The Social Network - 4 stars

The Social Network is the story of the founding of Facebook, or The Facebook as it was originally called.  There is a lot of speculation as to the accuracy of this story.  I thought that a feature film had to either have nothing to do with real people or had to be accurate.  Someone please explain to me how it can be fictionalized like this!

Anyway, it was a very watchable movie.  It was acted very well, including a pair of twins played by one guy.  It was entertaining and informative.

The Education of Charlie Banks - 4 stars

The Education of Charlie Banks was very thoughtful.  It follows a smart, yet not totally awkward, boy from the Bronx from age 10 to 20.  He has friends spanning the socio-economic spectrum and is just trying to make his way in the world while living with his conscience.  It's hard to describe this without giving anything away, so I'll say that the theme, which emerges about 2/3 of the way into the movie, is perfectly woven throughout the film.  The characters are multi-dimentional, the writing is sharp, and the scenario feels very real.  Stars Jessie Eisenberg, who also plays Marc Zuckerberg in the Social Network, and Jason Ritter.

Iron Man 2 - 2.5 stars

Iron Man 2 is too sequely (I've coined a new phrase!).  Does that make sense?  All things that are wrong with sequels was wrong with this movie.  It takes the original, puts the dialogue in a Magic 8 Ball, shakes it up a tiny bit, then re-shoots.  The only value in it is to the producers who make money off the good name of an excellent action film, Iron Man.

Breaking Bad (TV) - 4 stars

Breaking Bad is a TV drama about a high school chemistry teacher who starts cooking meth when he finds out that he has inoperable lung cancer.  It's amazingly well made with brilliant writing, acting, and direction.  I was totally fixated on this show for a couple of weeks.  I stopped watching during the second season when I realized that there was no way out for these characters.  They just keep doing the same things over and over again.  So, I feel like I got the point and it was time to move on.

Definitely worth watching for a while.

Greenberg - 2 stars

Ben Stiller plays Roger Greenberg, a 40 year old with anger issues and terrible social skills. He is dog-sitting for his brother's family in Los Angeles and reconnecting with friends form his past. The acting and writing were good, for what it was.

Jim liked Greenberg a lot more than I did. Myself, I can't stand this kind of film - where the point is to beat into you the fact that certain people have terrible judgment and will make the same mistakes over and over and over and over. I got the message 30 minutes into the film.

Jennifer Jason Leigh, who I always like, co-wrote and plays a small part. The other writer is Noah Baumbach, who wrote the Squid and the Whale. It's not nearly as tortured as the Squid, but still depressing.

An Education - 4 stars

An Education is a fictionalized memoir of 16 year old girl in England in the 1960s.  She's smart, and articulate, and beautiful, and socially well adjusted.  Her life revolved around getting accepted at Oxford.  Then she meets David.  Beautifully acted and starring Peter Sarsgaard and Carey Mulligan, with a small part by Emma Thompson.  I have never seen Carey Mulligan before, but look forward to watching her again.  She's magical on screen, with a very Audrey Hepburn grace, style, and manner.  She was perfect in this role.  Peter Sarsgaard continues to enthrall me.  He draws you in as if he is looking you straight in the eye and standing just on the edge of your personal space, finding an intimacy that is comfortable instead of intrusive.

While talking with my co-worker about this film, she told me about a hilarious SNL skit that he did on the "Peter Sarsgaard SARS-guard."  Take 2 minutes to watch this brilliant piece of humor.  I have no idea how he can keep a straight face.

The film tells a familiar, but classic, love story.  It's honest and direct, making it highly enjoyable.

More proof that I'm an expert

I've been asked to join the advisory board of the Gateway Film Center! They want my brilliant advice about how to make the event center the best it can be. Of course, they asked the right person. Actually, I'm not sure that they know what they are getting into. Ask my opinion and I'll give it to you. I have a free pass to unlimited movies for me and a guest (no you can't borrow it) for 2010. We've been averaging about 1 film a year in the theater, so this will force me to get back into non-work, non-baby world.

First order of business is their website. Hopefully the manager will take my advice and talk to Jim. The functionality is pretty minimal, which is certainly hurting their ticket sales.

Tomorrow, Jim & I are going to watch the Secret of Kells while his mom babysits for Violet. We picked it because it's the most highly rated film on Rottentomatoes.com that is playing in the morning when she is available. Rotten Tomatoes pulls all of the movie critic reviews into one site and produces an overall score. The Secret of Kells got an 89%.

Whip It - 3 stars

Whip It is Drew Barrymore's directorial debut. Starring Ellen Page (Juno) as Bliss Cavender, Whip It is a coming of age story of a girl who discovers roller derby. The entire cast is fantastic. Drew has a small, but mighty role. Juliette Lewis shines as Bliss' rival.

The real star of the show is the roller derby. If you have never experienced derby, it's kind of like women's rugby on skates. It's a brutal sport in short skirts with a campy following.

Although the acting and action were great, it's an all too familiar story without a new twist or exceptional storytelling. If Whip It were a slightly better film, it would be the kind of movie you would re-watch time and again.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - 3 stars

Benjamin Button was a masterpiece in the making. By that I mean that it had immense potential that it failed to fulfill. It was well acted, had superb makeup (which is actually the star of the film), and good chemistry. However, despite the gimmick, the story was too generic.

I felt like I was watching Forrest Gump without the humor. Remember how the odd guy was content with himself because he didn't know any different and he just fell into unusual situations? It was the same in Button. The people around him acted oddly, either treating him too much like an insider or too much like an outsider.

The relationships didn't have much depth because he kept traveling and there were too many of them. It felt choppy. It tugs at your heartstrings at the end by using a time-tested formula of the parent/child relationship.

Puccini for Beginners - 3 stars

This is a cute straight-gay-bi love triangle which does a good job of getting into issues of sexual orientation and finding your adult self in your 20s. Starring Justin Kirk, whom I love in Weeds, this small film has a lot of entertaining characters who walk dangerously close to being stereotypes without crossing the line.

Set in NYC with a down-to-earth script, the movie has a realistic feel, even though there is some dense dialogue.

It is very similar to movies with this theme like Kissing Jessica Stein and Three of Hearts which makes me think there is a gay movie producer who is trying to introduce LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi, trans) culture to the straight world. Even though it's formulaic, the writer does a good job of keeping the dialogue fresh and the actors are real pros. I especially love the angry lesbian philosopher who bitterly judges everyone. Also nice is the surprise ending.