Posts by Matthew Littlewood
Last ←Newer Page 1 2 3 4 5 Older→ First
-
I should also add that it succeeds mostly because it’s not really about facebook at all, but about the sort of personalities who would create such a venture, and how all of them were liable to turn, along with the strangely opaque social networks within Ivy League universities, and that Sorkin’s dialogue is at once hyper-mannered and paradoxically naturalistic- it hurtles at an unstoppable rate, but it sounds as good as it scans.
-
Okay, I’ve just seen The Social Network. A fascinating film in that it’s ultimately very conventional in its rise-and-fall “Rosebud” narrative, something that even the the filmmakers acknowledge, and yet there’s something strangely hypertextual about it- not just in the way it criss-crosses all over the place in terms of story-telling (the legal battles are so entangled that there are at least half-a-dozen “flashbacks within flashbacks”), but in the sense it’s indulged in mythmaking in something that’s still very much ongoing. Jesse Eisenberg deserves all the plaudits he has and will get- it’s an oddly controlled, and even muscular (intellectually if not physically) performance, the very essence of the avenging nerd, while the support cast all off good, rounded work, even if Timberlake’s gadfly Sean Parker offbalances things just a tad.
There are probably too many loose ends, and yet you did get a sense of something epic in minature, and although the framing device (we start in a crowded bar and end in an empty office with a computer) was obvious, it felt earned. Mainly, I got the sense that the filmmakers knew exactly what they were playing at, unlike, say, Fincher’s Zodiac, which despite the excellent performances and direction, felt oddly hollow and confused.
It’s a generational lightning rod of a sort, but in some ways, it’s also charmingly quaint- perhaps every generation needs its rosebud.
That said, they deserve special plaudits for finding a way to enliven one of the most static, visually boring activites there is- computer programming. The scenes where they’re developing the various codes and programs really come alive, the whole film seems hepped up of the cinematic equivalent of vodka and red bull, which is strangely appropriate given the age of all the lead players.
I’m pretty sure the factual veracity of a good percentage of it is doubtful, but then again, they do acknowledge that in an offhand way- I think one of the lawyers says something along the lines that 85 percent of testimony is emotional exaggeration and the other 15 percent is perjury. And in a weird way, Zuckenberg should be strangely flattered by the portrayal here- it’s very much about his character’s attempt to make sense of a world that isn’t built around code, although he tries his damndest to bend it that way.
One bit did feel off though- when Zuckerberg hits California, it’s Ronnie Hudson & The Street People’s “West Coast Poplock”, and not 2Pac’s California Love (the 1996 smash song which sampled it) which plays in the background. I don’t quite buy that, knowing that Zuckenberg’s my age, he’s more likely, I assume, to play the latter. But who I am to argue?
-
Incidentally, I find it amazing how many people I've had in dialogue through message boards for years and when I finally meet them in person I immediately hit it off. I caught up with several in London, recently.
The funniest example is actually Grant McDougall- we both posted on Mojo music's website, and didn't realise we lived literally down the road from oneanother unti we got in touch!
-
A while back I posted this on Gladwell's article:
I’m hardly a fan of Gladwell- in fact I find a lot of his work incredibly glib and prone to manufacturing arguments by cherry-picking examples that fit and leaving out the rest…but I think this sort of was his point. Facebook, Twitter, et al are tools for networking, they’re a means, rather than a means to an end, which is why he feels that as a method for continued activism (of any sort), they would have to be bolstered by something else, because their structure is anti-heirachical. Which as he says, is a strength in certain situations, but less so when you want to establish something continuous. I mean when he says this:
There are many things, though, that networks don’t do well. Car companies sensibly use a network to organize their hundreds of suppliers, but not to design their cars. No one believes that the articulation of a coherent design philosophy is best handled by a sprawling, leaderless organizational system. Because networks don’t have a centralized leadership structure and clear lines of authority, they have real difficulty reaching consensus and setting goals. They can’t think strategically; they are chronically prone to conflict and error. How do you make difficult choices about tactics or strategy or philosophical direction when everyone has an equal say?
