Evidence and Processing: The Social Network and Computer Chess

       “This is our time!” screams Justin Timberlake at a pertinent moment in The Social Network, a moment meaningful within the context of the film, but also a moment many viewers latched onto for perhaps the wrong reasons. Do a Google search of reviews and think pieces and you’ll find countless words dedicated to how The Social Network is a film of its moment.  “It is a moment in time that befits our time in a way that no other film has achieved in a decade,” exclaimed one blogger. “A pungent examination of how it changed all of our lives overnight” is how another put it, while further resorting to a classic party line about technology by intoning, “The more connected we are technologically, the more disconnected we become in terms of actual discourse.” One couldn’t escape 2010 without thinking that no other film besides The Social Network spoke to “the way we live now,” without defining what that even meant.

        Computer Chess, the newest film from Andrew Bujalski, approaches “the now” through antiquated technology in a historical setting. It’s a film so psychologically manic and almost Lynchian in terms of its logic that on its surface, it might appear impossible to decode.  But it’s all there—the telling statements of computer vs. man (man as computer, really) and the changing role of technology in how we think. You want a movie of the now? Look no further. 

About That Awards Show...

The Oscars are Sunday, as you may have heard, and everyone wants to know what will win. Although this year has more of my favorites than ever nominated, and the Academy has awarded some of my favorite films of past years recently (The Hurt Locker, No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood), my care level for this year’s Oscars are at an all time low.

This is not to say I won’t watch them, because I certainly do. But now that it is almost March, I am anticipating the releases of Uncle Boonmee, Certified Copy, and Meek’s Cutoff than focusing on last year’s films. Sure there are people that will only watch “Oscar” movies, and I’m glad The Hurt Locker found an audience because of its unbelievable win that I still find perplexing. However, the self-congratulatory atmosphere is almost unbearable, and the awards themselves are almost pointless.

I’ve always enjoyed the awards given at the Cannes film festival, mainly because they are willing to give ties, extra awards, and make a statement for the hell of it. The Romanian film 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days beat No Country for Old Men in 2007. Both are excellent films, but the Cannes jury made an important statement by stating that Romanian cinema had truly made an impact on the world.

I don’t think the Oscars have ever made a statement as much simply accept a consensus. Sure, it made for one really great book once, but otherwise, the Oscars are an afterthought on the year. They play like nostalgia, a revisiting of some of our favorites, as well as some films we despise. Below you can find my choices for who will win, who I would like to win, and who should have been nominated. I’ll provide links to my reviews of each of the films when I have them. I’m skipping the short categories—I didn’t see them, and I'm sure they are worth checking out, but I haven't had time.

If you want real awards coverage, I suggest checking out Kris Tapley and Guy Lodge on InContention.Com—They do a great job, and at least pretend to care a hell of a lot more than I do.

Click on through for predictions...

NYFF Review: The Social Network

The Social Network

Directed by David Fincher

United States

            During the day before I saw the premiere of David Fincher’s The Social Network, I ended up not having my phone. I was disconnected from the world: No Internet, no Twitter, no texting, and certainly not Facebook. And on the verge of sounding cliché, I did in fact start to notice the details around me: the sounds of the subway car, the subtle choices in architecture, and the smiles of the people around me. Being disconnected was a way of connecting, and although its become a trite argument against the nerds like myself that write on a computer and rarely make it out into the sun, it’s the driving force behind The Social Network, and the film brilliantly displays that.

            Yet before I jump into a long rant on the joys and wonders of the new David Fincher film, which has been written on earlier (and better) by many other critics, I’d rather focus on my stray observations on the film, which I find more illuminating that a particularly standard review. Yes, it’s a masterpiece—so let’s move on beyond that and find the real choices that make that happen.

            But to basics first: Mr. Fincher, known for films that are much more visually dynamic such as Se7en and Zodiac, directs this film written by West Wing scribe Aaron Sorkin, who has one of the best constructed scripts, scene for scene, put together here. A lot of it isn’t probably true, but I don’t believe we are supposed to see it fact for fact, but as a story of a culture. It’s 2003, and young Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg, outstanding), is a programming student at Harvard. He’s just broke up with his girlfriend (Rooney Mara, soon to be sporting a Dragon Tattoo with Mr. Fincher), and decides to quickly create a scandalous Internet site in retaliation, which gets him some spite as well as attention. Soon enough, Zuckerberg is propositioned with an idea of connecting the students of Harvard together, but decides to take it further. With the help of his best friend Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) starts thefacebook.com, and it’s an instant hit. But whose idea is it? The film flashes from location to location, as well as through temporal space to a pair of depositions, where people fight Mark not only for his money, but to strip him of his pride. Yet does Mark care about this fight? Or even the money that made him a billionaire?

