THE SOCIAL NETWORK (12a)
Facebook. A website with 500 million members. One of the most popular websites on the planet, created by computer genius Mark Zuckerberg. It's most recent value price was 23 billion US dollars. Directed by David Fincher, with a cast of rising talent such as Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake, The Social Network is an in depth look at the rough beginning of the world's favourite network site.
The Serious: 10/11
"The Facebook film." The description might not sound interesting, but The Social Network is brilliant. It tracks the origins and creation of Facebook, from it's humble beginning as a Harvard University exclusive to the world dominating social machine it has now become.
The Social Network focuses on two simultaneous lawsuits against Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg, (an ever fantastic Jesse Eisenberg)showing him being sued for stealing the concept idea of Facebook and for misleading and stealing shares from his former best friend Eduardo Saverin (played by Andrew Garfield).
The story might sound bland, but in reality is incredibly engaging thanks to the characters all being grounded and real. The film is driven by the relationships between the characters and their own struggle for power in Facebook, something that so many people now use. Seeing the drama behind Facebook is a real eye opener, hugely absorbing and interesting to watch.
The real world Mark Zuckerberg refused to endorse the movie, claiming that much of it is exaggerated and untrue. However, thanks to Aaron Sorkin's fantastic screenplay, Zuckerberg is painted as neither a hero nor a villain. By the end of the film, you are not fed a view of Zuckerberg's actions, instead being left to judge what you just saw by yourself and form your own opinion. The Social Network is not made from a particular point of view, which makes for a truly wonderful conversation piece with others who have seen the film, as everyone's opinion is slightly different.
Jesse Eisenberg plays Mark Zuckerberg brilliantly, and much of the film's drive can be attributed to his performance. He creates the perfect amount of nerdy ambition, emotional distance from the world and hyper intelligence necessary to make Zuckerberg feel human. He puts the audience in a state of question: Is he really such a bad guy? Or is he just finding a way to be accepted in the world?
The other two stand out performances come from Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake. Garfield is Zuckerberg's college best friend Eduardo Saverin, original CFO of "thefacebook" and one of the people seen suing him at the start of the movie. Garfield's performance is full of emotional depth and entirely believable. He is the shining light of good in the movie, and as the relationship between Saverin and Zuckerberg begins to diminish, Garfield wrenches every last drop of sympathy from the audience, rounding off a fantastic performance; it seems the future of Spiderman is promising for when Garfield steps into the webbed costume in 2012.
Justin Timberlake's portrayal of Napster founder Sean Parker is sublime, giving us a character who is so smooth and crafty we instantly hate him. It's a great turn from the former popstar, who is honestly surprisingly good and definitely has a future in film.
All in all, The Social Network is a story on two levels. For members and fans of the site everywhere, it's a look at the brutal past of Facebook and the emotional tornado of how it was created. For everyone else, it's how a group of people cope when one of them stumbles upon something world-changing and how far each will go to have a part in it.
Catch this movie at the cinema. From witty dialogue to emotional depth, The Social Netowork has it all and certainly deserves 2 hours of your time. It might even be Oscar worthy.
The Fun: 2/11
Put simply, The Social Network is a thinking film. Despite plenty of comical moments from Aaron Sorkin's dazzling script, there is nothing light hearted about the movie.
This is in no way a bad thing, The Social Network is an excellent film, but isn't aimed at anyone after some easy viewing and fun. It requires deep thought, personal judgements on characters and a sharp mind to follow the story.
This isn't for the easy viewing among you, so save the cash.
But if you want something thought provoking, read above.
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To Infinity and Beyond
SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD (12a)
The buzz about Scott Pilgrim has been growing for months. With a huge cast containing plenty of recognisable names, original source material, and in the hands of english director, Edgar Wright, it's been billed as "An Epic of Epic Epicness."
Here goes...
The Serious: 9/11
The billing people were right. It most certainly is. From start to finish, Scott Pilgrim Vs The World is a whirlwind ride, defying physics, reality and taking you to a place your imagination had only seen on paper.
