American Ultra (6/10): Jason Bourne on drugs.

“I think I'm that tree. And I think you're the car and I think I'm stopping you.”

American Ultra is what you get when you combine any classic stoner comedy with The Bourne Identity. It is a hybrid of both genres which results in a fast paced action comedy. It is almost cartoonish at times despite trying to remain serious. There are scenes in this movie that reminded me of Pineapple Express because the action scenes are extremely violent at times, although the comedy is much more toned down here. The film never ceased to entertain me throughout its entire runtime, but at the same time I felt like the characters lacked a bit of personality and the story didn’t offer much. The cast is extremely talented, but the fast paced action scenes don’t give us time to center on the characters. I wouldn’t rewatch this film, but I still enjoyed it. American Ultra is Nima Nourizadeh’s follow up to his directorial debut, Project X. The main reason I wanted to catch up with this film however, was because it was reuniting Kristen Stewart with Jesse Eisenberg after their wonderful collaboration together in Adventureland. I loved the two together and I was looking forward to seeing them play love interests once again. Perhaps I ended up enjoying this movie more than others because I like the two leads, but I wasn’t even close to hating this. It does have several flaws, especially the decision to cast Topher Grace as the main villain because he is completely one dimensional. This isn’t a film for everyone, especially if you’re expecting a full blown out comedy because it is more of an action film that feels like a graphic novel adaptation at times. 

The plot revolves around a stoner, Mike Howell (Jesse Eisenberg), who doesn’t seem to be going anywhere in life. He is waiting for the perfect moment to propose to his girlfriend Phoebe (Kristen Stewart) who is the only person he cares for in the world. Mike isn’t the brightest kid, but he has a good heart. It doesn’t take long for us to realize that Mike has a special ability that he doesn’t even know about. He has been part of a CIA experiment that has trained him to become an assassin. Now the people that made him want him dead. Adrian Yates (Topher Grace) orders his agents to terminate Mike after their experimentation with the Ultra program has been abandoned. His former trainee, Victoria Lasseter (Connie Britton), decides to activate Mike so he can defend himself against the onslaught of agents that are coming after him. Now Mike inadvertently discovers his new set of found skills and uses them to protect himself and Phoebe from the people that want him gone. Walton Goggins, John Leguizamo, Bill Pullman, and Tony Hale have small roles in this film, but are always a delight to see. Neither of them stand out, but they each deliver in the few scenes they are given. 

Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg both play characters we’ve seen in the past and that we know they can play in their sleep so there isn’t really anything new they bring to this film. If you’re not a fan of these actors then skip this film, but if like me you enjoy them, then you won’t be disappointed despite them not doing anything unique. Eisenberg has proved in the past that he can deliver stronger material (The Social Network) as well as Stewart (Clouds of Sil Maria), but here they seem to be in more comfortable territory and therefor don’t bring anything unique. American Ultra benefits from an interesting story even though it doesn’t live up to the initial setup. It starts off pretty strong, but ends up lacking a stronger finale.  

My Review: Night Moves (4/10)

"It'll all go fast in the end. Once the marine biodiversity goes, everything goes with it."

I was unfamiliar with Kelly Reichardt until Night Moves, but I had heard several great things from her direction in Meek's Cutoff and Wendy and Lucy. Night Moves has also received many praises from critics so I really don't know how I will feel about her other films because this one was a disappointment for me. Perhaps I don't get her style of filmmaking but the entire film felt tedious and there wasn't any tension. For a movie that is centered on a character driven plot I really didn't feel like I learned much about these three radical environmentalists. What motivates them to take these extreme measures? All we know is that they are environmentalists, but I didn't feel like they had any distinct trait. The pacing of this film was really slow and at times I felt like abandoning it, but I continued to watch in hopes that the plot got better. After all, Hollywood Report compared it to the the suspenseful Hitchcock films of the 50's. The final third act of the film was the worst considering some of the decisions made felt completely out of character. Night Moves lacked soul and purpose, I really never managed to get into it despite how much I liked the cast. It was a numbing experience for me and no matter how gorgeous the Oregon landscape was, I simply never bought into the story. Reichardt loves to use steady shots and let the action unfold in front of us, but they were as tedious as the the slow pacing of the film. Nature might be captured beautifully in Night Moves, but the characters' motivations were really hard to believe at times. I tend to enjoy low key films, but for a character driven one I really didn't see much development going on. Yes, Eisenberg's character is alienated, Fanning's is strong willed, and Sarsgaard's is the most adventurous, but other than that we don't get much from their restrained performances. I might be on the minority here so I will give Reichardt another chance and check out one of her previous films to see if I enjoy it better than Night Moves. 