            The Social Network has been compared to Citizen Kane, The Great Gatsby, and other titanic cultural works that display great obsessive men, yet there are some differences that define Zuckerberg, especially at the mile-a-minute speech Mr. Eisenberg gives him (Mr. Sorkin’s script stands at 160 pages, yet Mr. Fincher squeezes it into a two hour film). Early in the film, Mark discusses the idea of fashion and how it’s changing, always evolving, and thus always lucrative. Its interesting how the film approaches the subject that is under scrutiny, almost like an organism that has been genetically engineered, unsure of how to treat it. Sean Parker (played by Justin Timberlake) tells Mark, “We don’t know what it is except we know its cool.” That statement rings out like a motto of the 2000s, not to have to throw the word “zeitgeist” on this film, as one inevitably must. In the age of the Internet, we don’t understand the objects we have, their meaning, their application, but simply their cultural worth, and understand that means something.             

           Visually, some have commented on Fincher’s restrained style here, yet in many ways, his compositions and editing structure have never been better. After that dire first scene, Mark runs along campus, and we get some of the very few exterior shots of the film—we get the world of Harvard as it stands. As the film continues, we are given no establishing shots and simply interior spaces, as if the universe is slowly folding over, and the disparate spaces that leave people so distant, are closed away. Mr. Fincher’s focus on windows and glass leave that idea hanging, the actual frames that separate us, and how transparent those have become. Instead of giving us space, Mr. Fincher simply cuts between spaces as if he were shooting them in the same room, using simple directorial cues to act as if these spaces blend together. The dark, dreary, and drab lighting scheme, as well as the often-frightening score by Trent Reznor, give this film its alienating atmosphere, in which what matters is not how we connect, but the fact that we connect, and that we’re able to do it as much as we want.

            A very few sequences don’t exactly work. In a strange joke, Mr. Fincher films a crew race in the United Kingdom in extreme high definition, in what reminds me of the classic work of Mr. Sorkin’s attempts at parody (the brutal Charlie Wilson’s War had one as well). Another one, a late sequence between Mr. Garfield and his soon-to-be-ex-girlfriend, spells out the themes and ideas of the film a little too obvious, especially for a film that is so subtle.

            The final shot of The Social Network, showing Mark hitting refresh over and over, is one that grounds the film in its human emotion, which Mr. Eisenberg displays with such reserved audacity. It is quite brutal to see a man who just wants to be recognized by a few individuals, but does so by building an empire. Genius is often led by madness, and as Mr. Fincher and Mr. Sorkin see it, and it’s often an accident led by an emotion more than an idea. The film seems to comment that instead of confronting our issues, society has made it easy for us to instead run behind a veil and assert our fears and desires so passively, without any idea of consequence. Mr. Timberlake screams that “This is our time,” and that emotion reverberates throughout The Social Network, but I think it’s a message of fear for what we can become, more than what we’ve accomplished. 

Line-Up for the 48th Annual New York Film Festival!!

While less skewed than last year's festival, The 48th New York Film Festival once again went with big art house names, but in a response to their last year fiasco, have went decidedly for stars for their big hitters. While The Social Network and The Tempest had already been announced, promising stars like Justin Timberlake, Helen Mirren, and Russell Brand, the closing night selection is another American hard-hitter, Hereafter, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Matt Damon. 


This shouldn't be too much of a surprise—Changeling was the Centerpiece two years ago, and the Film Society just completed a full retrospective on Eastwood. It has not been announced whether this will be a world premiere It will be a US Premiere, meaning the film might show up at London or Venice? This is still a strong launching pad for Warner Bros and another Eastwood Oscar campaign.