He’s right, if you assume the group’s only tool for continued activism and organisation is through Facebook or Twitter or whatever. He’s wrong, if they’re merely using that as one extra tool. Greenpeace, for instance, has a very committed social media platform. But that’s not all they have. Likewise, I kinda think those reports on Obama marshalling the social network bely the fact that he also hand the savviest and most talented campaign team since Clinton in 1992.
They’re a continuation of what already existed, rather than a totally new paradigm. And that’s great. We shouldn’t get worked up and worry and fret if it’s not totally new. We should be pleased that it gets used and can continue.
That said, I am on facebook, and use it as a glorified email service, and in that sense it's incredibly useful. I think it was Russell Brown who said that Twitter was illustrative, whereas Facebook was administrative. I think Noel McCarthy's comments on facebook are pretty apposite. -
Ah, but that gag only works when we don't meet the wife. Mrs Falani is Arthur Daley's 'Er Indoors.
Oh yes, I suppose you're right, and that sort of gag is something of a comedic staple, but it was done very well, and would've been a pretty shocking reveal for the final episode. Mind, given her reputation, she only could've been a disappointment. Fane's performance throughout the show was great, the guy has timing to spare.
-
As an aside, did anyone else expect we would finally get to meet Mrs Falani in this episode? I have to say, Falani's constant fear that his wife would find out what he gets up to was one of the funniest running gags in the show.
-
It needs saying that the show's use of New Zealand music has been one of its triumphs.
Absolutely, and at no time did it feel self-conscious or forced. Even the songs or bands I don't particularly like (e.g. OpShop) worked well in context. I was always impressed with how electic the show's playlist was, too- but then again, even Westies can't live by bread alone.
-
Yeah, it would have been nice if it were a little longer. But there was something endearingly bittersweet about the episode, and I think all the characters got roughly what they deserved, considering everything that had happened before. And yes, I know Th' Dudes "Be Mine Tonite" was more than obvious as a closing tune, but it was just right, y'know? And it's been a while since I've actually listened to that song properly, as opposed to hearing it somewhere and not paying attention to it. That bridge is pretty special (or "choice", as Van would say)
It's interesting that a season that began with a police car being torched ended with such a focus on resolution for the characters. A number of intuitions expressed here about the characters were made concrete. Like, someone actually said to Loretta that she was Cheryl.
Yeah, and Bailey finally called Van on his mother obsession, although her remedy was probably a tad more drastic than I would've expected...
-
And Grant Bowler himself has been a notorious public twatcock about OF after working on it, so he wasn't likely to be welcomed back.
Really? I must've missed that- what did he say? It's a shame, because he was arguably the most charismatic presence of the show, and I've liked him in everything else I've seen him in.
-
Don't want to comment on the final episode yet, but seeing as lots of people have been doing it, here are some of my favourite OF moments, in no particular order.
1. Munter and Van steal the community constable vehicle and torch it. Classic.
2. Gerrad explains to Van how he got his cellphone number. "I'm a detective. I fucking detected it."
3. In order to stop Loretta's baby getting adopted, the West family, led by Wolf, gatecrash the unsuspecting adoptees' home. I suppose it counted as some sort of social commentary.
4. Loretta's reaction to when Pascalle reveals what she and Judd have...done. As others have mentioned, brilliantly observed.
5. The whole episode where Van goes completely off the rails to the tune of Dimmer's "One Breath at a Time". The show knew exactly the right song for exactly the right moment.
6. Pascall's "Best Handbag Ever".
7. Loretta finds out exactly what sort of person her grandmother was...and has to break the news to Grandpa.
8. Aaron Spiller on Excellence.
9. Munter in general. (I could list a whole lot, but y'know, it's just Munter).
10. The whole subplot dealing with Gary Savage, probably the most interesting of the peripheral characters and certainly the one I wish they used more.Oh well, those will do!
Anyway, despite the fact I felt it was more flawed than is given credit for, and certainly there were times it was too self-indulgent by half, on the whole it was something oddly remarkable. Funny, moving and strangely acute, I don't know whether we will quite see its like again.