Monthly Archives: November 2014

Silicon Valley A-holes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hygnZAGNvCs

I posted the link to the video as well as the video. I think that this show is incredible and hilarious and gives a look into the world of Silicon Valley and the men and women who call it home as well as their place of work. Being an asshole and knowing when and where to be one seems to be a big factor of success in this California area. This show explores a lot of different aspects of Silicon Valley and the numerous startups and apps that come from this thriving region. The guys in this show are trying to make it just like Zuckerberg and Facebook did, and it can be accomplished by being an asshole supposedly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hygnZAGNvCs

Silicon Valley Says “Boo” to Fincher’s Facebook Film

Silicon Valley Snubs Fincher’s Social Network

This article talks about how the men and women of Silicon Valley were not big fans of The Social Network. It glamorized the tech business that thrives in this region of California, perhaps the same way that Wall Street glamorized the world of investment banking. The article interviews a lot of people that work in Silicon Valley and we can get a good idea about the overall opinion of the movie from their quotes. I think that the dark undertones of The Social Network are very fitting because of the story: lawsuits, betrayal, broken friendships.

One quote from the article that I think is very notable is that the only reason this film got made is because of the amount of money that was made from Facebook. A 23 year old engineer in Silicon Valley said, “I don’t care if he stole code to make Facebook. That happens all the time. Most of the time, it goes unreported because nobody makes any money, so no big deal.” This time though, it did make money, and when Facebook was born and had incredible success, the lawsuits came and Zuckerberg’s name was dragged through the mud. The big lawsuit controversy is the huge driving factor that lead to this story making it to the big screen in the manner that it did.

What do you think about the opinions expressed in this article? Does Silicon Valley look good or bad to you in The Social Network?

Good Night, Good Luck

“In the early 1950’s, the threat of Communism created an air of paranoia in the United States and exploiting those fears was Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin. However, CBS reporter Edward R. Murrow and his producer Fred W. Friendly decided to take a stand and challenge McCarthy and expose him for the fear monger he was. However, their actions took a great personal toll on both men, but they stood by their convictions and helped to bring down one of the most controversial senators in American history.”

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0433383/

Badassss!

The struggles of an African American in the film industry on an independent film idea that would only appeal to a certain audience, now who thought it would become one of the most memorable pieces of film to date?

http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/Baaddasss-521.html

Bulworth

“A suicidally disillusioned liberal politician puts a contract out on himself and takes the opportunity to be bluntly honest with his voters by affecting the rhythms and speech of hip-hop music and culture.”

This film is giving the separation in a sense from the political overload that he has to deal with by giving him the most laid back area one can think of, the projects. He indulges himself in their society and gets lost within and never recovers.

Idiocracy

By far, the weirdest movie I have watched to date. It illustrates the average American who is selected by the Pentagon do act as a guinea pig in a top-secret hibernation test. They are left in the chamber for 500 years! They wake to see what the world has become and how intelligence has driven down to an all time low. He is seen as the smartest person in the world. The idea for the film is to promote education and the importance of learning through a comedic undertone, which is done perfectly. the cast is a wide variety of actors that can be seen playing those parts pretty well. Come on now, Terry Crews, President!

The Social Network

I really enjoyed this film. I liked the overall tone of how media indulges a robotic personality from those who use social networking websites. Facebook has been huge for a long time now, it’s interfering with social interaction and creating separation from the real world. It is causing de-evolving!

Here is a good article from the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/24/movies/24nyffsocial.html?_r=0

Score of the Social Network

After a date gone awry with Erica Albright, Mark Zuckerberg runs through campus and the tone is set for the rest of the movie. It is set by the piano notes and the tinny music hum that continues to build into soft booms.  In this moment as Mark is running past people and buildings, it creates a mood very different from the one preceding it in the bar and we can tell something is building up. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross won the Oscar for Best Original Score for this film, because like a score is supposed to do it evokes emotion from the viewer and tells us how to feel. But this score stands out because it creates a very different feel than any movie before it. The score acts as a judge of character’s actions, a Wall Street Journal article explains “the score’s icy abrasiveness and reflected aggression, the repeated piano motif suggests a trace of sympathy for Mark.” The music can be haunting, or exciting as in the scene when Mark creates FaceMash intercut with the Phoenix Club party. Attached is the article about Reznor and Ross, who have subsequently teamed up with Fincher for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Gone Girl, continuing to create inventive cool sounds that match the precision and brilliance with which Fincher makes his films.

http://online.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704657304575539831030302028

The Social Network

The best part about David Fincher’s films is the way he structures them systematically. This film was particularly interesting because so many brilliant people worked on it from Aaron Sorkin on the script to Trent Reznor with the score. With a story as complex as the creation of Facebook, and quite possibly the start of this social networking culture, one would need the best to create the world in which this story is told. I have seen several interviews of Zuckerberg where he denies vehemently about the accuracies in the film. Personally, I think both Zuckerberg and the creators of the film are both right here. I think Eisenberg’s portrayal of Zuckerberg is spot on. The plot of the film I am sure is correct as well, however I’m sure like any biopic film from
Hollywood, Sorkin and Fincher had to make it appear more of a tragic story to appeal to audiences but recreating certain dialogues and situations.  Overall, I think the film does a great job of exploring the world of money and fame, and what it can do to friendships as well as how ambition and ego can get the best of us.