The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart

 

Directed by Frank Marshall and written by Mark Monroe, The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart is the story of the legendary British pop group of three brothers who were popular in the 1960s and then became superstars in the mid to late 1970s and then take a back seat in the 1980s to be songwriters. The documentary film chronicles the group’s unique journey as it is told by those who worked with the group but also those they influenced and from the sole surviving Gibb brother in Barry who is carrying the group’s legacy. The result is a fascinating and heartfelt film from Frank Marshall.

The story of the Bee Gees that consists of the Gibb brothers in the eldest Barry and his younger twin brothers Robin and Maurice were born in Manchester as they moved to Australia with their family that included their youngest brother Andy. In Australia, the three brothers would hone their musical chops and be influenced by many acts including the Mills Brothers and later the Beatles prompting them to return to Britain where they would become a major-selling pop group with guitarist Vince Melouny and drummer Colin Peterson as they were managed by Robert Stigwood. The story of the Bee Gees is legendary as they were this pop group who scored a lot of hits in the 60s and early 70s yet a brief break-up in 1969 that lead to their reunion a year later where they had to deal with an ever-changing music scene only to change their sound in the mid-70s to something akin to the R&B music of the times.

The film doesn’t just play into the band’s history from the early 1960s to the late 1990s but also their influence and the many ups and downs they would endure during those times. Featuring archival interviews with Robin and Maurice from the late 1990s as well as other archival footage from TV talk shows and such with Barry talking from one of his homes in Miami. Associates such as Vince Melouny, longtime touring/sessions guitarist Alan Kendall, keyboardist Blue Weaver, drummer Dennis Byron, and producers Albhy Glauten and Karl Richardson all talk about the music and their contributions. Most notably a scene of how Glauten and Richardson created the rhythmic drum loop for the song Stayin’ Alive by taking drum samples from the song Night Fever since Byron was unavailable due to a family emergency.

Also interviewed aside from Maurice’s widow Yvonne and Robin’s widow Dwina are various producers and artists such as Mark Ronson, Noel Gallagher of Oasis, Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers, Chris Martin of Coldplay, Maurice Gibb’s first-wife Lulu, house music legend Vince Lawrence, and Eric Clapton as he was the one who suggested the Bee Gees to go to Miami to record their 1975 album Main Course. Gallagher and Jonas both discuss the many highs and lows of being in a group with siblings as well as the fact that when brothers sing together, it has a unique sound that is unmatched with anything else. The film also talk about the unfair and unfortunate backlash the Bee Gees endured after Saturday Night Fever and the disco craze as a club deejay from those original discotheques revealed that disco began as an underground thing for gays/lesbians, blacks, and Hispanics at the time but when it became mainstream. The shit hit the fan as people in the world of corporate industry put the name disco on anything to the point of overkill and the Bee Gees were an unfortunate target.

There’s a sequence where the Bee Gees played to a sell-out crowd in 1979 at the Oakland Arena as they were treated with large adulation that is then inter-cut with what happened on July 12, 1979 at Comiskey Park in Chicago where Vince Lawrence was an usher at the stadium as that was the infamous event that was Disco Demolition Night that was held between a doubleheader game between the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers. Lawrence revealed that in that bin where all of the disco records were found and were to be destroyed that not all of those records were disco records. Some of the records were from R&B acts like Steve Wonder, Curtis Mayfield, and Marvin Gaye as it definitely showcased an ugly scene but also evidence that the event had a lot of racist and homophobic implications with the Bee Gees being a target because of their music.

With the help of cinematographer Michael Dwyer, a lot of the interviews that Marshall filmed are straightforward as it also play into some of the tragedy the band endured such as Andy Gibb’s death in 1988 due to heart failure relating to his drug addiction issues. What was more heartbreaking about his death was that the Bee Gees were going to announce him as an official fourth member as a way to help him. Editors Derek Boonstra and Robert A. Martinez do excellent work in cultivating a lot of the archival footage as well as rare home movies taken by the Bee Gees during their time including moments in Miami where the entire family was living there as if it was paradise. Sound editor Jonathan Greber does brilliant work in not just showcasing some of the demos of the songs but also in some of the audio interviews that play into some of the band’s history as well as the fact that Barry Gibb is the last Bee Gee standing.

The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart is an incredible film from Frank Marshall. It’s a film that doesn’t just showcase the brilliance of one of the great pop acts of the 20th Century but also in how they influence artists and culture as well as the story of a family who use music to bring them together. While the film doesn’t touch upon every subject, the film does succeed in showing why they mattered then and still matter despite the fact that only one of the brothers is alive and is carrying on their legacy. In the end, The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart is a sensational film from Frank Marshall.

© thevoid99 2020

Black Snake Moan

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 3/3/07 w/ Additional Edits.

Written and directed by Craig Brewer, Black Snake Moan is the story of an aging, God-fearing bluesman whose encounter with a young and rowdy woman has her trying to save her from wicked ways after being found beaten on the road. The film is an exploration into the world of the American South at its most grimy as it plays to the world of the American blues. Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Christina Ricci, Justin Timberlake, S. Epatha Merkerson, David Banner, and John Cothran Jr. Black Snake Moan is a dirty, funny, and whimsical film from Craig Brewer.

When her boyfriend Ronnie (Justin Timberlake) is set to leave for a duty in the national guard, Rae (Christina Ricci) begs him not to leave as Ronnie tells her he will return. Unfortunately, Ronnie's departure doesn't sit well with Rae whose strange behavior has already given her as a reputation for being the town’s loose, white-trash hussy. In the same town, an aging bluesman named Lazarus (Samuel L. Jackson) is dealing with the split from his wife Rose (Adriane Lenox) who is leaving him for his brother. Lazarus confides in his friend/preacher R.L. (John Cothran Jr.) while nursing a wounded heart. Rae meanwhile, continues to go into her rowdy ways having sex with many men including local dealer Tehronne (David Banner) and Ronnie's friend Gill (Michael Raymond-James). After a wild night, Rae gets beat up and is left onto the side of the road where the following morning, Lazarus finds her.

Trying to get her better, Lazarus gets more than he bargains for when she acts strangely around him and often going into surreal moments of crawling around in her underwear and shirt. Lazarus gets medicine from local friend Angela (S. Epatha Merkerson) while he learns from Tehronne on who she is. Still behaving crazily, Lazarus calms her where he decides to do something very crazy. When Rae wakes up and tries to leave, she learns that she has a 40-pound chain around her that is connected to his old radiator. Lazarus hopes to cure her from her wicked ways and make her into a decent girl despite her attempts to seduce him and such. Days go by when a local boy named Lincoln (Neimus K. Williams) visits Lazarus' farm to get some vegetables where he finds Rae. Lazarus returns to see that Rae still needs work as R.L. also learns of what Lazarus is trying to do. With only Lincoln and R.L. knowing what's going on, they keep it a secret from the rest of the town.

