Oct 11th Reviews

For review this week, two movies that have received rave ratings: The Social Network and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. As always, the first is still in theaters and the second is available via Netflix (streaming!).
The Social Network  Brief: The story revolves around the founders of the social-networking website, Facebook. Specifically it tells a story of Mark Zuckerberg (the founder), the two simultaneous law suits he was recently involved in and the rise and fall of his financial and relational successes. My Take: Sounds... really simple, right? Yet the movie has been getting rave reviews from critics and audiences alike. My comment to a friend right before seeing this was, "I understand it might be well-acted or well-written, but what exactly could the story possibly contain that would be that good?" Cue opening dialogue sequence. I had very little expectations going into this movie, had heard little of the hype (of which there is a lot) and knew nothing about who was involved with the making of the film. All around, I was very pleasantly surprised. The first thing you need to know is that it is written by Aaron Sorkin, most notable for his writing on the West Wing. Dialogue is extremely rapid-fire and involved, requiring you to actively pay attention to what is being said (though not to worry, the first five minutes are also the fastest the pacing ever gets). This works well to convey the character* of Zuckerberg and the overall nature of Harvard. Interestingly enough, the movie is less about the creation of Facebook and more about the resulting fallout such a massive success can make, as well as the overall cut-throat exclusivity (apparently) rampant in Harvard life. There are a lot of facts about the creation of Facebook I was not familiar with, and knew nothing of the details in the (still ongoing) law suits. The story actually was surprisingly interesting. Add to that some very distinctive dialogue, interesting and impressive cinematography** and competent acting and you end up with a film that lives up to most of the hype. It's not the greatest film ever made, but has enough surprises within it to make for a better movie than you would ever expect.  *Note: Despite being based on factual characters and situations (the blog entries and emails brought up in the depositions are apparently verbatim), the film has definitely been "amped-up" or skewed  to make for a more entertaining film. While this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone, you definitely shouldn't consider this the entire story. It is, however, a very well-done, entertaining film that piques the interest into how everything did in fact go down. **Some of the behind scenes work is fascinating, as are some of the more interesting shots in the film. For one, the Winklevoss twins were played by two different men, yet the face of one actor (Armie Hammer, possibly the most masculine name ever) was used for both characters. This isn't a fact I ever noticed watching the film. I was also fascinating by (of all things) a scene where the twins were in a rowing competition. A technique called "tilt-shifting" was used to add a very unique feel to the entire sequence. It's a technique in photography I've always been fascinated by and loved seeing it used on the big screen for (as far as I am aware) the first time. Should You See It: Honestly, the answer is simply yes. While you won't lose anything by waiting to rent this at home, it's a movie that really is worth the look. However, if you're not a fan of Aaron Sorkin's dialogue, you may not feel too comfortable with this film. Should Kids See This: Perhaps. The movie is relatively tame and doesn't push the PG-13 rating too far, but the "sex, drugs and rock n' roll" of success is often heavily implied.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Brief: This Swedish film involves two very different characters, a disgraced journalist and a troubled young hacker, crossing paths and investigating a very old and mysterious murder. This film is the first of the Millennium Trilogy. It is followed by The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. The trilogy is based on three novels written by Stieg Larsson, which were published posthumously. My Take: This is another film I knew nothing about going into it. In fact, the combination of the title and the poster made me think it was some ridiculous sci-fi B-movie. Fortunately, this wasn't even close to being the case, as you can see by the brief above. Unfortunately, there were a few other facts I did not have that made this film a little... unsettling for me. Firstly, I was unaware Tattoo was the first in a trilogy. You're welcome, now that won't be an issue for you. There were a lot of details about the Girl, Lisbeth, that were introduced and then never really dealt with. Now that I know they will be dealt with in later films, I can rest easier. The second was... I had no idea the film would be as graphic as it was, nor what it's underlying theme would be. It may have helped to know that the original title, translated from Swedish, was: "Men Who Hate Women." In point of fact, the entire film (and the book it was based on) deals with the abuse of women. While the film is definitely made as a stand against said violence, it depicts the actual acts (of which there are more than one, including a rape) without flinching. The reason the novel and film (and apparently the entire trilogy) deals with such a sensitive and brutal subject is actually rather interesting, but doesn't take away from the actual brutality. Fortunately, the brutality is used only to shed light on why some of the characters are the way that they are and doesn't linger overly long on these abhorrent scenes. With that in mind, that was merely the underlying theme. The actual story itself is a fascinating who-done-it mystery spanning back many years. The slower, methodical nature of the film makes it more of a thinker's film than anything else, a far cry from the Hollywood action-blockbuster. In short: A well-acted who-done-it with a few brutal surprises and a disturbing underlying theme. Should You See It: I would recommend seeing this film, as it is very well done and, despite a very graphic portrayal, is written as a stance against violence towards women. You will, however, either need to be willing to watch a subbed (recommended) or dubbed movie. There is an American remake in the making, so you could always hold out for it and hope it's anywhere near as well done. I also need to reiterate... this film deals with violence against women, occasionally in a graphic fashion. If that isn't something you feel you can handle, this film isn't for you. Personally, I skipped over the graphic bits which some might say dilutes the effect intended by the filmmakers. I simply have no stomach for such scenes. Should Kids See This: No, a thousand times no. There isn't a moment of this film that is suitable for younger audiences.