Film Review: "The Amazing Spider-Man" (**1/2)

The franchise reboot is a move that's almost always been met with criticism, or at least skepticism. Before Christopher Nolan brought "Batman Begins" for judging, most didn't even indulge the idea of a solid Batman film after "Batman and Robin". Same goes for "Star Trek" showing up after the maligned "Nemesis". "The Incredible Hulk" came under fire for its close proximity to the previous rendition, though it admittedly had itself more self-knowingly put together than Ang Lee's version. "The Amazing Spider-Man" has it toughest because it's coming on the heels of a franchise that rendered two quite wonderfully entertaining entries before being collapsed by studio self-interest.

We have to feel bad for Sam Raimi, who was preparing "Spider-Man 4" all in the midst of Sony planning to reboot the franchise altogether. In the grand scheme, it seems rather juvenile of them to trash the entire future of that franchise for the critical failures of "Spider-Man 3". What's even more juvenile is that Sony themselves were responsible for the overloads of plot glut that many blamed for the film's weaknesses. They were able to get away with the move, however, thanks to some crowd-pleasing casting of Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, and the hiring of "500 Days of Summer" director Marc Webb.

"The Amazing Spider-Man" Trailer 2

Wow, I really have been out of the loop. I need to get back in the way of posting things the moment they come along. One of the bigger trailers to come along this week was for Marc Webb's reboot of "The Amazing Spider-Man". I admit that I was and am still quite interested in whatever they're putting to work on this one, if only because I'd like to see what else they have to say about the character at this point. Tobey Maguire's depiction of the characters was kind of dopey; like a kid who thought he was cooler than other people thought he was, but he's not. This seems to be "Spider-Man" for the hipster generation, which I think is kind of cool.

"The Amazing Spiderman" Teaser Trailer

Okay, I'm officially done being angry at the reboot of the Spiderman franchise, because it looks like director Marc Webb has done quite a lot to distance it creatively from Sam Raimi's trilogy. Something that Raimi really glossed over was Peter Parker's childhood life. His polarization from the social community of school, and his relationship with his deceased parents were never really delved into. I find it really interesting that this film is looking into that, and I find Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy to be infinitely more likable than Kirsten Dunst's Mary Jane. There's a slight feeling of it being just another once-over, but I'm being optimistic with The Amazing Spiderman. I like it.

Expectations vs. Reality

Happy day after Valentine's Day, when the desperate one-night-stands have all but expired and the drunken hangovers ensue. My apologies for not having anything to say yesterday, but there quite honestly wasn't much to say. Life, in general, isn't spent in happiness. Probably the best film to illustrate that was (500) Days of Summer, a film that some say is overrated, but I find touching to the soul. I'm so glad that director Marc Webb is taking on the Spiderman reboot, now officially entitled The Amazing Spiderman. Hopefully he adds as much emotion and realistic style as he brought to his debut feature. An interesting fan video did a mashup of The Social Network and the wonderful "Expectations vs. Reality" scene in (500) Days of Summer. It's an inspired idea, but extremely underdeveloped, so if somebody savvy with editing software thinks they can make a better version, consider this a challenge. I've got the mashup embedded below, and a bit of the clip from the original film below that. At the very least, enjoy!

First Look: The "Spiderman" Reboot

Remember how none of us were able to abandon the anger we had at Sony Pictures for rebooting the Spiderman franchise? Well, I already abandoned that mindset after they brought us The Social Network, but even the numerous aspects of the production of the reboot have given us faith in the adaptation. The cast is a thing of new beauty, with two talents who proved themselves this past year. The main attraction is Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker, but other than that, I just can't wait to see the film based on the first image that's surfaced. The new suit has a far edgier look to it, so don't expect the cheesy effects of the original trilogy. This is something new, and there's a brand new look to it.

"The Social Network" DVD Shines With Texture And Depth!

