Sophia Coppola's "Somewhere" Review

WARNING SOME SPOILERS!!!

“Somewhere”, directed by, Sophia Coppola explores the life of international movie star, Johnny Marco.  In this fictional biography Johnny Marco, played by Stephen Dorf, is a successful actor, womanizer, and nervous father.  Not a lot happens in “Somewhere”, but that’s not to say that it isn’t interesting or void of drama.  Marco is a pretty self absorbed actor; for example: the first time we meet Marco he’s in his hotel room watching twin sisters dance erotically to entertain him.  Now, most men could only dream of a fantasy like this, but Marco is only slightly entertained by the notion.  Soon he is fast asleep and the women slink out quietly back to whatever strip club they call home.  After viewing the entire film, it became apparent to me that this scene serves as a microcosm.  I mean think about it, if you’re rich, successful, and every woman “wants you”, it’s hard to find ways to stimulate your senses.  Even the way Coppola presents this scene to us screams “mundane”.  It’s not shot like a rap video with hip-hop beats.  It’s presented raw, and uninteresting in a simple two shot.  I think Coppola makes an interesting statement about what it means to be a “celebrity” and really delves into the psyche of a person that has lost all sense of how “normal” people live.  She’s exploring the idea, how do you go on living if everything is within your reach?  One might feel purposeless.  Drive and motivation is all but gone for Marco.  Another interesting thing about Marco is he’s not a crazy over the top celebrity like Lindsey Lohan, he’s more like a Dicaprio: smooth, courteous, and bored out of his skull.  He’s just counting the days, and we, as the audience, are too.

The movie meanders from this point on; out of one scene and into the next; each scene a snippet of Marco’s daily activities.  However, things change quickly for Marco when his teenage daughter, Cleo, played by Ellie Fanning is dropped off to spend some time with her estranged father.  It is clear that, while the two enjoy each other’s company, neither really has a grasp on just “who” the other really is.  They step precariously through their lives, almost as if they are feeling the other out for the first time. In some ways it’s quite charming.  Even the “wrench” that Cleo represents in Marco’s life isn’t very dramatic.  Marco and her play guitar hero, lounge by the pool, and have fun trips to Italian movie premieres.  But, there’s no real drama, no sense of urgency, but I think this is what Coppola is going for.  The only real tension is the way women come and go out of Marco’s life with ease, and the only real question this raises is: How does this affect Cleo’s perception of her father?

Some of my favorite moments are the ones with ordinary people approaching Marco.  There’s a great scene with a young starving actor, who asks Marco for advice.  He answer’s the striving actor’s question simply, but ultimately doesn’t care and really just want to be left alone so he can go hit on an attractive blond at the same party.  Other similar scenes include his interview with a foreign TV host while premiering his latest film in Italy.  Another simple awkward scene, where Marco clearly doesn’t understand the questions or the language, but it doesn’t even matter.  The interview is so trite and simple; any sound bite from Marco’s mouth is enough to keep the fans coming back for seconds. 

On the whole the performances are good.  Stephen Dorf does a nice job portraying the successful actor, and Ellie Fanning is good as his daughter Cleo.  The real star of this movie is the camera.  Its voyeuristic viewpoint and backstage pass to “A day in the life of Hollywood Royalty” is the real star of this movie.  Breaking down the barrier that separates the seat buyers from the seat fillers.  Despite the lack of a major plot, I found myself glued to this film.  It is definitely one that I was excited to see then wondered what happened to it.  I’m glad I had a chance to catch up with it on DVD, and would recommend it to those of you who are fans of Sophia’s.  If you want to check it out currently you can get it on netflix and your local movie rental house. 

Please if you agree or disagree with my opinion consider leaving a response.  I would love to hear from you.

Top 5 year's in Cinema since you've been alive. Here's my list:

A few ground rules before we begin.  I chose years based on the quality of the films that were released during the year in question.  I used IMDB to confirm release dates, and used theatrical release dates, not film festival premieres.  I tried to pick years that changed my perception, were ground breaking, or changed the film landscape as we know it.  The listing will begins with #5 and down to #1.  Order is important.  My top two picks were easy the rest was a real grudge match.


