Into the Forest

 

Based on the book by Jean Hegland, Into the Forest is the story of two sisters who live remotely following a worldwide power outage as they struggle to live without technology as well as deal with a new reality around them. Written for the screen and directed by Patricia Rozema, the film is an exploration of two young women who have to care for one another during a worldwide event that keeps them away from the rest of the world while having to deal with some of its dark aspects. Starring Ellen Page, Evan Rachel Wood, Max Minghella, Callum Keith Rennie, Michael Eklund, and Sandy Sidhu. Into the Forest is a riveting and somber film from Patricia Rozema.

Set in futuristic world where a worldwide power outage has occurred, the film revolves around two sisters who deal with this event as they’re forced to live alone and deal with their surroundings and the resources they have. It’s a film with a simple premise as it spans into nearly two years as it plays into these two young women who are forced to deal with their new situation as they live remotely in a house in the middle of the forest while having little gasoline for the power generator they have in the house. Patricia Rozema’s screenplay is straightforward as it play into the lives of these two sisters in Nell (Ellen Page) and Eva (Evan Rachel Wood) as the former is studying to be a doctor while the latter is trying to restart her dance career following an injury when the power goes out as they’re unable to do anything. The film’s first act is about the two sisters dealing with this newfound worldwide power outage with their father (Callum Keith Rennie) as they try to find ways to survive and with the little fuel they have in the car.

Yet, an accident would leave both of the sisters to fend for themselves as the second act has them dealing with their lack of resources but also what they want individually as Nell had befriended a young man in Eli (Max Minghella) who claims there’s something happening on the American east coast as Nell wants to join him. However, it would also mean abandoning Eva who is already struggling with living without power and is becoming depressed. The film’s third act involves the aftermath of an incident that impacted both sisters as they deal with dwindling resources as well as their home becoming inhabitable.

Rozema’s direction doesn’t bear a lot of stylistic choices in the compositions in order to be straightforward in the world that Nell and Eva are dealing with. Shot on various locations in the British Columbia province in Canada, the film does play into this small town world where Nell and Eva are part of a remote community that is often dominated by technology but everything changes due to this worldwide power outage. Rozema does use a lot of wide and medium shots to get a scope of the locations including the forest near the house that Nell and Eva live in as the house itself is a character in the film that included a dance studio where Eva practices. The medium shots also play into the intimacy of the home that include a lot of straightforward compositions involving Nell and Eva including a scene where they argue about using the gas for the power generator.

There are also close-ups as it play into some of the emotional moments in the film including a traumatic event that would shake both women late in the second act as it adds to the dramatic tone of the third act. Even in scenes where both women are emotional as it play into not just loss but uncertainty as it play into something they have to deal with but also a home that is crumbling prompting them to start something new. Overall, Rozema crafts an engaging and evocative film about two sisters surviving during a worldwide power outage.

Cinematographer Daniel Grant does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography as it plays into the natural usage of lighting for many of the exteriors including some low-key natural lighting for scenes at night including fire and available light. Editor Matthew Hannam does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward as it plays into some of the dramatic moments as well as some livelier bits and some of the intense moments in the film. Production designer Jeremy Stanbridge, with set decorator Shannon Gottlieb and art director Tara Arnett, does amazing work with the look of the house Nell and Eva live in as the house is a major character in the film in displaying the rooms and such in the house including the detail on the roof that is in need of repair early in the film as well as a small shack that Nell and Eli find. Costume designer Aieisha Li does fantastic work with the costumes as it is largely casual in the clothes that many of the characters wear in the film.

Visual effects supervisors Ryan Jensen and Kevin Little do terrific work with the visual effects as it mainly focuses on a key event towards the end of the film. Sound mixers Kristian Bailey and Kirk Lynds do superb work with the sound to play into the atmosphere of the forest and its surroundings as well as its emphasis to record all of the sparse moments in the locations. The film’s music by Max Richter is wonderful for its low-key orchestral score that is largely based on string arrangements to play into the air of uncertainty and loss while music supervisor Velma Barkwell provide a soundtrack that mainly consists of two songs including a cover of Wild is the Wind by Cat Power and a song by Sylvan Esso and Amelia Meath.