Discharged due to anxiety, Ronnie returns home to find that Rae hasn't been returning his calls or been at home. With Rae starting to act more civil, she still doesn't feel well due to the demons where she confronts her mother Sandy (Kim Richards). Only Lazarus comforts her with his music as he gains the courage to play in public again with support from Rae and R.L. With Rae starting to gain some peace, she also has to realize her own role as well as what to bring for Ronnie.

Whereas Hustle & Flow explores the world of Southern hip-hop, Black Snake Moan is really more like a blues album set in the roots of the South. Craig Brewer fully understands his environment and how the music fits in to a place in the middle of Tennessee. The film opens with footage of an old bluesman talking about sin and loose women. Yet, Black Snake Moan shares the same theme of redemption with Hustle & Flow. This time, it surrounds its two protagonists in Lazarus and Rae who are both characters that are struggling with some kind of conflict. Lazarus is nursing a broken heart while Rae is dealing with her inescapable behavior. In Rae, Lazarus finds a way to make himself useful by trying to help this girl. In Lazarus, Rae finds an unlikely father figure who can help her deal with the demons she's been surrounded by.

While the film is comical and filled with a lot of moments filled with heart and drama, Brewer does maintain a sense of entertainment towards his audience. While his script isn't as consistent as his previous film, it still brings a lot of fun while delving into the grittiness of the South. While it's been called an exploitation film of sorts, Brewer doesn't hold back into his influences when it comes to 1970s cinema. Like his fellow, Southern counterpart David Gordon Green, the two revel in the hilarity of the films of the South from the 1970s. From the title credits to the locations they're in while bringing a lot of cinematic style to their films. Brewer however, is more optimistic than Green in terms of storytelling. Brewer is also more musical where in this film, he reveals the joy and healing process the blues acts. Overall, it's a strong follow-up from the very talented Craig Brewer.

Helping Brewer with his unique, colorful vision of the South is cinematographer Amy Vincent with her gritty yet enchanting look of the South from its colorful evening skies to the intimate settings in bars along with wonderful camera work to convey the sense of energy. Production designer Keith Brian Burns and art director Liba Daniels also add to the intimacy and grittiness of the South to the small cabin that Lazarus lives in to the trailer home that Rae and Ronnie live in. Maintaining the sense of authenticity, Burns and Daniels adds life to the locations where the whole film looks and feels like a local, Southern town. Editor Billy Fox adds style to the editing with some rhythmic jump cuts, long shots, and perspective cuts to play to the film's stylistic feel. Sound editor Frank Smathers does excellent work in the sound to bring the atmosphere of the South including a scene involving a storm mixed in with the music. Composer Scott Bomar brings an amazing film score filled with great blues tracks including a snarling one that involves Rae's sickness. The rest of the film's soundtrack features some fantastic blues cuts including some numbers from Samuel L. Jackson himself. Jackson is a damn good singer with some funny lyrics about his struggles.

The film's cast is wonderfully assembled with some memorable small performances from Kim Richards, rapper David Banner, Michael Raymond-James, Adriane Lenox, and Neimus K. Williams in a hilarious scene with Ricci. John Cothran Jr. is excellent as the film’s moral guide of sorts as R.L. who is one of the few friends Jackson's character has and gives an excellent performance in bringing morality to the film. S. Epatha Merkerson is excellent in a small, memorable role as the sweet, caring Angela who brings a lot of spirit to Jackson's character while making him fill a needed void in his broken heart. The weakest link in the cast is Justin Timberlake but not entirely. Timberlake is good when his character deals with the anxieties and emotional issues but when he has to play tough and act like a badass, he's not so convincing and comes off as somewhat cheesy. It's not his fault but it's just that he’s not convincing in being very tough.

Christina Ricci gives an amazing performance as the nympho, crazy Rae with her unruly behavior. Wearing an actual, 40-pound chain, Ricci sells her performance in playing a crazy young woman wearing white-cotton panties and half-torn t-shirt. Ricci exudes her sex appeal while revealing a lot of angst into her character's inner turmoil. It's a fantastic performance from the often underrated Ricci. Samuel L. Jackson is in top form as the God-fearing Lazarus where Jackson brings a lot of care and humor to the role while proving himself to be a wonderful bluesman. Jackson is great in every scene he's in while proving himself to be a bit more complex. Jackson also has great chemistry with Ricci as the two bring a lot to the scenes they're in whether it's sexual tension or father-daughter relationship of sorts.

Black Snake Moan is an unsettling yet enthralling film from Craig Brewer that features a great performance from Samuel L. Jackson. Along with a superb supporting cast including Christina Ricci, it's a film that doesn't play nice while exploring the world of the American South at its dirtiest and at its most troublesome. In the end, Black Snake Moan is a phenomenal film from Craig Brewer.

Craig Brewer Films: (The Poor and the Hungry) - Hustle & Flow - (Footloose (2011 film))

© thevoid99 2014

Southland Tales

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 5/20/08 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Written and directed by Richard Kelly, Southland Tales is a multi-narrative story set in post-apocalyptic Los Angeles on Fourth of July weekend 2008. The film follows the lives of various characters including an amnesiac action film star, an ex-porn star, and twin brothers as they deal with the bleakness of the world around them. With an all-star cast that includes Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Seann William Scott, Mandy Moore, Miranda Richardson, Nora Dunn, Justin Timberlake, Jon Lovitz, John Larroquette, Wallace Shawn, Kevin Smith, Lou Taylor Pucci, Beth Grant, Bai Ling, Will Sasso, Holmes Osborne, Cheri Oteri, Amy Poehler, Zelda Rubenstein, Janeane Garafalo, and Christopher Lambert. Southland Tales, despite its concept, is a messy, incoherent, and purely self-indulgent film from Richard Kelly.

It's Fourth of July weekend in 2008 which would mark the third anniversary of the nuclear bombing of a small Texas town that began World War III. With the Patriot Act in full power, gasoline and alternative fuel resources in decline, and America on the verge of chaos. An action film star named Boxer Santaros (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) is in the desert with amnesia as he arrives in California. After being captured, he meets with a former porn star-turned reality TV show host Krysta Now (Sarah Michelle Gellar) as the two collaborate on a screenplay. Boxer learns that Krysta is part of a neo-Marxist movement led by her manager Cyndi Pinziki (Nora Dunn) who is trying to combat a Republican Presidential candidate Senator Bobby Frost (Holmes Osbourne) and his wife/head of US-IDent Nana Mae Frost (Miranda Richardson).

