Back Seat Producers

Mark Zuckerberg is a Harvard student who’s having a conversation with a girl who he’s dating in a local bar. He’s a brilliant guy and he wants to make sure that everyone knows that he’s smarter than them and in turn better than them. He’s buried deep in his computer skills and his desire to make something extraordinary of himself and as such, his social skills are at a level near zero. He says one thing too many to this girl, and in turn she dumps him rapidly. Mark, who’s only definable human emotion seems to be his anger, runs back to his dorm room. In a drunken state, he blogs insults about this girl while simultaneously setting up a web site that takes out his anger on women in general. The web site seeks to take all of the women in the surrounding campus and systematically puts them up two at a time to be compared as to who’s the hotter of the two. This web site shuts down the Harvard network and starts to form a plan in Mark’s head of how to put himself on the top of the world with what will become the eventual creation of the internet sensation known as Facebook.

That’s the opening of the new movie, The Social Network from director David Fincher and writer Aaron Sorkin based on the book, “The Accidental Billionaires” by Ben Mezrich. To be perfectly honest, about a month ago, my interest level in seeing this wasn’t very high, with the only appealing factor to me being that it was directed by David Fincher, one of the best filmmakers at work today. I’m not really what one would call a big Aaron Sorkin fan, being turned off by his superiority messages on display in such TV shows as The West Wing and Studio 60 on The Sunset Strip. And as well, at the time, I had really nothing to do with Facebook, though I’d been skirting joining the site for awhile now for professional reasons.

And then three weeks ago, I joined Facebook, and my interest in The Social Network increased dramatically. I was all of a sudden a convert. I was back connected in a big way with relatives, old high school friends, professional friends and associates of mine from all around. I was having fun exploring the site, finding all of the pages related to my personal interests and even whiling away some time playing the assortment of Flash-based games that they offer.

So now, I’ve seen the movie and by it’s end, I almost wanted to quit Facebook out of spite… but don’t let that statement fool you, The Social Network is one brilliant and even scary film.

Fincher has been a hot commodity for years now, and after his last film, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (which I enjoyed quite a bit), he was being attacked with being overly sentimental. The Social Network almost seems to be a strike back at all of those attackers because there’s nothing even resembling sentimentality here, with most of it’s characters having little to no human emotions at all, but an overwhelming anger to prove themselves beyond anything human.

Fincher’s trademark visual style is at an extreme minimum with this movie. Oh, don’t get me wrong, it looks great, but it’s not there to overwhelm you with his visuals. Instead, you’re asked to follow this through extremely smart and smarmy dialogue, delivered in a way that just knows one speed and one intonation, except for extreme circumstances. And here, Aaron Sorkin’s style shines… and shines brilliantly.

The scary aspect is just the question of where the humanity lies with these young internet geniuses out there today. It’s somewhat unsettling to see this site, which has connected so many people in such diverse ways could be put together by one man who seems to be devoid of anything remotely resembling humanity.

You couldn’t get that without a brilliant cast who has their finger right on the pulse. Jesse Eisenberg leads the cast as Mark Zuckerberg. His portrayal of Zuckerberg is grotesque and cartoonish, with just anger and superiority firing it. The only time he even begins to display the slightest notion of being able to be charmed by anyone is when he meets Sean Parker, the creator of Napster, brilliantly played by Justin Timberlake. Parker’s already been through everything that Zuckerberg is about to go through, and when they meet, it’s almost like sparks appear in Zuckerberg’s eyes. Here’s the one person who gets him and wants to give the finger to the world, while becoming filthy rich along the way. Timberlake is smooth and slick and charming in about the same way as a snake, and it’s thoroughly appealing to Zuckerberg.

But not so much to Eduardo Saverin, played by Andrew Garfield, Mark’s initial partner in the Facebook venture. Saverin is what could be seen as Mark’s real true friend here and he’s the one character in the main cast with the most humanity about him. Other cast standouts include Max Minghella as Divya Narendra and Armie Hammer and Josh Pence as Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss. This trio originally engages Mark Zuckerberg to create a dating site for their house and once seeing the creation of Facebook, decide to sue Zuckerberg for stealing their idea. The Winklevoss Twins are probably the closest thing that comes to a fantastic visual effect in the movie. Both are primarily played by Armie Hammer and I have to say that Fincher fooled me into thinking it really was two separate actors throughout the film.