The film’s incredible ensemble cast feature some notable small appearances from Sandy Sidhu as a woman quizzing Nell during an online test exam, Jordana Largy as Eva’s dance teacher, Michael Eklund as a creepy supermarket clerk named Stan, Wendy Crewson as Nell and Eva’s late mother who is seen through home movies, Callum Keith Rennie as Nell and Eva’s father who is with them in the early days of the power outage, and Max Minghella in a superb performance as Eli as a young man Nell befriends and falls for as he suggests they all go to the east coast to find jobs and power.

Finally, there’s the duo of Ellen Page and Evan Rachel Wood in phenomenal performances in their respective roles as Nell and Eva. Page provides that air of grounded realism and quirky humor to her role but also knows when she has to be serious as she reads a lot and does whatever she can to make sure she and Eva have resources. Wood brings in that air of uncertainty as a dancer who is recovering from a knee injury as she is struggling to keep things going while also coping with loss and later an event that would trouble her. Page and Wood together have this chemistry and rapport as two young women dealing with a worldwide power outage as well as trying to survive and live with little resources as they’re the major highlights of the film.

Into the Forest is a remarkable film from Patricia Rozema that features great performances from Ellen Page and Evan Rachel Wood. Along with its wondrous setting, gorgeous visuals, and a somber music score, the film is a fascinating drama that explores two young women dealing with a worldwide power outage and their need to survive amidst loss and trauma. In the end, Into the Forest is a marvelous film from Patricia Rozema.

© thevoid99 2021

Art School Confidential

Directed by Terry Zwigoff and written by Daniel Clowes that is based on his comic book series, Art School Confidential is the story of a young artist who enters a prestigious art school where he deals with snobbish students, untalented teachers, and all sorts of people while falling for a young model. The film explores the world of art school where a young man aspires to be a great artist only to deal with the dos and don’ts of the world while a murder mystery occurs. Starring Max Minghella, Sophia Myles, Anjelica Huston, Matt Keeslar, Jim Broadbent, Ethan Suplee, and John Malkovich. Art School Confidential is a witty though messy film from Terry Zwigoff.

The film plays into a young artist whose aspirations to be the best and most important has him going into a prestigious art school where it is nothing as it seems where he deals with snobbish classmates, mediocre classes, and teachers who are really out of touch with the world of art. Yet, it is told in a humorous manner that includes a subplot about a series of mysterious deaths by a serial strangler where one of the students tries to make a film based on these deaths. It plays into the absurdity of art school where there’s students who believe they’re talented but they’re not while there are those who know they’re talented but feel unappreciated just like the film’s protagonist Jerome Platz (Max Minghella). One aspect of the film that adds to his characterization is how flawed he is where he is kind of full of himself and sometimes tries to act cool or whatever where he would take the wrong advice by a famous artist during a seminar.

Daniel Clowes’ script doesn’t just play into the world of art school and a young’s idealism over what he thinks would happen but also in how warped the reality of the art world is. Yet, it is told with an element of satire where many of the art school cliques and wannabes are portrayed in a humorous fashion while there are these many questions about what art is from Jerome’s perspective. Even as he has trouble with the work of one classmate in Jonah (Matt Keeslar) whose work is quite conventional yet receives the praise of classmates and their teacher in the local art figure Sandiford (John Malkovich). Being forced to compete with Jonah over admiration as well as the heart of the model Audrey (Sophia Myles). While the film’s subplot about the strangling of locals does make the script messy, it would add to key moments in the third act as it relates to Jerome’s desire for admiration.

