I went into this film not knowing a hell of a lot about it… sure I knew it was basically about the guy who invented Facebook, but as far as the actual story behind it all I knew nothing. That being said I don’t know how much of this film is a fabrication, or if it is indeed the plain and simple truth behind the world’s youngest billionaire. Either way I was left somewhat disgruntled by the a few aspects of this film, in particular by its portrayal of women, but I will get to that soon.
This was not a bad film in any sense of the word and I quite enjoyed it for the most part. I find that some films based around court cases can be quite dull, but this one had my attention from the start and kept it right to the final credits. This film was made well, and for the most part acted extremely well. The editing and use of music was especially good and made a film that is basically about court room drama and computer nerds quite exciting. My biggest complaint however, as I mentioned at the start was how females in general are portrayed in this film. Basically every single girl in this film is seen as a drunken whore. Girls are seen drunk, doing drugs, making out with each other for male entertainment and just in general acting like unintelligent morons while the genius males do all the work around them. Okay, I do say “every single” girl there but that’s a lie, there are two female characters in this film that aren’t complete morons (only two) and both of them don’t even have much screen time, one of which has very few lines.
Indeed the whole film has a somewhat misogynistic feel to it which is unfortunate and lessened the amount I could enjoy it. At the same time though I do somewhat understand why this is the route that the film took as the lead character himself is simply put… a jerk. Okay, he may be some sort of child prodigy with computers and invented one of the world’s newest and most important online tools, but he was never quite presented as a hero. Anti-hero would be a term to proper describe Mark Zuckerburg as many of his traits, including the way he treats women and his friends are highly questionable. With that being said it is understandable why the makers of this film chose to surround him and his fellow nerds with these stereotypical drunken, drugged-up college girls as really no girl with even half a brain would go anywhere near these guys. Even though that may be the case I found the portrayal still got on my nerves and made me suddenly very thankful for characters such as Lisbeth Salander in today’s films.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: The Complete Second Season marathon, a review by goodguy
2x05 Goodbye to All That Synopsis: Derek leads John on his first mission in defense of a military school cadet with a vital future role in the Resistance. My Rating:
That was a rather average episode with some good bits inbetween.
I liked the T1-nod. I really loved the macho scene of Derek and John loading up the truck with weapons and gear, changing first to a sudden shot of Cameron in the foreground, turning her head to look at John and John then looking at Sarah, who is watching from afar. Several shots establishing all three POVs and showing John between those two women. Great stuff.
I won't say anything on how easy Derek and John got into the military school, it just isn't worth it. Some of the scenes there worked pretty well, but overall it was far too simplistic bordering on cheesy. Likewise the scenes with Sarah and the kidnapped kid were hit and miss. The initial video game turning real as they get chased by the Triple-8 certainly was fun.
The Wizard of Oz must be the most used reference in US movies and TV shows. Still, they managed to pick some interesting parts as VO when Derek and John defeat the T-888. I remember complaining about the Sarah VO's in my initial S1 review, but upon rewatching I've gotten rather fond of them, to the point were I actually was starting to miss them in S2.
I also really loved the final scene between Derek and John: We all die for you. It's not about upsetting John as Achim suspects, but about encouraging John to become the man and leader who is worth that kind of sacrifice.
The slowly advancing story of Weaver and Ellison seems to confirm what could be already picked up from the coda of 2x02: Weaver seems to be interested in keeping the power plant operational. BTW, is there any way to make the scene with the plant manager in the alley any worse? Well, I suppose there is, but that was a new low after the men's room scene in 2x01.
Two weeks ago I got in my PM box an astonishing message. It was from Tony Marsiglia a a director for whom I reviewed most of his movies for this website, no need to say it was a pleasant surprise. After some PM exchange, we come to an agreement for a short interview.
I hope you will appreciate the outcome of this two weeks exchange.
You began your career in the live theater field – was this in classical or experimental theater?