Now of course, it’s been very big in the news that the real Mark Zuckerberg is calling this whole thing fiction and really seeing Eisenberg’s portrayal, I don’t blame him in the slightest. The movie certainly acknowledges this as well with some carefully chosen words said by actress Rashida Jones (who plays as associate to Marks’ attorney). At the same time, there’s enough other accounts of what’s really happened that one has to think there’s something truly representative here. What you have here is truly a tale of ambition for our times, with money and power being thrown in the hands of someone who’s just too self-obsessed to know what it is to be truly human. Highly, highly recommended.

As we start, it’s 2001 and one Gordon Gekko is being released from prison. All he has are the possessions he came in with and a large amount of paper and notes, with no one to meet him as he’s released.

We move up in time to 2008 and we’re introduced to Jacob Moore and his fiance Winnie, who’s last name just happens to be Gekko (and yes, she is Gordon Gekko’s daughter). Both are getting up for the day, he’s a rising investment banker with the firm of Keller Zabel Investments and she runs a web site devoted to the environment. Jake is very much concerned about the environment as well with one of his pet projects being the financing of a company devoted to fusion energy as a future clean energy source. As they’re getting up, Jake flips on the TV and we see Gordon Gekko being interviewed about a new book that he’s written call “is Greed Good?” Winnie wants him to turn off the TV and have nothing to do with the man.

From there, we go to watch Jake at work at KZI, and learn of his close connection with the head of the firm, Louis Zabel. Zabel gives Jake a check to the tune of $1,300,000+ for his star performance and gives his young protege some sage advice about his future. And then the bubble bursts with the first huge financial crash of 2008 leading to a series of events that finds the young Jake seeking out Gordon Gekko in what is first a revenge scheme.

There’s quite a bit more to say about Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps but I’d just as soon you discover more of that if you should choose to see the movie yourself. Of course this is a much anticipated sequel to Oliver Stone’s original Wall Street which first told us the story of Gordon Gekko and the seduction of a young Bud Fox into Gekko’s way of doing business. The original got Michael Douglas an Oscar for his performance of Gekko, and Stone was going to be back at the helm for this sequel. There was a lot to look forward to here, especially if you’re a fan of the original and of Stone I’m both, though Stone has fallen a bit for me over his last couple of films.

He’s back in form here though and I have to say, I had a great time with this movie.

Now Stone is obviously known for putting his political and social messages to the forefront of his movies. He certainly did it with the first movie and he’s doing it again here. One thing, even though the first movie does have it’s message, at it’s core it’s heavy melodrama, and he hasn’t lost sight of that. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is heavy melodrama as well with somewhat simply drawn characters (on paper) in complex situations. Stone relies on his cast to get more weight with his characters and he gets it. He’s also wise enough to resort to some of the same tactics that he used in the first movie (split screening during a trading process as a for instance), which keeps this one right in line.

As I said, the characters are somewhat simply drawn, though that’s not across the board. There’s been a lot involved behind what Gordon Gekko would be like over 20 years later. His perspective has changed though his charm has not. This isn’t just Michael Douglas doing a re-hash of what he did in the 80s and I certainly appreciate that.

This is really well paced, though don’t go in expecting the same sort of pace that you would with something much more action oriented. It is a drama and so it moves a little more relaxed, but sets things up in the right way. It gets a little more self-reflective than what the original did, but I was sort’ve hoping for that considering that it’s been 20+ years since he made the first film.

Douglas certainly stands out, and I certainly looked forward to every scene he was in, but the rest of the cast does quite a good job as well. Shia LeBeouf plays Jake Moore and as far as Im concerned this is the best I’ve seen from him yet. He’s not as naive as Bud Fox was in the original and where Bud had much to still learn from his father, Jake is in the opposite direction and has much to give to his mother (played by Susan Surandon) who herself is a definite product of the real estate boom. There’s a real earnestness to what LeBeouf does here and it was great to see.

Carey Mulligan plays Winnie Gekko and though she is more simplistic in her motivations, but it’s not annoying and at times it’s even touching. Josh Brolin plays Bretton James,the head of a rival bank called Churchill Schwartz and hugely responsible for the fall of Keller Zabel. Brolin’s the villain of the piece, though unlike Gordon Gekko, he’s there to be a definite villain. Brolin excels at this sort of thing and he doesn’t disappoint here. The last cast member that I want to call out is Frank Langella who plays Louis Zabel. This is terrific work from Langella, who’s in this briefly in comparison to everyone else, but it’s pivotal. He’s weathered but also fiery when he needs to be and what happens to him is key to putting everything else in place.