Meanwhile, the neo-Marxist movement learns that a scientist Baron Von Westphalen (Wallace Shawn) is trying to create a new source of alternative fuel as he is endorsing Senator Frost. With the war still waging on, Frost hopes to have a Republican victory in California as the neo-Marxists have taken a racist LAPD officer named Roland Tavener (Seann William Scott) hostage while using his twin brother Ronald to impersonate him. Ronald accompanies Boxer, who joins in to research his film role, as the two go into hijinks where a domestic dispute that was supposed to be routine went crazy thanks to a rogue cop named Bart Bookman (Jon Lovitz) who is also a neo-Marxist with his girlfriend Zora Carmichaels (Cheri Oteri). Boxer and Ronald run in fear as Boxer has an encounter with Baron and his cohorts that included his mother (Beth Grant), Dr. Soberin Exx (Curtis Armstrong), Katarina Kuntzler (Zelda Rubenstein), and Serpentine (Bai Ling).

With Pinziki and Frost's advisor Vaughn Smallhouse (John Larroquette) trying to negotiate over terms about the release of a possible sex tape between Boxer and Krysta Now, Boxer's wife Madeline Frost Santaros (Mandy Moore) wants the tape blocked. With Boxer returning to his home, he is now believing that he's Jericho as he's made contact with a woman named Starla Von Luft (Michele Durrett) about his screenplay. Santaros escapes the Frost home to meet with Von Luft as things get crazy when an Iraqi war veteran named Pilot Abilene (Justin Timberlake), high on a new drug, kills her. Ronald Taverner had just escape and learned something powerful is going on with his right hand as did his twin brother as the two try to find each other. Ronald seeks help with a secret arms dealer named Walter Mung (Christopher Lambert) while Roland gets help from a local drug dealer named Martin Kefauver (Lou Taylor Pucci). With Krysta now getting possession of a video tape that could incriminate her, she makes her own deal with Smallhouse as the night approaches for what could be the end of the world. It is there at a party for a new Zeppelin that the Taverner twins and Boxer learned what happened to them a few days ago.

The concept of Southland Tales about the end of the world emerging on a Fourth of July weekend with intertwining storylines, multiple characters, and themes of social and environmental unrest is a very good concept. The problem is that it's a good idea on paper. On film and in script, it's a mess. A bloated mess that has too many characters, too many stories, too many situations, and nothing to gel on. It's clear that there's a conflict between two groups. The problem is that it gets confusing on who is working for the neo-Marxists and who is working for the U.S. government. Some characters start of as neo-Marxists and then become pawns for Frost and company. It becomes confusing.

The script doesn't have a sense of cohesiveness nor any characters with the exception of the Tavener twins and Boxer Santaros, that have any depth or development. Instead, Kelly brings out caricatures of individuals that looks like they've come out of films by David Lynch and Gregg Araki. Kelly's claim that the film is meant to be a satire but there's not much to satirize about except reality TV and pop stardom in the form of Krysta Now. The dialogue is stylized for some characters yet it sounds very ridiculous coming out of the mouths of the actors while what's even worse is the film's voice-over narration from Pilot Abilene. The narration brings nothing but a bunch of strange and inane philosophies while the reading by Justin Timberlake sounds very flat and lifeless. Then there's the story and plot. There's nothing clear in what it's trying to say and though things do clear a bit in the third act that involves time travel as well as motivation for two of its lead characters. There's no payoff even though something happens but what is the aftermath?

If Kelly's demands for the audience to be very attentive to the film in script, then the demand for the film in his direction is too overwhelming. Kelly had intended it to be a much bigger experience that is interactive with the audience that included a graphic novel that preceded the film. The problem is that Kelly is trying to create a film that is strange enough for an art-house film audience while using big stars for a mainstream audience and he succeeds in neither. The problem is that Kelly is too enamored with the film's concept and is convinced that the film should be seen more than once to understand the story. Kelly's demands for an audience is too much for a mainstream audience to handle while an art-house audience are smart enough to know when a film should be seen twice.

Kelly's demands for the audience are marred by his bad choices in the direction. The awkward framing, compositions, and no depth of field for the film's exterior and interior settings really create a film that is messy. Plus, Kelly's knack for bending genres, that worked in his previous film Donnie Darko, fails because he tries to do too much. He tries to make it into a comedy, action, drama, satire, sci-fi, and also, a musical. There's a couple of musical dance numbers where one of them is based on a drug trip where Pilot Abilene is lip-syncing to the Killers' All The Things That I've Done with back-up dancer and it's an extremely baffling scene that really confuses the audience into what they're seeing. While there's a couple of interesting moment in the directing including a tracking shot of the MegaZeppelin scene, the rest of the film falters with inane special effects, chaotic conflicts, and everything else where the result is a bloated mess that doesn't make any sense to its audience.

Cinematographer Steven B. Poster does have some nice coloring but due to Kelly's direction, he is given nothing to do as he's forced to emphasize on lighting style that doesn&#146t have any depth at all. Neither does Sam Bauer's editing that at the film's theatrical 144-minute running time, lags in pacing, tries to go for style, and doesn't add anything to the film other than the fact that more scenes should be cut while its approach in the intertwining stories makes it confusing. Production designer Alec Hammond and set decorator Tracey A. Doyle does an OK job in some of the film's set designs though it's most notable achievement is the pristine look of the MegaZeppelin. Costume designer April Ferry creates interesting costumes for the actresses involved yet the look at times is very cartoonish and lacks any real depth.

Sound designer/editor David Esparza also doesn't do anything brilliant that's expected in a film that bends genre as his work in some of the action sequences are average at best while a scene in a gun battle tends to be very muddled more in part due to the direction. The visual effects by Thomas Tannenberg does have nice touch for its mix of animation and computer graphics in some sequences but the rest of it isn't very good at all, notably the climatic scene along with the MegaZeppelin is poorly made. The film's music by renowned electronic-pop artist Moby is dull at best. Originally supposed to be a collaboration with Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor, Moby's score fits in the mood with his ambient setting though the addition of pulsating, techno beats create a sense of distraction and at times, doesn't fit in with the mood of the film.

The soundtrack is a tribute to classic alternative music of the 90s with bands like Radiohead, Jane's Addiction, the Pixies, Blur, Big Head Todd & the Monster, Elbow, and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club along with the Killers, Louis Armstrong, Beethoven, Muse, Waylon Jennings, and an original song for Sarah Michelle Gellar's character that's a bad impersonation of Britney Spears music.