I wouldn't have a problem with a slow burner like Night Moves if the final result was a rewarding experience, but the third act is even less engaging than the previous ones. I can't simply enjoy a film because it's restrained and it's nice to look at. Sure some of the steady long shots looked cool, but after a while it too becomes tedious as the characters in this film. Eisenberg received a lot of praise for his performance here, although I really never bought into his character's motivations. The strongest performance for me came from Peter Sarsgaard who was much more believable and understandable. Dakota Fanning had some interesting scenes as well, but I still had a hard time getting engaged with their characters. Comparisons with The East were almost inevitable for me considering the theme of this film, but somehow I didn't enjoy this as much as Batmanglij's film. That film despite having several flaws managed to maintain the tension throughout most of its running time unlike what I felt with Night Moves which simply failed to deliver suspense or any real drama. 

My Review: The Double (5/10)

"Look at me, look at him. He stole my face."

I don't know why this film didn't engage me as it has most people, but there was just something about it and its characters that simply alienated me. The Double is Richard Ayoade's follow up to Submarine, and it feels heavily influenced by other works, especially from directors like David Lynch and Terry Gilliam. It is actually an adaptation of an 1800's novella written by Fyodor Dostoevsky, and Ayoade adapted it with a unique and clever style. There is a lot of dark humor involved and it also has a philosophical undertone. Despite being influenced by all these works, the film still feels unique and innovative, but it just didn't resonate with me. I'm just not a big fan of these surreal films that don't follow a classical narrative style, and The Double is just that, it plays out as a sort of nightmare for the main character played by Jesse Eisenberg. It's a case where I felt the film was more about style and aesthetics than substance and content. I prefer Villeneuve's Enemy, which is also a film dealing with a doppleganger premise, over this bleak film. There is no doubt that The Double is a creepy film, but one that didn't work for me and one I don't plan on revisiting because like the main character in The Double I felt completely alienated in this dystopian world.

The film introduces us to Simon (Jesse Eisenberg), a timid and shy young man who seems to live his life unperceived by everyone else. Simon always tries to please those around him and is very submissive despite everyone's indifference towards him. He's been working at a government agency for the past 7 years, and despite having some great ideas, no one ever pays attention to him. He is in love with one of his coworkers, Hannah (Mia Wasikowska), who he is too shy to speak to. He always looks for an excuse to visit her at the printing room, but he never finds the courage to ask her out. She is also kind of a lonely and strange girl herself, and Simon often finds himself watching her through a telescope from his apartment. Simon's life turns around when one day his boss, Mr. Papadopoulos (Wallace Shawn), introduces a new coworker named James who is physically identical to him, but with a complete opposite personality. Everyone likes James, and no one even seems to notice he looks exactly like Simon because they don't even conceive of his existence. James is so outgoing he has no trouble getting his boss's attention and seducing women. James befriends Simon but ends up using his ideas to impress Mr. Papadopoulos and seduce Hannah. All of Simon's dreams and hopes are shattered by James who is taking over everything he's passionate about, but was always afraid to take a stand for. 

