The Minority Report - "The Social Network" (2010)

“You are probably going to be a very successful computer person. But you're going to go through life thinking that girls don't like you because you're a nerd. And I want you to know, from the bottom of my heart, that that won't be true. It'll be because you're an asshole.”
People are calling a staple of our time. That’s a reasonable statement, considering the movie is about Facebook. This film has been getting rave reviews all over the place and most of the only people complaining are the tech blogs (for legitimate reasons). The thing is, when a movie about Facebook comes out, what can you really expect? It’s interesting to note the developments from 2004 onwards as described by the movie, but it never ceases to amaze me how much people believe from movies these days. They are works of fiction for a reason. Even the most convincing ones are still fiction. Apart from that, though, let it be recognized that Jesse Eisenberg did an absolutely phenomenal job as the story’s lead role. The script is, for sure, one to be admired. Besides that, though, David Fincher let me down a bit.

The story centers around a young man by the name of Mark Zuckerberg, whom is currently attending Harvard University and dating a girl named Erica Albright (Rooney Mara). She, of course, dumps him because of his terrible personality traits, which sets him on his course to become one of the Internet’s greats. His roommate and best friend, Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield), a business guru, aides him on this journey after dear old Zuckerberg comes up with the idea for Facebook when he begins working with a pair of rich Olympians known as the Winkelvoss’s (Armie Hammer). Doing everything but stealing the idea, he goes on the high road to create what is the most successful social networking site of the present day. Along the way, he meets people that test his friendship, commitment to Facebook, and his beliefs and values. Tearing it apart is the name of the game in Zuckerberg’s life from this point on. The rest is just history.

The first scene really set the mood of the whole movie: witty and intelligent comments followed by lazy scene transitions. For me, most of the acting consisted of merely stating the lines and getting it over with. There was emotion behind it, but it just felt forced and fake. The scenery and colors didn’t help much either. Drab and dark blues and greens don’t make for a movie that will effectively transmit the intricacy of not just the situations it was trying to portray, but also the emotions involved. The soft camera pans and the smooth, linear transitions didn’t allow the true emotions being portrayed to be felt. It was almost as if the movie was muting itself. All in all, it is a fine movie to watch if you have time, but nothing really memorable. Saddening, really, considering that it is based off something that is quite memorable, indeed. This movie is like watching paint dry on the Facebook home screen as it refuses to load the next page.

By Kulguy

The Minority Report - "Fight Club" (1999)

“Welcome to Fight Club. The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club. The second rule of Fight Club is: you DO NOT talk about Fight Club!”
This movie was one that I had been told to watch more than once. Its appeal was indubitable: it was a movie that was relatively middle-aged (from the 1990s), and sported a wacky plotline with strange and witty construction. Adapted from a 1996 novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk, the movie is pretty accurate with its portrayal. This film has also been the subject of many a controversy in its time. Mainly, though, the attacks are towards the movie’s portrayal of violence as acceptable alternative lifestyle that can aid with problems accosting an individual. This is true. But it’s ridiculous to keep blaming things for the choices people make. My opinion? Make people less stupid. Enjoy the damned movie, and that’s it.

The story starts off with a man by the name of…well…he doesn’t really have a name. The actor’s name is Edward Norton, though. He suffers from incurable insomnia which his doctor refuses to treat, and has to travel a lot for his job as a worker for an automobile company. Seeking a way to deal with his mounting problems, he begins attending a support group. This ends up helping him and he assumes different identities, attending a myriad of different support groups for different ailments and afflictions. Finding a person that does the same thing as him in the support groups, Marla Singer (Helena Bonham Carter), angers him, but they come to an agreement to split the support groups. Soon afterwards, though, he is traveling when he meets a man called Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) on a plane. Tyler is a traveling soap salesman, and the nameless main character envies his attitude and mode of life. Upon returning home, he finds his apartment in flames. He calls both Marla and then Tyler for help and ends up staying with Tyler at a random decrepit house. One night, they begin fighting for the heck of it, and it quickly becomes a routine thing that attracts more and more people each time. Everything changes when a person asks if he can fight next—this is when the 1st Fight Club is founded. Soon, though, the main character discovers that he has bitten off more than he can chew and that the Fight Club has become more than he can control or more than he wants to be involved with.

At the end of the movie, my mind was blown, and my heart was sold. This movie was great. It was a funny, witty, interesting, obnoxious, violent, and breathtaking view into the life of a misconstrued man attempting to find solutions and an identity. Cinematographically, the movie is amazing. It contains everything from three-dimensional rotation of characters (matrix mode-ish) to subliminal messages and even interesting flash-backs made like old film and the loss of autofocus. All in all, this extremely enjoyable film is well worth watching and enjoying and I highly recommend it. This movie not like watching paint dry…it’s like watching controversy seep into every crevice of American society.

By Kulguy