As for the rest of the fest, the five films I called shoe-ins were certainly chosen, and a few of the other like-lys as well. We've got Godard (chances of showing up: 0% Film Society has announced a critics panel instead), Kiarostami, "Joe," Leigh, Richardt, and Assayass (who doesn't love sitting for five hours of cinema?). Two flicks from Romania, both which showed up at Cannes (including Christi Puiu's follow-up to The Death of Mr. Lazerescu). Inside Job, the second film from Fullbright scholar Charles Ferguson—whose No End in Sight is a particularly excellent doc. 


Some of the rest are either black holes in my film knowledge or simply black holes due out by people like Scott Foundas and Richard Pena. We'll find out more about them when the official press release comes out later today (Film Society gave the NYTimes the early peek, as always). Until them, start your cinephelia salivating!


UPDATE: Two retrospectives have been announced—Fernando de Fuentes's "Revolution Trilogy" and the films of Masahido Shinoda (If you haven't seen Pale Flower, you are really missing out)


FINAL UPDATE: I checked with the Film Society on how Film Socialisme will be present—The subtitles are not actual translations, but put into dialogue similar to how Native American speak in Westerns. Richard Pena has confirmed (via FilmLinc's Twitter!) that it will be "same print as Cannes & subs an aesthetic element for Godard...if sometimes frustrating for non French speakers." For those who don't speak French, let's get to a class soon!


Opening Night: The Social Network (David Fincher, USA)
Centerpiece: The Tempest (Julie Taymour, USA)
Closing Night: Hereafter (Clint Eastwood, USA)


AND THE REST:


Another Year (Mike Leigh, United Kingdom)
Aurora (Cristi Puiu, Romania)
Black Venus (Abdellatif Kechiche, France)
Carlos (Olivier Assayas, France)
Certified Copy (Abbas Kiarostami, France/Italy)
Film Socialisme (Jean-Luc Godard, Switzerland)
Inside Job (Charles Ferguson, USA)
Le Quattro Volte (Michaelangelo Frammartino, Italy)
Lennon NYC (Michael Epstein, USA)
Meek's Cutoff (Kelly Reichardt, USA)
My Joy (Sergei Loznitsa, Ukraine/Germany)
Mysteries of Libson (Raul Ruiz, Portugal/France)
Of Gods and Men (Xavier Beauvois, France)
Oki's Movie (Hong Sang-soo, South Korea)
Old Cats (Sebastian Silva, Chile)
Poetry (Lee Chang-dong, South Korea)
Post Mortem (Pablo Larrain, Chile/Mexico/Germany)
Revolucion (Mariana Chenillo, Fernando Embecke, Amat Escalate, Gael Garcia Bernal, Rodrigo Garcia, Diego Luna, Gerardo Naranjo, Rodrigo Pla, Carlos Reygadas, Patricia Riggen, Mexico)
The Robber (Benjamin Heisenberg, Austria/Germany)
Robinson in Ruins (Patrick Keiller, UK)
Silent Souls (Alexei Fedorchenko, Russia)
The Strange Case of Angelica, Manoel de Oliveira, Portugal)
Tuesday After Christmas (Radu Muntean, Romania)
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall Past Lives (Apichatpong Weerasethakul "Joe," UK/Thailand)
We Are What We Are (Jorge Michel Grau, Mexico)

NYFF Predictions: Hollywood Vs. Cannes

Helen Mirren in The Tempest

With the announcement only about a week away, its time for some educated guesswork on what will be at this year’s New York Film Festival. Richard Pena and crew have already made two off-key announcements: the festival will open with David Fincher’s The Social Network (aka “The Facebook Movie”) and the centerpiece selection will be Julie Taymour’s The Tempest, which has an all star cast led by Helen Mirren in the title, now gender-bending role.

            The two choices make for interesting news because NYFF has been known to stick away from big stars in favor of international and more obscure pictures, but this caused a series of backlashes last year. Both The Social Network and The Tempest seem to show either outside pressure on the committee or the committee itself, which has now added ex-Vareity film critic Todd McCarthy, has decided to stick more mainstream. The decision also might be effected by the lack of Cannes films desired. This festival was not well received, and although certain films will sure make the NYFF cut, I’m sure the lack of dynamic films has caused the committee to search toward Hollywood films. As always, there are sure to be a handful of Asian and Latin American autuers as well.

So below are my picks for what we will probably see next week:

For Sure In

Certified Copy, Abbas Kiarostami: Kiarostami is beloved by NYFF and his most mainstream picture to date, at least due to the fact that the film is in English and stars Juliette Binoche, should make it an easy contender.