I began by taking any and every job possible in the theatre as that was the only place I truly felt alive. And as an actor. Still true to this day. Best – at that time - was a short stint at South Coast Rep in Costa Mesa. I’d grown up watching their productions as a teen so it was a dream to work there as an actor. Got the job due to a company member taking a shine to me. George Archambeault. A genius actor and director I’d taken a few classes with. He got me the audition. They liked me and hired me to do a few plays. A ‘dream time’ in my life. Thought it would last forever.
Did you work only as a stage director or did you work as a writer as well?
Always as an actor.
Is the live theater scene in California a healthy one or do you fell all of the attention there is on film industry?
I don’t get to the theatre much anymore – too expensive and too depressing. The only true artist in the theatre of the last 20 years was Reza Abdoh. The guy was a master. Sadly, he died of AIDS in his early 30’s. A shame. His work revitalized theatre. Nothing in the theatre today can match his vision. Sad only a few managed to see his work. Those that did are marked for life! I was lucky to have known and worked with him – if only briefly.
Did your theater experience help a lot when it came time to make your first film, Phoenix?
Hard – no, impossible for me to talk about PHOENIX – everything I have to say about that film is on the commentary for that film.
The black & white cinematography brings a lot to the beauty of the film. Did you plan from the start to shoot the film in black and white?
Yes – even had the crazies to think id shoot it myself – some of the test footage I shot is on the dvd as an extra – thank god I hired someone as at that point I did not know how to operate the camera.
After this film there was a long period in which you developed scripts for Chris Nebe. To the best of my knowledge none of them have been made into films. Did you wind up using some of the ideas from these scripts for other projects?
That was a dark time of my life. Quit a great day job. Planned for making a foray into MAJOR film making due to interested producers. Left an almost perfect relationship – and then – it all fell apart! The producers bailed. Was almost the end of me. I will not forget sitting in a movie theater watching Oliver Stone’s U TURN from noon till 3am for 2 days straight when I learned the news of its demise. Came close to ending my life.
2003 was the beginning of your association with Michael Rasso and E.I. Independent Cinema. What was the genesis of this association?
Mike Raso was the major thrust in the creation of many of my films. I am forever grateful to him for that opportunity. Also important to know that I never made a dime off those films. I was paid, but every penny went back into the movies. Mostly into editing gear. Lost a job over it. Lost the love of my life over it. Lost my reputation. In retrospect, I lost myself.
Sadly, our relationship is over. A miscommunication in what I thought he’d do for my independent film SUZIE ended it. Both our faults as I see it. Sure he thinks differently. Dunno.
Would still love to have a good sit down in person to person interview with him before I die. Lotsa history there. I will always be grateful to Mr. Raso – and sad that our relationship ended as it did.
Yet, I still have hope that we may do something together again – if nothing else – an interview with all the participants of the era he created.
Hope he does it – and soon – before we’re all gone.
Dr. Jekyll & Mistress Hyde, your first movie for E.I. Independent Cinema, more or less used the usual E.I. Studio formula. Did you have your say on this one or was this Bruce Hallenbeck's scenario ‘as is?’
Bruce is an amazing writer. I just made the script a little bit better because I was there with the actors. He was not.
Sin Sisters is the only one of your movies I still have not seen. Could you tell me more about this one?
BUY IT! – a 3 day miracle shoot! One of my best scripts.
The first time I read the synopsis of Lust for Dracula I must admit I was quite confused, but after watching it I must say I really enjoyed it. Where did you get the idea for this one, making a film based on the Dracula story with an all-female cast?
Came from Raso – the idea of an all female cast for DRACULA. My favorite of the films with him. He hates it - I think – know it lost some money as far as my sources tell me.
This guy wrote an excellent review for it – probably the only person I know of how ‘got it’.
This was the first film where Misty Mundae really showed her talent as an actress, did it take a lot of work to get that performance out of her or did it come out naturally?
I love and miss Misty. Not on that first one –we were both pretty wary of each other - but on all the films that followed – we had complete trust with each other after that one.
Miss her. Love her. Only wish her well – and long for the days when we all thought making movies together would last forever.
Woof.