5.)  1991:  Those of you that know me.  Probably aren't surprised by this particular year. After all it has my favorite sci-fi film of all time released in it, T2.  A lot of other notable films that were released this year: Barton Fink, Backdraft, Boyz N the Hood, The Fisher King, Hook, Hot Shots, JFK, My Own Private Idaho, Point Break, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, The Rocketeer, The Silence of the Lambs, and Thelma and Louise.


Let's get this one out of the way, because like a crack addict, I'm already itching to get my fix.  James Cameron's masterpiece, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, is a film that excels in every aspect.  Cameron is a perfectionist and it shows here.  The level of detail, the performances, the story, everything culminates into a perfect science fiction film.  Not to mention that this is a sequel, and unlike almost every sequel it manages to not only meet the expectations of the original, but exceed it as well.  Can you ever imagine another movie in which Arnold's accent, his stiff acting style actual work to portray the character he is on screen.  Not to mention Linda Hamilton's performance, which in my opinion is nothing more than outstanding.  How many other films can you think of where one of your main characters is a strong, willful, and powerful female character.  She is perhaps more "badass" than Arnold in this film.  She's the mother every kid wishes they had when they were younger.  While most of us were playing ninja turtles and GI Joe, she was teaching John armed combat and how to rip-off ATMs. We've just scratched the surface of this one, but if I don't move on, then I'll just spend the whole post on it.  T2 a must for any fan.


Silence of the Lambs is another one I want to touch on.  This is perhaps another perfect film.  Superb acting, screenplay, directing, and visuals.  All culminating into one of only two films to sweep all five major categories at the oscars: Best Actor, Actress, Director, Screenplay, and Motion Picture.  This is a particularly notable feet considering how ridiculous and pointless the Oscars have become.  Hopkins is superb as Hannibal Lecture, a psychiatrist, who ate his patients.  Jodie Foster is excellent as the FBI trainee selected to garner Lecture's trust in discovering Buffalo Bill's identity.  The script is smart, clever, and keeps you in suspense till the last scene.  And, who can forget Ted Levine's haunting portrayal of Buffalo Bill, a serial killer denied several sex change operations and pieces together parts of his victims skin to make a full "woman suit".  This one is not for the squeamish, but stands out to me as another great reason why 1991 makes my list.


4.)  1994:  The year that gave us Mr. Tarantino's sophomore effort, "Pulp Fiction".  Among other classic greats in this year were: Forrest Gump, Quiz Show, Shallow Grave, True Lies, Legends of the Fall, Lion King, The Crow, Clerks, Blue Chips, Cobb, Leon: The Professional, and of course The Shawshank Redemption.


Undoubtedly for many of you Shawshank Redemption is high on your list.  It's high on mine too.  If you haven't seen it they run it on TNT, TBS, or WGN on the regular.  One of my favorite parts about the Shaw is Morgan Freeman's narration.  I could hand him anything to read, Dr. Suess books, an airline safety brochure, even the ingredients list on a box of Kix.  Yes, he's that good.  S.R. might be a perfect movie.  In in a lot of ways it is really a love story between two men of all things.  A love story like Papillion, that chronicles the lives of two prisoner's who find solace and comfort in each other in order to serve their time.  It's a powerful and moving masterpiece, the likes of which we will probably never see again.


Another one of my favorites that I have to touch on is Leon: The professional.  Luc Besson directed this modern day Lolita tale, while introducing us to one of my generations current great actresses, Natalie Portman.  The justaposition of innocent Matilda and the Hitman, Leon is a fascinating one.  Maybe my favorite aspect of this relationship is really how much Matilda is the grown-up , while Leon retains this child-like awe and wonder about him throughout the film.  This movie is another gritty film, that brings tears to my eyes to this day, due to the wonderful performances.




3.)  1995:  Not straying too far away, 95' was another great year in Cinema history.  I was 12, and not quite old enough to see most of the movies that made this a particularly great year.  However, there was one movie by an unknown production company that garnered my attention and my respect with each subsequent release, PIXAR's "Toy Story".  Another ground breaking film that paved the way for an entire generation of newly animated features that would exist only by unlimited imagination and "1's and"0's".  Without Pixar, where would we be?  Sure, Dreamworks probably would have come out with their animated brand of films, as well as Fox, but would either be as successful or as entertaining if it weren't for Pixar setting the bar for animated features year after year?  I think not.  Years later, after Toy Story's release, i revisited 1995 and discovered the following gems: Dead Man Walking, To Die For, Mallrats, Before Sunrise, Basketball Diaries, The Usual Suspects, Braveheart, and one of my personal favorites Michael Mann's, HEAT.


