The Social Network: 3.5 stars

IMDB's summary states, "The story of how the social-networking website Facebook was founded."
The Social Network is not the story of how Facebook was founded; it is the story of why there are so many lawsuits surrounding the website. You may have read elsewhere that The Social Network is the story about how Facebook was created, or simply the Facebook movie, but it is much more specific than that. While we learn in general terms how the website was created, and are given the fictional motivation of said creation (note: there is no Erica in real life), The Social Network is more about the cons of fame and unfortunate drama it can create for those it touches.

The Social Network is directed by David Fincher, so you already know its technically outstanding. Even though he has used different cinematographers throughout his career his films always have similar photography. If you like/love the look of his previous films then you'll like/love that about this one. There is a reason why The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a Criterion Collection film, and it's not because of the story. I can see The Social Network ending up in that collection one day as well. Not only for it's technological brilliance but also for what it represents; for it's place in time.

Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) is the centerpiece of a script which tells the story of how he created Facebook, and was then accused of stealing the idea. The writers do this by presenting the story of two separate present day depositions and using flashbacks to delve deeper into what is being examined in those depositions. Zuckerberg was not only sued by the people who accused him of stealing the idea, but also his best friend and original CFO Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) for fiendishly cheating him out of his fair share of the business.

As I noted in my introductory paragraph, The Social Network is definitely more about the lawsuits, missteps and backstabbing that occurred during and not actual the creation of Facebook. There are many different films that could have been created out of this scenario. What we end up with is definitely strong, however not as engaging as it could have, or should have been. It's a fascinating story and Eisenberg's representation and performance of Zuckerberg is outstanding, however Fincher's obsession with technical excellence once again leaves the viewers at arms length and results in a frigid product. It definitely works more with this story then it did with Benjamin Button because of how ruthless and emotionless The Social Network's main character is portrayed. While the sterile presentation fits the subject matter it can definitely be a turn off to some. It wasn't for me, but it was definitely what kept the film from being perfect. David Fincher may need to revisit his own work in Seven for inspiration on future projects. 

Five Films That Shaped Me

In case you haven't heard, At The Movies is back and is presented by Roger Ebert. You should be able to find it on your local PBS station friday nights, and its a welcome return to the show's original format. The jury is still out on the new hosts, but they're slowly coming into their own. The new hosts are Christy Lemire of AP and Ignatiy Vishnevestsky of Mubi.com. I have issues with both of them, but they are better than any incarnation of the show since Ebert left. Ignatiy is only 24, and while it's impressive that he is co-hosting this show at that age his reviews are all over the place. However, his knowledge of the medium is quite impressive. In February (when I first started writing this post) they did a special in which they presented the five films which shaped them as critics (Ignatiy's were as annoying and pretentious as you could imagine a 24 year old film buff's choices to be). I figured I would take that as a cue to share my own choices. Each of my choices is a film that opened a new cinematic door for me and made me look differently at the possibilities of the medium. 

Beautiful Girls

Beautiful Girls is just such a joy to watch. The script is perfect and the cast is full of some of the most likable actors in Hollywood. The direction is understated and the story is down to earth and relatable. If you know me then you know I love what I call "a time and place" films. By that I mean the movies where there isn't exactly an ending where every issue is resolved and wrapped in a bow (some of them may not have a real beginning either). They tell the story of a very specific place and time in the characters lives and the transformations that occur during that sample. Beautiful girls isn't an extreme example of this type of movie, but it still qualifies. Somewhere out there Birdie is plowing someone's lot, Kirkwood is screwing up another relationship and Marty is in college; and something about that is comforting. Beautiful Girls showed me that it doesn't have to be all about action, melodrama and special effects. 

Hoop Dreams

When you're a stupid teenager and know everything, the last thing you want to do is go to the theater to see a documentary with your parents. Well I did; twice. That documentary was Hoop Dreams. Thanks for taking me Mom! While it was a nationally recognized film, I'm pretty sure it was playing in much bigger theaters and for a much longer time in the Chicago area then in any other part of the country. It really is a perfect film. It showed me that documentaries aren't always like sitting through a lecture. Sounds silly, but when you're thirteen that's what you think. All I wanted to see were movies like Independence Day. Hoop Dreams opened my eyes to the documentary medium and how powerful it could be.

