“The Social Network,” Super Bowl Ads, Wall-E in “Star Wars” and More Discussion Fodder
– David Bordwell offers a good enough reason for Jesse Eisenberg to get the Oscar: his eye-acting. In a lengthy and illustrative post, the faces of “The Social Network” are analyzed and DVD features do come into play:
How different this performance is from the actor Jesse Eisenberg’s everyday facial configuration (or at least the one he employs to send us other signals) can be seen in the making-of documentary accompanying The Social Network on DVD. One example surmounts this entry and shows a much different set of expressive cues–raised eyebrows, wider eyes, more cheerful mouth. The actor’s face is very mobile; he can even turn in the inner corners of his brows, which is hard to do voluntarily.
– So Lois Lane might not even be in the new “Superman” movie? This is worse than giving her a superbaby.
– Josh Nelson at Philmology looks at the differences in gender identification between the old “True Grit” and the new.
Despite both versions emphasising the shared characteristics of Cogburn and Ross from the outset – the stubborn demeanour, the insistence on justice etc. – the process of identification between the pair in the Coen Brothers’ film develops gradually.
– I thought Keyboard Cat was done when he began hawking pistachios, but this parody of “Exit Through the Gift Shop” is too cute to ignore. Also, there’s an “Exit Through the Pet Shop” website with a live feed of the real cat artists.
– Time Out made a list of the 50 Most Controversial Movies of All Time this week, which sadly, coincidentally was then followed by Maria Schneider‘s death. “Song of the South” is on there, too, unintentionally tied to the Year of the Rabbit.
– Speaking of controversial films, the boys from “Funny Games” landed on Cinematical’s list of Friendly Characters You Can’t Trust, tied to “The Roommate.” An excerpt, referencing the remake:
Who’d be afraid of two fine-looking young men coming by to borrow some eggs? I know if I saw Peter and Paul (Brady Corbet and Michael Pitt) at my door I wouldn’t think twice – of course, unless I’d seen ‘Funny Games.’ There’s really nothing more terrifying than sheer lunacy masked by a seemingly innocuous demeanor, and that’s exactly how this sadistic duo behaves. Even as they continuously break the eggs, frustrating Ann (Naomi Watts), they’re doing it all with a smile. As a matter of fact, even when they barge into the house and force Ann and her family to play by their sick and twisted rules, they still maintain that friendly pep.
– Also speaking of controversial films, “I Am Curious (Yellow)” and “I Am Curious (Blue)” star Lena Nyman, also known for Bergman’s “Autumn Sonata,” has died at the age of 66.
– Little Darth Vader shows up in a Volkswagen ad this Sunday during the Super Bowl, but it’s been leaked online:
– Also leaked is this “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” tie-in with GM Chevy:
– Pajiba counts down the five best Muppet musical moments of all time. No John Denver?
– All I can say about this “Star Wars” inspired gang fight is that I wish the Sundance doc “Knuckle” had ended up like this. Maybe HBO’s remake will add lightsabers.
– Stewart Nusbaumer at Filmmaker Magazine lists his top 10 film festivals of 2010. Very documentary friendly selections.
– Oh, fine, more “Star Wars” stuff. Here’s part 1 of an unofficial fanmade documentary about the making of “A New Hope” featuring deleted scenes and alternate angles. Did you know R2-D2 original was played by Wall-E?
– Not technically a remake, but Ben Affleck is set to direct the Clooney/Heslov-produced “Argo,” which tells the same true story as the 1981 TV film “Escape from Iran: The Canadian Caper.”
– Also not technically a remake so much as a rip-off, NBC has picked up an ‘“Inception”-style” drama called “REM” about “the simultaneous and parallel lives of a detective who can not let go of any aspect of his fractured family after a horrible car accident.”
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