Here are the ratings I gave to new films on IMDb this fall:
The Town: 6 /10
Ben Afflick’s second effort as a director. I thought this was a good film, but one that was overrated by most of the critics IMO. The cast was excellent, but the story about Boston bank robbers (led by Afflick, who also stars) going after one last big score was too implausible. I was particularly impressed by Jon Hamm, who played an FBI Agent trying to bring down Affleck’s gang. I don’t watch Mad Men, but now I can see why Hamm has won so much acclaim.
Rebecca Hall also distinguished herself in this film, playing a bank employee who becomes a temporary hostage to the gang. She is subsequently released, but may hold the key to identifying them.
Wall St. II: 7/10
A good sequel, but it didn’t quite live up to the original. Michael Douglas again provided the stand out performance reprising his role as Gordon Gekko. The rest of the cast was solid. The story over simplified a lot, but it was timely. This film won’t go down as one of Oliver Stone’s best efforts, but it was an entertaining film.
Inside Job: 7/10
A very interesting examination of the financial crisis of 2008, although more biased than it should have been.
I thought the film placed disproportionate blame on Republicans for the crisis. On the other hand, liberal Democrats such as George Soros and Barney Frank are depicted in favorable light (perhaps in part because they agreed to be interviewed for this film). To be fair, other Democrats, including Bill Clinton, Robert Rubin and Obama, are cited as leaders who were to blame as well, but overall Republicans seemed to be assigned more of the blame and I don’t think that was fair or accurate.
The Social Network: 8/10
I thought this film was simply excellent. So good that I may see it again soon. David Fincher and Arron Sorkin deliver a film that has to considered a favorite for multiple Oscars, including Best Picture. Funny thing is I’m not a big fan of Facebook. My FB account is deactivated and I barely used it when it was on. However, I thought the story of how Harvard undergrad Mark Zuckerberg and a few of his classmates developed FB was quite fascinating. The film does not paint any of the major figures in an entirely positive light, but I think it probably presents a realistic account of the what happened.
This cast in this film was perfect. I think there are at least three or four young actors in this film that we will be seeing a whole lot more of in coming years. Jesse Eisenberg, playing Zuckerberg, was especially good.
gmf journal 