THE SOCIAL NETWORK

Biography

F.Y.I.
A Final Club (often misstated as "finals club") is an undergraduate social club at Harvard College. Currently there are eight all-male and five all-female clubs at Harvard.

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Jesse Eisenberg: 19-year-old Harvard University sophomore Mark Zuckerberg
Rooney Mara: his girlfriend Erica Albright
Andrew Garfield: Mark’s best friend Eduardo Saverin
Armie Hammer: members of the Harvard Rowing Club, Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss
Max Minghella: their business partner Divya Narendra
Justin Timberlake: Napster founder Sean Parker

REVIEW
It is almost as though this role was meant for him: Jesse Eisenberg gives his best performance ever as the key person behind the development of the internet website known as Facebook. Mind you, the rest of the cast are no slouches: it’s just that he really nails it.

Despite a run time of two hours it is not overly long because it has a lot of ground to cover in what is a complex story involving many people and a raft of different situations. The script is tight with believable dialog, often delivered at breakneck speed, and the editing is crisp so the time flies.

Not only is the film well acted throughout, it is beautifully shot, informative and downright entertaining.

One other thing: the musical score is just perfect. I cannot recall the last time I said that of any movie I’ve seen. Now that’s quite a compliment.

CLASSIFICATION
for sexual content, drug and alcohol use and language.

THE TOWN

Crime thriller

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Ben Affleck: gang leader Doug MacRay
Jeremy Renner: his childhood friend James "Jem" Coughlin
Rebecca Hall: Bank Manager Claire Keesey
John Hamm: FBI Special Agent Adam Frawley
Blake Lively: Jem’s sister Krista
Pete Postlethwaite: mob kingman Fergus Colm aka “Fergie the Florist”
Chris Cooper: Doug’s father Stephen

REVIEW
It has been my experience that there is a relationship between the number of key positions any one person has and the quality of the movie. As one goes up the other goes down. But this film goes against the grain in that Ben Affleck not only co-wrote the story, he directed it and stars in it yet the result is a first class effort. Not only is the film well acted throughout, it is beautifully shot and downright entertaining.

Despite running just over two hours it is not overly long with sufficient time given to the development of personal relationships and the actual bank and armoured car heists themselves. Unlike most films of this sort, the car chase scenes are not overdone. How refreshing.

CLASSIFICATION
for strong violence, pervasive language, some sexuality and drug use.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
• A title card states that “There are over 300 bank robberies in Boston every year.” According to the FBI there were not that many statewide when these events took place in 2008.
• Although she doesn’t touch her glass the level of Claire’s drink when she’s at the outdoor restaurant changes from one shot to the next.
• The diamond necklace given Claire, supposedly from Tiffany’s Jewellery, is in a black box instead of their signature Blue Box®.
• Despite unloading an arsenal of ammunition in several scenes by experienced qualified police officers and SWAT teams no one is killed much less injured. A reminder that films do not always reflect reality.
• S.A. Frawley removes a note from under the antenna on the back window of his car. In the next shot the antenna is in a different location.

DELIVER US FROM EVIL

Drama
Original title: Fri os fra det onde
In Danish with English subtitles

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Lone Lindorff: Ingvar’s wife Anna
Jens Andersen: long-haul truck driver Lars
Lasse Rimmer: Lars' brother Johannes, a high powered lawyer
Lene Nystrøm: Johannes’ wife Pernille
Bojan Navojec: hired-hand Bosnian immigrant Alain
Mogens Pedersen: Lars' boss Ingvar
Pernille Vallentin: Lars’ girlfriend Scarlett

REVIEW
Although it starts off pleasant enough before too long things take a turn and we get to see the ugly side of society. Desaturated colour (almost black and white) and dim lighting along with the unhurried pacing all serve to create a slightly unsettling atmosphere as things build piecemeal throughout this well told story.

The squeamish will find several scenes disturbing because of the graphic brutality.

CLASSIFICATION
for violence, brief nudity and language.

P.S.
Pale yellow was a poor choice of colour for the subtitles as often they blend in with the background making them impossible to read.

HEARTBREAKER

Romantic comedy
Orignal title: L'arnacœur
In French with English subtitles

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Romain Duris: Alex Lippi, professional romantic mercenary
Julie Ferrier: his sister Mélanie
François Damiens: Mélanie’s husband Marc
Vanessa Paradis: 30-year-old wine expert Juliette Van Der Becq
Jacques Franz: her rich father
Héléna Noguerra: Juliette’s best friend Sophie
Andrew Lincoln: Juliette’s investment-banker fiancé Jonathan Alcott

REVIEW
What sets this one apart from others of this sort is that both elements are very much in evidence: there’s romance (lots and lots of it) and some funny bits. Not many romantic comedies can match that.

But it goes a bit too far allowing Sophie’s slutty nature to predominate for several scenes. Frankly it lacks credibility as I cannot see Juliette, the “perfect lady”, hanging out for a minute with someone like that. To my mind it takes the whole thing down a notch.

CLASSIFICATION
for brief sexuality and language.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
In an attempted carjacking the driver’s side window gets smashed but just minutes later Alex and Juliette drive off and it’s perfectly fine, not a scratch on it.