The premise seems interesting, but the way it was presented is what didn't work for me. Ayoade created such a unique dystopian and bleak world that it made me feel dull and alienated. I didn't really care for the characters in this film, despite the wonderful dual performance from Jesse Eisenberg. He once again proves he's a talented actor and carries this film. Mia Wasikowska is also wonderful and plays alongside Eisenberg really well. The performances were strong, I had no problem with them, but what I didn't enjoy were the characters they were playing and the way the film was narrated. The film tries to explore our senses, but all it did for me was make me feel indifferent towards it the same way Simon's coworkers felt towards him. It's a quirky film with a lot of quirky sounds and musical score that just didn't work for me the same way it did for most audiences. 

My Review: Rio 2 (6/10)

"We are not people, we're birds. We have to get out into the wild and be birds."

Director Carlos Saldanha takes us back to the colorful world of Rio in this sequel that takes place mostly in the Amazon jungle. I enjoyed the first film for the animation and how beautiful they made it look. Rio 2 is probably my least favorite animated film of 2014 so far, but I still have to give it a pass for the gorgeous animation. The film looks beautiful, it's a shame that the characters aren't as well developed. I wasn't a huge fan of the plot either, but the animation is so breathtaking that it is worth it. Adults might not have as much fun because it isn't as smart or witty as other recent animated films, but kids will enjoy this for the colorful characters. Of course like in most sequels you have to try to outdo yourself, more characters are introduced and ultimately the film just felt too crowded and the subplots and new characters didn't work very well. They kind of took me out of the movie, but the Amazon jungle is so gorgeously captured that I still had a decent time with this. I'm giving this a mild recommendation, but there isn't much more to this sequel other than that. 

As for the plot, the film continues to center on the surviving blue macaws that are living in a special reserve in the city of Rio. Believed to be the only surviving birds of their species Blu (Jesse Eisenberg) and Jewel (Anne Hathaway) have formed a family of their own and have three kids. Things take an unexpected turn for them when they discover that there might be more macaws in the heart of the Amazon jungle. They decide to travel to the wild jungle to meet up with the rest of their kind. They are not alone on their journey however, as Nigel (Jermaine Clement) is waiting for the perfect moment to have his revenge along with his new sidekick, a venomous frog named Linda (Leslie Mann). Once they arrive they are surprised to discover that among the surviving birds there's Jewel's father, Eduardo (Andy Garcia), who is happy to have found Jewel again. However, Blu has trouble adopting to the lifestyle of the wild and his father in law doesn't seem to take a huge liking of his city ways. 

The sequel has some funny moments and I chuckled a few times, but the plot was weak and predictable. It felt a bit long and dragged at times. It also felt too preachy with all the ecological messages and I could have done without those subplots with the humans tearing down the trees. Most of the characters are back from the first film and a lot of new ones were added although I really didn't care much for any of them. There are some fun musical moments that helped me get past the more tedious moments but overall I didn't have such a good time as I did with The LEGO Movie or Mr. Peabody & Sherman. The film is not even as close in terms of being witty, but it does look more beautiful and kids might enjoy it more for all the colorful scenes and the choreographed musical numbers. By the end of the film I kind of felt tired and exhausted, but the kids seemed to have enjoyed it.

My Review: The Squid and The Whale (8/10)

"Mom and me versus you and Dad."

The Squid and the Whale wasn't the first Baumbach film I've seen so I kind of knew what to expect. I watched Greenberg a couple of years ago and thought it was a pretty good film, so I've always wanted to watch The Squid considering it was Baumbach's breakout critical hit and has a cult following. I really enjoyed this movie and thought it opened really well with some extremely witty and funny dialogues. It had a very strong opening which helped me get involved quickly with the characters. I have to say that this film managed to maintain me interested in every character despite the fact that they are all unlikeable and hard to relate to. The performances were all really strong and I thought Jeff Daniels was especially great in his role, but I guess Baumbach should get the credit for writing such a witty and funny script about a tough subject. I found myself laughing during these scenes because I've actually met people like this and they are incredibly obnoxious. Despite having such a strong opening I thought the film fell short at the end. This could have been a masterpiece if it didn't end in such an ambiguous note where nothing was resolved. I still haven't watched Frances Ha, but so far this is my favorite Baumbach film and I can see why it received so much love from critics. This was a very personal film for Baumbach and you can sense it in his writing. The film, despite being a bit awkward, felt real and authentic and shows us divorce isn't as easy as it seems.