Terry Zwigoff’s direction is very simple in terms of its compositions as well as the way he presents the world of art school. Shot largely on location in Los Angeles and Pasadena, California, the film does have this sense of a community that is part-Bohemian and part-high art as the latter relates to a scene where Jerome goes to a party held by an eccentric gallery owner. The usage of wide and medium shots add to this unique world of local art while Zwigoff also goes for some intimacy in some scenes including meetings Jerome would have with a reclusive yet brilliant artist named Jimmy (Jim Broadbent). While Zwigoff’s approach to humor is quite engaging, he does falter a bit on the suspense as it relates to the subplot of this mysterious strangler where it does make the film very uneven film that loses sight in what it wants to be. Though it does come to ahead in its third act, it does play into the fallacy of the desire of fame and glory as well as the fact that art is never meant to be taken seriously. Overall, Zwigoff creates a very compelling yet flawed film about a young artist’s desire to be great at art school.

Cinematographer Jamie Anderson does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the colorful scenes in the daytime to the low-key lighting in some of the classrooms as well as some stylish textures in some scenes set at night. Editor Robert Hoffman does nice work with the editing as it‘s mostly casual in terms of its cutting style with a few slow-motion cuts as well as a few stylish cuts in the suspenseful moments of the film. Production designer Howard Cummings, with set decorator Barbara Munch and art director Peter Borck, does fantastic work with the look of the classrooms and art studios as well as the galleries for the students to express their love of art.

Costume designer Betsy Heimann does terrific work with the costumes as it is mostly casual with the exception of some of the classmates as it plays into every kind of cliché in the world of art school where some look grungy or some try to look trendy. Sound editor John Nutt does superb work with the sound to play into the atmospheres of the parties as well as some of the intimate moments that occur during the classes. The film’s music by David Kitay is wonderful for its piano-based score as it features some unique melodies and textures that play into its humor and suspense while much of the film soundtracks include some classical pieces as well as a few rock songs.

The casting by Ann Goulder and Cassandra Kulukundis is brilliant as it features some notable small roles from Ezra Buzzington as a nude model, Katherine Moennig as a friend of Audrey, and in various roles of the art students, Scoot McNairy, Shelly Cole, Brian Geraghty, Jeanette Box, Lauren Lee Smith, and Isaac Laskin as the many kind of clichéd art students who all think they’re great. Ethan Suplee is terrific as Jerome’s aspiring filmmaker roommate Vince who wants to make a film about the mysterious strangler while Nick Swardson is just fucking awful as a closeted fashion designer who tries to be funny but it feels forced and unnatural. Joel David Moore is funny as Jerome’s friend Bardo who is an observer who had seen all kinds of students while Anjelica Huston is fantastic in her brief yet crucial role as an art teacher who had seen everything as she would give Jerome some really spot-on advice.

Steve Buscemi is superb in a cameo appearance as an eccentric gallery owner in Broadway Bob D’Annunzio as someone that is typical of the pretentiousness of the art world. Adam Scott is excellent as the famed artist Marvin Bushmiller as someone who is a fuckin’ asshole as he provides some bad advice to young artists in making it which only puts Jerome into a path that ends up being unrewarding. Jim Broadbent is amazing as Jimmy as a reclusive artist who is gifted but very cynical about the art world as he reveals some of the fallacies about trying to be great. Matt Keeslar is wonderful as Jonah as an art student that is known for making very conventional art yet proves to be a very nice guy with a secret of his own.

John Malkovich is phenomenal as Professor Sandiford as this artist-turned-professor who is quite odd in his teachings and views on art only to be seen as someone that is really just mediocre. Sophia Myles is radiant as Audrey as an art student/model who shares Jerome’s sense of disdain toward some of the idealism of art but is also confused by what people see as art. Finally, there’s Max Minghella in a marvelous performance as Jerome as a young artist that aspires to be great only to contend with some of the demands of compromise, bad critiques, and other odd things that forces him to ponder if his own art means anything.

