Margin Call a Great Explanation of Financial Crisis, Great Recession

From Mary Burgan. Leave a comment or email her at [email protected].

Hello, again. A big post-Thanksgiving hello to Borderstan’s movie-goers. And an apology for not having said good-bye six weeks ago when I went on hiatus from the Movie Fan column to undergo major back surgery. I’ve been laid up since then. But I have been sustained in part by a magic container of never-say-die stew that was delivered to my house by one of the founding editors of Borderstan — bless his heart.

On Thanksgiving Day, still unable to go to the Cineplex to see one of the glittering holiday releases, as I usually do in refuge from football on holiday television, I managed to find a current highly rated contender on the Xfinity list. So I ordered up Margin Call,  and my husband and I settled down to watch a big-time movie on a small screen on Thanksgiving afternoon.

Margin Call Great Recap of Great Recession Causes

I can report that Margin Call is a terrific movie, probably the best I’ve seen about the sources of the current recession. It features outstanding acting from everyone in the cast. As a matter of fact, their interactions are so significant that the film doesn’t need a big screen to convey their intensity. Look especially for the work of Kevin Spacey, who should get an Oscar nod — but also pay attention to Jeremy Irons and Demi Moore. Yes, Demi Moore.

If you stick with this film, you will have a better understanding of what happened inside brokerage houses when push came to shove at the start of everything in 2008. It is the best look inside the current recession that I’ve seen, and I’ve see two other great ones — the documentary Inside Job: The Film That Cost Over $20,000,000,000,000 to Make and the HBO made for TV Too Big to Fail. What Margin Call does is to take us inside a firm on the day  of reckoning and chronicle the betrayals as well as the big salaries involved in the entire fiasco.

Next Reviews: What Should I See

Now that my back is stronger and my mind is (relatively) clear, the question is where to restart my movie-going?  I had just seen the excellent Moneyball before I went under the knife, and I had hoped to advise you all to see that movie. But, I couldn’t work that column onto the blog in time. I would have pointed out that Brad Pitt has truly a reputation as a true actor — more than a pretty boy — and that you could learn a lot about statistics and MLB by buying a ticket to that movie. (All I knew about baseball before Moneyball was what MLB means.)

I’ve been given permission by my physical therapist to go to a movie or two over the next week. Where should I go?  There is such a variety on offer at the theaters in this season. Should I take in Hugo or The Muppets or one of the other fun holiday children’s releases? Or should I catch up with J. Edgar or My Week with Marilyn?  And what about a new indie film like the highly praised but creepy Martha Mary May Marlene?

Dear Readers, I could use some help. Write and tell me what to see in the next week or two?

Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving!