On Tuesday, February 4th Facebook celebrated it's 10th anniversary by creating a personal movie for each one of it's users. Even co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg had his own movie. Many users went on to share their movies with their friends, in fact, Mr. Zuckerberg also shared his movie showing us a glimpse into his personal life. Now, why would they choose to make movies? Why not do something else as a gift for their users? It's simple really, here is Facebook's Mission Statement: "...To give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected." For my money, there is no better way to connect the world than through movies.
Before these personal Facebook movies, way back in 2010, David Fincher, Aaron Sorkin, and a talented cast of young actors, including: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, and Rooney Mara, teamed up to make the first Facebook movie, "The Social Network". Its a story of a how a Harvard student who had trouble connecting with other people, women in particular, would go on to change the way we connect with people all over the world. The movie would go on to receive 8 Oscar nominations, winning 3 for Aaron Sorkin's screenplay, Best Film Editing, and Best Original Score, but losing Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Picture to "The King's Speech", an inferior movie in my book("Toy Story 3" was my Best Picture for 2010, but that's another post for another week). "The Social Network" and "The King's Speech" are both based on real life events. They are two totally different stories, from totally different time periods that perfectly represent the power of movies "to make the world more open and connected." In the same year I was able to relate to a stuttering Prince turned King of England who formed a life-long friendship with his speech therapist and I felt sympathy towards a socially awkward Harvard undergraduate who created Facebook but ruined a friendship with his co-founder in the process.
Overall, 2010 was an excellent year to connect with the world through movies, and 2013 turned out to be even better!(I'll post my full review for the year, including my Top 10, other fun lists, and Oscars predictions and snubs on Oscars sunday) This year, I was able to connect with one man's fight to maintain his humanity through the tortures of slavery. I understood how a man, when handed a 30 day death sentence by his doctors, would refuse to quit and ultimately end up helping others who shared his struggle. I felt an affinity with a young man, like myself, who was getting his life in order, trying to provide for his family and be a good father, only to have that life tragically cut short. These three movies were also based on real life events. They're all totally different stories from different periods in American history: the pre - Civil War years of slavery, The AIDS crisis in the 1980's, and the present day racial divide still prevalent in society.
What better way to share these stories with the world and connect with Solomon Northup, Ron Woodruff, and Oscar Grant than through movies?
These three men are no longer with us, but these movies: "12 Years a Slave", "Dallas Buyers Club", and "Fruitvale Station" will preserve their life stories forever, making it possible for future generations to form their own relationships with each one. This week, Mr. Zuckerberg, who already has his story told in a movie, realized that this was the greatest gift he could give to his users: their own movie to share with the world, because, let's face it, when it comes to connecting the world, even Facebook falls short to the power of movies!
P.S. : A lot of the characteristics that define the man I am today come from the bond I've created with movies, and next week I'll write about the movie I've connected with the most, my favorite movie, also celebrating it's 10th anniversary in 2014: "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind". If you haven't seen it, go do it now! It's the perfect movie to watch for Valentine's Day, and after you're done, watch it again. The second viewing is better than the first, trust me.
One final note: Last sunday, February 2nd, Philip Seymour Hoffman, one of the greatest actors of his generation, died of a heroin overdose in his NYC apartment. I was instantly reminded of Heath Ledger's death a little over six years ago. Ledger was also one of the best of his generation, and in 2005 both these actors turned in their best performances: Ledger as Ennis del Mar in "Brokeback Mountain" and Hoffman as Truman Capote in "Capote". Hoffman won the Oscar for Best Actor that year, but Ledger would've won any other year(He would go on to win a posthumous Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2009 for playing The Joker in "The Dark Knight"). It's so tragic that nine years later we've lost both. They were both among the best at making the audience connect with their characters, and that's what it's all about in acting and in movies: the power to connect. It's possible that their commitment to their roles could have affected them emotionally and physically, but such was their passion for their craft that anytime they appeared on screen they would make sure you could never forget their performances or their characters. Thanks to all their consistently excellent work, I will never forget Heath Ledger or Philip Seymour Hoffman. May they rest in peace.
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