The film takes place during 1986 in Brooklyn, New York. Bernard Berkman (Jeff Daniels) and Joan (Laura Linney) have been married for several years and have two children: Walt (Jesse Eisenberg) and Frank (Owen Kline). Bernard is a writer who is now teaching literature at a university because he can't get his novel published. He's an arrogant who believes his work isn't getting published because people aren't smart enough. He considers himself an intellectual and believes he is better than everyone else. Joan on the other hand is now becoming the more prominent writer and Bernard is a little jealous about that. Their family is very dysfunctional and divorce is inevitable since Joan has had several affairs and the two have grown apart. The film focuses on how the kids deal with the separation as Walt takes sides with his father who he idolizes and seems to imitate everything he says or does, and Frank takes sides with his mother. Joan and Bernard agree to share custody of the kids and seem to work everything out, but the transition isn't as smooth as they expect and the kids begin to have abnormal behaviors when Joan begins dating Ivan (William Baldwin), and Bernard allows one of his students, Lili (Anna Paquin), to move in with him.

Despite not identifying or liking any of these characters, I thought Jeff Daniels' performance as Bernard was great. It was so funny to see this man behaving as an intellectual yet acting like a kid by being so competitive and wanting everyone to agree with him. It was even funnier seeing how Walt didn't have a voice of his own and began imitating everything his father said. He had an opinion about everything without even knowing anything about it (in literature for example, he would say how great a book was because his father said so but he hadn't even read it). I think that this was one of the themes of the film that resonated the most with me, seeing how children imitate the behavior of their parents. The film doesn't try to point the finger at only one of the parents; I think they are both to blame and are very irresponsible parents. Baumbach really captures the mood and tone of the film by making it feel real and authentic despite the weirdness and dysfunctionality of this family. The film is very short, but he manages to give these characters a lot of depth in such a short time. The Squid is a tragic and sad story, but at the same time it is just so funny and engaging. I really enjoyed this film.

My Review: Now You See Me (4/10)

"First rule of magic: always be the smartest person in the room."

The latest film directed by Louis Leterrier (Clash of the Titans, The Incredible Hulk, and The Transporter) is probably one of his weakest efforts, only competing against Clash of the Titans. If the first rule in magic means you have to be the smartest person in the room, then the first rule to enjoy this movie is that you have to be one of the dumbest persons in the audience. The movie tries to make us think that the more we look the less we will see, kind of like telling us the more we think about the movie the less we will enjoy it. So it is trying to keep our mind centered on the nice tricks and great cast, but trying to keep us away from thinking too deeply at the absurdity of the plot. Now You See Me is all an illusion and the more you think about it the more you know that the tricks and twists are a bit beyond belief. It is a pity because I really like this cast (seeing Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine back together after the Batman trilogy was something I was looking forward too) and they aren't bad in this movie either, but the problem I had with it was that the screenplay was pretty weak and the tricks were unbelievable. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against smart heist films that use magic and illusions, but this doesn't even deserve to stand against other films in the genre such as Oceans 11 that accomplishes this feat way better than this. The characters could have been developed so much better, but the film introduces them in such a lazy way that I didn't really get emotionally involved with them. I know all the movies don't have to be smart and believable, but at least those that aren't manage to engage and involve the audience in an entertaining way. I didn't feel that way about this silly movie. I didn't feel tricked either, I felt cheated on with such dumb twists. 

