Red Riding Hood

I don't know about anybody else, but I am PSYCHED about this movie. I LOVE the trailer, and I hope the movie proves just as good. It's based on a book which I plan to read after watching, which I think bodes well for the movie. Also its being directed by Catherine Hardwicke who did Twilight, and we all know how much I love that movie. Opens March 11! At last decent (hopefully) movies for 2011 begin!

New Year's Eve

The ensemble cast returns with New Year's Eve, opening December 9, 2011. It is the supposed "sequel" to Valentine's Day, both of which are directed by Garry Marshall. Starring: Sarah Jessica Parker, Lea Michele, Abigail Breslin, Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Hilary Swank, Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Biel, Sofia Vergara, Zac Efron, Til Schweiger, Sienna Miller, Jon Bon Jovi, Seth Meyers, Josh Duhamel, Katherine Heigl, Alyssa Milano. This movie looks like it could be really great or really bad.... we'll see!

The Dark Knight Rises News

I don't know about anyone else but I am beyond excited for the newest installment of the Batman series, coming July 20, 2012. Christian Bale returns in the Christopher Nolan, certain to be blockbuster, action-packed, star-studded third movie in the series. It looks like Nolan loved his cast from Inception so much that he's invited half of them along for Batman 3 (no complaints here). Tom Hardy is set to play the villain Bane. Reportedly Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard are in talks to join the cast as well. (All we need now is LEO!) And Anne Hathaway will be catwoman. Stay tuned for more Batman news as it moves into filming later this year!

Look Who is Playing the New Superman!

Henry Cavill, my long time celeb crush!!! You may have seen him smoldering and smoking up the Showtime series, The Tudors. (Highly recommend) And at long last he will be making a big screen splash as the leading man in the upcoming re-adaptation of Superman. Christopher Nolan is producing and Zack Snyder directs (Watchmen and 300). Should be fantastic. (Note, Cavill was in the running for James Bond but Daniel Craig got it, and he was runner up to Christian Bale's Batman.) If you want to see previous work from Cavill check out Stardust or The Count of Monte Cristo, both of which are favorites of mine.

Stay tuned for more movie news and movie updates for 2011 and 2012! I am hoping to expand the blog coverage from not only reviewing but also reporting on important upcoming movie info.

The King's Speech

I want to be sure to cover all the Best Picture nominees, and The King's Speech is my current front runner. After the Golden Globes I was leaning toward The Social Network, but The King's Speech has been on an upwards roll heading into the final weeks of awards season. But aside from that, The King's Speech is just a really great movie. Colin Firth is a fantastic actor in everything he does, and I am thrilled at the accolades he has been receiving for his work in this movie, because he is superb as King George VI. I must admit that I am a huge fan of all things royal as well as a huge fan of historical/period films. On top of my good feelings going in to this, there is also the outstanding cast which sets this movie over and above the rest for 2010.

King George VI must overcome a speech impediment with the help of a speech therapist, played by Geoffrey Rush, to confidently lead England into World War II. This is such a moving, inspiring, and educational movie based on a true story. I heard that the writer of this story was asked by George VI's wife (the Queen Mother to the current Elizabeth II) to wait until after her death to publish it. And so it was many years later that the world was able to learn of the endearing story of one of it's certainly great, but often over looked, leaders.

A Best Picture in my book.

$ $ $ $ $ $ $

-Emily

The Fighter

I saw The Fighter the week it opened but somehow failed to post about it at the time. That said, I really enjoyed this movie. The movie is based on the real life stories of boxers Irish Micky Ward and Dicky Eklund played by Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale respectively. Supporting cast is equally outstanding, with two supporting actress nominees Amy Adams and (likely Oscar winner) Melissa Leo. Wahlberg continues to outdo himself as an actor, producer, etc etc and whatever else he sets his hand to. It is a shame he didn't get the nomination from the Academy, he deserved at least that. And as I'm sure everyone has seen, Christian Bale has rightfully been gathering up the best supporting actor awards and will in all likelihood sweep right through the Oscars.

