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Reviews
Margin Call (2011)
Left me speechless
I work in the finance industry and was told by my boss to watch this. Up until now I have always had trouble naming a favourite movie, but not anymore. This movie depicts the environment and the people so perfectly and added food for thought as well if you are willing to think about it deeply. For example, the analyst could have been a rocket scientist and built something useful. Eric Dale did build a really useful bridge. Sam Rogers summed it up beautifully when in his final conversation with the CEO replied that if he was digging trenches that he would at least have the holes in the ground to show for his effort. Instead of doing useful things, these people are here simply because the pay is good. Unlike most other professions where you enter to do some good for society (medical so you can heal people, teaching so you can guide the future generation, manufacturing so you can make things that people use, entertainment so you amuse people etc), investment banking attracts people that want to make money for themselves. Greed and self-interest are naturally demonstrated in abundance, and moral has little place in this environment. The higher up the chain you go, a bit more of your soul is sold.
Nothing But the Truth (2008)
should have been called 'woman without principle' - contains spoiler
The acting is excellent, but to associate the leading character with the notion of 'principle' or 'integrity' is so wrong in every way. There is no principle at all in using the words of an innocent child for the benefit of one's career, nor in naming the child's mother publicly so that it causes irreparable damage to her family. If she had named her source, she would have just looked like a pathetic and desperate woman who exploited a child, which is exactly who she is. I have sympathy for every other character who suffered the consequences of her stupid and selfish actions, but have none for her. Even her husband had more principle - he continued to say nothing but good things about her to her son even though she did not deserve it. She is a thoroughly repugnant individual and I really have to wonder if some people missed the point because of Kate? Had the actions been taken by a man, the words 'sleazy' and 'despicable' would probably have sprung to mind much more readily.
My Sister's Keeper (2009)
the movie is a slight improvement over the book but is still frustrating
The plot sounds interesting and the basis for the court case does make you think. I was interested because I imagine if I were Anna, I could spend the rest of my life on a shrink's couch and there would never be anyone who could cure my psychological damage. I wonder every day what the purpose of my life is and that's hard enough. Imagine if you are born knowing that your purpose is to endure one painful procedure after another and effectively act as 'spare' parts for someone else, and that your parents didn't even want you (the book elaborated on this) as a person and never even consider your pain or feelings, and your days are spent cleaning up after your sister even before you are grown - heck Anna could grow up to be a serial killer and we would still feel sorry for her. The idea that she would stand up for herself and force her parents to see her as a person rather than as spare parts is why I bothered with the book and the movie, but unfortunately it was only touched on and never really explored. If you want to see a movie about a family centered around a crazy mother (I can't believe it did not even register with her when her husband asked her if they should hold the daughter down to rip her kidney from her), go ahead and spend the time. If you are expecting to see a movie about a daughter learning to deal with her life purpose as 'spare' parts, skip it because it will only disappoint.
The Other Man (2008)
Good acting but silly plot
The movie is very confusing, but the few clues suggest the following. Lisa married young and was probably bored. She had the chance to experiment and did so with the silly Ralph, a man whose life is purely on fantasy. She hid the affair from her husband for several years who was completely devoted to her, but when struck by cancer, she decided to leave him clues so that he could discover the affair. This is probably where your mind has to be a little twisted to follow her logic for doing this. In leaving naked photo evidence of her affair and clues to help her husband track down her lover the nut case, she could only expect that he could become enraged and hate her. Given how much they are supposed to love each other, one can only think that she was concerned that he might not be able to get over her death and so proceeded to make sure that he would hate her and in the process, get over her.
Peter worked out her plan in the end and that just made him forgive her and love her regardless - hence the 'thank god for Ralph' at the party and the comment to his daughter at the station 'she didn't know us at all did she'.