"The Social Network"
Richard's Review: 4 1/2 stars
As you might imagine the story of a socially inept computer nerd who created the world's most popular social networking website isn't chock-a-block with action. Occasionally cursors fly across computer screens and fingers tap out code on keyboards, but that is about the limit of the action. But that's OK when the dialogue is as entertaining and well delivered as it is in "The Social Network."
Adapted from Ben Mezrich's 2009 book "The Accidental Billionaires," the movie is the story of Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) the genius computer programmer behind Facebook. Bookended by the legal case (or more rightly put, cases) filed against Zuckerberg by an unsocial network of jilted business partners, including co-founder Eduardo Saverin (future Spider-Man portrayer Andrew Garfield) and a pair of well connected twins who claim the original idea was theirs, "The Social Network" charts the rise and, well rise of facebook from its humble beginnings in a dorm room at Harvard to its current evaluation of $25 billion.
The opening scene of the movie sets the tone for the rest of the film. Zuckerberg and his soon-to-be-ex girlfriend Erica (Rooney Mara) engage in a long, awkward conversation that reveals his disconnect from regular society. He's the smartest guy in the room, but has a chip on his shoulder and an attitude. Their exchange, beautifully written by former "West Wing" screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, displays the kind of verbal fireworks that propels the movie.
Sorkin and director David Fincher have done a great job of taking a complicated story with loads of computer jargon and making it accessible. They treat the audience and the story respectfully by not dumbing down the details but unlike Oliver Stone's recent attempt to explain the financial meltdown in "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" the drama of the story is allowed to take center stage, not the mechanics of the lawsuits or the computerese.
At the center of it All is Jesse Eisenberg, a young actor who, in the past, was often written off as the poor man's Michael Cera. No more. This is a daring performance that shows Zuckerberg's detachment while not turning him into a nerdy stereotype.
Also nicely cast are Andrew Garfield as Savein and Rooney Mara, who will soon be seen in the lead of the American remake of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," but the biggest surprise may be Justin Timberlake. His film career has been a bit spotty to date, but playing Napster co-creator Sean Parker with equal parts charisma and smarm suggests that when properly cast he can shine.
Mark Zuckerberg is a polarizing figure but love him or hate him, his story has made one the best films of the year.
"You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger"
Richard's Review: 3 1/2 stars
For me the beginning of any Woody Allen movie is like a warm hug. The familiar font, jaunty jazz theme and alphabetized credits are an important part of my movie going lexicon as are Allen's familiar themes concerning fate, sex, love and death. He has essayed these subjects before and revisits them again in "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger." Set in London, the only thing that really sets this apart from his NYC films is the accents. It's a mix of light comedy and satire buoyed by great performances from Gemma Jones, Josh Brolin and Lucy Punch.
"Let Me In"
Richard's Review: 3 stars
"Let Me In," a remake of the much loved Swedish film "Let the Right One In," is a story about two pre-teens excluded from general society—one by bullies, the other because she's a vampire. Save for its New Mexico setting the film is respectful to its source in all ways but one. In the original the female vampire's body is frozen at twelve years but she has life experience that far exceeds her mortal shell. In the American version Chloe Moretz plays her as much more vulnerable which separates it from the original, but is a less effective, though still evocative, take on the story.
"Fubar 2"
Richard's Review: 3 stars
You probably went to school with some of them. Or maybe when you see them on the street you cross to the other side. They are headbangers, also known affectionately as ‘bangers. You know the type, long greasy hair with heavy metal t-shirts, who can usually be seen shot-gunning beer and yelling "just giver!" at the top of their lungs. "Fubar 2," the long awaited follow-up to the fabulous 2002 uber-low budget mockumentary of almost the same name, reintroduces us to two ‘bangers, Dean (Paul Spence) and Terry (David Lawrence), who put a western twist on "Goin' Down the Road" and leave their old Calgary stomping grounds for the promise of jobs in Fort McMurray. Let's face it, these guys are easy targets for ridicule, and in the first film director Michael Dowse didn't go for the easy jokes. He let us get involved with the characters and get to like them before dropping some very heavy plot developments on us. Unfortunately the second time around feels a bit more mean spirited, as though we're laughing at Terry and Dean instead of with them. It's still amusing, just not as poignant as the first film.
