Entertainments
Kellie Morrissey
entertainments@motley.ie
Kellie Morrissey catches a glimpse of the future, and boy does she like what she sees… Are you looking forward to october? Because you should be – Fincher does Facebook. Rodriguez doe’s illegal immigrants. Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich and Helen Mirren do aging espionage. It’s gonna be a goodun, and here’s why...
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
©columbia pictures
©columbia pictures
director:
David Fincher
starring:
Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Brenda Song
I doubted it, I have to admit. I’m still sort of doubting it – after all, it’s a movie about a website (more accurately, about the founding of a website, but still). A website which has only really been around for five or six years – only really exploded in Irish society about two years ago – and a website, friends, is a changeable thing: the rotting corpses of Bebo, Angelfire and Geocities will tell you just as much.
Strike one against The Social Network being amazing. Strike two is that, while Fincher has directed some pretty stellar movies (Se7en, Fight Club), he has also directed some turkeys (Zodiac) and some which have really just been really rather disgustingly adequate (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button).
The thing is, I can’t come up with a third strike, and so The Social Network is still in the running to be a pretty amazing film. If not laden with the potential for darkness like Se7en, Fight Club or hell, even Zodiac, The Social Network is going to be unique – dark drama is aplenty here, and with resident Master of All Things Dark and Disturbing, Trent Reznor, handling music, why wouldn’t it be?
Interesting to note: Facebook themselves have nothing to do with The Social Network – in deed, Facebook founder Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) is portrayed as somewhat of a tyrant. When asked about the audience’s reaction to his characters – perhaps suggesting that they are unsympathetic – Fincher replies, “I don’t want anyone’s sympathy – I want their respect.” Nice one, Finchy – you’ve got mine. Probably.
The Social Network is out in Irish cinemas on October 15th.
Gamble who carry the film, even evoking a brief chuckle now and again.
Digging a hole
when john murphy stares into the hole, the hole stares back into him… kinda
©e1 entertainment
The Thompson family have moved to a new home in the quiet town of Bensonville, where Dane (Chris Massoglia) and his younger brother Lucas (Nathan Gamble) discover a locked trap-door on the floor of their basement, concealing a bottomless hole. Along with Julie (Haley Bennett), The ‘girl-next-door’, the trio must face their darkest fears which emerge from the hole.
I am afraid. Very, very afraid… Who wouldn’t be petrified after witnessing the unfolding of a bad script, bland acting, and unoriginal ideas for ninety minutes? The director of Gremlins, Joe Dante, should look into the hole he created and see for himself. Will he recognise the feebleness of the lead actor? The easily foreseeable ‘jump’ moments? Or even the lacklustre script You’re not alone – a lot of that does which would only frighten us if we had to sound familiar. Clichéd? A bit. A quote from proof-read it? Massoglia offers a detrimental the movie poster: “What are you so afraid performance from Cirque du Freak (you of ?” Well, I’m not quite sure... better believe it), but it is Haley Bennett (The Haunting of Molly Hartley) and pint-sized [Fast-forward to seven seconds after the Nathan ending]
12
The only thing that saves the movie from ruination is the reasonably good visuals: a creative, and sometimes even playful, 3D treat. It still has some cheesy gimmicks, but the effects procure a pair of small wings to stop the film from falling flat. The Hole will undoubtedly be popular amongst eleven and twelve year olds who go with their families, but this film definitely lacks excitement and originality – especially for us veterans over fourteen (even though we may not always act like it). Did I enjoy any of it? I certainly did: munching scrumptious popcorn, watching the interesting previews, glancing at the three people I’m sharing the screen with (ha, funny story about that…) and wrestling with the plastic firmly enclosing the 3D glasses. An interesting night indeed...