***The Following 2 Paragraphs are from the Original Review of the Film Written for Epinions.com on 12/17/06 w/ Additional Edits***

The 2006 Region 1 DVD from Sony Pictures Classic & United Artists presents the film in the 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen ration with 5.1 Dolby Digital in English, Spanish, and Portugese, and 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound in French. Subtitles in English, French, Spanish, Portugese, and Chinese are available, especially in some of the film's special features. The special features includes five several featurettes starting with a making-of scene where Zwigoff and Clowes discuss the inspiration of the film while talking to several of its actors including Max Minghella and Sophia Myles, who are both British, as they enjoyed working with Zwigoff. The Sundance Featurette which includes interviews with several cast member including crew members as they discussed the screening. Minghella, admits that watching himself is depressing yet he enjoyed the audience reaction.

11-minutes worth of 12 deleted scenes are revealed in which some of them are funny and heartwrenching. One funny scene reveals the frustration of Sandiford while another reveals more of the tension between Jonah and Jerome including a scene where Jonah learns something that Jerome had said. Another deleted scene featurette involves the film's ending where Jerome's classmates make comments about a character's artwork and give their opinions. The blooper reel is really hilarious where all the actors are laughing including a scene of Malkovich trying to destroy a painting and another where he makes Minghella laugh by saying "Charo, Charo" repeatedly. The reel also includes an alternate take of an interview with Malkovich for the film. Finally, the DVD includes several trailers for films like The Devil & Daniel Johnston, Pedro Almodovar's Volver, Zhang Yimou's Curse of the Golden Flower, Stranger Than Fiction, and the teaser trailer to Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette.

***End of DVD Tidbits***

Art School Confidential is a stellar yet flawed film from Terry Zwigoff. Featuring a great cast as well as a humorous critique on the world of art and art school, the film is a unique look into the world of art and the fallacies of those wanting to be famous. In the end, Art School Confidential is a superb film from Terry Zwigoff.

Terry Zwigoff Films: Louie Bluie - Crumb - Ghost World - Bad Santa - The Auteurs #53: Terry Zwigoff

© thevoid99 2016

2012 Cannes Marathon: Agora

(Played Out of Competition at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival)

Directed by Alejandro Amenabar and written by Amenabar and Mateo Gil, Agora is the story of a slave who falls for the philosopher Hypatia of Alexandria as she is concerned with changing ideas about the ways of the world in 4th Century Roman Egypt. The film is a historical drama about Hypatia and her philosophies that was deemed controversial at the time. Starring Rachel Weisz, Max Minghella, Oscar Isaac, Sami Samir, Rupert Evans, and Michael Lonsdale. Agora is an ambitious but extremely messy film from Alejandro Amenabar.

It’s 391 A.D. in Alexandria where the famed philosopher Hypatia (Rachel Weisz) is teaching students about her theory on the universe as her students include Orestes (Oscar Isaac) and Synesius (Rupert Evans) along with her slave Davus (Max Minghella). Though Davus is very interested in Hypatia’s theories as he would assist her, tension over religion boils between pagans and Christians where Hypatia’s father Theon (Michael Lonsdale) is trying to sort things out. Instead, the tension between pagans and Christians has Davus be interested in what they’re about while Synesius reveals himself to be a Christian. Yet, Davus is also in love with Hypatia as the tension between the Christians and pagans start to become violent as Orestes gets involved with the battle while Theon is wounded by own slave.

While Davus manages to try and help out Hypatia, he is torn between his sudden interest in Christianity and love for Hypatia where all of the pagans including Theon and Orestes await word from the Romans. What the Roman Emperor reveals would force the pagans to leave Alexandria as the Christians take over while Hypatia becomes desperate to save the scrolls in the library as the Christians finally destroy the place. Davus meanwhile, makes his decision to join the Christians forcing Hypatia to free him as the two go their separate ways. Years later, Orestes has become prefect of Alexandria as he and many have already converted to Christianity while Hypatia becomes more interested in the motion of Sun, Moon, and the universe to fulfill a theory she’s been trying to work on. Davus has become part of a group of Christians as a new conflict is emerging between the Christians and the Jews.