The film begins by introducing us to four different magicians that are all being recruited by some sort of mystery man. First there is J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg) who is doing a classic card trick in front of an audience in the street and picking up a girl while he's at it. Then there is Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), who is hypnotizing a woman while blackmailing her husband. The third magician is Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher) who is performing a dangerous stunt involving a pool and piranhas. And finally there is Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) a con-magician who distracts people with cheap tricks while stealing from them. These four magicians are all recruited by a mysterious man who gives them a blue print of some great tricks they can work on together. The film then jumps a year forward where we see these four magicians working on an act together in Las Vegas. They are known as the Four Horseman and they are about to pull a live bank robbery from the stage. This is where the FBI comes in as lead investigator Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) begins to pursue the case along with his assigned partner from Interpol, Alma Dray (Melanie Laurent). With no definite proof to arrest these magicians they must work together before their next heist takes place. For this, they enlist the help of Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman), a profesional illusion exposer and former magician himself. But be warned, nothing is what it seems in this film as the twists begin.

I had high expectations for Now You See Me because it had an interesting premise and the cast involved was excellent. They are all really talented and honestly they did a good job with the weak script they had to work with. My biggest issue was the story which didn't make much sense. I won't mention the issues because I don't want to give away spoilers, but everything pretty much seemed false. I didn't believe the twists and turns the film took. I also thought the entire hypnotic sequences were kind of a cheat to explain how they could perform most of the tricks. The film really defies logic and I had a problem with that considering I never got emotionally involved with the characters in order to forgive those faults and simply enjoy the movie for what it is. I can forgive films that don't make sense as long as the audience is allowed to have fun with the premise and be entertained with what is going on, but that didn't happen with me. I won't be recommending Now You See Me to anyone, but I know some fans will have a good time thanks to the illusions and tricks that the director plays on us.

My Review: To Rome with Love (8/10)

¨If something is too good to be true, you can bet it’s not.¨

Woody Allen has been directing at least one movie every single year for the past thirty years. It was Rome`s turn for 2012 and although it isn’t as good as his previous film, Midnight in Paris, which won Allen his fourth Oscar for original screenplay, this was still a well written comedy. I laughed really hard at several scenes and enjoyed the film from start to finish. The only problem I had with the film was that the editing was a little choppy in some scenes and the soundtrack was a little annoying, but beside that the film worked really well thanks to some great performances and a great script. It was good to see Woody Allen acting again after six years (the last time was in Scoop) and he is always a charm on camera. I think I`m enjoying Wordy Allen`s films a lot more now than I did his older ones, although it probably has to do because I understand him better now. In To Rome with Love he once again seems to blab about the usual topics such as love, infidelity, fame, success, and death in a very funny and original way. I am a huge Ellen Paige fan, so I was excited to see her on a Woody Allen film and she was just great in the few scenes she shared with Jesse Eisenberg. She never disappoints. I had some high expectations for this film and it never disappointed me. Woody Allen seems to have found a pretty nice groove in Europe and has written yet another very funny comedy. Most fans will be satisfied.

The film takes place in Rome where we have several different romantic stories taking place. These stories aren`t interconnected with each other (other than the fact that they all take place in Rome) and probably aren't in the same time frame either. First we are introduced to Hayley (Alison Pill), an American tourist who is asking for directions to a local she runs into named Michelangelo (Flavio Parenti). He gladly takes her to the spot she´s looking for and romance blossoms between them. Then we are introduced to Leopoldo (Roberto Benigni), a married man who´s routine life changes all of a sudden when he becomes an instant celebrity (for no apparent reason). John (Alec Baldwin) is a successful architect who is visiting Rome, the city he lived in when he was a student. He runs into Jack (played by Jessie Eisenberg) who takes him to the very same place where he used to live when he was young. We soon discover that John really is reliving his past through Jack. Jack is living with his girlfriend Sally (Greta Gerwig) and her best friend Monica (Ellen Paige) is going to be staying with them for a couple of days. Jack can`t help but fall in love with Monica. Antonio (Alessandro Tiberi) and Milly (Alessandra Mastronardi) are a recently married couple from the south of Italy who have arrived in Rome for a job proposal. Milly gets lost in the big city and Antonio has a mistaken encounter with a prostitute named Anna (Penelope Cruz) that will lead to a huge mix up. Woody Allen also has a role in this film as Hayley`s father who comes to meet Michelangelo`s family.

