Secretariat

 Seabiscuit is a much better movie, so if you are seeing this movie for exciting horse races, go rent Seabiscuit. This is the story of Secretariat- sort of. How the horse finishes up is known by almost everyone who knows anything about horse racing history. The film tries to be the back story- the story of the woman, Penny Tweedy Chenery, who predicted the genetic breeding victory of a horse with enough speed and the stamina to win triple crown when she goes to try to save the family farm. Unfortunately, the back story is told in very choppy, uneven bites of storyline. You don't understand why a woman ("housewife") would stay around such a bunch of misogynists.It also indirectly addresses the misery that is the inheritance tax.  The writers bring in the Chenery kids and starts one small, lame story line about a daughter who wants to be a hippy (1973 was pretty late for that anyway). It never gels. Of course, the horse racing scenes have little tension because, well, Secretariat was the greatest horse of his time.  But if you like horses, and you like fairly non-offensive films, this might be a pleasantry for you. But do yourself a favor and rent Seabiscuit, too.

The Social Network

What happens when you put the director of Fight Club, the writer of The West Wing in cahoots and have them hire a talented cast to perform a script based on a compelling story? Well, something incredible happens. From the opening scene to the final moments, the story unfolds in a series of flashbacks where you sometimes don't know who to root for because it's not that simple. This is a somewhat (but not much) fictionalized account of the founding of Facebook. It's based on the book The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich (who also wrote Bringing Down the House). Jesse Eisenberg plays Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook. It is clear that MZ got his idea from others but no one had the patent, and there was no existent code that was stolen, so it gets down to a Harvard gentlemen's code as to whether or not it was actual theft of intellectual property. It is also a story of a fairly austistic human who struggles mightily to understand the nuances of nonverbal and emotional reactions in his interactions. Justin Timberlake is a wonderful version of the sleazy Napster co-founder, Sean Parker. Pay attention to Rooney Mara- the first girlfriend- because she will be the American version of Lizbeth Salander soon. Flashback movies are often annoying. Sometimes they border on incomprehensible. But a writer like Sorkin doesn't have those problems. And this film is virtually flawless. There are no boring moments, no confusion about the characters, and it is written so that each character has enough time for the audience to identify with them. It's a rare film, indeed, that can do these things. This will wind up being the best movie of the year.

And as an aside, Mark Zuckerberg was a phenomenal child prodigy- his parents had special tutors for him to help him learn how to properly write code. It is an example of parents being able to recognize a gift in a child. For all we know, they took him to a shrink all those years, too, hoping to socialize him. Maybe that's a story for another time.

The Town

The movie is about a gang of 4 criminals (some not so petty, but some related to one another) who have been together a long time and live in Charlestown, MA. You won't recognize everyone in this film, but you will recognize Ben Affleck, Jon Hamm and Jeremy Renner- who could be called Stretch and Stubby. Renner seems to get shorter and shorter as the movie progresses. It's like he's shrinking. Hamm plays the FBI head as Don Draperish as he can- which is too bad. He should be more versatile. The gang gets together for a major heist even though they know the FBI is on to them. I have to say, it is a really good movie- there is palpable tension and best of all, the chase scenes are well-timed and worth watching. Regular Flickerchick followers (and I do love you) know how much I hate lengthy and ridiculous car chases or ski chases or boat chases. They waste time and hurt the pace of the film. But finally a movie has it right. I liked this movie much more than I thought I would. I do highly recommend it if you like just enough shooting, just enough car chases and just enough plot. I felt like the baby bear- it was just right.

The American

Lord help us all. George Clooney is going to have to learn to work a little harder. This morose and boring film indulges itself and its star at every point. It's chock full of Italians because it really takes place in Italy. You just aren't going to believe half-no, make that MOST, of it. If you can ever figure out what it is really about. The first twenty minutes are your cue that you might want to go to another theatre and slip into another film, because the movie does NOT get better. Clooney must have thought this slow and deliberate crap (sans explanation of any motive or real plot) would escalate him into the rank of artsy. Instead, you sit for almost two hours wishing you had one of his guns and you could put a few holes in the screen before you scream you've had enough. I want my money back. And I might write Mr Clooney at his environmentally friendly villa (sarcasm here) on Lake Como and ask for him to send me $18. OH yeah, plus popcorn, so $116. You get to see another side of Italy, but it's kind of same old same old. You will be asked to believe that no one is on the streets of the small towns in Italy where police seem not to really notice the bodies around, and you will be asked to believe that an incredibly gorgeous young woman could be a two bit hooker because no one will have her. Jeez louise. Tedious. Awful. Period. I am giving it no stars because Clooney is too experienced to pull this mess on us.

Get Low

Robert Duvall has a curmudgeonly turn as a rustic recluse (think Boo Radley) with a reputation for being a dangerous and crazy sort. He wants his funeral done before he dies so he can hear the stories about him. He harbors a secret about his first love. The movie builds and builds until the truth outs- but unfortunately, it's a real let down. This is the part where YOU get low. But, up until that point, there is a well acted, well directed charm about this movie. Just don't expect a decent ending. Sissy Spacek does her part as the sister of the first love. Bill Murray is always believable as a low key funeral director who seems capable of bad behavior at any moment. I'd say you should see if it you can, and definitely rent it at some point. It manages to be interesting without being overwrought.