Five Months Too Late: A Review of The Social Network

After nearly a year lay-off from his LWB debut, Oobstastic is back…

Just finished watching the Social Network…

When the trailer was out, I thought this was bound to suck. I continued to believe this until my Dad saw it and told me how good it was.

I asked him, “Dad, what makes it so good? Isn’t it just about a stupid goddamned website?”

“No, son”, he said. “It is an exploration of the dynamism inherent in American society, as well as an assessment of the permanence of traditional class structures.”

He did not actually say this. That was my interpretation. What he actually said was: “You’ll laugh when you see what a bunch of useless assholes those Winklevoss twins are.”

So what about the socio-cultural analysis? It’s in there. The film, and by extension the real-life story, features the same sorts of fascinating characters that F. Scott Fitzgerald or Tolstoy might have invented.

Let’s start with the lawyers. The actual vehicle for conveying the plot is a series of deposition hearings which take place in fancy, wood-paneled law offices. Not only was this a clever move from a screenwriting perspective, but it served to immediately impress upon the viewer what worthless tools litigators can be (sorry, litigators).

The partners are old, vaguely unattractive, pedantic, condescending – and most importantly, an accessory to the plot. They don’t make anything happen. They simply: (more…)

A Solution to the Unemployment Crisis

This is a post from new contributor known only as Oobtastic. He will likely contribute from time-to-time.

We all know the economy is in a shambles. One in ten people that want work can’t find a job. The government passed a $700B stimulus package to create jobs, but where are they?

There is another, more troubling crisis plaguing our country: Actors are squandering any artistic credibility they have by doing shampoo commercials and voice over work for credit card companies.

I have a plan that will solve BOTH important crises. It’s a piece of legislation, called the “Helping Americans Land Jobs in Television” Act, or HALJIT (every good piece of legislation needs an irritating acronym).

How would this bill work? It’s simple – it would prohibit actors, musicians, professional athletes and other celebrities from doing advertising work, while at the same time mandating that unemployed machinists, truckers, carpenters, and road pavers be given those jobs instead.

“Whoa, there, wait a minute,” you might say. “I don’t know if I’m comfortable with this.”

This is a natural reaction. But after reading this simple overview, you will be eager to press your Congressional representatives into supporting this legislation. (more…)