Hey lovelies, how strange is it being back to routine again after all the Bank Holidays?! They've totally thrown me off balance so now I can barely remember what day of the week it is! Also after the breaking news about Osama Bin Laden's death the other night I stayed up till a ridiculous time watching the news which has now completely ruined my sleeping pattern. Last night I was up till 6AM watching episodes of Ellen and painting my nails (Barbie pink and I LOVE it!!!). I also spent ages trying to get hold of Chanel's Nouvelle Vague which seems completely impossible. Grrgh!
Oh! and how amazing was the Met Gala? I spent so long refreshing realtime on Google and practically salivating at all the couture on show, I might have to do a little post on it later. I'm such a sucker for a red carpet event.
Anyway my H&M package and Graze box have just arrived so I'm going to actually get on with what this post was supposed to be about as I'm super excited to open them, child that I am! But thank you for all the lovely comments on this weeks playlist, it really means a lot since I spend the majority of my days wishing I had a job at Radio One!
Catfish, one of my favourite films, is on More 4 at 10pm tonight. Cautious people don't worry I'm not going to reveal any plot spoilers! People who haven't seen the film and want to can read on free of that knowledge, after all the tagline is 'don't let anyone tell you what it is' and I definitely agree, there's something about watching Catfish for the first time, with the same innocence as the protagonist that makes the conclusion of the movie so raw, emotive and shocking. Released at a similar time as 'The Social Network,' 'Catfish' became the other facebook film, whilst it gained accolade and plaudit at Sundance it became lost to many, overshadowed by Fincher's awards sweep.
Whilst 'The Social Network' is an imitation of real life with the telling of Mark Zuckerberg's creation of Facebook; 'Catfish' is supposedly a real life documentary. According to the protagonists and makers of the film Nev and Rel Schuman and Henry Joost the entirety of what we see was captured by them as it happened to them. It is all entirely true. Or supposedly. For this is where 'Catfish's' controversy propels. Not only is the film's strength about its controversial subject matter but also in its very controversy as a film. Nobody can decide whether what we see is real or farce. For their part, directors Nev, Rel and Henry have firmly denied claims that 'Catfish' is fake, believable in part solely due to their meticulous documenting and recording of all interviews surrounding 'Catfish.' They claim after 'Catfish' they never know when a movie might just fall into their hands so can be spotted on the Ellen Degeneres Show handheld in palm and referenced to in a Guardian interview pressing record on a dictaphone. If 'Catfish' is a farce then the creators are doing everything in their power to make us believe what we see is real.
After watching the film I personally don't see how the film could be an act; if it is the two protagonists deserve Oscars for the end scenes proffer a spine-chilling, almost eerie emotional roller coaster. I think what we are witness to is a sequence of highly raw and psychological moments, that would be difficult for actors to capture in such a realistic manner as 'Catfish' does. Perhaps the media are overly cautious following the raucous of 'I'm Still Here' - how many tabloid headlines appeared about Joaquin Phoenix's demise? How many were left embarrassed and shamefaced following the release of the mockumentary? However, even Morgan Spurlock, star of 'Super Size Me,' has reportedly referred to 'Catfish' as "the best fake documentary I've ever seen."
'Catfish' does not shy away from this controversy, nor is it overshadowed by it, instead what 'Catfish' does is create a discussion and debate. I think this is why I love it so much. Everybody that watches it formulates a different opinion and has something different to comment on. It's why the number of times I've watched it is well into double figures and why I've bullied many of my friends and family members into seeing it. I might remark here, that not one of them hasn't loved it.
'Catfish' is one of those movies you have to see, purely so you have an opinion on what you see. However whatever your opinion on the film itself, it is more than a little bit ironic that a film about the phenomenon and dangers of Facebook is kicking up such controversy and column inches online. Mark Zuckerberg said in reference to Facebook "My goal was never to just create a company," perhaps in tandem Nev, Rel and Henry's goal was never to just create a film.
Will anybody be watching tonight? Or if you've already seen it let me know what you thought!
