That's right I'm doing another double review! But before we get started let me explain a few things. So if you read my review on The Crazies then you were expecting this review on Saturday, yesterday. Well the reason why I didn't upload on Saturday was because two unexpected things happened. First my dad wanted my help with the garden he and my mom have. So I'm throwing dead plants out into the field, cleaning pots, among other things. Then, my grandpa asked for my help moving things around at his place. Now I could've said I'll help me on Sunday and he would've been understanding, but then I would've felt like a dick. So I instead helped him out and just save this double review for later.
The Social Reckoning is a biographical legal thriller that's based on the events of the 2021 Facebook leaks, and a sequel to The Social Network. Production was done by Columbia Pictures and Alcon Entertainment with Sony Pictures being the distributor. Aaron Sorkin both wrote and directed.
The story is, a young Facebook engineer named Frances Haugen has enlisted the help of a Wall Street reporter Jeff Horwitz to blow the whistle on Facebook's most guarded secrets. This event will soon be known as The Facebook Files.
Cons
I've got nothing.
Middle Ground
There are two mix bags, the biggest one being the timing. As we know the hearings happened in 2021, it's now 2026. By this point everyone knows or has an idea of what The Facebook Files are. Having said that it still works as an engagement and watchable film. It's sharp and procedural structure still holds together. But this really should've been released in 2023 or maybe early 2024. That way it could've had the same sense of urgency The Social Network had. There's also the way the movie looks. Now Sorkin as a director keeps things nice clear and focused. But this movie really could've benefited from someone who could match David Fincher's slightly icy visual style that made The Social Network look controlled and a little menacing.
Pros
One good or should I say great aspect is Sorkin's writing and dialogue. His screenplay is a smart and focused on the friction between traditional journalism and tech power. His writing did great highlighting how engagement-driven algorithms are more focused on growth and outrage. Then of course there's his brilliant dialogue. One of the best was "You're like a crossing guard standing in front of a school but you're not doing anything with your arms, so the cars are just plowing down the children". Another good one final thing I'll touch on is the performances. Mikey Madison is the dramatic center. Madison plays Haugen as an introverted data engineer who believes in Facebook's original "connect the world" mission and is shocked to discover the site would much rather prioritize engagement. She does a great job showing Haugen go from quiet idealistic to someone willing to risk everything. Then we have Jeremy Allen White as Jeff Horwitz. White brings out Horwitz feeling of being out of his depth but refuses to look the other way. And his more casual, low-key delivery pairs well with Madison's more intense internal focus.
Overall The Social Reckoning is pretty good. Should've been released sooner but still worth checking out even if you're only gonna do it once.
My final rating is, Good.
Now let's move on to our next movie.
Other Mommy is a supernatural psychological horror movie based on the 2024 novel, Incidents Around the House. It's produced by Blumhouse and Atomic Monster with distribution by Universal Pictures. The writer is Nathan Elston and the director is Rob Savage.
The story is, seven year old Isabela aka Bela has been talking to something who she's named "Other Mommy" because of the entity's resemblance looks exactly like her real mother Ursula. But as Bela's encounters with the supernatural creature become more and more frightening, Ursula along with her husband Russell will do everything they can to protect their daughter from Other Mommy.
Cons
I've got nothing.
Middle Ground
Now there are some effective scares. The opening with Other Mommy contorted underneath the kitchen table is very freaky and terrifying. But then the scares quickly get repetitive. There really needed to be more space between the scary moments. Because after awhile you start to recognize a pattern, and pattern recognition kills dread. Not to mention but the repeated scares also undercuts the dysfunctional family storyline. Other Mommy is clearly meant to be a warped reflection of Ursula's martial strain. But that story never gets its full potential because the filmmakers were far too focused on the next horror scene. So the family story arc only reaches a decent level.
Pros
There's three good things about Other Mommy, one being Jessica Chastian's dual performance. She brought out Other Mommy's twisted smiles and uncanny elements. And when she was the real Ursula she's far more restrained and shows confliction with Ursula's struggles. There's also Arabella Olivia Clark and her performance as Bela. Despite this being her seventh acting job, her showing Bela's fear of both Other Mommy and her realization that her family is broken was great acting. Her along with Chastin really grounded the movie. My last praise will go to the production. This was made with a budget of $19 million dollars and that money was spent very well. The film looks polished and the set pieces looked great.
While I wasn't fully disappointed at Other Mommy, I do think you should just wait for it to go to streaming or rent on a DVD. Some moments can be uneasy and scary, but for the most part you don't gotta rush to see it.
My final rating is, Okay.
That's all for now. Come back tomorrow, Monday, Oct 12th, for my Underrated Films review of Dog Soldiers. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.
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