Jason KingCatfish (8/10)
January 30th 2011 09:46
:
The Bad Way Facebook Can Be Used
Category: Reviews
They used to tank cod from Alaska all the way to China. They'd keep them in vats in the ship. By the time the codfish reached China, the flesh was mush and tasteless. So this guy came up with the idea that if you put these cods in these big vats, put some catfish in with them and the catfish will keep the cod agile. And there are those people who are catfish in life. And they keep you on your toes. They keep you guessing, they keep you thinking, they keep you fresh. And I thank god for the catfish because we would be droll, boring and dull if we didn't have somebody nipping at our fin. Vincent Price - Catfish 2008/ 2010.
How do you review a film when you can't discuss the pivotal ending to it? If you have heard anything about the film Catfish you will know that the end is not to be discussed or the film will be ruined. From the few trailers I had seen or the word of mouth about the film it came across to me like the next Blair Witch, Paranormal Activity, The Last Exorcism and so on. A mocumentary that the film makers insist was real and for me I even thought it was going to be a murderous ending of satanic proportions.
Yaniv "Nev" Schulman is a 24-year-old photographer. After having one of his pictures published in a magazine, he receives a painting in the mail from an eight-year-old girl in Michigan named Abby. After finding each other through Facebook, the two start a relationship and, soon enough, Nev becomes a close friend, not only with Abby but with her mother, Angela, and older sister Megan. As Nev talks to the family more and more, his filmmaking brother, Ariel, and friend, Henry decide to begin filming the events and see where they lead - only for them to realize that things aren't as they seem.
The biggest controversy I keep hearing about the film is "is it real"? I am certain that this film is actually real - I just don't see the reason for it to be faked - it requires no special effects and the climax, while dramatic, is too real - it is not overacted and as opposed to the spawn of satan appearing, as I was expecting, it is no horror film, it is a sad and beautiful look at the human spirit and how things can effect people on a massive scale. It also shows you a dark side to how Facebook can be used. I have had my share of nutters on FB - I have been stalked and even had one girl call me over 20 times in a few hours - the fact that I am gay did not bother her, this was even written in my relationship status on the social networking site. I think it was part of my attraction lol - now if only some incredibly hot guys would commence stalking I would be very impressed. But there are things you learn about FB - one as little private contact information as humanly possible is a good way to start. Me having my address on FB and my status informing everyone in my friends list when I would be out was the perfect environment for my brand new Mac to be stolen - especially when I posted photos of the computer on FB. User beware!!
The three guys in the film, Yaniv, Ariel and Henry are genuine and remarkably nice guys. I would have these guys for friends any day. Yaniv is hot, I would have him as a boyfriend any day
Haha. The way the film was handled and the dramas that ensued were handled by three gentleman and it was a pleasure to watch. I sat there cringing at what could eventuate, waiting for the inevitable and it was all handled tastefully by three top guys. They not only produced this amazing look into a life story but they gave us a look at the world today and a social (network) commentary. Five years ago people would say "what the hell is Facebook?" - now it is part of our life and way of social interaction.
I had an online relationship for nearly two years with a guy I was truly in-love with. He was on the other side of the world. Mine had a very different ending to this film but my guy could have told me anything at all and how do you check it out for real? It is human nature for us to be believers and we can easily be misled. Be careful people and be more suspisicious of online matters or you may end up winning a few billion dollars from Nigeria.
Catfish commenced this Thursday 27th January on limited art-house release in Sydney Australia. I do believe it is film that can be viewed by everyone and it will be somewhat educational. It's worth a viewing at 8/10. Suss it!
How do you review a film when you can't discuss the pivotal ending to it? If you have heard anything about the film Catfish you will know that the end is not to be discussed or the film will be ruined. From the few trailers I had seen or the word of mouth about the film it came across to me like the next Blair Witch, Paranormal Activity, The Last Exorcism and so on. A mocumentary that the film makers insist was real and for me I even thought it was going to be a murderous ending of satanic proportions.
Yaniv "Nev" Schulman is a 24-year-old photographer. After having one of his pictures published in a magazine, he receives a painting in the mail from an eight-year-old girl in Michigan named Abby. After finding each other through Facebook, the two start a relationship and, soon enough, Nev becomes a close friend, not only with Abby but with her mother, Angela, and older sister Megan. As Nev talks to the family more and more, his filmmaking brother, Ariel, and friend, Henry decide to begin filming the events and see where they lead - only for them to realize that things aren't as they seem.
The biggest controversy I keep hearing about the film is "is it real"? I am certain that this film is actually real - I just don't see the reason for it to be faked - it requires no special effects and the climax, while dramatic, is too real - it is not overacted and as opposed to the spawn of satan appearing, as I was expecting, it is no horror film, it is a sad and beautiful look at the human spirit and how things can effect people on a massive scale. It also shows you a dark side to how Facebook can be used. I have had my share of nutters on FB - I have been stalked and even had one girl call me over 20 times in a few hours - the fact that I am gay did not bother her, this was even written in my relationship status on the social networking site. I think it was part of my attraction lol - now if only some incredibly hot guys would commence stalking I would be very impressed. But there are things you learn about FB - one as little private contact information as humanly possible is a good way to start. Me having my address on FB and my status informing everyone in my friends list when I would be out was the perfect environment for my brand new Mac to be stolen - especially when I posted photos of the computer on FB. User beware!!
The three guys in the film, Yaniv, Ariel and Henry are genuine and remarkably nice guys. I would have these guys for friends any day. Yaniv is hot, I would have him as a boyfriend any day
Haha. The way the film was handled and the dramas that ensued were handled by three gentleman and it was a pleasure to watch. I sat there cringing at what could eventuate, waiting for the inevitable and it was all handled tastefully by three top guys. They not only produced this amazing look into a life story but they gave us a look at the world today and a social (network) commentary. Five years ago people would say "what the hell is Facebook?" - now it is part of our life and way of social interaction. 
I had an online relationship for nearly two years with a guy I was truly in-love with. He was on the other side of the world. Mine had a very different ending to this film but my guy could have told me anything at all and how do you check it out for real? It is human nature for us to be believers and we can easily be misled. Be careful people and be more suspisicious of online matters or you may end up winning a few billion dollars from Nigeria.
Catfish commenced this Thursday 27th January on limited art-house release in Sydney Australia. I do believe it is film that can be viewed by everyone and it will be somewhat educational. It's worth a viewing at 8/10. Suss it!
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Comment by Paul Fellows
Pop Is Not Dead!
Like you I was also expecting a bit of a different film than it turned out to be and was expecting it to be a bit scary but was pleasantly surprised to find that it was really a exploration of human nature and really touching!!
Definitely a must see!!
Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
Comment by Anonymous