The Social Network

This film will be remembered in history and will be shown in classrooms for years to come. Don't get me wrong--it may not be because this is a great film. Being the first film to capture Facebook, substitutes of future high school computer classes will rejoice after this film hits DVD.

Based off of a book written by Mark Zuckerberg's (the inventor of Facebook) adversaries, the film tells the story of Mark's invention of the social network and the people he used and stole from to get it to the top. Based on a true story but taking artistic liberties--the film plays with the audiences knowledge of what Facebook is today to create drama.

Individually the scenes played beautifully beginning with Zuckerberg blabbering a mile a minute and end with a punch of dialogue. But as a whole, when the scenes play back to back next to one another the energy of the film jolts in and out like a sixteen year old first learning stick shift. Although cutting back and forth to the courtroom shows the audience the conflicting emotion in the scene and the price/deceit upon which Mark's empire cost him, in the end these jumps in time break the energy and flow of the film, tossing audiences in and out of the emotional arc of the film. A story should take it's audience on an emotional journey that like a swelling wave--rises and gets bigger as it works off of itself taking in more before it climaxes, crashes and then fizzles out delivering it's audience on the shore, sometimes reaching dry land for the first time. But this film didn't gradually build off of itself emotionally. The energy of the chronological story was broken up by the courtroom, each beat was like one small choppy, wave, none quite carrying the audience will full emotion into shoreline.

The film proposes that the driving force behind Zuckerberg's invention is an "I'll show them" attitude and a jealousy for what he didn't have, whether it be a crew body, an invitation to the Phoenix House, girls, or an affluent lifestyle. The first scene in the film ends Zuckerberg's then girlfriend breaking up with him saying, "You're going to be lonely in life Mark but don't think it's because you're a nerd, it's because you're an asshole." This is the inciting incident which drives Mark to create FaceMash, a site that becomes a hit overnight and is the precursor to Facebook. Each of the following plot points revolve around Mark getting an idea or working harder on Facebook to get back at people he's jealous of and further himself above them, seemingly fulfilling his earlier girlfriend's prediction.

The acting excelled in this little piece. Justin Timberlake plays an impressive slick-talking Sean Parker, the founder of Napster and mentor to Zuckerberg, who is played dark and expressionlessly by Jesse Gainsberg. But it is Andrew Garfeild who stole the show with a sympathetic Eduardo Saverin, Zuckerberg's co-founder and ex-best friend.

The last line of the film though is told by a young perceptive lawyer who has been observing a lonely and frustrated Zuckerberg during the trials. "You're not an asshole Mark, you're just trying really hard to be one." This line hits the audience on the head hard with the writer's message. Mark was trying to solve his problems and fill in the gaps where he was lacking relationships and coolness in his life but really, success comes at a price and the price was relationships--which was his driving force in the first place.

AMC's $6 matinees

Hark! All ye movie-goers lend me your ear. AMC Theaters is a sign that the universe wants us to see more movies and to see them for cheaper. Every day any movie that starts before noon can been seen for a meer $6. It should be noted that unlike most movie-theater deals, this DOES INCLUDE Manhattan! Yes, for the price of a bodega sandwich with cheese you can escape your world and be transported to a broader-minded future. The hidden costs? 1) Exiting the theater at 1:00pm sleepy and droopy-eyed only to find out that you still have slug through the rest of the day. 2) Potentially giving bed bugs a free lift from AMC to the all-you-can-eat-buffet located in your bed.