So, last Sunday, in town, I see there is a preview of The Social Network. It’s at 5.45. But now is only 2-ish. Nothing else for it; I have to see a film before. I think Wall Street:Money Never Sleeps will do the job. It might be complementary. Two films that, maybe ( I haven’t at this point seen them of course), define a time, a place, an event in Western culture; films that pin us down and the times we live in. Zeitgeisty stuff. Yeah, zeitgeisty. Zeitgeisty’s good for a Sunday; like reading all those papers but without having to.
It’s a week later now so forgive me for not having a clue what I saw in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. Or not remembering. Some people do some bad things, some bad things happen, oh and it’s all bad. Gordon Gekko and Josh Brolin are bad, but some are badder than others. Maybe not bad, maybe amoral. Who knows. There’s a scientist; he’s good doing good green energy stuff. And Frank Langella isn’t bad, even though he works on bad Wall Street. He’s from the good old days when bankers were good, not bad. He doesn’t get the current bad way of doing things. Nor do I. ok, money may never sleep, but it’s no use telling me that. My money fell into a coma way back, and I did the only decent thing; assisted money suicide.
Maybe it just wasn’t the film for me. I’m never sure where I am with Oliver Stone. My brain rattles inside my skull as he whacks me around the head with his film baseball bat. Sometimes, like in the enjoyable Any Given Sunday, I can just about hold it together. But these Wall Street ones, he loses me.
Allan Loeb, one of the writers of Wall Street blah blah blah, is a licensed stock broker. Aaron Sorkin, the singular writer of The Social Network, isn’t. Heck, he’s not even on Facebook! A film about Facebook where the writer isn’t on Facebook?! What?!! and the director David Fincher isn’t either? And the star, Jesse Eisenberg, playing Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, he’s not pokeable? What in hell’s name is going on here?
I shouldn’t be comparing and contrasting; it’s a little bit foolish. But, hey, la-di-da. Wall Street blah blah blah wanted to let me in on just what went on back there when all the banks went boom and all the bad things happened because everybody’s bad. But I couldn’t keep up. I couldn’t follow. It was bad this, bad that, and ultimately just all too damn… technical.
The Social Network has little interest in Facebook. And nor have I. I’m on it but I hardly ever go there. I don’t like the look of it. I don’t get the layout. I’m not sure what I’m meant to do with it. But I loved seeing how it all came to be.
I’ve spent too long not writing this review. I’ve been distracted by social media. I’ve been twittering. I’m a little lost.
Look. You know what to do. This film is written by Aaron Sorkin. He wrote the bloody West Wing. A Few Good Men. Charlie Wilson’s War. Sports Night! If you’ve never seen Sports Night get series 1 and 2 now! I command you. I know I’m powerless, but still, I command you.
The Social Network. It’s written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by David Fincher. David Fincher! Fight Club! Zodiac! Seven!
I’ve left it too late. I don’t have the energy for a review. This is a recommendation. You can ignore it. You can block me. Confirm. Not now.