The Fighter is a well written, well acted movie that is touching and inspiring. It's a fascinating story, and one that I look forward to watching again soon. I highly encourage everyone to see this movie, it is sure to become a favorite of yours as well.

$ $ $ $ $ $ $

Emily

And the Oscar Nominees Are.....

Best Picture: "Black Swan," "The Fighter," "Inception," "The Kids Are All Right," "The King's Speech," "127 Hours," "The Social Network," "Toy Story 3," "True Grit," "Winter's Bone"

Best Actress: Annette Bening, "The Kids Are All Right"; Nicole Kidman, "Rabbit Hole"; Jennifer Lawrence, "Winter's Bone"; Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"; Michelle Williams, "Blue Valentine"

Best Actor: Javier Bardem, "Biutiful"; Jeff Bridges, "True Grit"; Jesse Eisenberg, "The Social Network"; Colin Firth, "The King's Speech"; James Franco, "127 Hours"

Best Supporting Actress: Amy Adams, "The Fighter"; Helena Bonham Carter, "The King's Speech"; Melissa Leo, "The Fighter"; Hailee Steinfeld, "True Grit"; Jacki Weaver, "Animal Kingdom"

Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, "The Fighter"; John Hawkes, "Winter's Bone"; Jeremy Renner, "The Town"; Mark Ruffalo, "The Kids Are All Right"; Geoffrey Rush, "The King's Speech"

Best Director: Darren Aronofsky, "Black Swan"; David O. Russell, "The Fighter"; Tom Hooper, "The King's Speech"; David Fincher, "The Social Network"; Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, "True Grit"

Best Animated Feature: "How to Train Your Dragon," "The Illusionist," "Toy Story 3"


Best Screenplay: "Another Year," "The Fighter," "Inception," "The Kids Are All Right," "The King's Speech"


Best Adapted Screenplay: "127 Hours," "The Social Network," "Toy Story 3," "True Grit," "Winter's Bone"

Best Foreign Film: "Biutiful," "Dogtooth," "In a Better World," "Incendies," "Outside the Law"

Art Direction: "Alice in Wonderland," Robert Stromberg (Production Design), Karen O'Hara (Set Decoration); "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1," Stuart Craig (Production Design), Stephenie McMillan (Set Decoration); "Inception," Guy Hendrix Dyas (Production Design), Larry Dias and Doug Mowat (Set Decoration); "The King's Speech," Eve Stewart (Production Design), Judy Farr (Set Decoration); "True Grit," Jess Gonchor (Production Design), Nancy Haigh (Set Decoration)

Achievement in Cinematography: "Black Swan," Matthew Libatique; "Inception," Wally Pfister; "The King's Speech," Danny Cohen; "The Social Network," Jeff Cronenweth; "True Grit," Roger Deakins

Achievement in Costume Design: "Alice in Wonderland," Colleen Atwood; "I Am Love," Antonella Cannarozzi; "The King's Speech," Jenny Beavan; "The Tempest," Sandy Powell; "True Grit," Mary Zophres

Best Documentary Feature: "Exit Through the Gift Shop," "Gasland," "Inside Job," "Restrepo," "Waste Land"

Best Documentary Short Subject: "Killing in the Name," "Poster Girl," "Strangers No More," "Sun Come Up," "The Warriors of Quigang"

Achievement in Film Editing: "Black Swan," Andrew Weisblum; "The Fighter," Pamela Martin; "The King's Speech," Tariq Anwar; "127 Hours," Jon Harris; "The Social Network," Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter

Achievement in Music Written for Motion Picture (Original Score): "How to Train Your Dragon," John Powell; "Inception," Hans Zimmer; "The King's Speech," Alexandre Desplat; "127 Hours," A. R. Rahman; "The Social Network," Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Achievement in Music Written for Motion Picture (Original Song): "Coming Home" from "Country Strong;" "I See the Light" from "Tangled;" "If I Rise" from "127 Hours;" "We Belong Together" from "Toy Story 3"

