The Social Network (2010)

A good story? Check. Who among us does not have a Facebook account or know somebody who does? Well told? Double-check. Wise use of flash-backs and excellent cinematography makes an otherwise "normal" story more interesting.

Jesse Eisenberg is brilliant as Zuckerberg, the world's youngest billionaire and co-founder of Facebook. This is his story. As one telling line toward the end of the movie points out, the guy was not an asshole but he was trying very hard.

Social retards rarely realize the impact they have on others.

Another very interesting performance in this movie is by Justin Timberlake. He plays the guy who founded and lost Napster. Timberlake does a super job of showing how much impact this guy had on Facebook. Very interesting.

You don't need to have a Facebook account to understand this movie, nor do you need to understand computers or venture capitalism. But all those things will help. The dialogue is very fast and often technical or slang.

Watch this movie with someone who can explain at least 2 of the 3 things above.

Holy Rollers (2010)

Here is another very interesting movie that peeks inside a world most of us know little or nothing about. How does one go from being a student on track to be a Rabbi to being one of New York's top Ecstasy smugglers? Watch and find out.

There are funny bits and sexy bits. No kidding. There are absurd twists and very interesting characters. Jesse Eisenberg does a very good job of skating the edge between innocence and business savvy. Justin Bartha is over-the-top good as the out-of-control neighbor and mentor.

Ari Gaynor is smoking hot as the gangster moll here. And why not, she got her start as a recurring character on Sopranos.

All that said, this is not a compelling story and as with most drug-related gangster movies we all kinda know how it will end. We just don't know when or to what extent. In this case it's a satisfying end with characters one cares about.

Watch this movie with someone who thinks money is NOT the root of all evil.