up…on the internet” and “alright, congratulations nerds.” No, congratulations to you Mr. Franco. The Oscars tried to target a younger market with these hosts but still cowardly picked the old money movies as big winners. In the end, Sandra Bullock and Steven Spielberg brought the elegance of the Academy Awards back and Kirk Douglas won the night. Oh, and Oprah proves she can still do whatever she wants.
Posts Tagged ‘The Social Network’
2010 Top 10 Movies
Thursday, December 30th, 2010I hate when people ask me what my favorite movie of the year was. Movies are an incredible medium that can be interpreted in an unlimited amount of unique ways. With some films, it’s easy to say that one was better than another…but how can you compare a hilarious comedy to a thrilling drama? Movies touch people on so many different levels that it’s almost impossible to agree on a list of top films. Almost every critic will have a different set, but in the end you start noticing the same movies finding their way to the top. Anyway, without further ado and in no particular order, here are my favorite movies of 2010:
Black Swan. This is an obvious. Darren Aronofsky gave us another glimpse into his creative mind. Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, and Vincent Cassel gave us amazing performances that took us on a roller coaster of emotions. This is probably the best “film” of the year…and when I say film, I mean pure quality and a true example of what the medium can do.
The Fighter. This movie offered a powerful punch in the form of a compelling true life story about family and determination. The movie sneaks up on you and is quite gripping by the end. It’s not just another rise to the top sports film, it’s more about the trials and tribulations that this fighter’s family had to endure and overcome…or get through.
The Social Network. I think everyone can agree that this was a fantastic movie. Based on the story of Mark Zuckerberg and his eventual rise to Time’s Person of the Year via Facebook. Everyone is already on the site so everybody wanted to see how the story unravelled. Surprisingly though, David Fincher signed on to the Aaron Sorkin script and magic was made. It starred Jesse Eisenberg who we won’t hear the last of. He might be the most underrated actor this year and had a slew of great films including Solitary Man and Holy Rollers.
Kick-Ass. Comic book movies are not done and they’re not all for kids…even if they star a kid. This was a great movie showing the shift in times with our generation. Are we desensitized from violence? Does it matter? THIS MOVIE KICKED ASS.
Exit Through The Gift Shop. My jaw was on the floor throughout this whole film…it was amazing. This is the Banksy film which exposed us to the underground culture of street art and Banksy himself. Told in a documentary style, it was hilarious and entertaining. I’m a fan of Banksy, but even if you aren’t, you should definitely check this one out.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. This is the most fun I had in a movie theater all year long. Out of all the movies on this list and of this year, I think this is the one that will have the most influence on film making. It’s a breathe of fresh air that was spot on for the next generation of filmmakers. I think in a decade or two we’re going to see a lot of movies that use this as inspiration.
Splice. You might be surprised to see this on the list as it had a huge divide in acceptance. I enjoyed it tremendously and thought it was a beautiful interpretation of old monster movies told for the current audience. It had a formula and stuck to it while expanding on different undertones like family and the supernatural.
Inception. Now you know this has to be on the list. Just like The Social Network, almost everyone can agree that this was one of the most amazing movies of the year. It had people talking for days, weeks, and months after. With the DVD just coming out, people are still trying to figure out every bit of the story. I thank Christopher Nolan for creating a story and vision that broke from the common Hollywood stereotypes and tell an intelligent story that people could still enjoy. Again, ask yourself…who was the villain?
Pelada. You might have never heard of this film…but now you have and now you need to go find it. It’s the story of two American soccer players who never made it passed college games. They travel the world playing pick up games with different cultures learning the stories of how important the game is to people while answering the one question that has a million answers: “Why do you play?”. …I think there was more crap than good.As you can see I listed 9 movies to see and 9 movies to stay away from…I’ll leave number 10 for you guys, what was your top and bottom movie of 2010?
REVIEW: The Social Network
Wednesday, September 8th, 2010Facebook. Everyone knows about it and almost everybody is on it. To not be a part of it is just as conscious a decision as not to drink water, as it has become just as much a part of society as eating and sleeping. Despite its widespread popularity, however, for most, little is known about its origins, its founders, and how it has become such an institution in our everyday life. Cue Columbia Pictures to bring you The Social Network, the tale of how this social networking phenom implanted itself into the homes of millions of Americans nationwide.
The Social Network’s narrative plays itself out with one main linear story, comprised of flashbacks from two different trial proceedings. The story starts with Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg [Jesse Eisenberg] having a drink and conversation at a small collegiate bar. During a talk about his desire to stand out amongst others in the Harvard community, he belittles various social / educational groups and ultimately, the female friend with whom he is conversing. For his pomposity, she dumps him, and despite his plead for forgiveness, leaves him alone at the bar. Unable to cope with his situation, he gets drunk and blogs about the incident, eventually creating a website to desecrate the entire female population of his school. The site catches the attention of a group of well off, high society students, who entrust him to help them build HarvardConnect, an exclusive online social network that collectively links the students of Harvard to one another. It is the instillation of this idea in Zuckerberg’s head that gets the gears turning towards the invention of The Facebook.
Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg building Facebook
It is here that he starts on what one could argue is a paradoxical ascending downward spiral. With the capital fronted to him by his best friend / business manager Eduardo Saverin [Andew Garfield] & the programming help of his roommate Dustin Moskovitz [Joseph Mazzello], he gets to work on this business venture that sends him on a roller coaster of events including run-ins with fellow students, beautiful co-eds, lawyers, investors, and the highly influential friend / foe Sean Parker [Justin Timberlake.] It’s a journey that is just as enjoyable to watch as it seems would have been to have experienced it first hand.
Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) and Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake) talking over drinks
Where The Social Network succeeds is that it is able to bring to the screen a story that is not only entertaining and informative, but also believable. Too many times, Hollywood takes the story of real life events and twists it to the point that the audience no longer believes that what they are seeing is possible. The Social Network, on the other hand, delivers a story that anybody that has ever attended a college can relate to. Getting drunk at parties, hanging out with your friends in the dorm, and dealing with relationships, it’s all there. Only it tells the story in the context of the creation of Facebook, and given that it’s something that everyone who has ever updated their status wants to know, it makes it all the more stimulating.
In addition to the story itself, a commendation should go to the acting. Somehow director David Fincher was able to extract a superb performance from his entire cast. Ranging from Eisenberg’s portrayal of the pretentious & business minded yet somewhat socially awkward Mark Zuckerberg to Timberlake’s sleazy yet lovable Sean Parker, it seems as though the actors captured all the intricacies of the characters. Even the smaller supporting roles shone through and conveyed the moments of tumultuous emotion with a polish that lent to the overall effectiveness of the film. Everybody on screen seemed to really nail what they were trying to achieve with their roles.
Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) and his roommate Dustin Moskovitz (Joseph Mazzello)
All told, The Social Network a great film. It details the very sequence of events that led to Facebook’s creation and the obstacles that had to be surpassed for it to be as successful as it is today. Above and beyond, however, is that it does this in a manner that seemingly would be enjoyable to the Facebook using demographic. It manages to stay within all the boundaries of being a believable, enjoyable ride that informs while entertaining. I’d definitely suggest this movie to anybody who has ever used (or avoided) the social networking conglomerate known to us all as Facebook.
We will be posting more advance screenings of The Social Network, so keep checking!
