The Social Network

Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer

Directed by David Fincher

Rating: 4 stars

The Social Network is all about how Facebook (or "the" Facebook) got started. Jesse Eisenberg plays the founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg. The Winklevoss twins (Armie Hammer plays both) file a law suit against Mark for stealing the idea for the social networking site. Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) also filed a law suit again Mark because towards the success of Facebook, Eduardo ended up losing money when he was equally a part of the team.

The Social Network was really interesting because almost everyone uses Facebook or knows about it. So to see how Facebook got created was something interesting to see, especially with the law suits filed against Mark Zuckerberg. The movie was well-put, though there was some disputes about the movie making Zuckerberg look like a jerk. It depends on how you look at it. Zuckerberg isn't a social butterfly. He does better in front of a computer than in a crowd so can you blame him for not having a way with words?

I think this movie deserves four stars because although it's interesting to watch, it's not a movie you'll want to see a lot. Maybe once every few years, if that. Does it deserve an Academy Award or Golden Globe? Maybe one or two but compared to the other movies up for nominations, The Social Network is an "okay" movie. I would recommend it for people interested in how Facebook was created but if you're looking for a fantasy movie or thriller, The Social Network is definitely not for you. I think this is a movie everyone should see once but is it a movie you need to buy? I don't think so.

Inception

Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Cillian Murphy

Directed by Christopher Nolan

Rating: 5 stars

"You're waiting for a train, a train that will take you far away. You know where you hope this train will take you, but you don't know for sure. But it doesn't matter. How can it not matter to you where that train will take you?"

A dream within a dream within a dream. How does one begin to explain Inception? Inception is a story about a man, Cobb (DiCaprio) in exile from the United States. Cobb breaks into the minds of people to steal information and earns his money that way. Saito (Watanabe) wants Cobb to plant an idea in the mind of Robert Fischer (Murphy), this is what Inception is. Saito wants Fischer to split up his father's empire after his father's death. If Cobb can pull this off, Saito will make a phone call that will allow Cobb to go back to the U.S. and live with his children again. In order for the operation to work, Cobb has to assemble the right team to be able to go deep into the subconscious.

Inception is yet another masterpiece movie created by Christopher Nolan. This movie deserves five stars because of the brilliance of this confusing yet attention-grabbing film. There's no doubt this movie was made well and the plot is so mind-bending. Inception blows your mind. What I don't understand is how can some people not like it? The script was well written, Hans Zimmer has yet again made a great soundtrack that fits this movie perfectly, the actors really get into their roles, and the plot is attention grabbing. Yet not everyone likes this movie. Christopher Nolan was definitely snubbed at not being nominated himself for best director for the Academy Awards.

What I loved about this movie is that it is pure genius. A team of people have to break deep into the mind of a man all to plant an idea without going into limbo. To do this, Cobb's team has to create a dreamworld with layers. When Cobb brought Ariadne (Page) into the dreamworld to show her what she would need to do, it was amazing to see the design. It can't be easy to make that scene with the world folding in on itself and then have everything explode. Cobb is motivated and desperate to see his kids again yet every time he goes into someone's mind, he brings his dead wife Mal (Cotillard) with him. Mal is a tough obstacle to avoid since she keeps harming the team in each layer. Another thing that is so good about this movie is the ending. I love movies with a twist and it leaves you wondering what really happened. You can watch this movie multiple times and still find something new you didn't pick up on the first time you saw it.

If you're a fan of Christopher Nolan's films (The Dark Knight, The Prestige, Insomnia, Momento) then you will continue to be amazed with Inception. I wouldn't recommend this movie for those who don't like thrillers or movies that make you think (like Shutter Island). Please give Inception a chance. It is truly amazing and if you find it boring, then please admire the structure of the movie and how well-put it was made.