The casting by Mary Vernieu and Venus Kanani though is an interesting ensemble. There's very few people to stand out as nearly every actor in this film has little to work on while it's clear that the film features cameos and character actors where sometimes, their appearance or presence tends to be a distraction. Cameos from Kevin Smith as a legless war veteran, singer Rebekah del Rio from Mulholland Dr.as a singer, Janeane Garafalo as a general in the final party scene, Christopher Lambert as an arms dealer in an ice cream truck, Eli Roth as a man killed in a toilet, and Sab Shimono as a Japanese prime minister don't really add anything since they're just cameos. Garafalo's appearance is only brief which suggests her appearance was supposed to be bigger but never made it into the final cut while Smith is barely recognizable in his own role. Comedians Will Sasso as Krysta's bodyguard, Amy Poehler as a poet, and Cheri Oteri as neo-Marxist are very bad with Poehler and Oteri not given anything funny to do with Oteri being way over the top in her role. Jon Lovitz also suffers in his role as rogue cop where he ends up being very silly.

Wood Harris as a famed rapper doesn't make much impression nor does Jill Ritchie as one of Krysta's girlfriends while Mike Nielsen as a government spy isn't memorable at all where he's in the film for one minute and then, he's gone. Michele Durrett also suffers the same fate just as her character was getting a bit interesting despite her own exaggerated performance. Famed character actors Curtis Armstrong, Zelda Rubenstein, and the always enjoyable Beth Grant as the Baron's cohorts are practically wasted since they just show up and say their lines while Bai Ling as Serpentine makes more of an impression that's really more of a distraction than a performance.

Nora Dunn is okay in her role as Cindy Pinziki but her character lacks any real sense of clear motivation while John Larroquette looks bored in his role as Vaughn Smallhouse. Lou Taylor Pucci is also okay in his role as drug dealer talking like a rapper though he does manage to make an impression in the film's climatic scene. Wallace Shawn, a great character actor, sadly doesn't really get to do anything but squirm and act slimy as if that's all he's given to do. Holmes Osbourne also doesn't get anything to do but act awkward and such while Miranda Richardson, sporting a Texan accent, is kind of annoying in the film and doesn't get anything to do than sit, talk in a Texan accent, and watch a lot of TV screens. Mandy Moore gives a flat, uninspiring performance where all she does is nag and be a glorified trophy wife which is sad considering that Moore is more talented than that.

Sarah Michelle Gellar is okay in her role as a former porn star turned entrepreneur though sadly, Gellar doesn't get to do anything but look pretty, act like a dumb blonde, and that's all which is sad considering she's far more talented than that through her work in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The film's most baffling and certainly, the worst performance is Justin Timberlake as a war veteran who likes to get high and shoot people while voicing some of the worst narration ever committed on film.

Seann William Scott, who is known as the obnoxious Stifler in the first three American Pie films, is good in his dual role as twin brothers who hold the key to the conspiracy that the American government is doing. While Scott does get to have a few, funny one-liners, he does manage to show his skills as a dramatic actor in the third act where he gets to do a lot despite what little depth and development his characters had to work with. His performance proves that he can do more than just being Stifler. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is also good as Boxer Santaros and his character alter-ego, Jericho Cane (a nod to both Chris Jericho and Kane) where he has this great presence that's expected from an action film star but also a sense of humor in how jittery he is when he's nervous. While the dialogue he's given doesn't work for him, Johnson at least does his best to his charisma and presence to give a good performance to prove that he's more than some big tough guy.

Southland Tales is a tremendously horrific film from Richard Kelly. Despite some of the visuals and the performances of Dwayen Johnson and Seann William Scott. The film doesn't do enough to create a very compelling story that would make sense in favor of style over substance that is unable to live up to the ambitions that Kelly wanted. It's also a film where it tries to hard to do so much and ask a lot from its audience only to either bore or frustrate them in the mess that it is. In the end, Southland Tales is a very shitty film from Richard Kelly who tries too hard and fail.

Richard Kelly Films: Donnie Darko - (The Box (2009 film))

© thevoid99 2014

Inside Llewyn Davis

Written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, Inside Llewyn Davis is the story in the week of a life of a struggling folk singer who is talented but also his own worst enemy as he deals with his own failures as well as his lack of success. The film is an exploration into the Greenwich folk music scene of the early 1960s where one man deals with his own gift and his faults as a person as the character is played by Oscar Isaac. Also starring Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, Garrett Hedlund, F. Murray Abraham, and John Goodman. Inside Llewyn Davis is an extraordinary film from the Coen Brothers.

The film is essentially about a man who is undoubtedly talented but is a wandering fuck-up who manages to make a mess out of himself and the people he’s with. Notably as he is this musician who hasn’t been successful while still grieving over the death of his singing partner as he’s trying to make whatever money he can get and catch a break. Yet, Llewyn Davis is practically his own worst enemy as he is quite critical of others in the Greenwich folk music scene that is happening while he also learns that one of his fellow musicians in Jean (Carey Mulligan) is pregnant as he might be the father. It’s a film that takes place in the span of a week where it’s essentially a character study about this man trying to find his place in the world only to face all sorts of tribulation.

The film’s screenplay by the Coen Brothers takes it time to showcase the journey that Llewyn Davis takes in the span of an entire week where the first act is about Davis’ struggle in Greenwich where he crashes in various places while dealing with Jean’s news as her husband Jim (Justin Timberlake) asks him to do a session for a song Jim has made. While Llewyn has some respect for Jim, there is some jealousy over the fact that Jim is successful despite the fact that he doesn’t have Llewyn’s gifts as a real artist. After meeting another folk musician that Jim and Jean had befriend in Troy (Stark Sands), the film would have this second act of Llewyn traveling to Chicago with a stray cat he had found. The cat that Llewyn encounters is a symbol of what Llewyn could do if he doesn’t screw up yet there’s a side of him that is definitely full of fear where Llewyn isn’t sure if he can take care of a cat let alone a child since Jean could be carrying his child.

The film’s second act also has Llewyn encountering a strange music impresario named Roland Turner (John Goodman) and his valet Johnny Five (Garrett Hedlund) who accompany him to Chicago for this audition with a renowned manager named Bud Grossman (F. Murray Abraham). The trip itself would be strange where it would add to Llewyn’s own doubts about himself where he would eventually arrive into Chicago with a lot of emotional baggage that he’s gained in the past few days. The third act would be about his return to New York City where it would play into the aftermath of his Chicago trip and the uncertainty of what to do next as it plays into Llewyn’s own fallacies as a man and as a musician.