Heat alone is probably enough for me to put 1995 on my list.  I can't tell you how many times i've poured over this movie.  It is hands down one of the best character development films out there.  Mann know's just where to put his camera.  His instincts, like his character's, are sharp and exact.  This is a calculated, gritty, real film.  One of the few that brings tears to my eyes.  Not enough can be said about HEAT.


1995 was a great year in cinema.  One that for me could not be fully appreciated till later in life.  So, if you haven't had a chance to see some these great pieces of cinema history I suggest you get a Netflix subscription.


2.)  2007:  Coming off the heels of 2006, a ghastly year in cinema filled with maybe some of the worst titles, reboots, and possible the worst Pixar movie to date, Cars, 2007 roared into theaters full of pictures to entertain, stimulate, and enlighten the senses.  2006 was the year that gave us: Superman Returns, The Da Vinci Code, Mission Impossible 3, and even managed to kill the X-men franchise with a 3rd installment, by Mr. "no talent" himself, Brett Ratner.  2007, was a lot like the approaching Democratic party election.  After having a retard in office for 8 years, a bowl of Cheerios would suffice for the general public.  But, we were treated to more than just cheerios, we got served Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Pops, and a little Raisin Bran in one mythical bowl.  It had enough for everyone, it was sweet, salty, and chaulk full vitamins and mineral to stimulate the "thinkers" out there.


Let's do the rundown of notable films:  The Lookout, Black Snake Moan, Zodiac, Hot Fuzz, Knocked Up, Ratatouille, Rescue Dawn, Sunshine, 3:10 to Yuma, Eastern Promises, Into the Wild, Michael Clayton, and the two masterpieces of the year: No Contry for Old Men and There Will be Blood.


"No Country" is a strong enough movie in its own right to give enough weight to make this list, but then 2007 goes on, like a never ending day of Christmas.  Not only did you get a new bike, super nintendo, baseball glove, and puppy, but you also got that Red Rider carbon action b.b. gun you always wanted too, with "There Will be Blood".  PTA's direction has never been better in this new take on the western about an Oil Prospector stealing the dreams of a small town and destroying everyone around him.  Daniel Day Lewis' epic performance, which some consider the best ever put to celluloid, is more than enough for anyone to give this a viewing.  Beautiful production design, cinematography, and a superb score will keep you coming back for a second viewing.


1.)  1999:  This one is easy.  I can't think of a better year in cinema since I've been on this earth.  There are just too many great, groundbreaking films, and films that probably make your "favorites" in this bunch.  1999 was a magical year, that only comes once in a lifetime.  It was a like a throwback to the 70's, where experimentation, ingenuity, and great story telling came together to give us some of the best movies we had seen since the days of the film school generation.  All the usual suspects came to play that year.  The directors that would define cinema for my generation and every generation entering film school now.  Soderberg, Fincher, Jonze, O'Russell, Kubrick, Ball, Scosesse, Wachowski bros., Coppoala, and Mann just to name a few.  If you walk to your DVD rack right now (that is if you still have one) you probably have more films from this year in cinema than any other on your shelves.


Let's just go down the list a bit.  As it grows, you will be astonished:  American Beauty, Beautiful People, Being John Malkovich, Beyond the Mat, Boys Don't Cry, Brining out the Dead, Cider House Rules, Dogma, Election, Eyes Wide Shut, Fight Club, Girl Interrupted, Go, The Insider, Iron Giant, The Limey, Magnolia, The Matrix, Office Space, Sixth Sense, Summer of Sam, Three Kings, Toy Story 2, Trippin, and The Virgin Suicides.


And there's more... For those of you who remain skeptical here is a complete list at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_in_film


I know what you are thinking.  "All these classics couldn't have come out in one year!"  Well...They did. And one classic that was a true experience i will never forget has been dissected, talked about and disputed countless times.  Personally, I was truly blown away by this one.  I hadn't felt this kind of anticipation and excitement since "Jurassic Park", as when i saw, "The Matrix".  I could spend hours peeling away the layers of this onion, but we don't have that kind of time.  Granted after many viewings since its release the Matrix does not have the same effect, but in the context, in the time, it was the movie that redefined filmmaking.  And, defined it so much that every other movie for the next two years would steal it's technique, its "cool factor", and overall aesthetic.


