The Social Network

After being one of the most popular and hyped movies of 2010, I felt that now would be a good time to watch The Social Network again and see if the buzz was truly justified, or if it was simply overblown in the heat of the moment. The movie immediately makes a connection with most people as it's about the creation of Facebook, which is so widespread that I would probably struggle to name 5 people my age who don't use the site. Since the website upon which the movie is based is so universal, it's hardly surprising that the movie itself was really hyped and advertised before it even hit the screens, but there is substance behind all of the advertising as the writing in the film really gives it life and the sort of dramatic tension one might expect when there's a lawsuit worth billions of dollars involved.

The story of The Social Network is simply based on a true story of how Facebook was created. In a nutshell, Mark Zuckerberg is portrayed as a brilliant, but extremely narcissistic person who has the programming capabilities to create various websites. Eventually, he comes up with the idea of creating a social networking website with the goal of taking the entire college experience and putting it on the internet so that students can connect with each other in ways that were previously unimaginable. However, in doing this, Zuckerberg manages to alienate everyone close to him as he always holds his goal closer to heart than those who help him get there in the first place. While there has obviously been some artistic interpretation and revisions from the true story in the movie in order to make it more appealing to the viewers, it is interesting to get a sense of how Facebook grew to become the cultural icon that it is today even if the movie provides a liberal interpretation of what actually happened with the founding of Facebook. I enjoyed the buildup of the story and generally found the movie to be pretty entertaining, but the simplicity of the film's premise lacks a certain "wow" factor separating the good films from the great ones. 

The plot of The Social Network was certainly solid enough to evoke the kind of emotion you would expect out of a drama. However, one of my biggest issues with the movie was that Zuckerberg is portrayed as being an arrogant and selfish asshole for almost the entirety of the film, but in the last 10 minutes he suddenly has a change of heart and is willing to compromise with others and be kind. This might not sound like much of a problem, but it really frustrates me that he's shown to be so conceited and rude to others for the entire movie, and then at the last minute the film crew decides to pull a 180 and portray him as being a good guy with little explanation as to how and why this happened. It almost feels as though they could have made a second movie out of the last 10 minutes, but instead decided to cram it  in with the previous 100 minutes even though it doesn't make much sense within the context of the rest of the movie. 

In my mind, the greatest strength of The Social Network was the dialogue exchanged between Zuckerberg and various supporting characters. I found myself interested in what the characters, in particular Zuckerberg, had to say as each one was illuminated with a different personality. There was never any boring or meaningless dialogue that brought the movie to a halt, but the strong script also ensured that the audience could develop a deeper and more meaningful understanding of Zuckerberg and why he behaves in the manner he does. His witty lines clearly demonstrate his unbelievable intelligence in addition to his arrogant nature that pushes everyone away from him. Any given scene in the movie could be funny and switch to a more serious mood without it feeling awkward or out of place as Zuckerberg would always have several thoughts percolating in his mind and what he said usually set the tone for what was going on in the movie. The Social Network could have ended up as a drab and listless drama, but the witty and entertaining writing gives the movie a sense of purpose and really solidifies the simplistic storyline.

The Social Network isn't the most fascinating or captivating drama out there, but its strong writing really livens up a straightforward story. While the movie certainly doesn't provide a strictly historical account of Facebook's creation, it is interesting to get an idea of the popular site's origins in a more riveting format than simply reading about how it came to be. The ending of the movie didn't really fit into the overall context of the movie, but the buildup on the whole was effective enough that this wasn't a huge problem in the grand scheme of things. The Social Network is a very approachable film that can be watched by almost any audience, and I recommend it to anyone who's a fan of director David Fincher's previous movies or anyone looking for a new drama film to watch. 

Taxi Driver

Martin Scorsese has become one of the most celebrated and critically acclaimed directors over the past few decades. It's not hard to see why as his movies have very effectively depicted humanity in a brutal and revealing light producing a certain feeling of tension and unease that has rarely been replicated by other filmmakers. Taxi Driver is no exception as it really set the trend for Scorsese's later films and does a truly remarkable job of portraying human isolation and the insanity that can stem from such feelings. To say the least, Taxi Driver is quite unsettling and really makes you feel as if you're in the movie because it feels so realistic and vivid.

Taxi Driver is completely focused around the main character with little emphasis put on the supporting cast. The story involves Travis Bickle (Robert DeNiro), a young Vietnam War veteran who takes a nighttime job driving a taxi to keep himself occupied and avoid confronting the feelings of loneliness and inadequacy that torment him. However, his self-induced isolation only worsens throughout the film as he alienates others around him, and eventually descends into a state of madness since he is unable to develop a meaningful relationship with anyone. There is little interaction between Travis and other characters as the movie is trying to show just how lonely he is, and the boredom of his life is certainly a major cause of his moral decay. He takes it upon himself to "clean up" the streets of New York city by saving a teenage prostitute from her pimp, but his altruistic efforts at the end of the film are greatly outweighed by the horrifying cruelty he displays in trying to free the city. At first glance, Travis could be considered a hero of sorts as he is appalled by the state of affairs in New York city and feels that someone ought to wash away the streets and he shows signs of actually wanting to make a positive change himself. Unfortunately, this initial display of selflessness is soon lost as Travis becomes what he originally sought to eliminate. While the plot in Taxi Driver isn't overly complex, it's meant to be more of a background to the real purpose of the film, which shows that it's possible for anyone like Travis to be completely alone and take extreme measures to try and combat such feelings and even though his actions at the end of the film may be righteous in terms of motive, he certainly displays sociopathic tendencies in having little hesitancy or restraint in doing what he believes to be "right." Travis's transformation from a state of nervousness to genuine madness is truly horrifying to behold, and when you watch the movie you'll find yourself both appalled and marvelled by the developments that bring about the sudden change.

The aspect that really stands out in Taxi Driver is the mood and atmosphere of the film. The movie often switches between the personal life of Travis and snapshots of the city when he's driving around in his taxi. The flashes of the impoverished downtown New York streets give the movie an aura of authenticity as you see for yourself the ugliness and brutality that plagues the lower classes of society. America has long been perceived to be a land of opportunity; however, Scorsese immediately debunks this sense of positivity by constantly showing the destitute masses through the eyes of Travis. What separates Taxi Driver from other movies is that it's grim atmosphere is so intensely realistic that you immediately feel drawn into the film as an innumerable amount of comparisons can be drawn between current society and the one Travis lives in. The bright and shining lights of New York in the background ought to be a beacon of hope and prosperity, but instead they serve to highlight just how disgusting the streets have become as a result of continued neglect. Furthermore, the smooth jazz score for the movie really contrasts with the eerie tone that pervades the film's storyline and further serves to notify the viewer that things are not always as they appear. The overall mood of Taxi Driver appears to be quite simple on the surface, but just like in the streets of New York city, the turmoil bubbling below the surface is far more powerful and provocative.

Few movies have been able to capture the genuine sense of horror present in Taxi Driver. On the surface, the film appears to be fairly simplistic and empty; but the eerie tone provided by the atmosphere really brings the character of Travis Bickle to life as he comes off as being honourable, but also despicable in the way he attempts to carry out his actions. This is not a movie for the faint of heart, but if you are able withstand Taxi Driver's violent premise, you will truly be left in awe by the film's incredible authenticity.