 Each one of the stories work really well in my opinion although I did laugh a little harder with Roberto Benigni`s scenes which remind us all of the perks of being a celebrity, as well as the disadvantages (the overly exaggerated media attention). Woody Allen was also great as the frustrated Opera director who can`t seem to enjoy the idea of retirement and associates it more with dying. I think that is his personal philosophy and thus the reason why he continues to make films at such a fast pace. He refuses to retire from directing. The mix up between Penelope Cruz and Alessandro Tiberi also makes for some funny scenes, but my favorite story had to do with the love triangle between Jessie Eisenberg, Greta Gerwig, and Ellen Paige. There were so many different things going on in this film, but somehow Allen managed to make the film work in such a way that every character was made interesting. I`m usually not a fan of these multiple stories in one film, but here it works really well and the surprising thing is that the stories weren’t even interconnected with each other. But it works because Rome becomes the central theme of the film. I really had a fun time with this movie and would recommend it.

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My Review: Rio (7/10)

¨This is great. I'm chained to the only bird in the world who can't fly! Is there anything else I need to know? ¨

Carlos Saldanha gives us one of the most colorful movies of the year, and it couldn´t have been any other way considering the story takes place in beautiful Rio de Janeiro. Saldanha pays homage to the city where he was born, and does it by showing us the beauty of its locations, its people, and its music, during one of the most fun and colorful events that take place every year: Carnival. It`s impossible not to like this animated film, despite having a weak and predictable plot, because not liking it would be like not enjoying a trip to Rio. Saldanha takes us to his city and shows us all the beauty Rio has to offer. The visuals in the film are excellent and we get plenty of aerial shots of the city, we see its beautiful beaches, tropical forests, and even get to experience a motorcycle ride across its infamous favela. We also get to meet some of their eccentric characters (Saldanha has a lot of fun with the stereotypes), although the main attraction of the movie are the colorful animals. Animated films have matured greatly over the years and we`ve come to expect excellent visual effects, but in Rio the visuals are the main attraction and the characters are just a product of their environment. Rio is much better than the other animated film 2011 had to offer: Rango. Rango was an animated film I disliked, but I admitted the visuals were fantastic. Neither of the films have a decent story or memorable characters, but the difference with Rio is that when you have Rio de Janeiro the city itself becomes a character and a very memorable one for that matter. That is why the movie is such fun because it’s all about Rio and not so much as the rest of the characters.

The film opens in the tropical jungles of Brazil where a blue macaw`s life will change forever when a group of poachers take him captive and smuggle him to the States. Somewhere along the way the bird ends up in chilly Minnesota after the truck that is smuggling him hits the breaks a little too hard and the box where he`s in ends up flying out of the truck. The macaw is fortunate enough to be found by a young girl named Linda (voiced by Leslie Mann) who takes good care of him. She names the bird Blu (Jesse Eisenberg) and they both seem to be enjoying a comfortable life together when all of a sudden they get a visit from a Brazilian ornithologist, Tulio (Rodrigo Santoro), who claims that Blu is the last male bird of his species. Tulio has found a female macaw (Jewell, voiced by Anne Hathaway) and needs Linda to take Blu to Rio so the birds can breed and save the species. Linda unwillingly takes Blu to Rio and that is where the fun begins because Jewel and Blu don`t get off to a right start. She is more of a free spirited bird who enjoys her liberty, and he is a domesticated macaw who can`t even fly. Somehow both birds are kidnapped from the lab by a smuggler named Marcel (Carlos Ponce) along with his stupid accomplices, and accompanied by an evil and scary cockatoo named Nigel (Jermaine Clement). Blu and Jewel manage to escape from these poachers but not before they end up being chained together. Both birds end up on a journey trying to free themselves while escaping from Nigel and the poachers and along the way they befriend Rafael (George Lopez) the toucan, Pedro (Will.i.am) the red-crested cardinal, Nico (Jamie Foxx) the yellow canary, and Luiz (Tracy Morgan), the bulldog.        