The direction of the Coen Brothers is truly exquisite in not just the way they recreate the 1960s Greenwich folk music scene but also set it around a man who feels more and more out of place with the scene he was once a part of. Much of the direction have the Coens use a lot of wide and medium shots where it’s largely shot in New York City to play into a world that is constantly changing and thriving. There’s some close-ups and very interesting moments that the Coens create such as a scene of Llewyn trying to catch this stray cat called Ulysses whose owners are these music aficionados who often invite him to crash at their place. Yet, the scenes involving the cat as well as the opening sequence of Llewyn playing at this smoky, dimly-lit venue where it showcases where he’s coming from and the emotional baggage that he’s carrying.

The film does also become a road film of sorts in the second act where the images of the car driving on the road are quite entrancing as it showcases that uncertainty of Llewyn as he’s a man with no home or no direction home. The film in some ways is a folk song being played on screen as the Coens also shoot a few scenes in Chicago where it’s cold and Llewyn faces one bad situation after another before his audition. The compositions become much more stark in not just its imagery but also in the way it explores Llewyn’s own faults and the uncertainty he faces. Overall, the Coen Brothers create a very fascinating and engaging film about a man’s faults and the uncertainty that he carries about who he is and what he does.

Cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel does brilliant work with the film‘s very lush and colorful cinematography that is filled with exotic colors for some of the film‘s interior scenes that includes the small venue that Llewyn and other folk musicians play at as well as the richness for some of the film‘s daytime and nighttime exterior scenes. Under the Roderick Jaynes alias, the Coen Brothers do excellent work in the editing where they use a lot of stylish cuts from its fade-outs and transitions to play into the drama that unfolds throughout the film. Production designer Jess Gonchor, along with set decorator Susan Bode Tyson and art director Deborah Jensen, does amazing work with the set pieces from the look of the folk venue that the characters play at to the very thin hallways in the apartments the characters live in.

Costume designer Mary Zophres does fantastic work with the costumes as it is largely based on the clothes of the early 60s from the flamboyant look of Roland Turner to the straight-laced clothes that Jean and Jim wear. Visual effects supervisor Alex Lemke does terrific work with some of the minimal visual effects created such as the scenes of snow appearing on the nighttime road scenes. Sound editor Skip Lievsay does superb work with the film‘s sound from the atmosphere of the folk clubs as well as some of the calmer moments of the scenes on the road. Music archivist T-Bone Burnett does an outstanding work in compiling the film’s soundtrack as many of the actors in the film do their own singing as the songs chosen for the film do help tell the story. Notably as the music features contributions from Marcus Mumford and Chris Elridge in many of the songs played which also includes a rarity from Bob Dylan.

The casting by Ellen Chenoweth is great for the ensemble that is created as it includes some notable appearances from Adam Driver as a folk musician who aids Llewyn in a session for Jim, Jeanine Serralles as Llewyn’s older sister Joy, Max Casella as a folk club owner, Ethan Phillips and Robin Barlett as the music aficionados who let Llewyn crash at their place as they’re also Ulysses’ owner, Alex Karpovsky and Helen Hong as party guests that Llewyn meets at the aficionados’ home, Stark Sands as Jim and Jean’s friend Troy who is a good musician that Llewyn is annoyed by, and F. Murray Abraham in an excellent performance as the revered talent manager Bud Grossman who watches Llewyn plays as he decides his fate. Garrett Hedlund is terrific as Turner’s valet Johnny Five as he is very quiet throughout the film but there is something about him that adds to the strangeness of Llewyn’s encounter with Turner.

John Goodman is fantastic as the eccentric and flamboyant music impresario Roland Turner as a man who walks with two canes while musing on all sorts of things as his presence would leave Llewyn even more troubled. Justin Timberlake is amazing as Jim Berkey as this very talented and successful folk musician who is an all-around nice that just wants to help Llewyn out any way he can. Carey Mulligan is brilliant as Jean Berkey as a folk singer who despises Llewyn as she also tries to help while telling him that she’s pregnant with what might be their child which she has a hard time dealing with. Finally, there’s Oscar Isaac in an incredible performance as the titular character who is talented but unable to take his talents forward as he carries a lot of emotional baggage and a cat. It’s a performance that is eerie to watch where there’s aspects about him which are endearing but he’s also a guy that continuously fucks up every chance he has giving Isaac a career-defining performance.

Inside Llewyn Davis is a remarkable film from Joel and Ethan Coen that features a marvelous performance from Oscar Isaac. The film is not just an intriguing look into the failures and faults of a man but also the 1960s folk music scene in which he was a part of and how he feels out of place in that world. Especially where it’s a film that showcases what a struggling musician has to go through to make it in an ever-changing world. In the end, Inside Llewyn Davis is a phenomenal film from the Coen Brothers.

Coen Brothers Films: Blood Simple - Raising Arizona - Miller's Crossing - Barton Fink - The Hudsucker Proxy - Fargo - The Big Lebowski - O Brother, Where Art Thou? - The Man Who Wasn't There - Intolerable Cruelty - The Ladykillers - Paris Je T'aime-Tulieres -To Each His Own Cinema-World Cinema - No Country for Old Men - Burn After Reading - A Serious Man - True Grit - Hail, Caesar! - The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

The Auteurs #9: The Coen Brothers: Part 1 - Part 2

© thevoid99 2013

The Social Network

In 2004, the world of social networking through the Internet changed with the arrival of founding of Facebook.  A networking site that allows a user to interact with family and friends by posting messages or posting pictures.  By July 2010, it has over 500 million users around the world while courting controversy over privacy issues and such.  Despite the fact that it helped its founders Mark Zuckerberg, Chris Hughes, Dustin Moskovitz, and Eduardo Saverin become billionaires at a very young age.  It also created friction among its creators where in 2009, a book about the founding of Facebook called The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich arrived to tell the story of the early years of Facebooks’s creation.  The book grabbed the attention of renowned director David Fincher and famed producer/writer Aaron Sorkin for their adaptation called The Social Network.

Directed by David Fincher and an adapted screenplay by Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network tells the story about the founding of Facebook in its early years through its creators when they were just students at Harvard.  During the creation of Facebook and its rise, friction among its founders over credit and glory ensue that leads a chilling story of greed and betrayal.  With an all-star cast that includes Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Rooney Mara, Brenda Song, Rashida Jones, Armie Hammer, Joseph Mazzello, Patrick Mapel, and Max Minghella.  The Social Network is an eerie yet exhilarating film from David Fincher.

It’s the fall of 2003 as Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) is on a date with Erica Albright (Rooney Mara) where things end up badly.  Upset, Zuckerberg blogs about Erica and then has an idea about all the parties that are going on in Harvard.  Zuckerberg, a computer programming student, comes up with an idea called Facemash where he posted polls about which girl was hotter and such and overnight, it becomes big.  With help from friend and roommate Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) who comes up with an algorithm code, Zuckerberg gets attention for Facebook, good and bad.  Among those interested in Zuckerber’s work as a programmer are twin rowers Tyler and Cameron Winkle Voss (Armie Hammer w/ Josh Pence as the body double) and Divya Narendra (Max Minghella).

