A Graceful Contemplation of Life After Death: Another Masterpiece From Eastwood

In lesser hands, "Hereafter" could have been a treacly exercise in overly sentimental melodrama. In the deft hands of the great Clint Eastwood, however, "Hereafter" is a sublimely powerful masterwork. Eastwood is one of the greatest filmmakers of all-time, and he knows better than to veer into the realm of sappy manipulation. "Hereafter" does not preach that there is an afterlife. Rather, the film merely contemplates the possibility of one, and it does so with remarkable grace. This is a beautiful film.

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The three-track narrative spans three countries. In San Francisco, we meet George Lonnegan (Matt Damon), a former psychic with awe-inspiring abilities to communicate with the dead. George understands that he could reap the rewards of a lavish lifestyle if he chose to make a profit from his psychic powers, but he views his abilities as more of a curse than a gift. When people continually pester George with requests for him to do a reading, he sharply declines. That was part of his past, he says. He does not do that anymore.

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In Paris, the story follows the life of Marie Lelay, a French television reporter (Cecile de France) who is struggling to combat with the effects of a concussion she suffered during a tsunami in Thailand. Marie barely escaped death, and ever since the tsunami she has been experiencing strange visions, visions that prevent her from functioning at work. When Marie tells her lover that she has these visions, he scoffs at the notion. But Marie knows that her visions are profoundly real. She visits a clinic in Switzerland and is told by the director of the clinic that she has been experiencing visions of an afterlife.

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Meanwhile, in London, we are introduced to 12-year old twins Marcus and Jason. Marcus and Jason do everything in their power to help their mother, who suffers from drug and alcohol addiction, recover so that child services won't intervene. One day Jason goes to the store to buy his mother some medicine. On the way home, he is cruelly teased and pushed around by a group of loitering bullies. In an effort to escape, Jason runs into the road and is struck to death by a car. This tragedy devastates Marcus and leads him to seek out a series of psychics to see if they can communicate with his beloved brother.

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It goes without saying that the three narratives eventually become one interlocking narrative. Many films fail in their attempt to connect multiple storylines, but "Hereafter" is reminiscent of "Crash" and "Babel" in the seamless, elegant manner in which it brings the stories together. This is a testament to the terrific Peter Morgan screenplay, and to the brilliance of Clint Eastwood, the ageless wonder who continues to churn out masterpiece after masterpiece. Eastwood is such a graceful filmmaker, and he handles this material with a careful delicacy that breeds genuine authenticity and emotion. Nothing feels forced in "Hereafter". Every scene is deeply moving, and the final act, in which everything comes together, is enchanting. As he always does, Eastwood also gets the best out of his actors. The great Matt Damon is again wonderful here, delivering perhaps his most sensitive performance to date. And the stunningly gorgeous Cecil de France is a revelation. Both deserve Oscar nominations. It should also be mentioned that Frankie and George McLaren, the actors who play the twins, are excellent.

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In terms of material, "Hereafter" is a bit of a departure for Eastwood. It is, however, another richly satisfying gem from one of the all-time greats. In the past decade, Eastwood has given us "Mystic River", "Million Dollar Baby", "Letters from Iwo Jima", and "Gran Torino", to name a few. And with "Hereafter", he has struck gold once more.

Been There, Done That

The title "RED" is an acronym that stands for "Retired and Extremely Dangerous". In reality, however, the only thing that needs to be retired is the tired plot that this movie recycles. "RED" has an amazing cast, and they all seem to be having a blast. The viewer, though, is rendered helpless, forced to endure a seemingly endless string of ancient cliches. But hey, at least "RED" is better than "The A-Team".

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"RED" is not a disaster, thanks to its wonderful collection of stars. It is always a joy to watch Bruce Willis infuse the screen with charisma and energy. It is always a pleasure to watch the great Morgan Freeman. It is always a pleasure to be graced with the presence of Helen Mirren. Richard Dreyfuss and Ernest Borgnine are always a delight. And the lovely Mary-Louise Parker is always charming. If not for the self-indulgence of the incessantly flashy John Malkovich, "RED" would have an impeccable cast. But a great cast can only carry you so far. In the case of "RED", the great cast is not enough to divert the viewer from the weary material. The film attempts to put a novel spin on the material by making the action characters be retirees, rather than spry youngsters. But to borrow an ancient political phrase, if you put lipstick on a pig, it is still a pig.

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I really don't have much else to say about "RED". You might enjoy it, thanks to the actors. But for me, the movie is disposable and largely forgettable. If you want to watch a fun, entertaining action movie with big stars, rent "Knight and Day", the underrated action caper with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, and skip "RED".

The Lonely Feeling of Power: The Creation of Facebook

"The Social Network", David Fincher's much-talked about film about the founding of Facebook, offers a fascinating study of the correlations between power and isolation. At the heart of this mesmerizing story is Mark Zuckerberg, the brilliant, socially awkward computer wizard whose invention of Facebook sparked two lawsuits worth hundreds of millions of dollars from former business partners who claimed that Zuckerberg stole their idea. Facebook catapulted Zuckerberg to immediate fame and notoriety, and provided him with exorbitant wealth. It is fascinating to watch how Zuckerberg becomes increasingly lonely as the film progresses. He tries to maintain a cool, aloof exterior, deflecting any accusations with a series of wry remarks. But Zuckerberg's insecurity and unhappiness are evident. The alluring poster for "The Social Network" says it all: You don't get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies.

It is the strange juxtaposition of wealth, celebrity, and loneliness that makes "The Social Network" so intensely compelling. David Fincher, with help from a razor-sharp Aaron Sorkin screenplay and terrific performances from a cast of wonderfully talented young actors, has crafted one of the best movies of the year. Rather than coming across as a typical biopic, "The Social Network" plays like a breathlessly paced thriller. Each scene is filled with dramatic implications, and all of the characters are deeply flawed in one way or another. Thus, in a way, "The Social Network" is a thought-provoking morality tale.

The cast is uniformly excellent. Jesse Eisenberg is sure to get an Oscar nomination for his performance in the lead role. Eisenberg has been quietly making a name for himself with his strong work in films such as "The Squid and the Whale", "Adventureland", and "Zombieland". With "The Social Network", Eisenberg will become an instant star, and deservedly so. Andrew Garfield is tremendous as Mark Zuckerberg's best friend and business partner who goes on to sue Zuckerberg for $600 million, and Armie Hammer, playing dual roles as twins who sue Zuckerberg for intellectual property theft, is fantastic. The strongest supporting performance, though, comes from Justin Timberlake, who deserves to receive a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his performance as the vain, shady founder of the music-downloading site Napster. Anybody who doubts Timberlake's ability to carve out a successful career in film will be completely persuaded by Timberlake's brilliance in this movie.

"The Social Network" is not a perfect movie, but it is an endlessly captivating one. The story of Facebook's founding, at least as told by David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin, is a thrilling examination of material wealth, and how that wealth does not always translate to a happy existence.