With Orestes overwhelmed with trying to control the conflict, Synesius returns to Alexandria as the Bishop of Cyrene to try and calm things down as the Christians are led by the more extreme Cyril (Sami Samir). Instead, things go out of control when Cyril decides to target Hypatia with claims of witchcraft as Orestes tries to defend her. Instead, Synesius tries to make a deal for Hypatia to accept Christianity only for her to refuse as she makes a personal breakthrough about her theory of how Earth orbits the sun. When Davus learns what Cyril will do to Hypatia, he tries to return to the woman he had loved and save her.

The film is essentially a look into the final years of Hypatia from the eyes of a slave who fell in love with her only to part during the rise of Christianity in Alexandria. There, Hypatia is trying to uncover the theory about how the Earth moves around the sun while she is adored by two different men who are intrigued by her philosophies but are torn by different loyalties. It’s a concept that is quite interesting as well as Hypatia’s theories about the movement of the Earth.

Unfortunately, the screenplay that Alejandro Amenabar and Mateo Gil create is a mess. Largely due to some of the dramatic liberties that is presented as it really makes the story so drawn-out that it loses a lot of its intrigue. Plus, the characters such as Davus and Synesius are badly underwritten while Orestes isn’t as developed as well. For an audience that doesn’t know about Hypatia or some of these characters, it makes the story far more confusing to follow as there’s all of this drama that really becomes quite boring.

Amenabar’s direction is pretty big and ambitious for the way he presents late 4th Century Alexandria with its buildings along with shots of Earth that is presented throughout. The stuff about science is quite interesting but Amenabar seems to try and draw the audience in with all of these dramatic stories that really becomes a bit over-dramatized at times. There’s a lot of compositions that is a joy to watch but the execution of the drama such as the library raid and the stuff involving the battle between the Christians and Jews are poorly managed. The audience wouldn’t really know why there’s all of this tension and the stuff involving Davus’ affections for Hypatia and how he has become part of this group of radical Christians just makes everything else seem uninteresting. The overall result is an overblown and very tedious film.

Cinematographer Xavi Giminez does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the daytime exteriors to display the hot sun of Alexandra, though it‘s shot in Malta, to some entrancing work in the nighttime interior and exterior shots in the film. Editor Nacho Ruiz Capillas does fine work with the editing to play out the intensity of the battles as well as the rhythm for Hypatia‘s numerous discoveries as she tries to play out her theories. Production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas, with set decorator Larry Dias and art director Frank Walsh does amazing work with the set pieces created such as the pagan statues and the library that Hypatia loves.

Costume designer Gabriella Pescucci does nice work with the costume design from the robes that Hypatia creates to the different array of slave garbs and Christian uniforms that Davus wears. Visual effects supervisors Felix Berges and Eduardo Diaz do wonderful work with the visual effects to create amazing wide shots of Alexandria as well as the scenes in Earth and outer space though the sequence in the raid where scrolls are being thrown doesn‘t look so good. Sound editor Glenn Freemantle and co-sound designer Tom Sayers do superb work with the sound from the intimacy of the meetings to the raucous world of the crowd gatherings. The film’s score by Dario Marianelli is pretty good for the way it plays out the world with Arabian vocal chants and bombast orchestral arrangements although it does tend to swell up the drama to overblown places.

The casting by Jina Jay and Edward Sands is also good for some of people that is made for the ensemble as it includes some noteworthy performances from George Harris as Heladius Dignitary, Homayoun Ershadi as Hypatia’s assistant Aspasius in the film’s second half, Manuel Cauchi as Cyril’s uncle Theopolis, and Sami Samir as the extreme Christian leader Cyril. Michael Lonsdale is pretty good as Hypatia’s father Theon who tries to deal with these changes in the film’s first half while Rupert Evans is decent as the very quiet and spiritual Synesius who starts off as a student only to become this very spiritual bishop where he doesn’t really get to do anything but say a lot of stuff about being true to God. Oscar Isaac is stellar as Orestes as a man that is trying to win over Hypatia as he becomes the closest thing to a lover that she has although Isaac doesn’t sell some of the melodrama in the film’s third act.