After asking Zuckerberg to create a program for their website to connect with Harvard students to another.  Zuckerberg agrees while learning that Saverin has been accepted to a prestigious club.  Zuckerberg, along with programmer Dustin Moskovitz (Joseph Mazzello) and Chris Hughes (Patrick Mapel), decided to create his own site that was called The Facebook with Saverin bringing a thousand dollars to start the site.  While Zuckerberg’s ideas increase, the Winklevoss twins and Narendra are suddenly left in the cold as they kept being rebuffed by Zuckerberg.  Even as they issues a cease-and-desist against Zuckerberg which he refuses to comply to.  With Saverin’s social connections to get more people in the site, they decided to expand to other big college campuses in the Northeast and Stanford in California where they get the attention of Napster co-founder Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake).

With the Facebook growing in numbers through prestigious college campuses and the Winklevoss trying to stop the site by even going to Harvard’s president (Douglas Urbanski).  Nothing is stopped as Saverin’s new girlfriend Christy Lee (Brenda Song) arranges a meeting with Sean Parker to meet with Zuckerberg and Saverin.  Though Saverin was skeptical about Parker, Zuckerberg is charmed as he and Moskovitz move to California to expand Facebook while Saverin stays in New York City to talk to advertisers to help with the financial things for the company.  With Parker’s help in California, Facebook expands all the way to the U.K. as the Winklevoss twins and Narendra decide to sue.  Meanwhile, Saverin finds himself out of picture as he tries to freeze his own money only to come back to sign some documents which would eventually lead to an all-out war against Zuckerberg.

The film is a classic tale of how one rises to the top and become filthy rich and yet, is being faced by the people he had fucked over to rise to the top.  For this film about the creation and founding of Facebook, it is much more complicated considering that Mark Zuckerberg who is a guy that likes to work on his computer a lot.  He is very socially awkward and seems more interested in trying to create a better Facebook with money coming to him all of the time.  Yet, he is also an asshole.  Still, if someone wants to make it in business.  They have act like assholes in order to get their way.  Yet, there’s a price to be paid when that person ends up screwing his friends around out of their share of the pie.

Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin creates a storyline that is similar to Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon as it’s all told in a couple of depositions where Zuckerberg is facing off against those he screwed over.  While the narrative moves back and forth from the creation of Facebook to the different depositions where Zuckerberg is explaining himself.  Even in his deposition against Eduardo Saverin, he is joined by a lawyer (John Getz) and a paralegal (Rashida Jones).  Even through these depositions, Sorkin gets a chance to have the Winklevoss twins and Narendra tell their side as well as Saverin.

While the Winklevoss twins and Narendra might seem like a trio of rich, preppy assholes who got cheated out of millions of dollars.  Yet, there’s a bit of sympathy for them considering that they tried to restore some of Zuckerberg’s already trouble reputation while making him part of an elite club.  Instead, Zuckerberg screws them though they gave him an idea about Facebook.  Then there’s Eduardo Saverin, the co-founder who brings in the money to create Facebook and then is pushed out of the picture once Sean Parker comes in.  Here’s a guy who is very smart, comes up with an algorithm code, brings in the money, and has all of the social connections to get people to join Facebook.  What happens to him is just as sad as he’s the character that gains the most sympathy.

Sorkin’s portrayal of characters including the brash Sean Parker, are wonderful in their complexity while breaking away from whatever stereotype what audiences might perceive of them.  Even in Mark Zuckerberg who is a very complicated character that doesn’t really know how to interact with people but can create ideas that would make Facebook what it is by 2010.  While some might sympathize with Zuckerberg for just trying to create something that will bring people together.  Others will hate him for how he screwed people over or how he treats them.  Yet, it is Sorkin’s genius to create memorable characters along with fast-paced dialogue and intense, dramatic moments is what makes the story so compelling.

The direction of David Fincher is truly his most accessible and most intriguing work to date.  Fincher creates a drama that is filled with a bit of suspense along with some humor and heavy drama.  Setting the film in Cambridge as Harvard, he goes into the world of Harvard in all of its social circles.  Fincher starts the film off with a bar scene that is long as he goes back and forth into the conversation.  The framing of that scene sets the stage along with the following sequence of following Zuckerberg through Harvard with this tracking shot.  Most of Fincher’s direction of scenes is very intimate inside the dorms while going inside the parties and capturing the intensity of Zuckerberg and his cohorts creating something.

Fincher succeeds in creating dramatic tension with not doing a lot for the deposition scenes.  Even as he focuses the camera on Zuckerberg, who seems very distracted by the things around him including the rain outside.  It’s all because Zuckerberg is trying to think about other things concerning his own site as Fincher’s camera is intent on capturing this young man at his most confrontational.  The overall direction of Fincher is truly mesmerizing and it’s definitely his most solid and entrancing work of his career so far.

Cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth does a phenomenal job in creating a look and tone for the visual aspects of the film.  Cronenweth’s dark, low-lighting look for many of the film’s interior scenes is truly intoxicating in its dark tone.  For some of the daytime, interior scenes, the film is more lively as Cronenweth’s camera is always on the action.  Even as Croenweth’s photography for some of the scenes in California is exquisite as his work overall is great.

Editors Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall do an amazing job with the film‘s editing in creating a rhythmic pace to keep up with the rapid dialogue.  Even as they slow down to create dramatic tension.  Notably for some of the deposition scenes where the editing takes it time for the actors to have their monologues as it’s a great example of what editing should be. 

Production designer Donald Graham Burt, along with set decorator Victor J. Zolfo and art directors Curt Beech and Keith P. Cunningham do fantastic work with the look of the Harvard dorms, the classrooms, and everything else that Harvard looked liked.  Even the designs of the clubs and slick restaurants to play up to Mark Zuckerberg’s rise while the deposition scene with the Winklevoss twins is very classy to represent the old-school world of those twins.  Costume designer Jacqueline West does excellent work with the costumes from the more ragged, casual clothing of Zuckerberg to the more posh, intimidating clothes that the Winklevoss twins wear.  Sound designer Ren Klyce does superb work with the film’s sound mixing and editing to create moods for the scenes involved in the film.  Notably the deposition where at one point, rain is heard to mix with the dialogue and music to play with what Mark is thinking about.  Klyce’s sound work is truly one of the film’s technical highlights in capturing the tense atmosphere that goes on for the film.

