The internet's written in ink.

The Social Network

After the stunning trailer, I had very high expectations for The Social Network, David Fincher's film about the founding of Facebook. The film met and far exceeded my expectations, creating a compelling story and fascinating characters.

Jesse Eisenberg is a revelation as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Ever since I saw him in The Squid and The Whale, I didn't like him. His character was a damaged asshole and I could not separate Eisenberg from the character in The Squid and The Whale. But seeing him play a different damaged asshole in The Social Network, suddenly something clicked; this guy is unbelievable! He's not the neurotic guy we've seen in the past; he's a driven, calculating, determined genius driving an unstoppable train towards fame and fortune. He's an ass and he's the antagonist, but Eisenberg makes him incredibly human. As strongly evidenced in the beginning, the end, and at various points throughout the film, Zuckerberg has human motives for the things he does and one feels sorry for him. That's totally a credit to Eisenberg, making the audience feel bad for the bad guy.

The supporting actors all held their own against the acting powerhouse of Jesse Eisenberg. Andrew Garfield wonderfully plays the "protagonist" character. He's really burst onto the scene this year and he's got a long career ahead of him. Very, very talented. Armie Hammer took on the daunting task of playing twin brothers who were very different but were totally dependent on one another. He made them individuals through his performances. Max Minghella provided some necessary comic relief.

The big question on audience's mind is how will Justin Timberlake do? I'm pleased to say he was very, very good. There were times when I forgot he was Justin Timberlake. He worked very hard to disappear into the role. He does not deserve an Oscar nomination for this performance but I applaud him for taking on a serious and pivotal role. If he keeps going in this direction and picking movies like The Social Network, he'll have a successful acting career.

For a movie about the founding of a website, writer Aaron Sorkin sure found a way to make it all interesting. The dialogue is witty but not unbelievable. The film is an excellent presentation of greed, ambition, and friendship and how those three rarely combine and end well. It was fascinating to watch Zuckerberg come up with the elements of Facebook users have been used to from the beginning, like the relationship status and "the wall." Furthermore, watching a character freak out about a relationship status on Facebook accurately portrays the internal and sometimes external freak outs Facebook users go through. A great way to laugh at oneself.

However, it's really important as an audience member to do your research before or immediately after you see The Social Network. This is not a 100% true story. This is fictionalized account and it's based on a book from Eduardo Saverin's perspective, the guy who gets screwed. It's very bias. If one can do the research, separate the fact from the fiction and look at the film as mostly fiction, it will be very enjoyable. Dislike the "character" of Mark Zuckerberg, not the real Mark Zuckerberg.

Furthermore, Trent Reznor's score was hypnotic. The best parts of Nine Inch Nails and then some. I definitely see an Oscar nomination in his future.

In a year of a lot of movie disappointments, The Social Network is a breath of fresh air and definitely one of my favorites of 2010. A must-see, but take everything with a grain of salt.

Kristen Bell in Veronica Mars

I've been on a TV kick in this section lately. I love Kristen Bell and my love began with Veronica Mars. Bell was witty, intelligent, and lovable as the young sleuth. It's a shame that her film roles haven't been as complex or shown off her talent the way Veronica Mars did, because this show proves she can act. She created a fabulous female role model in Veronica, a strong and smart young women with human imperfections. I'll love KBell forever for this role.



Netflix
Babies-Great trailer!
Notes on a Scandal-Want to see again.
Damages-Netflix Instant. I hear good things.