Facebook, Tattoos and Beards

'You've got blood on your hands
And I know it's mine
I just need more time
So get off your low and let's dance like we used to
But there's a light in the distance
Waiting for me, I will wait for you
So get off your low and let's kiss like we used to'
WHITE LIES - UNFINISHED BUSINESS


- So where was I? Ahh yes, trying to kickstart my career. Well I've come up with what I think is a relatively good idea for a short film and have begun work on the script for it so we'll see how that goes. Once I have a script I am pleased with for it I can storyboard it and begin thinking about locations, and the chance of coming across an actress who will hopefully be rather good. I'm also in rather desperate need of a film microphone before I start work on that so if anyone has the £100-200 needed for it spare then I'd be very grateful! I'm still working every so often on my summer film with my friends. Hopefully something decent-ish will come out of that- there's definitely some bits that have worked well and that have provided me with some great ideas I can use in future projects. Oh yeah, and I got offered the chance to be an extra in Captain America... but I had to say no! Was given too short notice to work out a way of getting there etc which is a bit gutting, but hopefully something equally exciting will come my way soon. The idea of being an extra in something is rather appealing, as it will give me the chance to experience being on a set, to possibly build up some contacts, to earn some really quite good money... and also just to say I have! So we will see if anything comes along.

- Though the trailer for it came out ages ago, I feel the need to write a small bit about the upcoming new David Fincher film, The Social Network. The trailer can be found here- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnamMtQs1fI&feature=related - and do watch it, because it's a genuinely awesome trailer, with an orchestral version of Radiohead's Creep and all! Now, when the announcement was made that there was going to be a 'Facebook movie', there was, rather understandably, some snorts of derision. Just how was that going to work? Surely it was going to just be a disaster, some attempt to appeal to the younger tween users of Facebook, another poorly-conceived teen flick. Then it was announced that Aaron Sorkin, one of the most respected scriptwriters in Hollywood and known for very political works, having written the TV show The West Wing and film Charlie Wilson's War, was to write the screenplay for the film. More details were released, informing us that the film was to focus on the creation of the website and the legal and social troubles that this led to for Facebook's makers. Then David Fincher, arguably one of the finest directors of the last twenty years, having worked on films like Fight Club, Seven, Zodiac and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, was announced as the director of the film. Suddenly people began to take notice. Up and coming indie actors Jesse Eisenberg (Zombieland, Adventureland) and Andrew Garfield (Lions for Lambs, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus) were brought in as the main characters Mark Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin respectively, as well as Justin Timberlake, who is steadily becoming a real talent in the acting world. Trent Reznor, frontman of Nine Inch Nails and an incredibly talented and respected musician, signed on to score the film and described what he had seen of it as 'amazing'. And then this trailer came out, promising a rather dark and intense portrayal of money and fame. As the tagline puts it, 'You don't get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies'. In an era so obsessed with the social networking craze, the film's release couldn't be more relevant. Definitely one to watch, The Social Network will be out in the UK on the 15th October this year.

- While on the subject of David Fincher films, his latest film, currently in pre-production, is causing quite a stir in Hollywood. After weeks and weeks of fevered speculation about who would play the lead female character Lisbeth Salander in Fincher's remake of Swedish thriller The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, with names like Kristen Stewart, Natalie Portman, Ellen Page and Emma Watson being bandied about, it was finally announced today who had landed the much-coveted role. The task of trying to match Noomi Rapace's masterful performance in the original is relative unknown Rooney Mara, a 24 year old American actress who has previous with Fincher having worked with him on The Social Network. The actress may also go on to star in the two later parts of the 'Millennium Trilogy', The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest, based on the bestselling books by Steig Larsson. I look forward to any film Fincher is going to put out, though it still seems a strange decision to remake a film released so recently (the Swedish original came out in the UK just 5 months ago), and one perhaps simply for the lazy people who refuse to watch a film with subtitles. We will have to reserve judgement, however, as Fincher's film may differ greatly from the original, forming a brand new take on Larsson's book. The film will also feature Daniel Craig and Robin Wright. The most bizarre news coming out with regards to this film is that Fincher intends to shoot the film in Sweden (fair enough, but wait), with the actors all playing their roles with Swedish accents. Which, in fairness, could work out fine. It could probably be more likely to be a disaster. Unless the actors involved have a near-perfect grasp of the Swedish accent then it could begin to look a parody and become rather offensive to Swedish people and Swedish fans of the original. It is difficult to imagine Fincher rolling the cameras on this film until he is entirely happy that his actors can pull this off, however, and I still trust him to craft a dark, thrilling, character-driven work that does justice to the original. The film is currently slated for a Decemeber 2011 release, with filming due to begin next month in Sweden.

- In my last blog I briefly discussed Casey Affleck's documentary (mockumentary?) about Joaquin Phoenix, entitled I'm Still Here. The teaser trailer for said film has just been released, at http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=28672. Give it a watch, because it looks, if nothing else, intriguing. There is still no giveaway as to whether Phoenix is for real or whether this is all part of an (incredibly) elaborate hoax, but from watching this trailer I actually at times get a sense of... Borat? With a slightly darker voiceover. The film will be released in the US on September 10th but has yet to receive a distributor over here, so we may still have to wait a while to see if the man really is crazy or not. The beard certainly is.

- After much success there with his Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle is returning to the London Film Festival after his latest feature 127 Hours was selected to close the 2010 Festival. The film, based on a true story, tells of how 'a mountain climber becomes trapped under a boulder while canyoneering alone near Moab, Utah and resorts to desperate measures in order to survive' (IMDb). Without going into too much detail, the climber Aron Ralston, after 5 days trapped and alone up a mountain, must summon up the quite incredible courage to extricate himself from the boulder. Played by James Franco, the film spends the vast majority of its running time focused completely on him and his ordeal, in much the same way as another film released in the coming months- Buried, starring Ryan Reynolds, spends even more of its time entirely on this man who has found himself buried alive with nothing but a mobile phone for help. These sorts of films are intriguing, trying as they do both an audience's ability to stay focused and interested on one none-too-changing image for such a vast amount of time, but also the performance skills of the main actor involved, seeing as the films must rest so heavily upon their shoulders. 127 Hours is due out in November, while Buried is scheduled for an October release.

- MASSIVELY looking forward to Scott Pilgrim's release. Early reviews have been fantastic, though it hasn't made as much money in the US so far as hoped so us Brits need to do some good for it! Released here August 25th.

- Listening to... Chase and Status, Something Corporate, Broken Social Scene.
- I watched The Dark Knight last night and was reminded of just how damn good it is. Still the king of superhero movies and can't see that changing for some time!
- There are far too many gigs I want to go to at the moment. But Chase and Status and Alexisonfire, both playing Portsmouth Pyramids at different points in November, are both musts.