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, Apichatpong Weerasethakul: Like Kiarostami, the Thai director better know as “Joe” is a staple at the festival, and NYFF has had the Palm D’Or winner at the festival for as long as I can remember.

Juliette Binoche in Certified Copy

Film Socialisme, Jean-Luc Godard: If the committee does include a bunch of America star studded pictures, I could see the backhand coming with Jean-Luc Godard’s latest film, which exploded at Cannes like no other due to its simply confounding nature. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Film Socialisme is featured with other classic Godard films to highlight his 50 years in cinema.

Carlos, Olivier Assayas: NYFF is never afraid of epics; Che played two years ago, and all three parts of the Red Riding trilogy last year. Add to the fact that Olivier Assayas is a stape at the festival, and the film is much more accessible than his past films, and you’ve got a guaranteed entry.

Another Year, Mike Leigh: The British auteur is another NYFF favorite, though I could see this one being skipped over for something either less obscure, or perhaps more obscure. Most likely the committee will invite him for another run at the fest.

Likely

Poetry, Lee Chang-dong: This Korean film won best screenplay at Cannes this year, and although it did divide some critics, Lee is the kind of auteur that the committee revels behind. It seems like the kind of film a critic like Scott Foundas would champion.

The Housemaid

Housemaid, Im Sang-Soo: Richard Pena is a huge fan of Kim Ki-young’s original 1960 film, as well as Korean cinema in general, so I have a feeling he will try and push this onto the committee.

The Strange Case of Angelica, Manoel de OliveiraL Now at 101 years old, NYFF always seems to crave the latest film by the world’s oldest director.

Blue Valentine, Derek Cianfrance: This very well received indie-film starring Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling could make its way to Lincoln Center. I could see this being the equivalent to Precious last year where it’s the film’s performers that influence the committee.

Meek’s Cutoff, Kelly Reichardt: Richard Pena has championed Ms. Reichardt’s last two films, especially Wendy and Lucy, which is why her latest indie-drama, again with Michelle Williams, should make the cut.

Reaches

Miral, Julian Schnabel: Mr. Schnabel might have made it with his last film, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, but Miral, which stars Freida Pinto as a Palestinian woman, might be either too mainstream or too political to attract the same attention this time.

The Illusionist, Sylvain Chome: NYFF 2007 closed with the animated film Persepolis and I see no problem in bringing Sylvian Chome’s follow-up to The Triplets of Belville, which features a lost screenplay by Jacques Tati.

Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life

Black Swan, Darren Aronofsky: If there is another American auteur that NYFF has championed, it is the director of The Wrestler (NYFF 08 Closer) and The Fountain. His new film, a thriller set in the world of New York ballet, might be the kind of dark yet mainstream picture NYFF is hoping to add this year.

Start Praying Now

The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick: Malick’s fifth film, which deals with the beginning of time as well as a family drama starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn, has skipped over Cannes, and then Toronto and Venice. I’m sure NYFF would love the attention, but chances are slim on this very special film that Malick will refused to be rushed on. 

New York Film Festival Gives Into Hollywood: 'The Social Network' Chosen as Opening Night Selection

            Perhaps taking to some of the criticism it received last year, the New York Film Festival announced its opening night selection today, promising a big Hollywood-like premiere. This year’s New York Film Festival will begin with none other than David Fincher’s The Social Network. The film, written by Aaron Sorkin, stars Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, and the trials and tribulations to get the website started, including the lawsuit from his former friends (played by pop singer Justin Timberlake and Andrew Garfield, who will be taking over duties in the new Spider-Man film). The choice of Fincher (Fight Club, Zodiac) is certainly a curious one, but might be a strange gamble that works out for an excellent film. The Film Society also get its hands on a new trailer, which you can see above.

            The film is a swift turn from last year—besides Willem Dafoe (Antichrist) and Penelope Cruz (Broken Embraces), few big names came out for the show last year, and not a single Hollywood film was on hand. A number of critics and fans blasted the Film Society for the selection, and ticket sales were thus subsequently down. With an extremely lackluster Cannes Film Festival this year, one can bet Richard Pena and the rest of the selection committee (which now includes Todd McCarthy) will be turning their eyes toward some of the bigger American releases of the year. The big question remains though: Will they get a chance to screen Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life?