Too Big a Cataclysm

Too Big to Fail chronicles the events leading to the Great Recession and the implementation of the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP). Specifically, it chronicles the events from the vantage point of HenryPaulson (William Hurt), the Fed Chairman. In this movie, you will find the hubris of Lehman Chief Dick Fuld (James Woods), the oversized egos of the Street’s leading doyens of Investment Banking, the desperate urgency among the players in question to prevent a total collapse of the financial markets, and the resultant patchwork that may have averted an out-and-out meltdown but the shadows of which persist to this day. Unlike Margin Call which is purely fictitious, Too Big to Fail has a documentary-like quality and (presumably) preserves authenticity while showcasing one of the most turbulent weeks/ fortnights in recent human history

14.5/20

Enemies of an Ineffectual State

Public Enemies tests the thespian skills of Johnny Depp and Christian Bale, but hardly to their limits. John Dillinger, hardened Depression-era bank robber pulls off audacious heists right under the noses of the law, and follows up with equally audacious escapes across state lines. The latter prompts the then head of the police forces, J Edgar Hoover, to set up a law enforcement organization that cuts across state lines called – what else – the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The romance with Marion Cotillard arouses a (on hindsight) misplaced twinge of sympathy for a hardened criminal. The movie is about the chase and how John’s world is slowly decimated, not only in the face of concerted legal action, but also on account of the return to prosperity of America that takes away several of his partners in crime. An interesting movie, but could have had a lot more to offer

13/20

The Long Watch

To do justice to a critically acclaimed movie like Watchmen one should have done one’s homework – i.e. have read the cult 12 part graphic novel series. Perhaps that in itself explains the movie’s principal failure. Throught the movie, the viewer does not for a moment doubt that he is watching a remarkable visual spectacle and possibly the most intricate character portraits of superheroes since The Dark Knight. The additional challenge being that unlike The Dark Knight and its likes, Watchmen profiles several different characters at a difficult time for America, juxtaposing their individual moral ambiguities against the tribulations facing a nation. The failing is the attempt to try to condense a 12-part series into a single movie. It is a surfeit of emotions and animation, and the viewer would find it difficult to absorb any train of thought before the movie moves on. This is not a movie to be watched over a 2 hour popcorn munching session. This is incursion into serious moral territory and at the least one should have read the related novels and braced oneself for a 3 hour

10/20