I don't know where to start.
I literally just came from seeing the movie. I'm on my iPhone, if you couldn't tell, lolomg, all that stuff.
Everything about this movie is good, and that in and of itself is an understatement. I need to pick a place to start because it simply can't be done this way. Ok I'll start with cinematography.
Oh lawdy. I'm going to edit this when I get back to my place (I'm at my sisters, on my iPhone, blogging about a movie I just saw, being a horrible guest) and credit the DOP properly but I can't exit this page. The camera almost waits for you to catch up, because it knows the pace of the movie is breakneck. He plays a lot with focus and makes use of angles and perspective in many unconventional ways that make the film look strikingly inventive. The tone is dark, like a dorm room, but filled with an energy that we're not meant to understand, only to observe with a certain disconnect that shows us where the characters come from, what they're doing, where they're going, and why. On several occasions he (not to say a 'she' wouldn't be equally capable) uses the same shot twice with a different character, giving the scene it leads up to a certain expectancy, almost as if it's a documentary. Everything is tastefully shot. Everything you see on screen has an effortless finesse that makes you feel like you're not only part of the plan, but have a voice in the matter.
I don't know about the real zuckerburg, but I wouldn't call this film character defamation. I'd call it character fascination. Jesse eisenberg makes mark zuckerberg seem like the most interesting nerd there ever was. A common theme in the movie is that he doesn't care about the money, but then that leads to the question- what does he care about? I didn't care for Eisenberg before this movie. I thought he was a carbon copy of Michael Cera, which is what most people think, but seriously- if you think as I thought, see Social Network. Best Actor stuff, and I'm not just whistlin' Dixie. He's unbelievable.
The other cast- Andrew Garfield, for starters. Garfield, if ya'll didn't know, is going to be the new Spiderman. His character in Social Network is wonderfully full of life- he stars as the best friend and CFO of the social network that is cheated out of his share of the pot, and of the involvement in development. He is left out of the loop, and zuckerburg gets his comeuppances because of it.
I have to take a break and talk about the way it's set up. It goes back and forth between the developmental stages of the social network and the aftermath of the ensuing lawsuits Zuckerburg falls victim to after he becomes a major success. Here's where the editing comes into play- it's very, very fast paced, and yet it's so elegantly done that it only helps the viewers learning process. This movie is so smart that it teaches you as you watch it.
Anyway [shuffles various items], the rest of the cast. I may or my not go back to Garfield. I have to talk about JT. Timberlake plays the Napster dude. 'Wtflol?oneone' I asked myself. I had no idea he had any involvement whatsoever in the social network, and my sister, after the movie, was like 'well that was kind of a twist,' but it really isn't, because what the hell do we know about this story? Nothing (I slapped her around a few times after the movie, just to show her the error of her ways). Anyway, JT. I love him in this. He's absolutely stunning in every way. In all seriousness both him and Garfield could very likely get oscar nods out of this movie. His character is more or less the antagonist, but he plays him as honest to the bone as he can, which is also where the movie strays from conventional heroes and villains. JT is a nerd. They're all nerds. They may play they're respective roles and those roles may be what they are, be they evil at times or benevolent at times, but in the end, they're a bunch of nerds. JT has an epipen and an inhaler in this movie- during the scene where he gets busted for cocaine. He's so great, though. The climax is the best part of the movie- where Garfield finds out he was cheated out of his 30% of the social network and confronts Eisenberg about it, and JT plays the guy who doesn't want Garfield to be a part of it even though he devoted so much of his time to it, and Garfield goes over and slams Eisenbergs laptop into pieces and is all 'lawyer up, bitch' and Eisenberg doesn't know what to say because he's actually sorry about it but still we don't know what he wants as a character and JT comes over and is like 'well, too bad, get security, get the fuck out'.
None of that was coherent at all.
Ok.
The way Timberlake plays the Napster guy makes him seem likethe evil mastermind, but the way the movie is done prevents his character from going towards something that conventional.
Every character is sympathetic. I haven't seen a movie in the past ten years that made me say that.
Ok. I have to go on.
Best Director.
This has surpassed Fight Club as my favorite Fincher movie and is well on it's way to becoming my favorite movie.
I never thought I'd say that.
Fincher is so good. Oh so good. He's made his masterpiece. I almost don't know what to say. I'm going to come back and edit this post probably a thousand times and each of those times I'll probably add something new about Fincher.
He plays with you the whole movie. The movie is filmed like a big party and Fincher is the owner of the house and he's showing you around. He makes you feel welcome. The tone of the movie may be bleak at times but it never stops being inviting. Hollywood has hope because of Fincher and a select few other directors.
Best Adapted Screenplay.
Aaron Sorki is the screenwriter. He wrote one of my favorite movies- A Few Good Men, and he's going to get an oscar for this movie. Quick, witty, sad, triumphant...the beginning scene of this movie is my favorite, because it's five minutes of a back and forth between eisenberg and his then girlfriend, leading up to their hilarious breakup. Very excellent writing coupled with perfect direction and exquisite performances make every scene of this movie leave a taste in your mouth. Sorry, I'm starting to gush blood profusely.
Another thing- you might have noticed how I haven't referred to 'the social network' as Facebook. The reason is actually very simple- this movie is not about Facebook. Ok, it's about Facebook, but that is not the driving action. That's not what makes this movie interesting. What makes it interesting is the internal conflict, which raises the question- why is it even called 'the social network'? I seriously forgot the title after seeing it. It's not about Facebook at in the way I thought it would be about, after first hearing of this movie. It's about the thing we think about from day to day- accomplishing your dream, but then, what next? What do you do with a dream, once you've got it? Do you keep going, keep pursuing, keep 'updating the page', as they do throughout the film? Or is it about going back and being thankful for the journey that led you here, that made you what you are today, for better or worse? I don't know what it's about. I don't know everything about this movie. The movie is satisfying in every way possible but it leaves you with something after the credits roll- something that not many excellent movies leave you with- a sense of lingering curiosity.
I'm going to repost this as soon as tonight. I'll get around to a picture soon. I want you to see it because I want you to see a good movie. It's worth it- in all honesty, it really is worth it.
This movie will run a train up the oscars. I just can't wait to see Fincher go up there and get his award, because I know what I'll see in his eye- he knew it was coming.
I give The Social Network a very enthusiastic four out of four squirts.
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