Best Animated Short Film: "Day and Night," Teddy Newton; "The Gruffalo," Jakob Schuh and Max Lang; "Let's Pollute," Feefwee Boedoe; "The Lost Thing," Shaun Tan and Andrwe Ruhemann; "Madagascar, A Journey Diary," Bastien Dubois

Best Live Action Short: "The Confession," Tanel Toom; "The Crush," Michael Creagh; "God of Love," Luke Matheny; "Na Wewe," Ivan Goldschmidt; "Wish 143," Ian Barnes and Samantha Waite

Achievement in Sound Editing: "Inception," Richard King; "Toy Story 3," Tom Myers and Michael Silvers; "Tron: Legacy" Gwndolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague; "True Grit," Skip Lievsay and Craig Berkey; "Unstoppable," Mark P. Stoeckinger

Achievement in Sound Mixing: "Inception," Lra Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick; "The King's Speech," Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen and John Midgley; "Salt," Jeffrey J. Haboush, Greg P. Russell, Scott Millan and William Sarokin; "The Social Network," Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick and Mark Weingarten; "True Grit," Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland

Achievement in Visual Effects: "Alice in Wonderland," Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas and Sean Phillips; "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1," Tim Burke, John Richardson, Christian Manz and Nicolas Aithadi; "Hereafter," Michael Owens, Bryan Grill, Stephan Trojanski and Joe Farrell; "Inception," Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb; "Iron Man 2," Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright and Daniel Sudick

Country Strong

The number one reason I wanted to see this movie is because about half of it is filmed in Nashville. (Big promo for The Stage). Also, I like Gwyneth. So, I went in with low to moderate expectations, and was mostly pleased as a result. The previews don't accurately tell you what it's about (who is having relationships with who,etc) and I don't want to spoil it. But all in all, I liked it. It wasn't what I expected, and it was a lot more like Crazy Heart than I would have guessed. I think Tim McGraw is shaping up to be a fine actor, and Gwen gives a decent performance (not even close to her best, though). Leighton Meester was pretty good in it, but I did not like the young guy, Garrett Hedlund.

After giving it some thought, I realized there were some ways this good movie could have been a great movie. One, get rid of Hedlund entirely. Aside from his fantastic voice, he offered nothing to the story, if anything he watered it down and made it emotionally detached from the viewer. Also, Leighton Meester's fat chin just kept staring at me throughout the entire movie: distracting. But, leave those two things out and it's probably worth a matinee price, if you're interested in it, otherwise just watch Crazy Heart. It has better music, better acting, and a better story. Note, I did enjoy the music in the movie, but it's all country pop.... Also, note, if you don't like country music, don't see this movie.

$ $ $ $

-Emily

Black Swan

Whoa.  You may think you're ready for Black Swan, but you're not.

Here's what you probably already know going into the movie from the previews: Natalie Portman is a ballerina, chosen to play the Swan Queen in the upcoming production of Swan Lake.  Portman's character, Nina, is perfect for half of the role-- that of the White Swan.  Nina is innocent (read, naive), fresh, trusting and technically brilliant but cold.  Nina, however, must also dance the part of the Black Swan, a dark, seductive, emotional dance.  Everything she's not.  What follows is Nina's exploration of herself (quite literally at times) in an effort to unearth her own dark side.

Now, here's what you need to know about this movie: Black Swan is terrifying.  Nina seems to be losing touch with reality the more she embraces her darker side.  Her existence becomes shockingly unstable and violent.  People are hurt, although we're not sure exactly which people.