Chaos Theory

Ryan Reynolds, Emily Mortimer, Stuart Townsend

Directed by Marcos Siega

Rating: 3 stars

Frank Allen (Ryan Reynolds) had a bad day. Probably the worst day to happen to anyone. Frank has to make lists for everything. He plans his days ahead of time and is very punctual. On one important day where he has to give a lecture, his wife Susan (Emily Mortimer) thought she'd give him a little more time by winding the clock forward ten minutes. However, she accidentally set it backwards. Frank freaks out and is late to his lecture on how to manage your time. That night, he sits at the hotel bar and takes a girl back to his room. Feeling guilty, he tells her to stop when his wife calls his room. He decides to go home to his wife but unknowingly to him, his wife called again and the girl, angry, tells his wife something happened between them. On his drive home, a car in front of him goes off the road. He goes to the car and sees it's a woman in labor. Being a good Samaritan, he brings the woman to the hospital and as you can imagine, his wife finds out he was at the hospital but thinks he was actually  the father to the child. Chaos ensues...

This movie, as the title says, definitely contains quite a bit of chaos. Chaos Theory deserves three stars for its slightly entertaining quality. The concept sounds like it would be funny and some moments are. Overall, it's just "meh". Ryan Reynolds was weird in this movie, playing an uptight, punctual freak. The beginning of the movie shows him telling his story to the fiance of his daughter, caught with cold feet on his wedding day. It's weird to see Ryan Reynolds playing a man older than his current age. I would recommend this movie for those who enjoy frustrating situations in movies (like Dinner for Schmucks) where things don't always go as planned. If you're at home on a friday night with nothing better to do, then this movie will do (which is what I did). If you're looking for something entertaining to watch, I would recommend watching something else.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Heath Ledger, Andrew Garfield, Lily Cole, Christopher Plummer

Directed by Terry Gilliam

Rating: 4 stars

A traveling theater company in London, England, displays a routine show with a magical twist. Anton (Andrew Garfield) usually escorts an audience member on stage through an extraordinary mirror. Upon entering the mirror, the audience member enters into their desire. However, the theater company's act doesn't intrigue many people. While traveling across a bridge, they come across a hanged man not quite dead. This man has trouble remembering who he is but finds out his name is Tony (Heath Ledger). Tony has some good ideas to help the company earn more money. The only problem is, Tony attracts quite a bit of trouble during an act and brings trouble inside the mirror.

A little known fact to many people is that The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is actually Heath Ledger's final film. This movie deserved four stars and is a great end to Heath Ledger's acting career. Since Heath Ledger died halfway through making the film, Terry Gilliam had to find a replacement. He not only found one but three replacements: Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Ferrell. Now, you might think that it's a bit silly that three people would be playing Ledger's role but it actually fits perfectly. Since crossing the mirror transforms into whatever the person entering desires, the character Tony changes actors each time he crosses the mirror. In order to go into the mirror, Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) has to meditate for the passing to work. Otherwise, you pass the mirror into the back of the stage. The main plot of the movie is that Dr. Parnassus made a bet with Mr. Nick (Tom Waits) who is also the devil. Each person to go into the mirror has to make a choice and that choice is either giving your soul to the devil or choosing not to give your soul. It's not as simple as saying "no thanks" because Mr. Nick has tricks up his sleeve. If Mr. Nick collects five souls before Dr. Parnassus, Mr. Nick gets Valentina (Lily Cole), Dr. Parnassus' daughter. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is clever and an interesting film to watch. I would definitely recommend this movie to watch if you're a fan of the bizarre, dream-like movies. However, this movie does not have a happy ending but one that makes you think.

About A Boy

Hugh Grant, Nicholas Hoult

Directed by Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz

Rating: 3 stars

Will (Hugh Grant) is a young man who has no care for the world. All he cares about is himself and the next lucky girl he can get into bed with him. He found that single mothers were the best kind of women to date so he goes to a single parents meeting in hopes to pick up women. Soon after, Marcus (Nicholas Hoult) comes into his life, whether he liked it or not. Marcus is a weird little boy with a depressed single mother. He has nothing better to do so he decides to enter in to Will's selfish life. It's not long before Will starts to slowly get attached to Marcus, trying to help him be a little "cooler" so he can make friends at school. While Will helps Marcus, Marcus forms a bond that helps make Will turn into a mature grown up that doesn't only think of himself.