The plot is probably the weakest part out of the 96 minute movie because it is very predictable: it`s a formula picture where we have a male and female lead character that can`t stand each other at first only to end up discovering they have feelings for each other. We`ve all come to expect these stories from Hollywood were opposites attract. Fox-Blue Sky Studios may not have the depth in their stories as Pixar does, but they sure can deliver great visuals. Don`t expect a heartfelt story like Pixar`s Up or Toy Story and I guarantee you will enjoy this fun colorful movie because Rio de Janeiro is a fun place to be, especially during Carnival. The city itself becomes the main character in this film and that is why the movie is called Rio and not Blu or Jewel. The details of the city and the beautiful locations couldn’t have been enjoyed more if it wasn`t for Carlos Saldanha and his love for the city in which he was born. Rio is a fun and entertaining movie where kids and adults will have a good time alike thanks to the beauty of its scenery enjoyed mostly through aerial shots, and the soundtrack full of Samba which identifies the city. Saldanha couldn’t have picked a more different location from his previous film: Ice Age, and the result is visually noticeable. Rio is a lot of fun and I recommend this animated film for the entire family.

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My Review: The Social Network (9/10)

¨You know what's cooler than a million dollars? A billion dollars.¨

How in the world do you make a two hour film about the invention of facebook and make it an engaging thriller? The answer is pretty simple: get David Fincher to direct the film and Aaron Sorkin to write the screenplay. Fincher is one of the best modern day directors who seems to turn everything he touches into gold. I don`t think I was alone in the opinion that making a movie about Facebook was a bad idea. I just thought it would be impossible to keep the viewers interested for two hours on a computer nerd; at most it would be decent material for a short film. But once I heard Fincher was involved with the project I totally bought into the idea. Fincher has proved himself with such great films as Se7en, Fight Club, Zodiac, and Benjamin Button; and with the Social Network he has created one of the best modern biopics I have seen. He will surely be nominated for best director, and the film will also garnish several other nominations, including best picture.

Sorkin (A Few Good Men, Charlie Wilson`s War) should also be credited for the success of the film because his screenplay was perfect (it will also be nominated for best adapted screenplay, you can count on it). He creates such great characters that are far from being one-dimensional. You have Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg from Zombieland and Adventureland fame) who is sort of a jerk, incapable of being social, a real intelligent and arrogant guy, but who you end up routing for because let’s face it he invented facebook one of our favorite vices on the internet. The guy may not have any social skills, but he is a genius and there is always something attractive about geniuses. We can forgive him because he is just so wicked smart, but I don`t think any one of us would want to be his friends or much less stand anyone like that. His only friend, Eduardo Saverin (played by Andrew Garfield, the soon to be Peter Parker in the new Spider Man franchise) is also a student in Harvard who seems to be the only person who stands Mark even though he is treated cruelly at times, but he is good at keeping his composure and hiding his emotions. Eduardo and Mark found the company Thefacebook.com together which begins exclusively for Harvard students but begins to spread to other schools. Sean Parker (played by Justin Timberlake) hears about the website and arranges a meeting with Mark and Eduardo foreseeing the potential the site has. Sean happens to be the inventor of Napster, and unlike Mark he is very social and expressive. The characters seem to complement each other, and it all works to perfection.

The film is non linear as we jump back and forth from Harvard to the law suits that Mark is going through once he has become a billionaire. He is being sued by his best friend Eduardo (which makes the viewer wonder what has gone wrong with their relationship) and on the other hand by the Winklevoss twin brothers who actually suggested the idea for an exclusive Harvard site and claim Mark stole it from them. Mark was always obsessed about getting into Final Clubs in College and when the twin brothers came to him with the idea about a Harvard exclusive site everything clicked for him. He could be the president of his own exclusive site. He was a visionary and everything paid off for him: ¨ We lived in farms, then we lived in cities, and now we're gonna live on the internet! ¨