Nobody on earth would ever think of belittling the success of The Social Network, and what David Fincher, Aaron Sorkin, and every person in the cast and crew has achieved. It feels like a bite in the ass that I wasn't able to see this film again until after I put up my list of the best films of 2010, because I would've placed it higher. I might have placed it at #1, because it's a film that deserves that. True Grit keeps falling down the list, and I've been warming to Black Swan with every day that goes by. The Kids Are All Right is right where it was before, but I really undersold The Social Network, because to place it at #4 is actually too harsh. Once you're halfway through the opening scene, you remember why it is the undeniably perfect film of the year. It's a work of technical, visual, psychological, and emotional dexterity at a level that is unprecedented

The film keeps proving itself again and again, and that is no less evident on the DVD. I had to stop as soon as I got to the main menu, because even the array of images they place for you there is textured and stimulating. As for the bonus features, they are immense. There are two audio commentaries you can watch with the film. One features director David Fincher, and the other features screenwriter Aaron Sorkin and members of the cast. There are mini featurettes on the visuals, music, post-production, scene-breakdowns, and even a look at Trent Reznor's gradual creation of his adaptation of "In the Hall of the Mountain King" which plays during the row crew scene in the latter half of the film.

The real grab of the batch, despite all the little gems of the two disc set, is the feature-length making-of documentary, How Did They Ever Make a Movie of Facebook?. It's a fascinating look behind the scenes of this intensely detailed film. For a film major just about to settle into his/her first film production class, it's almost essential viewing. So I obviously was a huge fan of it, because they tackle each little facet of the production. The opening scene is just as interesting in terms of how they made it happen as it is to watch unfold before you. Also notable is how Aaron Sorkin never really left the production after the script was written. It was an extremely deep and complex screenplay that he wrote, and he couldn't just drop it off at the door, and then go home. It also helped that he was an actor in one scene of the film, and that he directed on shot of the film. Everyone in this film, even the man who played the body that Armie Hammer's face is projected onto to portray the Winklevoss twins, is given credit. It's very much like the way the script was made, embellishing all sides of the production as it embellished all sides of debate. It's a must-see film on a must-buy DVD. If you haven't seen The Social Network yet, you should see at soon as humanly possible. If you have seen it, please comment below on your thoughts on the film and the DVD.

Awards 2010: BAFTA Rising Star Nominations

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is beginning to form their nominations for this year's awards season, and one of the most entertaining categories of the show is the Rising Star Award. Each year it is given to one of the breakout stars of the year, usually chosen by the public. As such, last year it was given to the obnoxious Kristen Stewart over Carey Mulligan and Jesse Eisenberg. So I do fear the honor will go to somebody undeserving, which is always a potent possibility. This year, Emma Stone of Easy A is up for the honor, and seeing as she was the first one I mentioned, you can probably tell that I favor her more than the other nominees.

There are two performers up for the honor who honestly wouldn't deserve it, starting with Gemma Arterton, who inexplicably is appearing in most massive failures these days. Last year she appeared in Clash of the Titans and Prince of Persia, and she fortunately doesn't have any major releases this year. The other less than favorable choice would be Aaron Johnson, who had one major performance this year in Kick-Ass. It's not that he wasn't good, but he is hardly worthy of the honor. The man who'll probably win is Andrew Garfield who appeared in both Never Let Me Go and The Social Network in 2010. It's not quite Tom Hardy's year for the honor yet.

BAFTA Rising Star Award
Gemma Arterton
Andrew Garfield
Tom Hardy
Aaron Johnson
Emma Stone

Film Review: The Social Network

My Facebook Status (September 26-October 1):
* "You change your mind like a girl changes clothes."
* There's this amazing film news and review site called High On Celluloid, and its writer is wicked smart. You should check it out.
* The girl who played Shannon on "Lost" is going to be in the next two "Twilight" films. Now I HAVE to see it. Right?
* This looks just like the room I got probed in. Are you a cat?
* My biggest complaint about living [here]: The theaters here are run by contrived idiots who have no idea what the hell they're doing!
* having one of those days, which seem to be increasing in frequency.
* five weeks in, my backpack is already broken, my shoes are falling apart, and things are just as uneventful. Not what I was hoping when I woke up this morning.
* If I talk about how magnificent "The Social Network" was, will Mark Zuckerberg personally ban me from TheFacebook?