This was a cute movie about an annoying little boy making his way into a man's unimportant life. I think this deserved three stars because although it was good, movies with little kids in them annoy me most of the time. It was funny to see that Nicholas Hoult was so... how do I put this nicely? Unappealing to look at as a little kid. He sure matured though over the years. Hugh Grant played the typical role he does (like Daniel Cleaver in Bridget Jones's Diary and Alex Fletcher in Music & Lyrics) but he does a good job. The movie had a bit of a gloomy topic; Will cared about no one other than himself and Marcus' mother tried to kill herself. It had a happy ending though so it is not all doom-and-gloom. It had some humorous scenes like when Marcus went up on stage at his school's talent show and sang "Killing Me Softly". Overall, this movie is favorable to see if you're a Hugh Grant fan and is nice to see at least once. I would recommend renting it though.

Pride and Prejudice (2005)

Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, Simon Woods, Rosamund Pike

Directed by Joe Wright

Rating: 4 stars

When the news comes that a rich bachelor has moved into Netherfeld Park, the Bennet women are excited. None so more than the mother who hopes that the bachelor will take onto one of her girls. A dance is held and they get to meet Mr. Bingley (Simon Woods) and his rich friend (who happens to be a bachelor as well) Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen). Elizabeth Bennet (Keira Knightley) finds Mr. Darcy attractive but is soon turned off by his arrogance for the lower class. Elizabeth's older sister Jane (Rosamund Pike) and Mr. Bingley  have a mutual attraction but Mr. Darcy has suspicions that Jane is interested in his friend for all the wrong reasons. As the movie progresses, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth can't help but fall in love with each other.

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is a wonderful classic love story. Elizabeth Bennet has standards, something girls these days don't. She wants a meaningful relationship with someone who matches her intellectual level. Mr. Darcy is the best match, though it takes a while for both of them to open their eyes and realize it. This movie deserves four stars because director Joe Wright only focuses on the love story and not the story as a whole. Don't get me wrong, the scenery, music, costumes, etc., were all amazing. Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen play a good version of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. What would have made this movie better is if the director had cut certain scenes to replace them with more fitting ones. For example, watching Elizabeth sit on a swing and spin in circles for about a minute. However, with the amount of the time the director allowed the film to be, it turned out to be a good job.

Yes, this movie version is considered more of a "chick flick" but guys should read the book too. I wouldn't recommend this movie for those only interested in movies with action, gossip or even hot kissing scenes because you won't get that here. Well, you will get action (Lydia running off with Wickham) and you might even get some gossip ("Netherfeld Park has let again!"). But this romantic movie is perfect to watch when you're looking for a quiet night in.

The Sea Beast

Corin Nemac, Mariam McDonald, Gary Hudson, Daniel Wisler

Directed by Paul Ziller

Rating: 2 stars

A man gets killed while out with his fishing crew during a rough storm. Everyone said it was because he simply fell overboard but Will McKenna (Corin Nemac) saw something grab him off board. He keeps it to himself until an innocent teenager gets killed by the Sea Beast on the dock. Sheriff Jay McKenna (Gary Hudson) (Will's brother), refuses to believe him, claiming it was something that came out of the woods. So all the macho-men go out into the woods and run into the Sea Beast. Will's daughter Carly (Mariam McDonald) went to a small island with her boyfriend and best friend. However, the Sea Beast kills Carly's friend and we find out that the Sea Beast has babies! The boat is gone and Carly is stranded with her boyfriend. The Sea Beast has dozens of little terrors that everyone is trying to kill off until Will, followed by Carly and her boyfriend destroy the whole egg nest in an abandoned ship.

The Sea Beast is a cheesy and dumb made-for-tv sci-fi (science-fiction for those who don't know) movie that should have never been made. However, this is a movie you should not watch alone, preferably with someone who can make you laugh along with it. This movie deserves two stars because it is just so bad. It deserves two instead of one star because at least you can laugh a little at how ridiculous it is. First of all, Sea Beast? This aquatic monster looks like a mix between the Creature from the Black Lagoon and a barracuda. Second, Carly definitely wears the pants in her relationship. She ended up saving herself and boyfriend a few times from the Sea Beast's babies. And third, her boyfriend is stupid. He tried to take a picture of the Sea Beast baby and it bit his hand... The bite later swells and then he tries to squeeze it. Definitely an ew factor when the pus comes out. Yeah, that movie went there. I would recommend this movie for people who enjoy bad sci-fi movies, like Frankenfish and Deep Blue Sea.