GOING THE DISTANCE

Romantic comedy

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Justin Long: 30-something record company employee Garrett
Jason Sudeikis: Garrett's friend Box
Charlie Day: Garrett's roomie Dan
Drew Barrymore: 31-year-old newspaper intern Erin
Christina Applegate: Erin’s older sister Corinne
Jim Gaffigan: Corinne’s husband Phil

REVIEW
The target audience will love it: the story of a long distance romance with lengthy discussions about music and boy-bands often taking place in one of the many bar scenes frequently interrupted by scenes of sex, lots of sex.

And if that is not enough about every fourth or fifth utterance is the f-word. Not just from the mouths of Garret’s vulgar friends but most everyone including Erin’s sister who strikes me as the one person who would not have a potty mouth. But I was wrong.

I could only take so much of this and while the two principals were engaged in rather graphic phone sex I left.

CLASSIFICATION
for sexual content including dialogue, language throughout, some drug use and brief nudity.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
• The product placement rotating bottle nitpick: from one shot to the next the bottle rotates so that the label is clearly seen. This happens throughout the movie with all three brands.
• Garret gets a soft drink out of the fridge and puts it down on the coffee table in front of him while he makes his call. When the scene changes so has the can; it has moved off closer to the edge although Garret did not touch it.
• Garret says he has a middle seat on his flight. Unlike other carriers Southwest Airlines passengers have no idea what seat they will have before boarding since they are only assigned to a boarding group and only when they get on board do they chose a seat.
• Garret drops his bag to his left then sits down beside Erin in the airport. When the camera pulls back the bag has magically moved to his right.

THE AMERICAN

Action/thriller

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
George Clooney: Jack
Johan Leysen: his boss Pavel
Paolo Bonacelli: an elderly priest, Father Benedetto
Thekla Reuten: Mathilde, Jack's last client?
Violante Placido: Clara, a prostitute

REVIEW
Although promoted as an “action suspense thriller” there is very little action of any consequence to interrupt the long interludes with nothing much happening at all. But the Italian countryside is lovely to look at (as are some of the people Jack encounters) so not all is lost.

Clooney’s performance is unlike his other films in that he is rather subdued and not very talkative. Mind you that’s all that is asked of him as this enigma of a man nearing the end of his career.

Some of the conversations Jack has are hard to make out, especially with the priest and one scene with Mathilde near the church. Because of this and the dearth of expository dialogue I left the theatre with more questions than answers about what had transpired.

CLASSIFICATION
for violence, sexual content and nudity.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
• Jack and Mathilde sit at adjacent tables at an outdoor café facing each other. She removes her sun glasses and puts them on the table beside the newspaper. However when the scene is viewed from over her shoulder she has the sunglasses in her hand.
• The church bell tolls once before Jack strikes the ball peen hammer and then 4 more times indicating it to be 5 o’clock but Jack’s watch shows it to be 6 o’clock.
• Jack pursues a car that comes to a crashing stop yet the windshield wipers continue to swish back and forth even though the engine is dead.
• Jack is about to take a photograph with his Nikon digital SLR camera and we see the subject through the viewfinder. Trouble is Nikon cameras have the Type B BriteView Clear Matte focusing screen with just one reference circle not three concentric ones.
• Jack and Mathilde are sitting in a roadside café. Although no one touches the little red plastic table marker, when he stands up it has moved from the side of the table to closer to where he was sitting.

LEBANON

War drama
In Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles

F.Y.I.
The day following the establishment of the State of Israel (May 14, 1948) the Middle East Arab nations of Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Iraq attacked the newly formed country. The territory being fought over was regarded by the Jewish people as their historical homeland and by the Pan-Arab movement as belonging to the Palestinians. Known by Israelis as the War of Liberation and by the Arabs as the Catastrophe the 1948 Arab-Israel was the first in a series of conflicts between these two warring factions, but not the last.

Founded in 1964 the Palestine Liberation Organization became a powerful force among the 300,000 refugees in Lebanon who had been forced out of their homes in what had become Israel. Continual violence near the border between the two countries began in 1968. In July 1981 Israel retaliated with air strikes after the PLO and the Syrian army began shelling northern Israel settlements. Between August 1981 and May 1982 there were more than 200 attacks against Israel targets.

On June 6, 1982 the First Lebanon War broke out when the Israel Defense Forces invaded southern Lebanon to suppress the PLO rocket launchers and bombs. Israeli forces were numerically superior, allowing Israel to maintain both the initiative and an element of surprise. The Syrian Army fielded six divisions and 500 aircraft, while the IDF had eleven tank divisions and twelve infantry brigades, plus 600 aircraft.

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Yoav Donat: the gunner and newest recruit Shmulik
Itay Tiran: the tank commander Assi
Oshri Cohen: the gun loader Hertzel
Michael Moshonov: the driver Yigal
Zohar Strauss: platoon commnder Major Jamil
Dudu Tassi: a Syrian POW

REVIEW
This film is not for everyone: during the screening I attended at least four couples could take no more so they left. The horror of the First Lebanon War as seen through through a periscope gun sight of a tank heading into Lebanon is unsettling.

Sound design makes it all too real what with the roar of the engine, the clanking of the treads, the metallic thunk of the tank’s turret as it comes to a stop. The tension at times is almost too much and for many there is a great sense of relief when the end credits finally appear.

CLASSIFICATION
for disturbing bloody war violence, language including sexual references and some nudity.