The source material for this movies is a comic book mini series by Brian Lee O'Malley, it seems Edgar Wright has created the first, actual, comic book movie. Many superhero movies are based on comic books, but Scott Pilgrim is literally like watching a comic book move on the screen. From the visualisation of sounds to the insane fight sequences, this film doesn't have a creative peer. It really is something unique, melding awesome stunts, fight sequences, cute nostalgia, arcade game elements and insane effects with a story so simple and heartwarming you're rooting for the hero with everything you've got.
Despite all the crazy action and effects going on around it, the core story in Scott Pilgrim is a love story. Under-confident loser Scott Pilgrim ( another excellent role execution from Michael Cera) is dating a high schooler, but then mysterious girl Ramona Flowers enters his life. Blown away instantly, Scott attempts to woo her, but when they begin dating, his world is turned upside down, in the form of 7 Evil Ex's. It's a wonderful concept, someone's past relationships controlling those of their future. Scott has to man up and defeat each of the 7 evil ex's in order to win Ramona, but it sure isn't easy.
This is where everything gets crazy. The film expands into "epicness" bombarding the audience with visuals, fights, music and excellent performances. From the arcade game style path of the story, (coins exploding out of defeated enemies) to the excellent supporting roles, (including Brandon Routh, Chris Evans, Jason Schwartzman and a hilarious Kieran Culkin) Scott Pilgrim is a brilliant journey start to finish. The action defies your mind with smooth and flowing sequences that genuinely impress, rivalling any billed "action" movie. Scott is fighting for love, but in such a silly environment it always remains light-hearted, never trying to take itself seriously. It also leaves you with a questioning mind by the end, a nice touch that makes it even more memorable.
From a film making perspective, Scott Pilgrim is wonderful, subtly combining so many opposing things to create something original. However, there will probably be axes to grind for some. Those who have no love for arcade games, occasional nostalgia, intense visuals or borderline movie insanity, Scott Pilgrim is definately not for you. While very original, it might perplex some viewers, and a second viewing is sometimes needed to straighten everything out.
For anyone else, it's a brilliant way to end a summer of film that has been truly excellent. So down to the cinema you must go. There probably won't be anything quite like this anywhere else.
The Fun: 10/11
Wow. Whether or not you follow the core story, Scott Pilgrim vs The World is a spectacle for the senses.
Anyone with a sense of enjoyment in life should appreciate the insanity going on before them, such as intense comic book fight scenes to music being given a physical form. After the first 20 minutes or so, Scott Pilgrim becomes a huge mash up of effects, action, love, lessons and character and it. Is. Beautiful.
Seeing as it covers a lot of movie types, it is impossible to categorise Scott Pilgrim. It covers all bases. Comedy, with a hilarious performance by Kieran Culkin as Scott's gay roomate Wallace, action, with the incredible action sequences throughout, romance from the main story between Scott and Ramona and enough thrills to fill your heart. It's Micheal Cera's film though, his characterisation of Scott so spot on that almost all of the audience can relate to feeling like that at some point in their life, making the movie feel more real and emotional than just a roller coaster ride.
Scott Pilgrim never takes itself seriously, or tries to preach any serious moral lessons to the audience. Instead, it dispenses with that to create a breathtaking film that is so packed with fun and entertainment it's worth every penny; no matter how many times you see it, Scott Pilgrim gets better every single trip. The journey from zero to hero for Scott is one so "epic" it keeps you strapped in the whole way through, a simple, heartbroken boy, pulling out all the stops to keep the girl of his dreams. And there are plenty to pull out. You'll be dazzled with the creativity in every frame of the film, falling in love with everything about it.
This movie will entertain even those of you who want something for a numb mind, being astonishing in every aspect, from acting to special effects. A few may be confused though by the craziness of everything that's going on and may lose track of the simple story. If that happens, you'll be a little confused when you leave.
That is a tiny, minute complaint though, as Scott Pilgrim vs The World has so much to offer everyone in the movie theatre.
So, if you want to be astonished and entertained before the winter nights begin closing in, WATCH SCOTT PILGRIM. It's a heart-warming, mind boggling, stunt filled, "Epic of Epic Epicness".
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