Max Minghella is okay as the slave Davus who would aid Hypatia in her theories during class while dealing with these changes as there’s some good from Minghella but the script’s weakness doesn’t do enough to explain his actions in the film’s second half or why he had become so quiet in that second half. Rachel Weisz is wonderful as the very philosophical yet confused Hypatia where Weisz humanizes the philosopher by displaying a woman who is driven by wanting to find the answers to the universe while having trouble dealing with what to do as a woman with a personal life as it’s one of Weisz’s best performance in an otherwise poor film.

Agora is a bloated and very dull film from Alejandro Amenabar. Despite some great set pieces, interesting thoughts on science, and Rachel Weisz’s performance, it’s a film that tries to be a period epic but without a strong script to support it. It’s a film where history buffs might be interested in the subject but will be disappointed by some of the liberties it took to tell the story. In the end, Agora is a terrible film from Alejandro Amenabar.

Alejandro Amenabar Films: Thesis - Open Your Eyes - The Others - The Sea Inside - Regression - The Auteurs #51: Alejandro Amenabar

© thevoid99 2012

The Ides of March

Based on the play Farragut North by Beau Willimon, The Ides of March is about a junior campaign manager working for a presidential candidate on the campaign trail. When approached by a rival campaign manager, the young manager beings to ponder about the world of politics. Directed and starring George Clooney with a script written by Clooney, Willimon, and Grant Heslov, the film is political drama that uncovers the dirty world of politics and how one man‘s belief is shattered by that world. Starring Ryan Gosling, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood, Jeffrey Wright, and Marisa Tomei. The Ides of March is an intriguing yet chilling film from George Clooney on the world of politics.

Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling) is a junior campaign manager working for the president campaign for Pennsylvania governor Mike Morris (George Clooney). Under the supervision of senior campaign manager Paul Zara (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Meyers’ job is to make sure things are going well as they compete against Arkansas Senator Ted Pullman (Mike Mitchell) in the upcoming Ohio primary. While Morris is seemingly on his way to win, Pullman’s campaign manager Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti) approaches Meyers about a job while claiming that Morris won’t win. Meyers doesn’t take Duffy’s offer while deciding not to tell Zara thinking that Zara will get Senator Thompson (Jeffrey Wright) to endorse Morris.

Meyers befriends a young intern named Molly (Evan Rachel Wood) as they start to have a liaison while Meyers later reveals to Zara about Duffy’s offer after Zara revealed that he couldn’t get Thompson on board. With Morris’ campaign in trouble without Thompson’s endorsement, Meyers learns a horrifying secret during a night with Molly. Meanwhile, journalist Ida Horowicz (Marisa Tomei) reveals to Meyers that she knows the meeting he had with Duffy causing more problems. With Meyers suddenly in trouble, Zara makes a big decision that would put another campaign associate in Ben Harpen (Max Minghella) to take over for Meyers. Realizing the consequences of what he knows and what is really going on, he decides to confront the man whom he had hope to put all of his ideals into the world of politics.

The world of politics is one where the objective is to get yourself into the White House by any means. It’s a world where it’s very dirty and any ideas for good that anyone hopes for the world of politics doesn’t exist. It’s a film about a young man whose belief in good is shattered by the world of dirty plays and corruption in order to go after the presidency. During this journey, he’s offered something that would ascend him into power while he also uncovers a secret that wouldn’t just ruin everything he believes in the man that is supposed to be about those things.

The screenplay is a compelling study about the world of politics where it is all about what it takes to make it in that world. Particularly in the characters that Stephen Meyers interact with as they all would provide some idea of what he’s facing. There’s Mike Morris, the man he’s campaigning for who is trying to find a way to advance in the political game without getting his hands dirty. There’s the two differing campaign managers that are pulling Meyers about the game as well as a journalist that is looking for a story. Finally, there’s an intern who shares his idealism but finds herself in a situation that would threaten everything. It’s all about setting a man’s descent into idealism and how he is forced to realize that what it takes to survive in the world of politics where that person has to get his hands dirty.