Throughout 99 I had similar experience with other films as well.  The "rebels of the back lot", as they were called, (coinded by Sharon Waxmen) were in full swing this year and kept pumping out masterpieces.  Three kings is one I have often revisited, and don't know if I can think of a better "golden fleece" tale out there.  Being John Malkovich was the first time I had been introduced to Charlie Kaufman, and his genius.  Then we had Tom Cruise, before he was "The Cruise", in the best performance of his career in PTA's Magnolia.  Aside from needing a desperate reduction in runtime, Magnolia was an engrossing film that kept you on the edge of your seat driven by an amazing score.


Well there you have it.  My top five years in cinema.  I could get lost talking about any one of these films for pages and pages.  I'm interested to hear your thoughts and feedback on my top 5.  If you agree or disagree I'd like to hear about it.

Hangover 2 Review:

The wolf-pack is back in the Hangover 2, and I'm not sure if that is a good thing.  The original cast returns as well as a few new faces, including Paul Giamati (who I believe replaced Mel Gibson during production).  Todd Phillips is once again in the director's chair, but why I'm not really sure.  Sure, it makes sense to have him direct a sequel to a franchise he co-created, but after seeing the film I think it would have been better off with a fresh set of eyes and open-mind.  I'm not saying that I dis-like Phillips, because in the past I've always enjoyed his films.  I have often made the comparison, under a lot of fire,  that Phillips is my generations "John Hughes".  I'm not saying he is as good or the same, but in a sense Phillips, like hughes, created the "Frat Pack", similar to the "Brat Pack".  Phillips employs the same comedic faces in most of his movies such as: Vince Vaghn, Zack Galifinakis, and Will Ferrel.  One could even argue that his other recent film, "Due Date", is a remake of Hughe's classic "Trains, Planes, and Automobiles".  Unfortunately, all of this tenure and praise doesn't amount to much in this sequel (if you can call it a "sequel").

The story is structurally identical to the first Hangover.  Beat for beat, plot point for plot point, these two scripts are entirely interchangeable.  Each filmic device is the same: one could swap Vegas for Bangkok, the monkey for Chow, Chow for Heather Graham and even the "Mcguffin"(code for the "thing" everyone wants in the movie) , missing brother, Teddy for lost best friend, Doug .  The movie doesn't feel like a sequel, but more like a reboot.  Part 2 doesn't expand on the story, the characters, or the world we established with the original.  Perhaps someone like Adam McKay would have been able to bring some new comedic elements to this journey, or even David Schwimmer (yes from "Friends", he's a director now).

The performances are nothing new here as well.  Bradley Cooper does a decent job as the cool, calm, collected one of the bunch.  Galifinakis is typical, playing himself yet again.  I would like to see him branch out from these types of comedies, and do more work in tune with "It's Kind of a Funny Story", because honestly, he's great in that movie, and I think I speak for a lot of people when I say, "we are getting a little tired of this Zack".  Ed helms is probably the shining star of our triumvirate, he seems to be the only voice of reason ever in these movies, and actual brings something more to his character, "change".  Even if his character only changes slightly, he still grows from his previous experience and still maintains a fresh perspective in this new adventure.  The final performance is Ken Jeong, who is just awful.  I didn't like his character in the first outing, and with added screen time and a pivotal role in the plot of this sinking ship, I despised it even more here.  His character is annoying, uninteresting, and feels like he is reading the cue cards from a PA just off of camera.  I wish I had better things to say about this one, but I can't help but feel disappointed.  

My advice: save 14 bucks and buy some scratch-off tickets.  You'll have more fun and excitement scratching to see if got three lemons on one of those than sitting through the Hangover 2.  I'm giving it 2 out of 5 aspirins, but really you're going to need the rest of the bottle for this one.

Priest Review

Let me set this up for you.   In a post-apocoliptic wasteland controlled by the remnants of the Catholic Church, Paul Bettany, plays "Priest", a superhuman "man of God" bent on hunting down the vampires responsible for kidnapping his Niece.  Are you still with me?  Good.