The Social Network is a modern day biopic full of thrills thanks to a great script and a good performance from the cast (especially by Andrew Garfield). The score is also great and contributes to the overall story, as well as the filming which is just brilliant. The rowing scenes were beautifully shot, but they weren`t just there for artistic purposes. The entire rowing scenario with the twins was sort of a parable of how they were used to being first all the time. When they finally lose to the Dutch they realize that being second brings no reward. Zuckerberg beat them at coming up with the idea for Facebook, perhaps a little unethically on his part, but the difference between being first and second in the business world is gigantic no matter how tight the race is. Fincher has directed a great film and will probably get a lot of recognition during award season because he was able to transmit the importance of our modern day internet age. Fincher should be considering making a sequel to this film about the founders of Twitter; nah maybe that is a really bad idea. Anyway The Social Network is my favorite biopic this year and finally brought down The Runaways to second place. It`s all about being first, that’s what makes the difference.

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My Review: Zombieland (7/10)

¨This lady could have avoided becoming a human Happy Meal. Woulda... coulda... shoulda¨

(7/10) Zombieland counts with a very talented cast but it isn`t among the funniest movies of the year. Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin are among the best young talents and if you include Woody Harrelson`s experience and a cameo from the extremely funny Bill Murray then you would expect a lot more from this movie. Don`t get me wrong, I enjoyed this film, it had some very funny moments and funny dialogues, but I was expecting much more from it because of all the hype coming from the critics. I wouldn`t include Zombieland in the horror genre, it isn`t scary and it doesn`t try to be either. It`s more of a satire on zombie movies like Shaun of the Dead was. Actually, first time director Ruben Fleischer said he was inspired to make this movie after watching Shaun of the Dead. It still has some action, gore, and good special effects, but the main ingredient in this film is the comedy and you wouldn`t expect less from these actors. When you have a zombie get killed by a falling piano from a building you know you can`t take the violence seriously. One of the things I enjoyed the most in this film was the dialogue. Taking a phrase from Harrelson`s character, Tallahassee, and rephrasing it I would say: ¨[this movie] totally blows! .... my mind. Just fun for the whole family.¨

Jesse Eisenberg, who recently was in another comedy - Adventureland, plays Columbus one of the few survivors in a world where pretty much everyone has turned into a zombie. He has survived because he lives by what he calls survival rules which are displayed throughout the movie while the action takes place. The film is narrated by Columbus. Eisenberg plays his ussual self and he reminds me a lot of Micheal Cera. Columbus meets Tallahassee (Woody Harelson), a fearless zombie killer who has a weakness for twinkies (or as they call them in Mexico: el submarino) and will get into danger just to get his hands on them. Columbus and Tallahassee form an unlikely duo and decide to take a road trip. During their trip they encounter Wichita (Emma Stone known for her role in Superbad) and her sister Little Rock (Abigail Breslin, My Sister`s Keeper) who happen to be con artists and take their possesions. The four end up together despite having trust issues and not wanting to become involved with each other, which could serve as a satire on American society where you find neighbors trying to keep a distance from each other. The highlight of the movie is when they decide to visit a celebrity`s mansion and have an encounter with him, but I will not give any more of the movie away.

Overall this movie works as a comedy, it is a satire on zombie movies which have bombarded Hollywood over the recent years in the same way vampires are nowadays. Don`t go into this movie expecting horror, because this movie is 95% comedy. There are several funny lines and at less than 90 minutes the movie is short enough for you to enjoy it. The survival rules were pretty funny and the scene in which Columbus narrates his encounter with his hot neighbor who almost ends up eating him was also hilarious. Despite all this, I still think there were much funnier movies out this year like The Hangover, World`s Greatest Dad, Adventureland, and I Love You, Man. Anyways this movie still is a lot of fun and one you will enjoy. My favorite zomby movie (but I ain`t much of a zombie fan so it ain`t saying much). To end this review, I would like to quote one of the many funny lines in the film: ¨In those moments where you're not quite sure if the undead are really dead, dead, don't get all stingy with your bullets. I mean, one more clean shot to the head, and this lady could have avoided becoming a human Happy Meal. Woulda... coulda... shoulda.¨