Sinful, your next film, was very different from what E.I. Independent Cinema was doing at that time as it was a drama that seems to have been taken from one of the many scary news items that we see in the newspapers almost every day. It seems that this film can be analyzed in more than one way, by example: to me it seems that everything happens in the Lilith’s head but other viewers have interpreted those same events as actually happening in the story. Was it a deliberate choice to make the story this way and leave it open to interpretation?
Like PHOENIX – this is a very personal film. Listen to the commentary on it.
Misty Mundae, in Chantal, gives the best performance of her career but she is not the only one. It is with this film that I realized the great talent of Andrea Davis (I really do not understand why she does not get more work) and Julian Wells gives a great performance considering how little screen time she gets. Considering the subject of the film was it a difficult experience for them?
The work day – 20 hours – did not allow for thought – it was all only a drive to complete the vision. Crazy in retrospect – but the only way to complete any film with no budget to be shot on film.
Your next project was Suzie Heartless, which is, as I have already written a masterpiece and one of the best films I've seen in the last 30 years.
The greatest strength of this film is the performance of Wendy McColm and it's amazing to see all the emotions she can convey without saying a single word. How did you find her?
Through an audition. Went through zillions of girls. Mostly talented - but too old.
Then Wendy walked in the door!
Was hours away from cancelling the production.
Then Wendy walked in.
The 2nd dream of my life.
And my best film. And most personal.
After this film you returned to the theater with Sprung: A Love Story which seems to be a dramatic work on the ravages caused by drug abuse. Can you tell us more about this project because I could not find much information on it?
Here is the review of the play:
The “sprung” in writer-director Tony Marsiglia’s off-kilter, comic Grand Guignol carries multiple connotations for his antihero chemist, Samuel Nathanson (Marsiglia in a compelling performance). There is the sense of obsessive infatuation, although in the 49-year-old Nathanson’s case, it is not for his 20-year-old, pregnant girlfriend, Tracy (co-writer Donna Kane), but for the MDMA and methamphetamine crystals he cooks up and deals from his living room lab. That he also loves to ingest the particularly potent creations he calls “red doxies” leads to the second sense — the spaced-out, psychotropic paranoia produced by his ecstasy-eating diet. Finally there is the haywire clockwork sense of his tightly wound existence coming unsprung before our very eyes. As the wild-eyed Nathanson painfully rehearses for the important job interview he is clearly in no shape to make, a succession of skeevy ravers (Jeremy Gladen and Lucas Salazar), psychotic tweakers (a charismatic Tom Wiilde and scene-stealing Amelia Gotham), malevolent cops (Gladen and Jim Eshom) and even a vindictive third wife (Denise Devlin) collide in his seedy apartment and derail his belated attempts to get his runaway train of a life back on track. Marsiglia, a direct-to-DVD horror auteur, successfully transfers his black, surrealist humor to the stage, racking up laughs, an impressive body count and a surprisingly authentic portrayal of the retreat into solipsistic self-destruction that awaits substance abusers of any stripe.
Are you considering this play for your next film?
It’s already done. Shot it with – mostly – the same cast the week after the play closed. Am editing the rough cut now.
Can we expect this film or another one in a near future?
Have 2 more completed scripts I want to make before I go – THE XTRA and ALICE.
Sadly, ALICE was to have been completed by now.
Worked with an LA theatre company for a year and developed an intimate relationship with the cast in a long running show. Wrote a script around those friends – ALICE – a twisted variation on Carroll’s’ WONDERLAND.
Had everything in place – then at the last minute – the lead actress got cold feet. Broke me in every way possible. The entire success of it lay at her feet. And she left.
Why? I will never know. All’s I know was that it ended me creatively and financially for these past 2 years.
Was a loss of trust that I hadn't felt since that Nebe experience I spoke of earlier.
Is there a way to help you to realize this project?
Before ending this article I must thank Tony Marsaglia for the time he granted me for this interview. For me it was a chance to speak with someone I admire and I was not deceived, Tony is really a nice guy.
I must thank also Ian Jane of the Rock! Shock! Pop! website and forum. Ian is the reason why my questions are written in a better english form than what I usually write.
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