The film’s soundtrack features a large array of music ranging from the White Stripes, Roots Manuva, the Cramps, 10cc, the Dead Kennedys, Bob Marley & the Wailers, Cage, Super Furry Animals, and to close the film, the Beatles’ Baby You’re A Rich Man.  The soundtrack definitely plays up to the party atmosphere of the film as it is presented in large contrast to the film’s dark, unsettling score.

The film’s original score is created by Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor and longtime cohort Atticus Ross.  Featuring a cover of Edvard Grieg’s In The Hall of the Mountain King, Reznor and Ross’ score is a mixture of dark ambient music filled with soothing piano and swooning synthesizers to play up to some of the melancholia and drama that goes on.  When it gets tense, the score becomes more menacing with fuzzy bass lines, discordant electronics, and driving guitars.  While some of the pieces feature music from the 2008 NIN instrumental album Ghosts I-IV, the music Reznor and Ross creates is perfect to complement the complex mind of Mark Zuckerberg as that score is real highlight of the film.

The casting by Laray Mayfield is excellent for its array of actors to fill in small and big roles.  Among the memorable small roles are Steve Sires as Bill Gates in a seminar scene, screenwriter Aaron Sorkin as an ad executive, Dakota Johnson as a Stanford girl Sean sleeps with, Malese Jow as Christy’s friend, and Patrick Mapel as Facebook co-founder/original spokesperson Chris Hughes. Other notable small but more substantial performances come from Brenda Song as the sexy Christy who becomes Eduardo’s girlfriend, Joseph Mazzello as programmer/Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz, John Getz as Mark’s attorney Sy, Douglas Urbanski as former Harvard president Larry Summers, Dustin Fitzsimmons as a club president, and Rashida Jones as a paralegal who helps Mark with his legal situations while giving him a monologue about what he should do.

Rooney Mara is excellent in a small role as Erica Albright, a composite of a real individual who would become the inspiration for Zuckerberg’s idea to create Facebook. Even as Mara holds her own against Jesse Eisenberg as a girl who felt confronted by a guy she had a hard time relating to.  Max Minghella is very good as Divya Narendra, a rich student who felt screwed by Zuckerberg and wants to get violent on him. Armie Hammer, as the Winklevoss twins, is phenomenal in playing these rich, preppy, popular jocks who get shafted while wanting to try and be respectable in their approach only realizing how much they want to kill Zuckerberg. Justin Timberlake, meanwhile, gives a rousing performance as Sean Parker. The brash co-founder of Napster who is everything Zuckerberg wants to be while charming his way into the world of Facebook as he is cocky and arrogant. It’s a great performance from Timberlake who finally gets a role and performance that truly serves as an acting breakthrough.

Another notable breakthrough is Andrew Garfield as Eduardo Saverin, a co-founder of Facebook who becomes the site’s original investor and business manager. Garfield is excellent as the guy who has all of the social connections but is suddenly thrown out of the loop once Parker comes in as he struggles to get Zuckerberg’s attention. It’s truly a remarkable performance for the young British actor. The film’s real break-out performance is Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO and co-founder of Facebook. Known for playing eccentric, comical, and nerdy characters in films like Roger Dodger, The Squid & the Whale, Adventureland, and Zombieland. Eisenberg does an exhilarating job in playing the troubled yet brilliant Zuckerberg in all of his flaws. Eisenberg also makes Zuckerberg into a somewhat sympathetic figure but also one to despise. Eisenberg can talk fast, be quite uncaring, be in his own head, and also very arrogant in scenes where he gets confronted as it’s definitely the best performance of his career.

***Additional DVD Content Posted on 2/9/11***

The 2-disc Region 1 DVD from Sony presents the film in its original 2:40:1 theatrical aspect ratio in anamorphic widescreen.  Featuring 5.1 Dolby Digital sound in English and French plus subtitles in English (for the hearing impaired), French, and Spanish.  The first disc of the DVD is the film itself as the only special features it includes are two audio commentary tracks.

The first commentary track is from director David Fincher.  Fincher talks about a lot of the film’s location settings, technical ideas, and the cast.  Particularly Jesse Eisenberg who he really liked in Noah Baumbach’s The Squid and the Whale and The Education of Charlie Banks.  Even as he reveals what Eisenberg brought to the role of Mark Zuckerberg in which he brings a humanity to a character that is inaccessible at times.  Fincher praises the likes of Andrew Garfield, Rooney Mara, Brenda Strong, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer (along with his double Josh Pence), and Max Minghella.

Fincher also talks about the reasons why they weren’t able to shoot at Harvard along with some ideas about the story and Aaron Sorkin’s screenwriting.  He also revealed that he originally wanted Elvis Costello & the Attractions’ Beyond Belief to be the song in the opening credits but everyone else didn’t like it.  Fincher admits that it was an idea as he also talked about the musical contributions of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.  Even as he wanted something that was a bit reminiscent of the high school film of the 80s but more modern.  Fincher’s commentary is fun to listen to as it features lots of bleeps because it’s a PG-13 movie.

The second commentary track is from screenwriter Aaron Sorkin and cast members Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, and Josh Pence.  Sorkin and the actors talk about the production as well as Fincher’s directing style which is notorious for having actors do numerous takes which was something the actors didn’t really seem to mind.  Eisenberg felt it was the right approach so that he and the other actors could get a chance to find their footing during the shoot.  Even in the opening scene with Rooney Mara where and Mara had to find the way to get the rhythm of their conversation just right and make it feel natural.

Andrew Garfield discussed his approach to playing Eduardo Saverin as well as his chemistry with Eisenberg where they had to hang out with each other for a while before working.  Garfield and Eisenberg praised the work of Joseph Mazzello whom Garfield was jealous of as a kid because Mazzello was in Jurassic Park.  Armie Hammer and Josh Pence talk about their roles as the Winklevoss twins as Hammer revealed an encounter with one of the twins that freaked him out.  Justin Timberlake revealed that he had to audition for the part of Sean Parker which he worked hard on and didn’t want to come into the film because of who he is.

Sorkin revealed about his approach to the screenplay of the film while he revealed that the music he originally wanted to use in the credits sequence was Paul Young’s cover of Love for the Common People.  Fincher thought that wouldn’t work as he decided to go with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ music.  Sorkin revealed that the one scene he wished was cut was his cameo as all of the actors disagreed and thought he did pretty good.  The overall commentary is fun as it brings insight to the characters and the story.

The second disc includes loads of special features relating to the film.  Leading the pack of special features is a one-and-a-half hour, four-part making-of documentary entitled How Did They Ever Make a Movie of Facebook?  Directed by David Prior, the documentary features interviews with actors, crew members, producers, screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, and director David Fincher.  Even as it focuses on what was shot in the three central locations for the film plus how did they manage to put Armie Hammer’s face into Josh Pence for several scenes in the film.

