Chatroom, 2010

Chatroom, 2010
Director: Hideo Nakata
Cast: Aaron Johnson, Imogen Poots, Matthew Beard


Stage: home laptop set, right after Social Network

Chatroom in short: When jaded teens Jim, Eva, Emily and Mo meet William online, they're seduced by his charisma. But William isn't what he seems. He's calculating and manipulative and doesn't have time for people in the real world. Jim is vulnerable and he has no idea how dangerous his new friendship with William will be. When Jim confesses he's on anti-depressants, William knows he's found a victim. He vows to help Jim off his drugs, and the rest of the group fall in line. Fantasy meets reality when William and Jim are face to face in rush hour on the underground. Without the faceless security of the online world, everything becomes real. It's now a race against time to save Jim, but the clock is ticking... and we fear someone must die.



Preps: I know it's a complementary movie /the movie whose topic goes hand in hand with the notorious The Social Network about Facebook. The implication of a chatroom feels I will explore something deeper than a portal like FB, Flickr, etc. I am deeply interested in the topic, hence high expectations.



Reality: The movie drags me into the mystery world of chatrooms - fully developed "irl", the way you can really imagine things going on there. Second life, per se. I am sure it looks similar to the real users. As I am not an user of a chatroom and seldom go to similar places, it's a truly interesting insight. The input/output; the things that get to be discussed there, virtually beyond any borders possible - well, just the philosophy and me thinking about this is purely enough to satisfy my curious genes.

The story revolves around one individual with a mission to destroy. Seek for ones that are weak and destroy them. In the process, get the others on your side and make them help you. Even though the main story is superb, in my opinion it doesn't go too deep into the mind of each participant in the chatroom. The shortness of the movie could be easily replaced or upgraded with a deeper insight into the life stories of the five people in this perticular chatroom.

The problems that lead people to use chatrooms as the means to escape real life, are definitely taken out of reality. The vivid shows of suicides are something that will move even the toughest person.. the cold approach or the cold soul that may evolve in process of ewoking your other self in the virtual reality, can be devastating. You could be easily living the life of your other - virtual self. The movie implies as many before it in this period (Avatar for sure being one of them).. that the life you get to design can be so appealing you may never want to leave it. Or you may choose to live that one instead of your own. Because in the virtual world you can be whoever you choose to be and present yourself for any living cell in the world.

The movie will dazzle you with the idea.. and make you terrified with the feeling or fear - what if this happened to me also?


My personal rating: 7,0 (the power of social media is impressive. A brilliant show to what it may lead. Lacks a bit of dynamics inbetween, nevertheless, a true masterpiece to stand besides The Social Media)

Nowhere Boy, 2009

Nowhere Boy, 2009
Director: Sam Taylor-Wood
Cast: Aaron Johnson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Josh Bolt


Nowhere Boy in short: Imagine John Lennons childhood A spirited teenager, curious, sharp and funny, growing up in the shattered city of Liverpool. Two extraordinary sisters tussle for his love - Mimi, the formidable aunt who raised him from the age of 5 and Julia, the spirited mother who gave him up to Mimis care. Yearning for a normal family, John escapes into art and the new music flooding in from the US. His fledgling genius finds a kindred spirit in the young Paul McCartney. But just as Johns new life begins, the truth about his past leads to a tragedy he would never escape.


Stage: home theatre

Preps: I wanted to see this in the local theatre, but I missed it. I am a fan of good biographies, especially about famous musicians - the stories that are never shared with the public and all you get to see in present is yellow media/press interesting stories. However, where are the roots of these people - seldomly shared with audience. Hence, a big welcome in my head to yet another supposed to be good biography.


Reality: The movie grasps my attention in an instant. I once listened to the Beatles a lot, and am still a great admiror. However, I never thought about the pre-story. Who was Lennon indeed when he was young? Or in my case, who was McCartney, how did they meet, where did they start jagging on the stage, etc. This is the piece that gives an answer to this up to some level. Doesn't answer how the final crew gathered (by the time the movie ends, there's still Ringo missing). But the other three find themselves more as a coincidence. The relationships and bonding between them, also the relationships in the family - brilliantly shown.
The scenery is perfect, english surroundings, rock n'roll times and obsession with Presley and protagonists of that era. The music in the movie is superb and takes you right up the hill of that time - pushes you into the situations the main cast is showing. Some things you cannot believe existed; like obsession in the movies, when looking at Presley, or jukebox dancing. Did you know rock n' roll means sex? Well, the mother of Lennon gives a good interpretation of this quote in this piece. The relationship between her and Lennon seems to deepen, nevertheless, too many questions remain unanswered.
The movie is a short insight, yet picturesque and filled with emotions. A good one, showing how life can turn up great even if one decides for music - at that point something noone could understand. The idea was that one cannot make a living out of music and that building/making music was for dreamers that will never make a buck out of it.



My personal rating: 7,0 (more than decent insight into Lennon's childhood and first beginnings. And I adore the young look of Paul McCartney.)


Nowhere Boy on IMDB

Nowhere Boy official site