Independent drama outlines the chain of events over a 24 hour period after a startling discovery is made at a global financial services firm. Timely production utilizes the background of the actual 2008 financial crisis and fashions a fictional account of what happens when an analyst discovers sensitive information that threatens to derail the future of the fiscal institution – not Lehman Brothers, mind you, but an enterprise very much like them. Basically the company has discovered that they’re riddled with financial assets whose value has fallen so significantly as to be essentially worthless.
Well written, overly intellectual script, is educational almost at the expense of excitement. Director J.C. Chandor has a unique insight into the world of traders. His father worked on Wall Street for Merrill Lynch for more than 35 years and he drew on those experiences to fashion this story. Understanding what all the hubbub is about is fairly important to enjoying this movie. There’s actually a scene where Jeremy Irons asks Zachary Quinto playing a young analyst, to break down the intricate monetary entanglement “as you would to a small child.” I still didn’t completely understand the explanation. It’s as if we’re really eavesdropping on genuine confidential financial discussions. The screenwriter’s failure to “dumb it down” is commendable I suppose. Although I didn’t fully comprehend the jargon, I was entertained by the parade of acting talent.
What I found rather unexpected was the script’s evenhanded approach regarding the various movers and shakers at the Wall Street firm. Greed is definitely the underlying theme, but the script engenders a certain amount of sympathy too. There’s a bit of justifiable self preservation involved. An incredible cast really brings the sophisticated script to life: Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Penn Badgley, Simon Baker, Demi Moore and Stanley Tucci who portrays a recently fired risk analyst. If there’s someone we feel for the most, it’s his character. He makes investment bankers seem almost sensitive in this age of villainy. The fact that the script doesn’t solely demonize the principals, is remarkably unconventional.
The economic meltdown of a bank is not a typical subject for entertainment. At times the drama can be a bit studious. The feature unfolds through conversations in boardrooms, staring at computer screens. By now, you should know whether the subject will hold adequate interest for you. I’ll confirm the script was sufficiently intelligent to keep me interested and the high powered cast added significantly to the material. The subject has a current relevance given the recent Occupy Wall Street movement that has emerged nationwide. The subject couldn’t be more well-timed. But the crisis depicted doesn’t seem intense or savage enough to generate the necessary enthusiasm. As an indictment of corporate greed, Margin Call is an instructional account that generates little more than restrained admiration.
In all the world, no city was more impressive than Metropolis – an exaltation of buildings towering into the skies. A city to be idolized and adored where people seemed free to concentrate on pleasurable pursuits. But beneath the surface lay the reason why Metropolis thrived. As happy as life was above the surface, so was the sadness of the workers beneath the city’s shiny exterior. Working long days deep below without daylight or fresh air, it was a dismal existence consumed by backbreaking labor. Joh Fredersen, the city’s founder and architect, observed all from on high with a watchful eye. His son Freder lives among the carefree unaware of the horrors underneath. Then one day Freder encounters the beautiful Maria, a woman who takes care of the worker’s children while they toil. He is immediately smitten by her and trails her to learn more about the woman. He soon becomes aware of the ugly side of Metropolis. Horrified by the drudgery of the troubled lives of the working class he vows to become an agent for change.
Here we go again. The “found-footage” horror genre’s most famous series gets its next installment with this supernatural thriller. Similar to Paranormal Activity 2, this is a prequel – coming 18 years prior to the last entry. We go back to when Katie and Kristi were young girls. They live with their mother Julie and her boyfriend Dennis, a videographer who looks somewhat like James Franco in 127 Hours. Kristi begins interacting with an imaginary friend named Toby. Soon after Dennis and Julie start hearing strange noises in the house late at night. Determined to get to the cause of the disturbances, Dennis sets up cameras throughout their home to document what is happening.
Curtis LaForche is a happily married family man in Ohio. With a solid construction job including generous benefits, he earns a decent living for his loving wife and daughter. That’s good because 6 year old Hannah is deaf and in need of an expensive medical procedure. Michael unexpectedly begins having dreams of an imminent storm. But are these actual visions of things to come or the sign of dementia setting in? You see his own mother was committed 30 years prior when she suffered from paranoid schizophrenia at the same age Curtis is now. This weighs on him as he contends with his unraveling sanity. These visions become more frequent and threatening as they start to involve his wife and daughter, his co-workers, even the family dog.
What would it be like to step into a great work of art and experience the lives of the people within? That’s the idea behind The Mill and the Cross a languid recreation of “The Way to Calvary,” the 1564 masterpiece by painter Pieter Bruegel. Throughout the film we often see the Flemish renaissance artist painting the scene. But most of the action takes place inside the composition as we observe the community within. It’s an interesting concept, beautifully presented, but the sluggish pace is just too lethargic to enjoy.
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