The world that Priest inhabits is a familiar landscape.  There's a lot of sand and barren landscape.  There's nothing really new in these parts of the film.  However, one area that I was impressed with was the overall design of the last remaining human cities.  The cityscape is littered with monitors, speakers, and the Church motto: unity through faith or something like that.  On another positive note the costumes are somewhat interesting as well as the final set piece that takes place on a moving train.  All these things help "Priest", but there are just too many "wrongs" to overcome the few "rights".

The story is predictable and lack luster.  This is a classic tale we have seen many times before.  A man with no name goes out against the wishes of some sort of authority, whether it be police, society, or the Catholic church, determined to find his relative's captors and return the captive to her loved ones, even if that means sacrificing his morals and possibly his beliefs in the process.  I feel like this story was created from a blank "Mad Libs" page, where the writer just filled in his ideal fantasy of everything he wanted in a movie; insert vampires, the old west, religious overtones, and kung fu.

Priest's character is a man of little dialogue, but so is this script.  The story is entirely plot driven and uninspired.  Bettany's character has a few dry "one liners" that are good for a few laughs here and there, but ultimately fail to live up to classic action stars such as Governator and Sly.  Bettany does a decent job of portraying the nameless antagonist, but doesn't really have to flex his acting muscles to get the job done.  Maggie Q also makes an appearance in the film as a fellow priest, ordered by the church to pursue Bettany and bring him in dead or alive.  Hints of her love and a possible relationship are thrown into the film to spice up the secondary plots, but not a lot of screen time is given to develop this story line and give it some real weight.  The most forgettable character in the film is Hicks, played by Cam Gigandet.  Hick's character is about as useless as the barren wasteland he travels through with Priest on their journey to obtain the kidnapped, Lucy Pace.  I think most of the problem with Cam's character is not his acting, but due to a poorly written script.  The only character that I feel shines in this vampire romp is Karl Urban.  Urban plays the first and only "human vampire" in the film and was trained to be superhuman priest like Bettany.  Urban is hellbent on revenge against the church that left him to die so many years ago.  Urban has some great psychotic scenes including: one where he conducts a symphony while destroying another human outpost with his new vampire comrads.  He's creepy, cold, and perhaps the only redeemable aspect of this film.

In the end a predictable story, uninteresting characters, and poorly written script couldn't save this one from ending up in the 5$ bin at Walmart a year from now.  I left the theatre pretty disappointed, and found myself laughing when I should have been moved emotionally.  Granted "Priest" is supposed to be a silly summer action flick, but it can't even deliver on that promise.  My advice, catch this one on netflix instant watch.  I'm giving it 2 wooden stakes out of 5

THOR Review:

For over the past ten years "Hollywood" has bombarded the summer movie season with the "Superhero" blockbuster, and this summer is no different.  With Captain America and Green Lantern around the corner thundering into theaters first is Kenneth Branagh's THOR, based on the marvel comic book series of the same name.


When I first heard Branagh was directing Thor, I thought it was an odd choice for a comic book hero movie, but in the first fifteen minutes it became abundantly clear why he was chosen.  Thor's character arc and mythology follow the classic stylings of one William Shakespeare.  Thor has everything a classic shakespearian comedy has: betrayal, love, overconfident lead characters, and daddy issues.  I'm not saying that they are on the same playing field, but  if there is one thing Branagh knows, its Shakespeare.  That being said, you aren't going to find any oscar worthy performances in Thor that you might see in his interpretation of Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, or Hamlet.  


Outside of the few meaningful scenes of dialogue in the film the action pieces are frivolous, over the top, and with out any real drama or weight to them.  It's hard to sympathize or believe that any harm can every come to Thor because he is basically a superman without any weakness.  In other words he is a literal "god" on earth (pun intended) without a kryptonite weakness.  The action pieces are predictable along with the story, but the comedic elements thrown in the mix should be enough to keep your attention. As for the performances that's another thing altogether.