When we think about what Facebook means today, it's a lot different from what it meant when we joined. When we joined, we thought of it as an easier way to communicate with our friends, therefore making it so that we don't have to always be with them in order to talk with them. Somewhere along the road, something changed. When people were alone, and everyone is at some point, they'd pour their souls out onto their Facebook, ignorant to the fact that most of the people listening were people that they barely knew. Some of their thoughts weren't even thoughts. They were just song lyrics they thought sounded neat. However, sometimes you say something that you wish you could take back. Unfortunately, as Rooney Mara states in The Social Network, "The internet isn't written in pencil. It's written in ink."

What's so amazing about The Social Network is that it reveals what the site truly meant to the man who created it, fictionalized though it may be. It doesn't take away from how much this film defines our generation. When thinking over the events of the film, it all ends up being a result of the opening sequence, when Mark Zuckerberg's anti-social behavior results in his girlfriend, Erica Albrite, breaking up with him. He's one of the smartest people out there, and that naturally means that he seems like a complete douchebag. When you look at the world from a more intelligent point of view, you quite obviously feel like they're lesser than you are.

Because of this one sad event in Mark's life, he would go on to have a drunken episode that would cause the Harvard network to crash. This would earn him widespread infamy, but also acclaim that would mushroom him into a chain of events that would lead to the biggest social networking site in existence. This could've easily been shaped as a rags-to-riches type of film, but that would be disingenuous to who the Zuckerberg character is. He has a very short attention span, he's socially awkward (his best friend being Eduardo Saverin, a wealthy economics major), and he's really one of the most emotionally cruel people I've ever seen onscreen.

This film moves by at an amazing pace, barely making you feel the two hour running time. The dialogue is rapid-fire, intelligent, occasionally witty, and if doze off for a few moments, you may miss out on something important. The last film that truly demanded the audience's attention this much was Inception. As the film goes on, things move into more emotionally trying property, and when we finally reach the tragic conclusion, you will walk out of the theater feeling sorry for Zuckerberg. If the events in this film turned out to be 100% truth, then it makes his recent contribution to the Newark school system so much more commendable. It's not trying to douse the fire of this film.


The performances in this film are absolutely breathtaking. Jesse Eisenberg successfully moves out of the shadow of Michael Cera, which I felt he achieved long ago, but now it's publicly certified by this film. We've seen him play such likable characters in films like Zombieland, but he really shows what he's capable of here. He also bares a striking resemblance to Zuckerberg himself. Andrew Garfield redeems himself after the misfire known as Never Let Me Go, and proves that it wasn't a mistake to cast him as the next Peter Parker. He's the one who will keep you emotionally grounded in this film, and is the key to making it work. I doubt this film would work with anybody else playing the role of Eduardo Saverin.

Justin Timberlake can act! It's a shock to all, but this film shows that he has something good going for him here. He plays the "villain" of the film, Sean Parker. He's what causes everything to collapse, and he's introduced in a slyly written scene with all the charm that he carries with him. Over the course of the film, we finally learn exactly how much contribution he actually gave to Facebook, and it isn't much. I truly hated this guy on the way towards the end. No matter how unbearably mean Mark can be, Parker is even more cruel. He is the Hans Landa of Facebook.

Two other brilliant performances came from Armie Hammer who played the Winklevoss twins that sue Mark over the idea for Facebook. He does a nice job weighing the different personalities of the two, even if we don't quite know whose name is which. It's like the Fred/George phenomenon in Harry Potter. Rooney Mara proves that she can handle The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and is such a quiet presence throughout this film. She only really has two scenes, but we go through this story knowing that it all started with her.

David Fincher does a brilliant job directing this film, and it may just be his best work to date. The critics sure think so, and I do as well. Aaron Sorkin deserves the Oscar to be simply handed right to him now, as his script easily surpasses anything else this year. The editing is similarly fantastic, as the film seamlessly jumps back and forth through time. The Social Network truly deserves the acclaim that it's been getting. It's not exactly the best film of the year, but it's one of them. It's a tragic portrayal of our time, and it will strike true for anybody who sees it. They won't be having conversations about the real life Mark Zuckerberg, so much as they will be talking about what Facebook really means to them these days. I have friends who have nearly 600 friends on Facebook. Think about who you're opening your life to.

A