I think Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is a terrific film and the best thing I’ve seen from Oliver Stone in quite awhile now. Will it carry the same impact that the original did? Well, I doubt that. I watched the original about an hour before I saw the new movie. The original to me has a lot in common with Martin Scorsese’s GoodFellas with a powerful seduction with a particular lifestyle that carried quite a bit of weight with it’s audience (hell, I knew guys who changed their wardrobe styles thanks to Wall Street) Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps doesn’t quite have the same impact, but then it’s subject isn’t as new as what it was in the first film. It’s also something that’s much more adversely affecting the public today and so I don’t think this will get quite the same embracement that the first film did. I do think it’s a definite advancement from the original and for that, I think it’s well worth seeing for those that do want to see it despite the times.

As The Town starts, we’re told through an opening card that the Charlestown area of Boston is responsible for a large number of criminals, in particular, bank robbers. We then get to see one group of bank robbers go into action and execute their crime. It’s brutal but very precise and planned to the extreme. The leader of this crew chooses a female bank manager to open the safe and they then abduct her as a potential hostage just in case a violent showdown with the police erupts. They escape and drop their hostage off on the shore.

The leader of this gang is one Doug MacRay, a very smart guy who’s been bred into this life. His crew, including one of his best friends, a very hardened criminal by the name of Jim Coughlin, learn that their hostage has since been contacted by the FBI. Coughlin wants to take care of this potential witness permanently, but MacRay’s cooler mind prevails and he starts to shadow her (her name is Claire Keesey). There’s only one small thing, he starts to really become attracted to her, as she represents a kind of life that he wants to have but can’t quite get to.

All the while, MacRay is being pressured into a couple more jobs while the FBI, led by one agent Adam Frawley, is breathing down their necks.

This is the premise to The Town, starring Ben Affleck and his second outing as a director. I’ve not seen his first movie, Gone, Baby, Gone, but if The Town is any indication, I should rectify that as soon as possible. The Town is truly some exceptional work.

Affleck has really matured as an overall talent, and it’s entirely evident throughout this movie. His performance is seasoned and lived in. His character just feels right and doesn’t fall into anything that’s emotionally forced. He’s a definite “bad guy” but he wants to find something more, though he’s also saddled with that sense of reality about his life that it might always be denied to him.

That’s just his acting skills, he’s really adept at telling this overall story (which he also co-wrote). The Town features three key action/heist sequences that are as thrilling and gripping as they come. There’s certainly echoes of Michael Mann’s excellent Heat through these sequences and one car chase that’s very much in the line of something that the late, great John Frankenheimer would do. As powerful as these sequences are, they wouldn’t mean a thing if the quieter in-between moments didn’t have the proper weight to them, and they certainly do. Though Affleck is the star of this film, he’s more than comfortable with giving his very good ensemble cast their moments to shine. These moments are all paced exactingly and naturally.

One of the better moments of the film finds Doug and Claire having a quiet moment at an outside cafe, when Doug’s friend Jim comes upon them. Claire had just revealed to Doug about remembering seeing a particular tattoo on the neck of one of the crew, one that just happens to be on Jim’s neck. This scene, which is very amiable and friendly has it’s own tension to it as Jim isn’t exactly hiding the tattoo, but it’s always out of Claire’s sight. Yet, it’s filmed in such a way that there’s always the chance that it will be seen and everything that Doug’s trying to do could fall apart in a single moment.

As I said, he’s got a great ensemble cast. Rebecca Hall plays Claire, and she really does represent a peace that MacRay desperately wants to find. Her performance is sweet and engaging and it’s easy to see why Doug would start to lose his way. Jeremy Renner plays Jim Coughlin, and while he seems a little slighter in stature here than what he seemed to me in The Hurt Locker, he’s a lot more vicious and ready to unleash that at a moment’s notice.

My favorite member of the cast though (other than Affleck) is Jon Hamm as FBI Agent Adam Frawley. Hamm has certainly earned his reputation through his television work on Mad Men, but if this movie is any indication, he’s got a huge career ahead on the big screen. He’s got the right heroic look and his mind is constantly at work, even though Doug MacRay’s mind is working just a touch faster.