Hensworth does a good job here as the title character, mixing comedic timing with a little heart and a lot of bravado.  His screen presence is just as enormous as he is in the movie.  Anthony Hopkins too shines as Odin, Thor's father and ruler of Asgard.  Hopkins character seems to be the only one who can deliver lines giving them any meaning and purpose.  Like the characters on screen, when Hopkins belted out his commands and orders, I too was all ears.  As for Ms. Portman, not a lot can be said for her character. Yes, she's pretty to look at, but I found her performance to be pretty lack luster.  It's not terrible, but its just uninteresting.  She's one of my favorite actresses and has been in two of my favorite films Heat and The Professional, but after winning Oscar gold in February I have to ask, "Ms. Portman what were you thinking?"  I hope she can redeem herself with her next pick and maybe get back to a performance that suits her better such as Brothers or Black Swan.  


In Closing, if you are looking for a fun, silly, almost comedic action flick, then THOR is the movie to see.  I'm not going to give it the same stamp of approval and jumpstart that Iron Man and Star Trek did just a few years ago, but it could be a lot worse.  I for one had a good time in the theatre with this one and that's why I have to give it 3 out of 5 Hammers!


For the latest THOR trailers you can catch them here: http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/paramount/thor/


Also for some much better cinema chatter please check out my favorite podcast over at: http://www.filmspotting.net/

Top 5 most anticipated films of the Summer '11

Money is tight, and summer movies are upon us.  If you are curious where you should spend your hard earned cash, here are my top 5 picks in no specific order:

1.) "Super 8": J.J. Abrams is back in the director's chair, and that's a good thing. This movie is a monster flick of sorts, that has a little "Stand by Me" meets the "Goonies" throw into it. It has this whimsical magic in the trailer that I think most of us felt when we saw movies like "E.T." And, Like E.T., they touched on that bit of mystery and scratched our natural curiosity begging us to ask the question: Who do I give my 16 dollars to? I gotta see this!

2.) "X-Men: First Class": Fox Has really been dropping the ball for, oh I don't know about 8 years now. However, they are returning to familiar territory in the X-men Franchise. I think we all feel a little jaded by Ratner's take on X-men 3, but this is a prequel and our favorite Mutants are back.  In this re-boot Mathew Vaugn, director of "Kick Ass", has our mutants emerging from hiding ont the civilized world fighting Russia during the Cold War, in particular the cuban missile crisis...Um, Yes please! To boot we have two of my favorite actors playing the leads: Michael Fastbinder of notable "Ingorious basterds" fame and James McAvoy of "Atonement". Nuff said.

3.) Transformers, just kidding. No, I've picked a much anticipated film for me personally with Terrance Malick's "Tree of Life". Mallick's infusion of nature, and narrative are a constant theme in many of his films. His last outing, "The New World" was an engrossing tale that kept me glued to the story, and in awe of the natural beauty of America's wilderness before colonization. I'm not sure what the TOL is about, but frankly I don't care. The trailer alone, is enough to seal the deal for me. The cast seems pretty impressive to boot: Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain.

4.) "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part II":  At this point in the Potter franchise, I've invested to much time and money (upwards of 100 bucks) not to see this epic tale through to the end.  This of course is the much anticipated sequel to HPADH part I, which makes it a sequel-sequel...I think.  Finally, we are going to see Harry and "You know who" duke it out on the silver screen.  The anticipation for this final confrontation is enough for me to shell out my 16 clams.  The last few Potter outings have been darker, edgier, and move much faster than the previous films.  David Yates is once again directing, which will be his fourth Potter installment.  Yates has really helped improve the Potter franchise, he focusses more on characters and the drama between them, while still maintaining a well structured narrative.  That being said I'll be jumping on my broom to the theater come July 15th.

5.) "The Devil's Double":  While most of you have never heard of this film,"Double" follows the true life story of Latif Yahia.  Who is Latif Yahla you ask?  Latif is the unluckiest lucky man on earth.   Unfortunately for him, Latif was cursed with the same face as Uday Hussein, Sadam Husseins crazier, more psychotic son!  Latif is forced to become Uday's double experiencing all the power greed and corruption that Uday bestows upon him.  As his self identity is infected with Uday's temptations he realizes how insane Uday truly is. Now, falling deeper down the rabbit hole, Latif must find himself again, while still maintaining the charade.  "Double" was critically acclaimed on the festival circuit finally getting major distribution and a release date: August 12th.  

For trailers and more on the movies mentioned above visit: www.themoviebox.net