George Clooney’s direction is quite straightforward for the way he presents the film as it’s mostly intimate for the conversations that take place throughout the film. There are a lot of great shots in the way Clooney present the scenes such as the lone conversation between Morris, Meyers, and Zara in a room while there’s more raucous moments in the campaign office for the way things operate. Yet, Clooney’s direction is quite potent for the way he creates an element of suspense where it all comes to the climatic third act where Meyers finally faces all of the things he believes in. While there’s some parts of it that doesn’t entirely work, it does lead to a fitting end about what happens as Clooney does create a solid and engaging film.

Cinematographer Phedon Papamichael does an excellent job with cinematography where a lot of the daytime exterior settings are straightforward while presenting some amazing shading for some of the interiors including some gorgeous nighttime exterior shots for some of the locations in the film. Editor Stephen Mirrone does a nice job with the editing as it’s presented in a straightforward manner while playing with the film’s pace to build up some of the suspenseful elements for the film.

Production designer Sharon Seymour, along with set decorator Maggie Martin and art director Chris Cornwell, does a very good job with the look for the hotel rooms, campaign offices, and public speaking forums to emphasize the broad world of political primaries.. Costume designer Louise Frogley also does a good job with the costume design from the suits the men wear to the more casual yet conservative clothing the women wear in their jobs. Sound editor Elmo Webster does an amazing job with the sound to convey the atmosphere that goes on during the speeches to the way conversations are presented to maintain the intimacy of the film. The film’s score by Alexandre Desplat is wonderful for its more somber yet soaring score that features some playful cadence drum fills in a few parts while delving into heavier themes for some of intense moments of the film.

The casting by Ellen Chenoweth is superb as there’s a wonderful ensemble created as it features small appearances from Gregory Itzin as Democratic National Party leader and Michael Mantell as Morris’ opponent though Jennifer Ehle in a small role as Morris’ wife is practically wasted as she only gets one scene of dialogue in the film. Other notable small performances include Max Minghella as Meyers’ associate Ben Harpen and Jeffrey Wright as the ambitious Senator Thompson. Marisa Tomei is very good as Ida Horowicz, a journalist trying to get a story while playing dirty in order to get Meyers to reveal things that she feels the country needs to know. Paul Giamatti is great as Tom Duffy, the rival campaign manager who makes an offer to Meyers while giving him insight about the dangerous world of politics. Philip Seymour Hoffman is excellent as Paul Zara, Meyers’ superior who shows him the ropes while revealing that loyalty is the key to making it in politics.

Evan Rachel Wood is wonderful as Molly, a young intern who shares the same ideals as Meyers only to find herself in a troubling situation which could threaten everything as Wood gives a very chilling performance. George Clooney is superb as Mike Morris, the man that Meyers is campaigning for as he tries to figure out what to do while being very complex about the ways he wants to win. Finally, there’s Ryan Gosling in an amazing performance as Stephen Meyers. While it’s a more showy performance than the one he previously did in Drive, Gosling does bring some charm and wit into a guy that does everything that is needed to be done while his world is shaken by the true ideology of politics as it’s a remarkable performance from the actor.

The Ides of March is an intelligent yet fascinating political drama from George Clooney that features a mesmerizing lead performance from Ryan Gosling. While it may not have the more entrancing and enthralling feel of Good Night, and Good Luck, it is still a strong film that does dwell into the dangerous world of politics. Particularly as it gives a point of view that idealism isn’t enough to win people over as Clooney creates something that seems very relevant with today’s current state of American politics. In the end, The Ides of March is a stellar film from George Clooney.

George Clooney Films: Confessions of a Dangerous Mind - Good Night, and Good Luck - (Leatherheads) - The Monuments Men

© thevoid99 2011

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

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