Here's my advice: Don't try too hard to figure out the ending-- you can't.  Take the film a bit more at face value and appreciate the physical, mental and emotional devotion that great performers must pour into their craft to excel.  The scenes of the dancers cracking toes, popping seemingly every joint in their body, splitting toenails because of over-exertion and undergoing tortuous physical therapy are every bit as unsettling as the psychological frights.  Nina pushes herself to perform at unimaginable levels.  There is a price for such perfection.

$$$$$
(Would be a fine rental, but everyone will be talking about this movie, particularly Portman's performance, during awards season.)

-  Stuart

Holiday Movie Favorites

It is the most wonderful time of the year, and there a few movies that are my favorite repeat watches for the month of December. People all have their favorites and it usually doesn't matter what anyone else says about your holiday favorite movies, you will watch them all in the next week. Forced Family Fun!

I will start with my recent holiday fav, Love Actually. I don't know anyone who doesn't love this movie. It is just so dadgum good! I've watched it twice this month already, and I probably will again before next Saturday. The acting is great, the stories are great, and I cry every time I watch it. I know its Christmas time when I get to pop this movie in the DVD player.

Another more recent favorite is, The Holiday. I realize this is a super girly Christmas movie, but I don't really care. I love it. It is so picturesque, funny, and sweet. Plus how can you not love Jude Law? Kate Winslet? It's Christmas movie gold, people!

Another good, girly holiday movie I enjoy is The Family Stone. I watch this movie and want a big house in the northeast and lots of kids....it also makes me want to wear a big ring on my pointer finger a la Diane Keaton. It is a sweet family story, with a lot of actors I really love.Unfortunately, I have been at a loss to find it at any stores that sell movies and it is really making me sad. Don't worry, I won't give up.

On to some classic movies, my family always watches It's A Wonderful Life over Christmas, usually on Christmas Eve. If you haven't seen this movie, you are seriously missing out on some mandatory American culture. Jimmy Stewart is the best as George Bailey,  and there is no better villain than Mr.Potter. For me, this is the ultimate holiday movie.

My father might say that the best holiday movie is A Christmas Story. Fortunately, I think everyone has seen this movie as TBS shows it for 24 hours straight on Christmas Day every year. Always worth catching at least one airing of it though. You have to see a tongue stuck to a flagpole to truly ring in Christmas.

And most people I know also love watching Christmas Vacation. I'm going to make an admission though, I don't think I've ever actually watched this movie all the way through. I KNOW! I KNOW! I'm embarrassed. I promise I'll watch it next week.

Happy Holidays to all!

-Emily

Emily's Oscar Predictions

Before the Golden Globe nominations are announced tomorrow, I wanted to place my bets on likely Oscar  Nominations (which will be released January 25). I haven't yet seen all of the movies I think will be nominated in some degree, in fact some aren't even in theaters yet, so I may be wrong. However, I think I will be right on most of them. Without any further ado, here are my top 10 movies of 2010:

Black Swan
True Grit
Winter's Bone
127 Hours
The Social Network
Rabbit Hole
The King's Speech
The Fighter
The Kids Are Alright
Inception

My two other possibilities are Toy Story 3 and The Town, but I feel less confident the Academy will pick either of these.

Best Actor:
Jeff Bridges for True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg for The Social Network
Colin Firth for The King's Speech
James Franch for 127 Hours
I have also heard a lot about Ryan Gosling in Blue Valentine

Best Actress:
Natalie Portman for Black Swan
Nicole Kidman for Rabbit Hole
Annette Bening for The Kids Are Alright
Jennifer Lawrence for Winter's Bone
And joining her costar, Michelle Williams in Blue Valentine

Best Director:
Danny Boyle for 127 Hours
Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan
Coen Brothers for True Grit
David Fincher for The Social Network
Christopher Nolan for Inception

Let the Awards Season begin!

