So there’s an interesting story behind the movie Safety Not Guaranteed – it’s actually based on a real ad. In 1997, a man named John Silveira wrote an ad that would end up in Backwoods Home Magazine, stating that he was looking for a partner to travel back in time with them. He had a few precautions, stating that he’s only done it once before; that the partner would have to bring their own weapons; and, as the title indicates, safety isn’t guaranteed. The ad became something of a phenomenon, featured on the Tonight Show and becoming an Internet meme before being developed into a screenplay. Obviously, it was a mutual agreement, as Silveira actually makes a cameo in the film. But who would’ve thought that such a loony idea would make such a wonderful little indie comedy…with a heart, at that?
The movie revolves around Darius (Aubrey Plaza, from Parks and Recreation), an intern for a Seattle newspaper that’s in a bit of an emotional slump following the death of her mother. Things change pretty quickly when one of her editors, Jeff (Jake M. Johnson) spots the ad and wants to make a story out of it, bringing Darius and a young Indian intern named Amau (Karan Soni) along for the ride. He has a hidden agenda, however, as he’s seeking out an old girlfriend that he hit it off with. But that’s just part of the story.
During their journey down to Oceanside, they discover who wrote the ad – a guy named Kenneth (Mark Duplass), a loner who works at a supermarket and plays things very cautiously, as he believes he’s being followed. Jeff tries to partner up with him on time travel, but is immediately rejected. Darius, looking to make strides forward with her career, decides to take a chance, and somehow hits it off with the goofball. As the movie rolls on, we see more of his plan in action, though neither party fully realizes just how interested they’re getting in each other.
This movie easily could’ve strolled into the same predictable romantic comedy territory that we’ve seen countless times, or even the “indie movie” route, where things are too damn quirky to make any sense. Luckily, writer Derek Connolly and director Colin Trevorrow avoid both these pratfalls, and make Safety Not Guaranteed clearly genuine. Darius’ role in the film is definitely important, as is Kenneth’s, but it’s great to see Jeff so involved in the proceedings as he tries to hit it off with his old flame, while Amau, usually sitting in front of a gaming computer and being shy, makes a few strides of his own.
The directing and writing are solid, but the movie really shines with its performances. Plaza, usually in roles where she plays angry girl types (her character in Parks and Rec is humorously vicious), does her best work to date here, playing stingy and loner-type before eventually seeing the brighter side of Kenneth and loosening up. Duplass, a talented musician who demonstrates his work with an acoustic tune called “Big Machine” in the film, is equally game for his role, paranoid one minute and yet showing that he’s not just a nutcase like government agents fear him to be. Johnson is very good at Jeff, at first playing the unlikable jerk who merely wants to hook up for sex, but warming up — perhaps too late – during his encounters. And Soni is a great character with Amau, asking questions and trying to fit in, and eventually getting some sort of reward for it.
Though the time travel story is wrapped up a little too neatly towards the end, it’s the journey getting there that makes Safety Not Guaranteed worth checking out. The acting is top notch (if you’re a fan of Aubrey, we highly recommend this) and the pacing is just right, not too sappy and definitely not too indie. It’s still in theaters, but if you miss out, hey, there’s always time travel. Isn’t that right, Silveira?
Social networking giant Facebook has reached an agreement to buy Instagram, the company announced.
The agreement is worth a combined total of $1 billion in cash and Facebook stock. The transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to close "later this quarter".
"I'm excited to share the news that we've agreed to acquire Instagram and that their talented team will be joining Facebook," Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on his Timeline.
Instagram, for those who don't know, is a popular photo-sharing app for mobile devices. According to Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom, they will be "working with Facebook to evolve Instagram and build the network. We’ll continue to add new features to the product and find new ways to create a better mobile photos experience."
In a post on Facebook, Zuckerberg had this to say about the transaction to acquire Instagram:
I'm excited to share the news that we've agreed to acquire Instagram and that their talented team will be joining Facebook.
For years, we've focused on building the best experience for sharing photos with your friends and family. Now, we'll be able to work even more closely with the Instagram team to also offer the best experiences for sharing beautiful mobile photos with people based on your interests.
We believe these are different experiences that complement each other. But in order to do this well, we need to be mindful about keeping and building on Instagram's strengths and features rather than just trying to integrate everything into Facebook.
That's why we're committed to building and growing Instagram independently. Millions of people around the world love the Instagram app and the brand associated with it, and our goal is to help spread this app and brand to even more people.
We think the fact that Instagram is connected to other services beyond Facebook is an important part of the experience. We plan on keeping features like the ability to post to other social networks, the ability to not share your Instagrams on Facebook if you want, and the ability to have followers and follow people separately from your friends on Facebook.
These and many other features are important parts of the Instagram experience and we understand that. We will try to learn from Instagram's experience to build similar features into our other products. At the same time, we will try to help Instagram continue to grow by using Facebook's strong engineering team and infrastructure.
This is an important milestone for Facebook because it's the first time we've ever acquired a product and company with so many users. We don't plan on doing many more of these, if any at all. But providing the best photo sharing experience is one reason why so many people love Facebook and we knew it would be worth bringing these two companies together.
We're looking forward to working with the Instagram team and to all of the great new experiences we're going to be able to build together.
Meanwhile Kevin Systrom, the CEO of Instagram, had this to say on the company's blog:
When Mike and I started Instagram nearly two years ago, we set out to change and improve the way the world communicates and shares. We’ve had an amazing time watching Instagram grow into a vibrant community of people from all around the globe. Today, we couldn’t be happier to announce that Instagram has agreed to be acquired by Facebook.
Every day that passes, we see more experiences being shared through Instagram in ways that we never thought possible. It’s because of our dedicated and talented team that we’ve gotten this far, and with the support and cross-pollination of ideas and talent at a place like Facebook, we hope to create an even more exciting future for Instagram and Facebook alike.
It’s important to be clear that Instagram is not going away. We’ll be working with Facebook to evolve Instagram and build the network. We’ll continue to add new features to the product and find new ways to create a better mobile photos experience.
The Instagram app will still be the same one you know and love. You’ll still have all the same people you follow and that follow you.You’ll still be able to share to other social networks. And you’ll still have all the other features that make the app so fun and unique.We’re psyched to be joining Facebook and are excited to build a better Instagram for everyone.
Is Facebook's aquiring of Instagram for $1 billion a smart move? Share your thoughts below.
