The Social Network (2010)

RATING:*** (3 stars)

A story about the founders of Facebook.

Perhaps the most talked about film of the 2010 movie season has not been The Twilight Saga: Eclipse or Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows, Part 1, but the not-entirely-factual film about a website that has changed the way we interact dramatically over the last decade: FACEBOOK.

In what seems almost a natural role for him, Mark Zuckerberg is played by Jesse Eisenberg and does a great job portraying the CEO of Facebook as a genius, a nerd, and perhaps a little socially inept. Aaron Sorkin's screeplay is also particularly good at bluring the lines between "reality" and what the character of Zuckerberg "believes" to be the reality.

However, outside of the scripting and the acting of the young actors and actresses, we do not have anything particularly great. Everything pretty well plays out as one would expect and there certainly isn't anything memorable about the film. A great film to grab for a night with popcorn at home, but maybe not one worth theater money.

Trailer

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010)

RATING:**** (4 stars)

As the world is on the brink of economic collapse, a young Wall Street trader allies himself with Gorden Gekko--a Wall Street mogul recently released from prison after having been convicted of insider trading.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is an astonishingly good sequel to Wall Street (1987), also written and directed by Oliver Stone. In this installment for the new generation, our [somewhat] naive protagonist is played by Shia LeBeouf. Aside from that primary difference, the core story is much the same as the original: our hero is a Wall Street trader looking to make his way up in the business and finds his salvation (or damnation?) in Gordon Gekko (played once again by Michael Douglas).

The most notable difference in Money Never Sleeps is that it is written to be analogous to our actual economic collapse of 2008 on Wall Street. The whole shebang too--sub-prime mortgages, risky investments, "too big to fail" firms, and government bail-outs. Everything hits very close to home throughout the film, and is really only emphasized by the cast that is most certainly up to the task of making their characters as believeable as possible. There is even a long story arc within the film on Gordon Gekko's search for redemption that is certain to throw viewers for a loop (particularly if you saw Wall Street).

All-in-all there really isn't anything negative to say about the film other than the fact that the actual ending feels a bit... contrived. Particularly for an Oliver Stone film where his movies are typically less about traditional "happy" endings and more about realistic endings, what we end up with in Money Never Sleeps just seeems... off. However, considering how strong the analogy to our real-life economy is, I think that for 2010 a happy ending was just what this film needed.

Trailer

The Town (2010)

RATING:*** (3 stars)

As he plans another job, a long-time thief runs into a serious conflict of interest when he falls in love with the bank manager of his last heist--and the only person who could possibly give him away to the FBI.

In Ben Affleck's directoral debut, we get an edgy drama centered on Boston. For a film that has numerous opportunities to bog itself down, I was rather impressed at the pacing of the film. It's not going to keep you on the edge of your seat, but it shouldn't put you to sleep either. Some people might critique my use of the word "edgy" to describe it, but I do so because in contrast to the rest of the film, the violence that you do see is startling and almost seems out of place.

One concern that always seems to come up among the public is sympathyzing with criminals, particularly when the main character is one himself. I can safely tell you that that is not going to be an issue in this film. In fact, aside from Doug Macray (Ben Affleck) and Claire (Rebecca Hall), you probably are not going to particularly like any of the other characters in The Town. So do not go into the film with the assumption--which is safe in most films--that there will be a character for you to associate with and empathize with because even for these two characters that can be a bit of a stretch. I very much felt like a relatively impartial third-party watching events unfold than someone who felt invested in the story I was being told.

Perhaps the most influential part of the film is the way it ends, and let me explain why. As the film plays on and we begin to put together pieces and learn things about our characters and their past, the plot builds and builds to a point where as an educated audience we realize that there are only a couple of different ways that things can end. Now the ending is not a bad ending, and personally I thought rather well done, but something feels... off. I still haven't been able to put my finger on why, but I feel like there must have been some better way to approach it and I do not know what exactly that is at the time of this writing. Still, a good film that is worth a look.

Trailer

Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)

RATING:*** (3 stars)
 
A few months after helping some survivors escape to Alaska, where there are rumors of a city untouched by the T-virus, Alice (Milla Jovovich) continues her vengeance against the Umbrella Corporation--the ones responsible for the biological weapon that turns people into zombies and has all but destroyed the human race in the process.

Resident Evil: Afterlife picks up pretty much right where Resident Evil: Extinction (2007) left off.  The film starts then with a small army of Alices assaulting an Umbrella facility in Tokyo which also leads to her being injected with a kind of T-virus antibody that strips her of the strange psychic powers she had developed in the last film.  This really pays off overall because it lets the film set the pace at a more traditional pacing for a zombie/action film instead of the incredibly fast-paced opening sequence that shows off said psychic powers.  Eventually Alice finds Claire Redfield (Ali Larter), presumably the only survivor of the survivors she helped, alone in Alaska and having lost her memory.  Together they make their way down to Los Angeles where they find some survivors who have been holed up in an abandoned prison--the main location for the story this time around.

The big buzz with RE:Afterlife has been that contrary to many 3D films this summer, this one was shot with the Fusion camera system pioneered by James Cameron in Avatar.  And it really pays off.  Just like in the sci-fi film, there is much less of random things jumping out of the screen and more of a feeling of immersion in the film--as if you were actually the person holding the camera and actually in the middle of the action.  Another way to think of it would be to take the high quality of a Blu-Ray DVD and watch it on the big screen.  It also works very well for the high-intensity action sequences peppered throughout the film, which seemed reminiscent of earlier Resident Evil films with a mix of the different but equally intense action sequences in The Matrix and Blade.  Overall a solid addition to the series and one that shouldn't disappoint.

However, where this film really falls short is on the storytelling.  Plenty of action to keep you glued to the seat and well-shot, but there is surprisingly little in terms of explaining the various homages to the video games that the movie crowd will not understand.  This can really be broken down into two areas: characters and zombies.  In terms of characters, the most notable is Chris Redfield, brother to Claire.  We get a little of his backstory when he is first introduced, but we are given zero information on how the two of them were separated at the beginning of the crisis or why they happen to fight so surprising well together.  There are two notable zombies in this film that are given absolutely no explanation at all.  The first is one that appears to be able to burrow through the ground and whose entire face splits to reveal a huge mouth.  The other is a GIANT zombie with a massive axe.  No explanation, even suggestive by the characters, is given for how or why these two zombies exist.  Really just boils down to a script that feels a little rushed in order to focus more on the action sequences (which are quite well done).

Most certainly a fun film, but not one to worry too much about seeing in the theater unless you either (A) really want to see it in 3D, or (B) do not have the convenience of watching films on Blu-Ray at home.

Trailer

Machete (2010)

RATING:*** (3 stars)

An ex-federale who is betrayed stops at nothing to hunt down the people who set him up and uncovers a web of dirty dealings.

Machete is an action movie targeted at a very specific segment of the action film crowd--particularly those who like over-the-top violence (the kind that is just as likely to make you laugh) a la Kill Bill (2003/2004) and Grindhouse (2007).  In fact, some people might remember that Machete was originally one of the fake trailers shown during Grindhouse. 

There really is not a whole lot to say about the film.  Based on the above and the cast (Danny Trejo, Robert De Niro, Steven Seagal, Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez, Don Johnson, Cheech Marin) you already have a pretty fair idea of whether you are going to see the film or not.  I can say with confidence that if you have plans to see Machete you will not be disappointed in either the amount of action or the sheer amount of hilarity present.

Trailer