127 Hours

Knoxville gets limited releases about a month after everyone else, so I was just recently able to see 127 Hours. I know everyone has already said what a great movie this is, but it really is. James Franco is simply fantastic, if he doesn't get a nomination it will be a crying shame. This is just a great story of survival, and this movie makes you feel like you were right there with him. It tells the true story of outdoors-man Aaron Ralston who in 2003 went off alone on a hike/climb in the canyons of Utah and got trapped by a boulder. It doesn't shy away from any of the details, and there are a couple of moments that are hard to watch. However, it really is a great story and Danny Boyle directs it perfectly. You feel like you've fought a war when it is over, but its worth the watch. I highly recommend seeing it if you get a chance!

$ $ $ $ $ $ $

-Emily

Winter's Bone

The final film I watched on Friday was Winter's Bone. As it turns out, I really did watch these in order from ok to great. Winter's Bone and The Kids Are Alright lead nominations for the Independent Spirit Awards, and deservedly so. Winter's Bone is absolutely one of the best acted movies I've ever seen. It was just so convincing, I felt like I was watching real life. This movie is set in rural Missouri and centers around a 17 year old girl named Ree. She is has been left with the task of raising her two younger siblings because her mother suffers from an incapacitating mental disease and her father has been in and out of jail for cooking meth. Her father has recently used their house and land as collateral for his bond and if he doesn't show up for trial they will lose everything. Ree sets out to find her father so she can save her family. It reads as a sad and depressing movie, but it was really more of a tough look at the lives of a lot of America's rural poor. It isn't easy to watch, but it wasn't about tears and misery. It's about the toughness and unfairness that life is for some people. If anything it made me want to go put hams by the doors of those peeling, sagging tiny houses it is so easy to glance over but which pepper the entire south. This is by far one of the best movies of the year and I won't be surprise to see it nominated for more and more awards as the next few months go by. Highly recommended.

$ $ $ $ $ $ $

-Emily

The Kids Are Alright

The second movie I watched on Friday was The Kids Are Alright. Now this is a good movie. It has been gathering nominations for some of the early awards, and generating a fair amount of Oscar buzz. Annette Bening and Julianne Moore star in this movie about a complex modern family. I can't tell you how much I love Annette Bening, in all movies and this one is no exception. She is a fantastic actor. She and Julianne are married and raising two kids they each had with a donor. The kids have decided they want to find their biological father and Mark Ruffalo joins the cast in this role. The ensuing story is gritty and real but touching and very human. It was a bit of a surprise to me, all along the way. It's not a predictable movie in any form, its truly a new and fresh look at marriage, raising kids and life in general. I must put a bit of warning that it is well deserving of an R rating, with no lack of very animated intimate scenes. But it is my opinion that sometimes it is appropriate to include subjects in movies which might garner criticism, its more like real life- real life is R rated, lets be honest people. So, being fully in the know about what this movie holds, I would highly encourage renting it. Also, keep it on the radar for some big award nominations in the coming months.

$ $ $ $ $ $

-Emily

Eat Pray Love

I'm just about on Christmas break so I decided to watch three movies yesterday. The first was Eat Pray Love. I admit, I didn't read the book, so I wasn't all that excited about the movie release and sort of purposefully missed it in theaters. I'm sure the book has more story line that the movie did, but just judging the movie, it fell a little flat for me. I loved the scenery though. It made me want to go to Italy and get real fat on pasta. That part was great. It was beautifully shot, and Javier Bardem only made it better. But on the whole, it was just ok for me. I didn't really connect with the main character, at least in the movie, she is just so totally what is wrong with girls today. Insecure and dependent and incapable of making healthy decisions even through the end of the movie a man has to tell her its ok to be in love. I just felt a little annoyed the whole time. Woman up, you know? But not an uninteresting movie and lovely to watch if you're in the mood for a light bit of entertainment.

$ $ $

-Emily

December movie preview

In tune with getting back in the swing of the movie thing, I have decided to do a December movie preview to help you get informed about the onslaught of movies coming out this month.

To begin, The King's Speech had a limited release last week and will hopefully be coming to city near you soon. This movie stars Colin Firth as King George VI who must overcome a speech deficiency to lead England into WWI. An excellent cast and already getting some Oscar buzz. The trailer looks better than it sounds. Promise.

