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The Social Network Movie Review
Grade: A
The Social Network is not simply a movie, but an experience of eclectic elements of great film-making. Director Dave Fincher and writer Aaron Sorkin’s depiction of the roots of social networking site Facebook is an engrossing film that not only defines the current technology-based generation, but sets film standards of brilliant writing and film structure.
Fincher and Sorkin’s film tells the fascinating story of Mark Zuckenburg and how he made a small idea into the billion dollar corporation Facebook. The story is shown through flashbacks and flash-forwards, simultaneously addressing the lawsuits made towards Zuckenburg, and the dark and gritty story of the formation of Facebook. While the accusations of Zuckenburg’s thievery of intellectual property are in tact, many of the film’s details are debatable.
The incertitude of Zuckerburg’s story is what makes this film works. Portrayed by Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Zuckerburg’s ambiguous character is the film’s focus and what makes it so appealing. Is Zuckburg driven by the rejection of his girlfriend (Rooney Mara), or is it superficially the thought of money? The character’s innocent and snooty manner is a mystery that establishes this film. Eisenberg gives the performance of his life as he puts so much depth in the character and raises so many questions.
Supporting Eisenberg is Andrew Garfield, who I once again have to give praise. After seeing a powerful performance from Garfield in Never Let Me Go, his role as Zuckerburg’s co-founder really shows his ability to take on diverse roles. Garfield gives an accurate portrayal of a deceived friend, and the subtlety that he puts into his performance is mesmerizing.
What gives the characters this type of depth is Aaron Sorkin’s Oscar-worthy screenplay. I cannot recall a film with this much witty and movie-driving dialogue. I can not emphasize enough about the screenplay’s brilliance, it really gives the film reality, depth, and entertainment value. Resulting from the script, the plot is fast-paced and addicting; It keeps the audience curious and occupied for the whole movie. But while the plot and script are almost perfect, there is an absence of a big moment. The movie is no doubt intense, but there are no moments that standout from the overall film; There is no buildup of emotions in a single scene, something I believe a perfect film should have.
The Social Network is a movie that many will look back as a defining 21st century work of art. Overall, Fincher’s film is modern, provocative, and technically flawless. The Oscar race has started, and the writing in The Social Network will be hard to beat. Grade: A
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Summer Movie Guide
Summer is the time of the year where most of the films released are huge blockbusters, with outlandish budgets and CGI. I do not particularly like the fact that 2010 has been the year of the 3D movie, because the quality of film have obviously been diminishing. But alas, I still find myself going to the movies and paying eight dollars to fill my Summer weekdays. Since I do not particularly have the time to make extended reviews of each Summer film, I have created small tidbit reviews of Summer movies. While some are just simply “not good,” there are some highlights of this ill-fated year.
Iron Man 2: I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed the predecessor of this Iron Man franchise. Well it was not exactly cerebral as The Dark Knight (its Summer opponent of 2008), it was fast-paced and indeed had enough action to fill its run time. I wish I could say the same about the sequel, Iron Man 2. What was a franchise known for its action, is now a dull plot-developing movie. The majority of the movie focused on the foolishness of Robert Downey’s character. Although well-acted, I wish there was more “Iron Man” than of Tony Stark. The final scene of the movie does go back to it comic-book roots with the duo of War Machine & Iron Man, but it feels empty because there was not much to support it. It is an acceptable and somewhat enjoyable blockbuster, but I could not get over the mindless drama and lack of action. Grade: C-
The Karate Kid: The original Karate Kid is not necessarily a classic in my eyes, but it is a film that I remember watching it as a child. So I was not too ecstatic watching it except for the fact Jackie Chan was in it, an actual fighter (sorry Pat Marita). The film does an adequate job in recreating the “classic” film with its somewhat altered story of the cliched “boy gets girl” and “boy gets revenge.” But what makes this film from being a good movie is the age of the characters. While I am not saying Jaden Smith, son of Will Smith, is an unsuited actor, but the age of the children is too young to be effective. Is a 10 year old vengeance really valid, or is it just an act of impulse? What made the original movie lovable was that the audience connected with the main character and ended up rooting for him. It is kind of difficult when the person you are cheering for is fighting for simply a frivolous rivalry. Grade: C-
The Last Airbender: Horrible. Do not waste your time with this incoherent mess. M. Night, stick with your plot twists that no one enjoys. Grade: F
Toy Story 3: Aside from the occasional mishap such as Cars, Pixar is one of those companies that is downright consistent. Toy Story 3 follows the tradition of Up and Ratatoullie, in which an animated film is capable of tugging at the audience’s emotions with its unbelievably imaginative stories. Toy Story 3 delivers with its original voice cast and the characters children growing up in the 90s have grown to love. Even though the 3D animated genre has been used to almost near death, Toy Story 3 strays away from the mediocrity because it creates an experience that does not solely isolate the entertainment of young children. The significant flaw that comes to mind with the film is that it does not feel as fresh as its predecessors. Yes, I do acknowledge it is a sequel, but it feels as if we have already been exposed to this world many times before. Grade: B+
Inception: Christopher Nolan is no stranger to making movies that will send the audience in utter confusion (i.e Memento). Inception is one of the movies that will have audiences thinking long after the movie is over. It will allow you to question your surroundings, and will cause you to question what reality truly is. The production value of the film is incomprehensible as almost every aspect of the movie is fully-thought out. Hans Zimmer has been the soundtrack producer for previous Nolan films, and here delivers a soundtrack that compliments the action and suspense of the movie as a whole. Perhaps one of the highlights the film is the ensemble of actors. Within the ensemble are three Oscar nominated actors (Di Caprio, Page, Watanabe) and two winning individuals (Cotillard and Caine). There is no doubt that it is well-acted and it adds to the reality of the film, where in fact should be absent. The minimal flaw in the film is that Nolan attempts to put too much to try to confuse its audience, but in the end this is just a small flaw in an immensely great but pretentious film. Grade: B+
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