reviews by Shannon Bowman-Sarkisian

Splice

Splice is a movie that smolders. It has a slow build-up that, aside from the soundtrack, doesn’t feel like a horror movie at all. Splice is a modern reinterpretation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Like Shelley’s Victorian England, our era is one of rapidly changing technology. Change can be frightening, especially when it involves the creation of new life. Working outside the boundaries of nature is a reality for us — we have grown human ears on mice and cloned sheep. But what are the rights of our creations? How do we judge what is or is not human?

Clive Nicoli (Adrien Brody) and Elsa Kast (Sarah Polley) are cutting-edge genetic engineers creating hybrid creatures by splicing DNA. When their research is shut down by the pharmaceutical company that funds it, Nicoli and Kast decide to go rogue, splicing human DNA with a variety of other animals. The result is Dren (Delphine Chanéac), a new life form with intelligence, a humanoid face and body, and a deadly neurotoxin stinger at the end of her tail. Dren ages quickly and her “parents” find that the situation has spiraled out of their control.

Splice starts out with an odd, but compelling, premise. It ends up going in a disturbing and graphic direction. The conclusion of this film leaves something to be desired. Director and co-writer Vincenzo Natali gives up a complex plot for a cheap shot and easy ending. In spite of that, Splice is a unique look at human nature and biomedical innovation. It explores the definition of humanity and leaves the viewer wondering who the monster really is.

Splice, available on DVD, is rated R for disturbing elements including strong sexuality, nudity, sci-fi violence and language. Running time: 104 minutes.

The Social Network

There’s no denying the impact social media has had on contemporary life. Our representatives tweet while voting on legislation. Our major cable networks broadcast their viewers’ comments. An organization without a Facebook page and Twitter account is considered antiquated. Mark Zuckerberg, creator of Facebook and protagonist of  The Social Network, is the world’s youngest billionaire. He is undoubtedly one of the most influential men of the 2000s.

Based on Ben Mezrich’s biography The Accidental Billionaires, The Social Network is told through depositions and flashbacks. Director David Fincher created an angst-ridden college campus atmosphere for Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) to inhabit. A computer-programming genius, Zuckerberg desperately wants to be accepted into one of Harvard’s prestigious final clubs. Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin was given the difficult task of making Zuckerberg a sympathetic character that viewers can relate to in spite of the fact that he double-crossed Facebook’s co-creator Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) and may have stolen the billion-dollar idea from Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss (Armie Hammer). Sorkin accomplishes this by presenting Zuckerberg as a loner with no social skills, a man whose actions are explained by heartbreak and a desire to be popular. But Eisenberg’s portrayal of Zuckerberg is what humanizes him. His dry wit and expert timing help soften the hard edges of a man who made some unscrupulous choices. The Zuckerberg in The Social Network is a jerk, but he is also lost.

The Social Network, available on DVD, is rated PG-13 for sexual content, drug and alcohol use and language. Running time: 120 minutes.