In spite of a huge wave of critical praise, critics’-circle awards, and Golden Globe nominations, The Social Network (Sony) remains a bit of a tough sell: The idea of a film about Facebook was an Internet punchline in the early days of the film’s conception, and the logline “a bunch of huffy twentysomethings squabble over who created the site and should get the profits” isn’t particularly grabby. But the film, directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin, has all the momentum of the giant rock-trap in Raiders Of The Lost Ark, and the two veterans turn it into a grim, bitterly hilarious battle of words, personalities, and philosophies…
Films that promise trashy, B-movie fun rarely deliver on that promise. One bloody exception: Sony’s Piranha 3-D (or alternately just Piranha, for 2-D televisions). An amped-up remake of Joe Dante’s drive-in favorite, it delivers all the boobs and gore that disreputable horror movies are supposed to deliver. Some of the cast (Paul Scheer, Jerry O’Connell) appear to be in on the joke, while others (Ving Rhames, star Steven R. McQueen) aren’t, but that only adds to the fun…
No comedian is more inspired and prolific than Louis C.K., who has been touring relentlessly behind ever-changing stand-up sets while also writing, directing, editing, and starring in every episode of his brilliant FX show Louie. The title of his feature-length concert film, Louis C.K.: Hilarious (Comedy Central) shows a little swagger on his part: It isn’t self-deprecating, so much as an accurate description of its content. C.K. ruminates on topics like death, divorce, and fatherhood, and offers great perspective on the miracles of the modern world and how we take them for granted…
The French trifle Heartbreaker stars Romain Duris as a professional seducer who gets paid to break up other people’s relationships. But lest the audience find him too callous and unfeeling, Duris will only do it if the woman is unhappy, and he never has sex with them. Inevitably, he meets someone (Vanessa Paradis) who prompts him to change his ways, and the film follows him through a formulaic Hollywood fantasy.