The Social Network

I'm not enticed, but there's one thing I liked about the film - its conception is totally "anti-Facebook", when it emphasizes the "weight" of the film language, the precise construction of dialogues and the rapid combination of space-time planes. As a result, it feels like a biased but distanced testimony about one social phenomenon, a group of people who today shape society as strongly as state apparatuses. I get the frequent comparisons to There Will Be Blood, even though Fincher is losing here all across the board. Zuckerberg and Plainview are characters who share their passion for fleeting essence, but in this respect, PTA managed to descend much deeper than David, who seems at times enchanted by superficial magic (e.g., rowing races, which are aesthetically riveting, but kind of out of concept) and, above all, limited by the fact that Sorkin, for obvious reasons, cannot be as controversial in Mark's psychology. The motivation for the whole social experiment sounds quite constructed after all. But all respect for the fact that for two hours I watched people I do not understand and despise in a way, and I had an excellent time and understood a lot. And without scruples, I say: Zuckerberg may be a weird son of a bitch, but he's definitely a big hot-shot. By being anti-social, he captured something that has been present in the human psyche and society since ancient times. (10/30/2010)

Where other directors test their own limits, David Fincher peacefully paints a picture that defines perfection. The Social Network won’t get to you with details, but with its ability to speak to the audience with such a banal story that could, on a smaller scale of course, be happening at every other university right now. This is Fincher’s most modest film in terms of form, but his densest in terms of content, and its most powerful moment is a shot of the protagonist, who has gained and lost everything at the same time. It’s a conversation movie, portraying relationships in university dorms, that doesn’t celebrate the American dream of the new millennium but shows the price that one has to pay for it. Without any sentiment or defense of positive values – what we see here is rather the absence of those. The reason that Fincher conceived the race on water the way he did is because any other filmmaker in his place wouldn’t even have thought of it. The film is a commercial move on the studio’s part (a low budget plus Facebook’s popularity equals certain profit), but thanks to the filmmaking quality, it’s also an exemplary character study, valuable as a record of the period and the people living in it, which makes it the biggest cultural and film event since United 93. The Social Network is the most deserving candidate for the (nonexistent) Academy Award for the best independent film (like Juno, Sideways, etc.) to come along in many years. (11/06/2010)

Sorkin's dialogs — perfected to the smallest detail, heady visuals, and Fincher's flawless directing make this “movie about facebook" one of the experiences of the year. All the characters are thoroughly dissected and the actors pour out their best. Eisenberg managed to slip into a nerd's shoes perfectly, and is more than convincing in his portrayal of Zuckerberg. Garfield wasn’t at all dazzling (I still don't understand why he's gonna be the next Spidey), but he came across as the most likable player in this squad. In any case, nothing can be said against him. But, I was very impressed by the duo of rowing twin brothers; Armie Hammer was very convincing in both roles. And the details, the details: the camerawork in the club scene, the lost race with an electronic version of In the Hall of The Mountain King roaring away, and so on. Speaking of the music - superbly done work. Very Ghost V. Drop the "the". Just ‘Facebook.' It's cleaner. (11/08/2010)

Cherchez la femme. Unlike the “other" Facebook, this is timeless in every way, thanks among other things to the fact that it is not about mugbook as such (that would be a bit premature, after all). It only plays the role of a crutch here, not unlike the role wrestling plays in The Wrestler. I have an irresistible urge to click “Like". (10/28/2010)

The Social Network is not a film about Facebook, the internet, or social networks, and it is not even, in the true sense of the word, a biography of the founder of the Facebook company. It is a film about the desire for excellence, about ruthless ambition, where excess baggage is discarded on the way to success, and friends and loves are lost. It is a film about entrepreneurs who can build an empire out of nothing and who must possess qualities that would exclude them from mainstream society. Success, however, can silence the critics. And that's probably how it goes with big projects. A similar film could be made about Ford or Rockefeller. At the end of that journey, the hero is celebrated and favored, yet lonely and sadly clicking through his Facebook profile, hoping to regain a piece of his past. From a filmmaker's point of view, it is a brilliant film where every detail, from editing and camera work to the music, reveals one of the best directors of our time. It's not a popcorn flick, but more of a film for connoisseurs. Overall impression: 90%. (10/28/2010)