Black Swan has a limited release tomorrow and I am dying to see this one. Staring Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis, this movie is about ballerinas. Based on the trailer it looks dark, intense, and risque. The pre-release reviews have been great, and there is a great deal of Oscar buzz surrounding this movie too. I will be reporting as soon as I can get to a city that is showing it...

The Fighter looks to be a great man-friendly film. Starring everybody's favorite Entourage producing Mark Wahlberg. I love him. (Sidenote, I heard Marky Mark the other day on New Kid's on the Block pandora station and it just made me happy inside.That is the BEST pandora station of all time, check it out.) Also stars a wasted away, Christian Bale. This had a lot of anticipation but as it has come nearer to its opening has been receiving mixed reviews. I will still be seeing it, and it will probably be a highly entertaining movie regardless.It opens the 10th.

The new Narnia movie comes out this month. I think this one falls in the category of people who will see a movie regardless of whether someone tells you to or not. I like these movies, although they aren't my favorite in the genre. It's just my opinion, although I'm sure I will see the Voyage of the Dawn Treader at some point. Opens the 10th.

Mostly to be inclusive, the movie Rabbit Hole is getting quite a bit of talk lately. Its an independent film that I don't know a great deal about. Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart star, it opens Dec 17. Seems a bit of a downer but, just keep it on your radar for awards season...

Tron Legacy is opening to a lot of anticipation on the 17th. I have to admit, I have not seen the first one so I don't know anything about it other than Jeff Bridges is awesome all the time sooo.... also the previews look pretty sweet. I'm sure this movie will be entertaining to some degree.

How Do You Know also opens on the 17th staring Nashville native Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd (love him), Owen Wilson (Stuart's celebrity look alike) and the ole rapscallion himself Jack Nicholson. Looks to be a romantic comedy, two guys vie over one girl, etc. If I didn't like everyone in it so much I probably wouldn't see it but, now I probably have to.

I haven't seen one trailer or poster for Gulliver's Travels which surprises me. Its got two premo comedians in it: Jack Black and Jason Segel. It seems like the kind of movie production companies push hard during the holiday "family time" season, I don't know if they aren't because its bad or because it doesn't open until the 22nd? We'll see...

Little Fockers is coming out at the end of the month as well. I suppose a lot of people will see this movie. I can't tell you how much I hate all of these movies. I don't like Ben Stiller or his type of comedy. My opinion is, this movie will suck. Mark down the 22nd as a movie let down, with the exception of.....

True Grit. Coen Brothers. Jeff Bridges. done goodbye awesome. I know what I'm doing on the 22nd...

There will be ample opportunities for movie reviews this month, so check back often! Happy movie going!

-Emily

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I

First of all, I am going to try to get back on the movie blogging biz. The semester is almost over and I have more time now. Hope you will tune in.

As you may know, I am a huge HP fan. HUGE. Therefore, I was over the moon excited to see the newest film. I saw it twice opening week and thought it was a great success. It was more frustrating than the other HP movies because it leaves you hanging as it cuts off right before the seventh book really gets great. I predict the final movie will be outstanding.

As usual there a few things that got changed or left out. Its understandable in a book of that length, but for a fan like myself, it is hard not to notice these changes. It doesn't affect the quality of the movie, but it was something I noticed. 

So, in sum, go see this movie. Especially if you like Harry Potter, although you probably already have

$ $ $ $ $ $ $

-Emily

The Social Network

Ever wonder about the power of an idea?  In the biggest blockbuster of the year to date, Inception asked the question, "Can you deceive someone into believing that an idea is truly their own?"  As a nice counterpoint, The Social Network expertly asks the question, "Can one person really claim ownership of something as fleeting as a simple idea?"  

