Movie Reviews

It's 5 o'clock on a Wednesday and the weather is disgusting outside. Since I have nothing better to do, I figured I will post a few reviews of movies I have seen recently. If you're interested in seeing any of these movies, check out these reviews. I'll try not to give anything away.

Devil

As I sat in my seat for this movie, I wasn't expecting very much. Shyamalan has consistently put out nothing but pure garbage since the release of Sixth Sense. Even Signs, considered good by some, was ruined by Shyamalan's pitiful ending. Regardless of my expectations, I was interested in finding out who the Devil was going to be.

In one of the opening scenes, we are shown a long slow-motion take of each of the five "victims" entering into a large building. I personally think it is very obvious from this initial scene who the Devil is. From here we see each of the victims take their place on the elevator, and let the show begin.

The film is shot from two perspectives, that of the people in the elevator, and another from the POV of two security guards and a police officer who are watching the whole thing unfold via security cameras. This is where I find the first flaw. Shyamalan loses a lot of the suspense that is building in the elevator by bringing the viewers outside. The five people in the elevator are suffering from fear, claustrophobia, anxiety, etc. By keeping the viewers in the elevator with them, it makes us feel like we're in there with them. Unfortunately much of this tension is lost due to multiple perspectives.

The acting is acceptable, at best. None of the actors does a great job of adding emotion or suspense to their role, but merely just reading lines and acting clueless. It isn't until the final five minutes of the movie that the acting becomes almost laughable as the Devil is revealed while the others lay witness.

Shyamalan loses any sense of horror or suspense in this movie due to the constantly shifting point of view, lack of viewable violence (all damage done takes place in the dark so as to keep the identity of the Devil unknown), and mediocre acting. Another typical M. Night ending leaves all hope for a good movie in ruins. Don't waste your time on this hellacious piece of crap.

GRADE: S for SHITTY SHIT

Let Me In

So I have never seen the original of this movie, a Swedish film called "Let The Right One In". Apparently they are pretty damn similar, but the American version is said to have enough tweaks to help it stand as its own.

We are introduced to Owen, a poor frail bastard who reminded me of Billy Elliott. From the get-go we are told that his parents are planning on splitting up. As if things aren't bad enough at home, Owen resides in a dreary town in New Mexico where the ground is always coated in fresh snow. Before you start to get jealous of this kid's lifestyle, here's the best part. Every day at school he is tormented by three boys who seem to have matured earlier than young Owen.

It isn't until Owen meets Abby, a girl who has just moved in next door, that he finally feels he has a true friend. Unfortunately, although actually it is quite fortunate, Abby is something much different. She's a vampire!

Chloe Moretz, who plays Abby and also Hit Girl from "Kick-Ass", delivers a laudable performance as the innocent yet brooding girl next door. Kody Smit-McPhee does a terrific job as the pitiful weakling Owen. The film uses the bullying of Owen to draw an obvious emotional response from the audience, which in turn leads to a positive reaction once Owen and Abby begin to interact.

The film starts with a great base for a good horror film. Get the audience emotionally attached to the protagonist, and then start having crazy, scary shit happen to them. It usually works every time. Except this time. Poor CGI results in several of the more graphic scenes of the film to appear somewhat comedic and even laughable. In turn, this takes away from the evil that is Abby's character. While the idea of a young girl who needs blood to survive may sound chilling, the film tends to miss in areas that could have been more chilling.

All in all the film was interesting, and did get somewhat of a reaction out me. But ultimately it wasn't very scary, and it just left me wanting more at the end. And I don't mean wanting more in the sense that I wished it was longer, just feeling that the movie could have done more with what it had been building in the first thirty minutes.

GRADE: C

The Social Network

Coming into this film, my expectations were rather split. On one hand we have David Fincher, director of Fight Club, Se7en, Benjamen Button... and Aaron Sorkin, writer of A Few Good Men and West Wing to name a couple. On the other hand, we have Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake. Little did I know what I was in for.

We are introduced to the character of Mark Zuckerberg right off the bat. Be prepared, he talks fast. This opening conversation with his girlfriend is crucial to understanding exactly what Mark Zuckerberg is like as a person, from his mannerisms, his demeanor, his directness, and his overall perception of the college world around him to the root of what truly motivates him. Watch closely, because you are witnessing one of the most brilliant minds to ever be portrayed on the big screen since John Nash (A Beautiful Mind).

Following the conversation, Mark rushes across campus to his dorm. It's at this point that the score, created by NIN member Trent Reznor, will have a profound effect on the film. We find Zuckerberg in his dorm, drinking a beer and posting obscenities about his ex girlfriend online. Zuckerberg then creates a website in which students compare female undergrads based on looks. The site attracts so much attention it causes the school network to overload. What follows is an amazingly fast paced adventure through the story that is The Social Network. This movie covers topics from love, friendship, creation, triumph and fortune to greed, jealousy, betrayal, and destruction.

Fincher does an amazing job of telling this story, in a movie where it is actually effective to use multiple viewpoints. (You hear that M. Night?) Fincher tells the story by first showing us the events as they unfolded. In between each major set of events, we are brought into separate depositions between Zuckerberg, lawyers, and those who are against him. At first I was wary of this idea, as I thought it might seem too confusing. I was wrong. Fincher does a great job of posing questions in these depositions, then showing us the events, leaving the viewer to decide who acted in a just manner, and whether or not Facebook was in fact stolen.

The writing of Sorkin must also be credited in the sense that the film is never biased towards any party. It shows us the events unfolding from the points of view of Zuckerberg, his partner Eduardo Saverin, the Winklevoss twins, Sean Parker, and others who were involved. At the sime time, the dialogue is amazing. The fast talking Zuckerberg displays levels of wit and crude explanation that at times left me unable to do anything but just chuckle to myself and say "Wow."

I was blown away by Eisenberg in this film. If you've seen Zombieland, and your expected to see the quiet, mild-mannered coward headed to Columbus, you're in for a treat. Eisenberg delivers a performance definitely deserving of a nod. His quick talking, confident persona is great, while you can still sense his incredibly high levels of insecurity and fear. It is an absolute treat watching as Zuckerberg slowly creates thefacebook, from aspects such as relationship status to the all telling Wall, from minor interactions in his dorm all the way to Silicon Valley.

I was also very pleased with the acting of Andrew Garfield as Eduardo Severin, who gives a great second half performance in this film. The relationship between Severin and Zuckerberg is a pivotal part of the film and very interesting.

Justin Timberlake also delivers as Napster inventor Sean Parker, who comes in to speak with Zuckerberg about expansion. JT does a solid job as the professional, yet still party-crazed, Parker.

There is so much to this movie that it isn't until after you leave the theatre and take it all in that you'll realize what you just witnessed.. I will say that the final scene of this movie is absolutely genius. Whether it came from the mind of Sorkin or Fincher, it is rare that you see a final scene really delve into the true character of the protagonist, and that is what happens here. The jealousy, the duplicity, the manipulation, every aspect of Zuckerberg's character is epitomized in the final scene.

This movie truly speaks to our generation. The generation of people who grew up playing video games and going from Napster to Kazaa to Myspace to Facebook and everything in between. Also as a recent college grad, it's great not only seeing this film take place in a college setting, but also the way Zuckerberg views the college experience. I would absolutely recommend this movie to any viewer of any age group. A magnificently written, directed, and edited film. Expect to see this one a lot at next year's Academy Awards.

GRADE: A

So those are my quick reviews. Still a little rusty, getting the hang of critiquing again. Hope these helped you if you were thinking about seeing any of those three films.