Leon

Leon (or The Professional) again opened my eyes to what else was out there in the world of cinema. I wish Luc Besson would get back to making films like this one instead of producing crap like The Transporter series. Like Seven, Leon was like no other action/crime/thriller movie I had ever seen. It blew my mind. Not just because of the thin wire it walked with Leon and Mathilda's relationship, but also the care in which their characters were developed. The ending is still gut wrenching to this day because we watched as the love they had for each other grew and became something real.  Lets not forget I'm talking about a hired assassin who takes an orphaned twelve year old under his wing and trains her to follow in his footsteps. This could have been a simple action flick and that would have been fine. However, Besson cared enough to make it more, make it unique and create a classic.
My full review of Leon can be read here.

Seven

Seven is a movie that is really hard to categorize. It can put into the crime thriller group, however I think it's more of a subtle horror movie. The crimes are gruesome, the killer arguably a genius and the imagery is dark and disturbing throughout. If the idea of the conclusion doesn't scare you a bit, or even how the Lust murder was carried out, then you truly are desensitized. When Seven came out there was nothing else like it; not only because of the story and imagery, but also because of how well made it was. Usually this kind of story is saved for writers, actors and directors who can't rise above the cliches.
Seven showed me horror movies could be of award winning caliber.  

State and Main

Ah, my good friend David Mamet. I was young and naive when I first found State and Main in a Hollywood Video and I had yet to hear of Glengarry Glen Ross. State and Main was my introduction to the canon of David Mamet. Later I would revel in Heist, The Spanish Prisoner, House of Games, Oleanna, Spartan and most recently Red Belt. State and Main showed me that words are just as important as imagery and are in and of themselves an art form. Joseph Turner White: "You like kids?" Ann Black: "Never saw the point of 'em." Joseph Turner White: "Me either."

The Town: 3 stars

As he plans his next job, a longtime thief tries to balance his feelings for a bank manager connected to one of his earlier heists, as well as the FBI agent looking to bring him and his crew down.

The Town wants badly to be something that it never becomes. Somewhere in this film lies a two and a half to three hour crime drama masterpiece, however we're dealt a two hour action flick that fails to deliver the emotional punch it should. There is an extended cut on dvd that runs thirty minutes longer, which tells me the re-emerging Ben Affleck tried to give us more, but just couldn't put it all together.

The Town is based on the Chuck Hogan novel Prince of Thieves and I'm guessing that once again the novel trumps the film. However, the film is definitely worth the time of anyone who enjoys a good heist or action flick. The Town just never becomes great, which is a disappointment given everything it has going for it. Ben Affleck returns to the director's chair following his outstanding and somewhat surprising debut Gone Baby Gone, but this time steps in front of the camera as Doug Macray; a man we're told was simply born into a life of crime in the bank robbery capitol of America. Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker) is wonderful as Doug's best friend & crew mate and Jon Hamm is very convincing as FBI Agent Frawley who is dead set on stopping them. The films starts off with an exciting heist where we are introduced to the crew and love interest Claire played by Rebecca Hall (Vicky Christina Barcelona). They end up taking Claire hostage (I didn't catch why...) and then immediately let her go. Worried she might have seen too much Doug agrees to follow up on her to make sure she doesn't rat them out, but falls in love with her instead. The story rolls on as the crew plans more heists, Doug pursues Claire and Agent Frawley zeroes in on them. We meet Doug's jailed father, we're introduced to his drug addicted past love Krista and we're given a quick explanation of how he ended up following his fathers footsteps.

While The Town is well written, acted and paced the ultimate problem is that I never got to the point where I cared about what happened to any of the characters. By the time the climax is reached I was just talking aloud and predicting everything that would happen next. The sequences unfold in a formulaic manner, and the tension and drama that should have been there was somehow lost in the proceedings. The information we're given to add back story, depth and character all seemed tacked on and routine, leaving me with no one to root for. In the end, I didn't care what happened to Doug or Claire and already knew what would happen to everyone else. However, I still enjoyed myself. In no way is it a bad film; it's just a disappointing one. The Town is a slight step back for Affleck as a director but is still a good film with excellent production, exciting action and dead on performances that are well worth anyone's time.