The Social Network is, of course, the story of Facebook founder and gazillionaire, Mark Zuckerberg.  The movie traces Zuckerberg's roots from a nerdy Harvard undergrad to the heights of his fame and subsequent legal battles.  Zuckerberg is a acid-tongued sophomore at Harvard with a flair for computer wizardry when he meets the Winkelvas brothers.  The "Winkelvi", as Zuckerberg calls them, are everything he wishes he was: tall, attractive, succesful, athletic, capable of getting girls.  They also have an idea.  The brothers have an idea for a social networking site that is exclusive to Harvard students only.  They believe that exclusivity will set them apart from other already existing sites such as myspace and friendster.  The brothers hire Zuckerberg to write code for the site, but soon he's launching his own site, TheFacebook, based on much the same idea.  

Much of the drama in the movie is set in the deposition room as lawyers for several parties question the motives, knowledge and capabilities of each individual involved.  At the base is the question: "Whose idea was this?" 

If only it were that simple.  Social networking was nothing new when facebook was founded, several alternatives were already out there.  Facebook was just the next step in the evolution of networking.  Did the Winkelvas brothers have a claim to the idea that Zuckerberg actually put into operation?  Zuckerberg, in one of the best lines of the film, sneers during his deposition that "If the Winkelvas brothers invented facebook, they would have, well, invented facebook."  

So, perhaps that's it.  In this era of intellectual property where music, movies, money and so much more is passed electronically, maybe the only one with any rights to an idea or thought is the person who acts upon it and makes it his own.  

The acting is all top-notch, especially a turn from Justin Timberlake as Sean Parker, the Napster founder, who manages to dazzle/weasel his way into Zuckerberg's inner circle.  The writing from Aaron Sorkin, of West Wing fame, is taut, as to be expected.  

$ $ $ $ $ $  

-  Stuart

Catfish

Guest Review by Zander, WARNING SPOILER ALERTS!

Alright. I enjoyed the movie.

And let's just get this out of the way: I don’t think it’s “real” and I didn’t enjoy the film so much because of the illusion of “realness”. After I saw the movie, and initially voiced that I did enjoy the movie. I got all the: 'You know that movie’s fake, right? I’m a little surprised you bought into it.'

Ugh, Duh. I wish the filmmakers would give up the whole “This is a true story” thing because it’s totally beside the point. Real or not, it’s a fairly accurate depiction of a modern story.

If you already know the ending, here's a summary of the movie. I'd still say go see it, but perhaps rent it later on. OR if you don't want to read the summary just scroll on down to the bottom and read up a little...

Basically, this dude Nev starts an Internet correspondence with a little girl named Abby who paints. The movie begins with his brother and friend wanting to make a documentary about his odd relationship with this child prodigy.

Abby sends him her paintings and they communicate through email regularly. Nev eventually reaches out to Abby’s family, who welcomes him into their lives. First her mother Angela, then her father and her older sister Megan. They all add each other on Facebook and quickly become “Internet aware” of each other’s doings.

It’s not hard to feel like you know someone on the Internet. I mean, I regularly read several blogs a day from people I've never really met, but I feeeeeel like I know them.

Nev starts to fall for Abby’s beautiful older sister Megan, who sings and lives on a farm not too far from her family in another part of Michigan. She’s pretty dreamy in that “perfectly crafted Facebook page” way. They start flirting over Facebook messages, then it moved to text, then they started calling each other and talking about getting more serious once they met. They’re basically Internet boyfriend/girlfriend.

One night Nev discovers that Megan is posting rare acoustic versions of other singers on her FB wall and pretending it’s her and it clicks that there might be something wrong. By the end of the night, he’s figured out that this family has been lying about so many of the important details of their lives. Nev and his friends can’t find anything on these people that they’ve claimed is true about them.The three of them decide to drive to Michigan to figure out what the hell is real and get an ending for their film. This is where it gets craycray.

Megan’s not real. Her address leads to an empty farmhouse.

