Second look: The Social Network

Writer: Aaron Sorkin, based on the book “The Accidental Billionaires” by Ben Mezrich
Director: David Fincher
Producer: Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca and Cean Chaffin
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, Max Minghella, Josh Pence, Rooney Mara, Brenda Song, Rashida Jones
Talkie drama
2 hours

Up until this weekend's stunning upset victory by The King's Speech at the PGA Awards, the frontrunner and presumed lock to win every major awards event including the Oscars had been The Social Network. But so far, all the awards have been overwhelmingly critics' awards, including the Golden Globes. Critics everywhere deemed it to be edgy, relevant and current -- so much so that you'd think it was without question one of the greatest films of all time.  But film critics have a different way of watching films than general viewers and filmmakers themselves. Critics have the advantage of seeing way more films than most because it's their job; however, they tend to watch films more for content rather than for either easy enjoyment or for artistry and technique.

Now along come the industry awards, and the PGA's preference for The King's Speech indicates that filmmakers are less enamoured of The Social Network's cinematic qualities. Although many are brushing it off as a quirk of the preferential ballot that the PGA and the Oscars use for the 10 Best Film options, they actually made the smart, correct choice. If you really look closely at The Social Network as a film, there's simply not much going on.

That's not to say that it's bad -- it's a good film, perhaps very good, but just not great. And certainly not the "best."

DVD reviews - An Education, Sherlock Holmes, Baader Meinhof Complex

An Education
This is another Oscar Best Picture nominee that is now available. I must say, however, that I was not as enraptured by this film as were many others. It's a pleasant enough biopic, with good acting and writing. The direction is on the bland side and it isn't as funny as it tries to be. The story about a young student being led astray by a cad is rather predictable, and some points are glossed over much too quickly. It succeeds well at capturing the '60s vibe, but that will primarily impact those with a fondness for nostalgia. Extras include commentary, deleted scenes (including an alternate ending) and a making-of featurette. 

Sherlock Holmes
This was an enjoyable enough film but also quite forgettable.  Guy Ritchie does his usual adrenaline-charged work, and Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law have good chemistry. But Rachel McAdams is somewhat wasted .  I have to add that I'm getting a little bored by every sort of hero being remade as a high-powered action hero, from Jason Bourne, to James Bond and now Sherlock Holmes. What made Holmes fascinating was his thinking ability, his powers of deduction. I can't wait to see the action-hero reboot of the wheelchair detective Ironside. Extras include deleted scenes and featurette.

DVD reviews - Men Who Stare at Goats, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Blind Side, Brothers

Today's DVD releases are an interesting batch, but none of them are quite as good as you'd hope. Although Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Blind Side each received two Oscar nominations, they are the least interesting in this group.

Men Who Stare at Goats
This is probably the best of the bunch today. It isn't as wacky as it could have been, but it does feature some engaging performances by the all-star cast of George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey. Also Stephen Lang who played the villianous Col. Miles Quaritch in Avatar, plays a military officer here too. This is an offbeat story that's based on the real-life attempts by the US military forces to develop psychic abilities and a paranormal unit. Extras include commentaries, three featurettes and deleted scenes.

Brothers
This was a remake of a respected 2004 Danish film Brødre. It had aspirations to being a serious Oscar contender, but doesn't entirely succeed. Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal plays the titular brothers, Sam and Tommy respectively. Sam is the good soldier and Tommy's the lout, but Tommy becomes close to Sam's wife Grace (Natalie Portman) when they get news of Sam's death. Things get increasingly complicated, and the cast give it their all in some strong performances. But the story doesn't completely come together and it leaves many questions unanswered. Extras include commentary and featurettes.

DVD review - Up in the Air, Precious

 

Hot in the heels of the Academy Awards ceremony, two of the Best Picture nominees are now available on DVD. Up in the Air and Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire were not considered realistic possibilities for Best Picture, but each was expected to win an award, Best Supporting Actress for Mo'Nique in Precious, and Best Adapted screenplay for Up in the Air. In one of the night's biggest surprises Precious won the Adapted Screenplay award too, sending Up in the Air home empty-handed.

As you may know, I feel this is a terrible injustice. I've already explained why Mo'nique's performance was not even good, let alone great. Up in the Air was the unfortunate victim of a smear campaign that falsely accused Jason Reitman of stealing a writing credit. If Up in the Air had to lose, I would have preferred to see that category go to the brilliantly funny In The Loop.

But Up in the Air is an essentially perfect movie. Not only is it painfully relevant in our tough economic times, but it treads a fine line with unerring balance. There are so many ways it could have gone wrong. George Clooney's character Ryan Bingham is a man who fires people for a living. He could have come across as heartless, unconcerned or distasteful. The movie gives Bingham a sense of dignity and depth, without making his journey predictable, silly, cheap or falsely uplifting. If it was too serious, it would have been heavy-handed; too funny, it would have been insensitive. Perhaps that worked against it, because some people were expecting an all-out comedy. It's more of a drama with delicate humour and light moments throughout. I can't imagine it being done any better as any changes would upset the fragile balance that Reitman achieves.