Things are filled out with other good performances. Blake Lively plays Krista Coughlin, Jim’s sister who’s always had a connection with Doug. She’s here for only a few scenes, but they’re some great scenes and once Doug finds out more about his mother’s past, she further represents a life that Doug no longer wants to have. Chris Cooper plays Stephen MacRay, Doug’s imprisoned father. Cooper is here for only one scene, but it’s a powerful one and very telling to Doug what his life holds for him. Pete Postelthwaite plays Fergus Colm, the man behind many of the robberies that Doug and his crew pull off. Postelthwaite’s here for just a couple of scenes, but again, they’re good ones with a nice venality to them.

If I have any one complaint, and it really is a moot one, it’s just that there might be a few too many instances of “pahking the cah” in the Boston accent. This actually does get balanced out though thanks to Hall’s and Hamm’s characters, and further Hamm has a great bit of dialogue that actually does mock the whole thing. Like I said, it’s very moot and it really didn’t deter my appreciation for the film, and it shouldn’t yours as well.

This is masterful work from Ben Affleck, not just in front of the camera but behind it too. His supporting cast is absolutely top shelf and all have their moments to shine. His story is absorbing, the pacing exacting, and the action is riveting. The Town is very much worth taking a trip to. Highly, highly recommended.

When last we saw Alice at the end of Resident Evil: Extinction, she had discovered all of the clones that had been made of her and was planning to assault the Japan headquarters of the Umbrella Corporation. The people she had helped were making their way to what they believed was salvation to Arcadia.

After a brief introduction to the whole Resident Evil experience, Resident Evil: Afterlife picks up right where Extinction had left off, with Alice’s assault on the Umbrella Corporation and looking to find the secret of Arcadia. Along the way, she meets up with an old ally and picks up some new ones. And it’s all presented in some pretty slick 3D.

So goes Resident Evil: Afterlife, the fourth in the series of theatrical releases of the Resident Evil series (and technically the fifth in the series on the whole if you include the animated Resident Evil: Degenration) based off of the popular video game series. I’ve only ever played the first game in the series, so I’m not too sure how closely this follows the games, though I do know that they’ve been adding characters from the games along the way.

Paul W.S. Anderson returns to direct this fourth installment and boy, he’s sure having a lot of fun playing with 3D. I know there’s a lot of hate out there around his work, but I’ve always tended to enjoy his films my own self, and I can certainly say the same for Resident Evil: Afterlife.

Now there are a couple of downsides. First, like the Saw series, you really have to be a fan from the start and have seen the previous films. You can’t just go into this one cold and expect to pick everything up. There’s a brief introduction to what has led to this, but I still don’t think it’s enough for a fresh viewer. Second, there’s nothing really original here going on and if you’re looking to see something you haven’t seen before, then you won’t find it here. This doesn’t really bother me a whole lot as long as it’s well put together and I think this is. Third, our main villain of the piece, the character named Albert Wesker is little more than a clone of Agent Smith from the Matrix series. Actor Shawn Roberts looks and plays him like what you’d get if you mixed Hugo Weaving with Val Kilmer. I don’t blame him for his portrayal of the character though, this was no doubt what was asked from him and he certainly does bring that.

But on the plus side, the film really has a great look to it. Anderson looks like he’s been looking at a lot of anime and it shows here. The action sequences are all very exciting and fun to watch. The 3D is exceptional and Anderson is just basking in it with lots of scene immersion and in-your-face effects. This features a very nice techno score from the duo know as tomandandy (though I could see that being a turn-off for some as well, but not me). And it adds a couple of new characters to the mix, Boris Kodjoe playing Luthor West and more importantly Wentworth Miller playing Chris Redfield. As a big Prison Break fan, I was really happy to see Miller come on board here, and he brings a similar intensity to the part.

Of course, Milla Jovovich is back as Alice and Ali Larter returns as Claire Redfield. Jovovich has been money in the bank for this series. She has a committed performance, she embraces the heavy duty action and boy, she looks terrific. Larter’s fine as well, though she doesn’t quite strike me the same way that Jovovich does. Rounding things out, we have Kim Coates (from Sons of Anarchy) playing a sleaze-bag character who’s looking out for himself. It’s certainly nothing new for Coates, though it’s cool to see him here. And stay through the end credits, you’ll get a peak at another returning character.

If you’re a fan of the series (and I am) you should probably have a lot of fun with this. It’s not without it’s faults, but it’s still a fun ride and as I said, the 3D is terrific. I very much look forward to the next movie in the series.