For many of the exterior scenes in Harvard, it was all shot in Boston and nearby colleges since there was no permission to shoot at Harvard.  Even as a few interiors were shot in the month of October where the whole principal photography phase was 70 days.  Both Hammer and Pence had to learn how to row though Pence was more experienced since he did row in his school days.  Even as the opening bar scene was rehearsed early in the day with Jesse Eisenberg and Rooney Mara where they finally shot the scene later that night with a bunch of extras.

For a lot of the film’s interior scenes which included the restaurant and club scenes.  All of it was shot in Los Angeles including the house Zuckerberg and his team stayed in during their California trip.  Some exteriors were also shot for the film that was to be set in Harvard while the dorm room scenes and a few interiors were shot in the lot.  Notably the depositions as it was all shot on a built set.  The documentary is an insightful, fun featurette that reveals the making of the film.

Another big featurette is a 4-minute multi-angle breakdown of the Ruby Skye VIP room scene.  Featuring four camera angles and four different audio tracks, it reveals how the club scene was created from its early stages to principal photography.  There are four shots that are going either by themselves individually or all together in a composite form.  The first audio is Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Timberlake rehearsing in another room reading Aaron Sorkin’s dialogue with Sorkin and David Fincher watching in the first angle.  The second audio track is an interview with editors Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall along with sound designer Ren Klyce about how difficult it was to create the club scene for all of the sound work and editing.

The third video and audio is about the location scouting of the club as Fincher and crew discussing how it would be shot and what angles would be used.  The fourth and final video/audio clip is the principal photography where the first assistant director gets extras to come in and dance to the music while making sure they keep dancing when music isn’t played so Timberlake and Eisenberg do their dialogue.  Even as Fincher is watching everything through a monitor as he also directs Eisenberg and Timberlake about what they should do during their conversation.  It’s definitely a wonderful and captivating featurette.

Two other special features involve the film’s technical work.  The first is an eight-minute featurette about the film’s look from David Fincher and cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth.  Fincher and Cronenweth revealed that because of Harvard’s refusal to have the film be shot on location, they had to find locations where they can shoot places that are similar to Harvard.  Even in look where all of it had to be captured to create a similar mood to the way Harvard looked.  Helping capturing some of those images, particularly inside the dorm room were the cameras Fincher and Cronenweth used which was the Red One camera.

Since Fincher had always expressed interest in digital filmmaking and in high-definition, the Red One was the camera that was able to give him the look he needed.  The hard part was trying use lenses to capture broader shots for depth of field.  Notably the overhead shot of the Harvard archway where three cameras were used to capture the entire archway as it had to become one entire frame.

The second is a seventeen-minute, twenty-second featurette on the film’s post-production that features editors Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall and sound designer Ren Klyce.  Baxter and Wall reveal the difficulty of the editing since things were moving so fast that the film was edited during production as filming continued.  Even as they’re aware of Fincher’s notorious for shooting many takes of a scene which was more difficult because of Sorkin’s screenplay.  Even in capturing the right note of the performances which had to be handled through Klyce’s sound editing.

Klyce’s sound editing, mixing, and design work helped to create moods, notably the opening scene of the film.  Even as Klyce had to mix the dialogue of Jesse Eisenberg and Rooney Mara in one mix, the mix of the people in the bar talking, and the music of the White Stripes in the background.  What Klyce had to do was get all of those sounds mixed in together for this opening sequence.  Even when Eisenberg’s character had to work on the computer where Klyce and Fincher took a more realistic approach as opposed to the ways computers sounded in the past.

Three other special features involve the film’s music from composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.  The first is a nineteen-minute featurette on the score with interviews from Reznor, Ross, and David Fincher.  Reznor and Ross revealed their approach to the music where Reznor would do a lot of the performance with Ross providing the arrangements and dissect all of the pieces that was played.  Even as the two try to figure out what rhythm this piece would be used or that piece.  The track Hands Cover Bruise became the main theme that Fincher loved which he felt would become the basis for the score and the emotional accompaniment of Mark Zuckerberg.

The hardest track Reznor and Ross had to do was Edvard Grieg’s In the Hall of the Mountain King because it was requested by Fincher.  Reznor revealed that because Fincher wanted a Wendy Carlos approach of the piece, Reznor took it the wrong way where the first draft was played to a dismal reaction from personnel to Reznor’s dogs.

Also included in that section is a four-and-a-half minute feature on the Swarmatron instrument Reznor and Ross used for the score.  It’s an instrument that features ribbons for Reznor to rub on while using a tuning button to create pitches for the sound.  He said he wanted to use something that was organic and imperfect in the realm of electronic music.  Reznor and Ross revealed what scenes featured the instrument as it contained a swooning if discomforting sound to help set the mood for the scenes.

The third and final music special is a rough draft of Edvard Grieg’s In the Hall of the Mountain King.  Played to the Henley Regatta scene, the featurette features four different audio mixes.  One is a rough version of the first draft of the track in music only which sounded more like Wendy Carlos’ approach to the track with dated 70s-style synthesizers that didn’t feel right.  In the final mix of that first draft with the sound in the film, it still didn’t work because the track’s intensity with the feel of the race just didn’t match.  Even as the text that preceded the scene revealed what it took to get to the final version.  When the final version of the track is presented in a music-only mix and then in the final mix with the film’s sound, it’s an indication of what worked.

Though the only thing the DVD is missing are the trailers for the film.  It is still an amazing DVD that fans of David Fincher must have.  Even as aspiring filmmakers get a chance to understand Fincher’s filmmaking process including how the film was shot and edited.  Fans of NIN will definitely want the DVD for the music features and to see Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross at work on the film’s score.  In the end, it’s a spectacular DVD that supports one of 2010’s great films.

***End of DVD Tidbits***

The Social Network is, without a doubt, one of the year’s best films from David Fincher and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin. Fans of Fincher’s work will no doubt enjoy the film for its visual feel and tone while fans of Sorkin will enjoy his approach to the story. Featuring an amazing cast led by Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, and Justin Timberlake plus a hypnotic score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. It’s a film that truly dwells into one of the great social phenomenon of the 21st Century and how its creator became rich. It’s definitely a film that is engaging, entertaining, and also intriguing. In the end, The Social Network is a remarkable yet provocative film from David Fincher.

David Fincher Films: Alien 3 - Se7en - The Game - Fight Club - Panic Room - Zodiac - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Gone Girl

Related Review: null 1 - The 15 Essential Videos of David Fincher - The Auteurs #61: David Fincher

© thevoid99 2010