The next day the boys showed up to Abby’s house, hoping to meet Abby and find out the truth about Megan. Angela, Abby’s mother, who was supposed to be tall and thin and model-esque, is an obese woman with a braid that rivals Beyonce’s in the “Upgrade U” video. But it’s not like, a fly braid. It’s like a Fundamentalist Latter Day Saint braid. Her husband is a good man who is quite possibly slightly retarded. Her husband has two sons who are severely retarded and physically handicapped. One of them has refused to eat for most of his life and physically harms himself. Eventually they do meet Abby, but she’s an eight year old girl of average intelligence who doesn’t seem to particularly care for art. Her mother Angela, however, is an avid painter.

For those that didn’t figure out what was going to happen within the first half hour of the film like I did, this is everyone begins to realize that Angela is Angela, Abby, Megan, her husband’s online persona, Megan’s male friends, their sisters and their friends. Angela created an entire world so that she, the obese mother of handicapped children who lives in small town Michigan, could have a chance to interact with a handsome young man who appreciated every aspect of her personality that she’d put into each of these characters.

I don’t know if that’s the best summary, but it’s essentially the gist.

And how well do we, as constant users of the Internet, the people that first tried out Facebook, the generation that is living and dating in a world where one in five relationships start online (Thanks, Match.com commercial), know that story? Or that feeling? Or have that on our list of fears?

I know people that’s happened to. Not a person. People! Shades of that movie have happened to all of us, either personally or through acquaintances. And we’ve also all at least heard a story about someone showing up to meet a person they’d been corresponding with only to learn that they’d somehow managed to leave out crucial details about their appearance or situation in life. Catfish isn’t just about these dudes having this done to them, it’s about a woman so mentally ill and beaten down using this amazing gift we’ve been given in a horrific way. And you know it’s because the brutal combination of loneliness and lack of fulfillment morphed into a what I image to be the emotional equivalent of a malignant tumor.

All the critics are saying, “Why wouldn’t he have Googled them earlier?”

Duh. Because he never intended to get emotionally involved with these people. This story would never happen to me because it would just never get that far. I'm not talking to anyone I don't know, and even to them I’m not giving anyone my social security number or my deepest darkests. BUT I can imagine after feeling like you’ve gotten to know someone in an organic way, Googling their name may not occur to you. As far as Nev was concerned, the girl he was involved with was the sister of an eight year old girl that he’d been emailing with for ages. Is researching someone who is realistically a stranger before you let them into your life supposed to feel natural now? I know it’s the smart thing to do, but I can absolutely see why it wouldn’t occur to someone to do that.

That being said, I wish they’d give up the whole “this is real” thing. It’s not real. It’s just not. No three amature filmmakers went out and had all of this organically happen to them WHILE not screwing up on the production end at least once. There was like, two issues with one of the mics throughout the whole film. And an underwater camera shot. We know the movie’s fake. But the FEELINGS, you guys. It’s a beautiful depiction of the complicated emotions and scenarios that this technology has brought into our lives. It’s a tribute to those who have mastered the art of producing feelings from illusions.

Ya know?

FINAL NOTE: On the issue of the movie's lying, sensationalized marketing strategy..... I'm asking people to look past that. We're not electing the movie to office. Forget the propaganda.

The Town

If you haven't seen The Town yet, I highly recommend doing so. Directed by and staring Ben Affleck (big fan), this movie is the best one I've seen since Inception (note the lull in the blog). Set in Boston, it centers on 4 friends who rob banks. I've been told that Affleck managed to truly capture the tone and speech of down-trodden Boston. I don't know about that, being from the South, but I know I had a hard time understanding the dialogue. Still, it only further authenticated the feel of the movie.

The Town is high on action, peppered with a few funny lines, contains a semi-believable love interest, and most importantly has excellent acting. It isn't quite the caliber of movie The Departed was (to which a lot of people are comparing it to) but it is absolutely worth the watch.

$ $ $ $ $ $

Emily