Alien³ (1992) - ★★½

Director: David Fincher
Writers: Vincent Ward (Story), David Giler, Walter Hill, Larry Ferguson (Screenplay)
Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Charles Dance, Charles S. Dutton, Paul McGann, Pete Postlethwaite, Lance Henrikson

In my opinion, Alien³ is the most unnecessary sequel ever made. However, it wasn't a terrible movie. What I hate about it is that it pretty much ruins the ending of Aliens (1986). With this new installment, it turns out that everything that happened in its prequel was pointless and futile. It was super depressing to see, which is why I'd prefer to act as if this movie never existed.

The Social Network (2010) - ★★★

Director: David Fincher
Writers: Aaron Sorkin (screenplay), Ben Mezrich (novel)
Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, Rooney Mara

I'm conflicted when it comes to The Social Network. It's good in practically every aspect of film making. The acting was great, the music was nice, and the story was interesting. Then why did this film irritate me so much? It irritated me to the point where I couldn't enjoy the film. Jessie Eisenberg was incredible as the founder of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg, yet at the same time was the least enjoyable part of the movie for me.

The whole film is basically about the creation of Facebook from start to finish. It showcases the lawsuits against Mark Zuckerberg, who stood on many toes to make Facebook a successful website. This film is just as much about Zuckerberg's best friend Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield), who was both a cofounder and business partner from the beginning. I feel like the start of the film is all about Zuckerberg, then it becomes about Saverin, then back to Zuckerberg. This worked really well, because Garfield's character was just as interesting and complex as Eisenberg's. 

There was no clear star of the film for me. I feel that both Eisenberg and Garfield were brilliant in their performances. One thing that didn't quite get through to me was the inner conflict that Zuckerberg must have been feeling when he betrayed his friend. There were a couple of scenes where you could see Zuckerberg thinking about his actions, but I couldn't sense if there was any regret or sadness there. As good as Eisenberg was, I am confused as to whether his character was sincerely sorry for his actions.

Justin Timberlake did a great job in his role as Sean Parker, a party-boy and founder of two successful websites. His character was clearly supposed to be irritating, which he achieved splendidly. Another great performance was from Armie Hammer, who played both Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss. For me, these two characters were one of the most entertaining parts of the film. I could feel their frustration. I actually wished that they would win their lawsuit against Zuckerberg. 

The main problem I have with the film is that I got pretty bored by the end, and that's got to count for something. I admire the fact that they didn't portray Zuckerberg as an angel, however, it didn't make me care much for him either. I can't deny that this is a good film, but I think it's far from perfect and very overrated.

Fight Club (1999) - ★★★★

Director: David Fincher
Writers: Jim Uhls (screenplay, Chuck Palahniuk (novel)
Stars: Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham Carter, Meatloaf, Jared Leto

"It's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything" is one of the many entertaining lessons we learn from Fight Club. This film is marvelous! The twists and turns, the dry humour, the spectacular acting and an amazing original story from director David Fincher makes this one of the greatest movies I have seen. 

Edward Norton plays an insomniac office worker 'everyman' that takes comfort in going to self-help groups for various illnesses by faking being sick. Through doing this he is born again by crying out all the pain in his life and leaving a happier person through the experience. When a chain smoking woman starts faking illnesses and showing up to all of his support groups, he can't cry anymore because she reflects the lie he is living. Her name is Marla (Helena Bonham Carter). 'The Narrator' unaffectionately refers to her as "the little scratch on the roof of your mouth that would heal if only you could stop tonguing it, but you can't." Although neither are attractive or likable characters, there is beautiful chemistry between the two. She was the catalyst that launched him into the crazy world of Tyler Durden, played by Brad Pitt. 

'The Narrator' is sucked into Tyler's world of self-confidence, self-dependence and manhood. Together they create mayhem and start an underground Fight Club franchise where every day men come to release their frustrations by beating the living daylights out of each other, resulting in catastrophic consequences for the Narrator. The way this film describes human nature is presented in an unsettling and raw way. The special effects and directing technique to this movie is masterful. I believe this is one of the best screenplays in film history and has one of the most memorable endings. Just a riveting watch. I highly recommend it.